capeandcowllogs | Doué pour voler, l’oiseau excite ta jalousie

Gar had managed to get his hands on a newspaper, and he had starting reading as he waited. He had looked up quickly every time the bell at the door had rang, all the while finishing up a muffin and a coffee. It wasn't like it had been long at all since he'd seen her. She was staying at the Tower too, after all. Still, he was somewhere new all of a sudden and Raven was there and familiar. Even if she was from the future or something, she was still Raven.

Finally, she was the figure in the doorway after the 'ding.' The first thing he noticed was her hair, which had been very short the last time he'd seen her. Then it was the eyes, moving over the cafe, and he stood up as if he wasn't noticeable enough already. A couple of heads turned. "Hey, Raven." And then he grinned, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Fancy meeting you here, huh?"

Raven froze.

Her stare never moved from him, and for a period of nearly thirty seconds, she could have very well been a lifelike statue. There was the smile, the eyes, the ever-familiar emotions that were usually tied with him. His entire aura swam with familiarity to her.

She took a few cautious steps in, most of the eyes having now turned back to their own tasks and drinks, her own eyes never leaving his gaze for a moment. It took her very little time at all to close the distance between them, despite her slow, methodical steps - and all at once, her arms enveloped him, forehead resting against his shoulder as she simply clung to his form.

"Hey," Gar said the little word in concern at Raven's moment of stillness. She was moving again almost by the time that he had said it, though. She was coming towards him and wrapping her arms around his ribcage and pulling closer. It was his turn to freeze up. He could have kicked himself for it, too. Smooth. "Hey," he muttered out again, a little softer and still with the degree of concern.

After a moment, he finally reacted, raising his arms to hug her in return. Despite the moment's hesitation, it was an easy thing to do. It was still something of a wonder to him that she was back; the form still surprised him. He gave her shoulders a secure squeeze and tried to laugh casually. He didn't know anything about this place or what might have happened here, but he was suddenly almost worried, almost fearful. "Are you alright?" He wanted to make sure.

Please do not let go. It was the only thing repeating itself in her mind as she simply held on a bit tighter, held on to something she knew. All this time she had convinced herself that life was peachy here, that she didn't need to return home, but the moment something from it was in her arms, she could feel her emotions crumbling.
She couldn't do this to him - he had only just been ported in, confused about his surroundings, not to mention the emotions that he was feeding her currently. It wasn't fair to him for her to simply break - despite the events of the past few months.

Instead, she spoke gently, muffled a bit by his shirt.
"I have missed you."

Something about that statement got to him. A moment after it had come out of her mouth, he rolled his shoulders and tightened his grip on her, breathing in deep. Her hair smelled nice, picked up by that part of him that was animalistic tilt towards acute scenting, clean kind of smell. The words "I have missed you" could have much more easily come from a girl like Kory, but Raven... Another surprise. It was kind of becoming.

It did make him wonder about everything that she might be thinking, if she had enough to use that phrase. One woman, Catwoman, had mentioned being here for eight months... How long had she been here? And what had happened in that time. "Want to talk about it?" Gar wasn't so concerned with her promise of showing him around, now. He was more worried about her and her clinging and her simple statements of emotion. "I can grab you a tea or something, if you want."

Something akin to a bitter laugh slips past her lips, and she begins to pull away, fingers lifting to tuck a few strands of ebony hair behind her ear. She smiles softly, eyes locking with his again. It was so surreal seeing him standing in front of her like this...

"Thank you, Garfield. But I'll be fine. I always am, somehow." there was a pause - she had to think of something, anything humorous to say to him. Oh why was that humor Peter taught her failing her at such a critical time? "I actually drink coffee now. On a regular basis."
Quite the genius thing to say, but at least it was something to break the tension.

"Oh, well." The feeling of almost ominous concern was quick to melt away, and Gar smiled again. "Excuse me." Then he laughed, maybe a little nervous, but he was similarly attempting to dissolve the tension. He reached up to scratch distractedly at his hairline for a moment, then raked his fingers through his hair. It only helped him to look a little more disheveled, but maybe that fit his current state of mind a little better. "I can get you a coffee, too, if you want." He was very matter-of-fact.

For a moment, then, the return of that easily-joking face slipped into an after-thought. He regarded her carefully, maybe with something akin to a puppy-dog look. "Sorry I'm late, apparently. You're really okay?" She had still been re-adjusting the last time he'd seen her, after all. Even then, he had felt the need to look after her. A different location didn't change that much.

"I am the one with the paying job, Garfield. It would be rude for me to have you do that." a smile was beginning to creep across her lips, despite her current emotions. She had missed his humor the most, really.

But by Azar, that look. She had no will against that look, and she was now beginning to remember why so many of her male friends got away with so much. Her eyes visibly soften, followed by a hollow sigh as she looks away from him. "I don't want to ruin this reunion by making you upset about things you have no control over, Garfield."

With Steve Dayton's help, Garfield had simply finished his growing up under the impression that he could make casual purchases without a problem. He hadn't thought about money in this place and now it might be more difficult to come by. Just another thing to consider among the multiple things that he hadn't thought to think about.

He was rubbing at his cheek, then, tugging idly at the lobe of a pointed ear, continuing in his fidgeting habits. "Saying it like that doesn't make me feel a whole lot better, you know. It sounds kind of foreboding."

If she was a bit more 'perky', the line "I felt that" would have slipped past her lips, what with his emotional change in regard to that statement. She assumed he hadn't thought about it, many in his situation wouldn't, but it was a hard lesson here. Another reason why she was proud of the financial indepedance she had worked so hard to secure for herself.
Raven smiled warmly, kindly, before making a slight motion towards one of the tables.

"Sit. We will talk things through. If it helps to ease your mind, I do believe my troubles are behind me. It is recovering from them that I struggle with." without warning she turned, heading for the counter to grab herself some coffee, and perhaps something to eat to regain her strength.

The sudden re-emergence of movement almost surprised him, but finding his chair while she went to the counter was easy enough. This one moment felt deceptively normal. He folded the newspaper and set it in an empty chair nearby. His fingers brushed over the tags that he had left on the table, his new form of I.D.. He had looked the simple things over again and again, as if looking for a flaw to disprove them as real items. No luck so far.

Gar turned his face up to look for her again, not wanting to be taken by surprise for the millionth time today. He was feeling jumpy, and he didn't want it to show. His thumb ran over the engraving, "Beast Boy," and he didn't know what he was getting himself into.

It took only a few minutes for her to make her way to the table, sitting down as well, and looking over her coffee cup at his identification items. She takes a long sip of the drink before swallowing, a smile reaching her lips again. She could so easily remember being like this, feeling completely lost, sitting across from Tim when she was living in the Clocktower with the other titans. The poor thing...

"The city is identical to New York City in modern times. Broadway, quite a few identical stores and locations, the streets are all the same. It's rather easy to navigate if you've been there before."
She sets the cup down, resting both her arms on the table and leaning forward slightly. "Some have kept to the 'hero' community, while others, like myself, have left it."

Gar rested his elbow on the table as well, shoulders hunched up. He'd heard about the city being parallel to New York. The mention of Broadway brought one corner of his mouth up. He was more of a film guy, really, but who didn't like show-tunes. He could vaguely remember a lot of the older melodies, some of the lines... His mother had been a fan.

There was no need to assure Raven that he would be alright because he had lived in New York. She'd been there. The next line in her explanation caught his attention a little quicker, however. If he had been in a form in which his ears could perk, they would have. She had mentioned that she wasn't a 'Titan,' so far as being here went, but... She had left completely? The thought felt weird, but maybe that was just because he found it hard to picture himself doing much else.

"Completely? Isn't the whole 'heroing' thing kinda' the point around here, though?" It was possible that the emphasis on that had only been contained within the Network of metas itself, however, and the city was full of perfectly normal people with perfectly normal jobs. Gar had never really known normalcy, but that was alright. Raven had wanted it, hadn't she? He remembered finding her High School I.D. back at the Tower, and that hadn't been too long ago. If it was a desire of hers... Well, there couldn't have been much wrong with that. "So... What do you do, anyway?"

Well, that had gone over better than it did when she told a few others about her leaving the 'hero' thing behind. But was that really a surprise, considering the man she was now speaking to? He always had supported her in whatever she wished...
The entire situation kept a soft, content smile on her face - possibly the most content that he had ever seen her as. There was something about that normalcy that she thrived in. Being out of the day-to-day hero lifestyle had boosted her confidence considerably.

"There are hundreds of superheroes here, dozens patrolling the city at any given time. Some are in the police, others in teams, others who patrol in a solo manner. However given my abilities, and the danger I present with what I am---" she trailed off for a moment, her smile saddening before she decides to drop the subject and pick up the other he had started.

"I currently work as a personal assistant to a very influential business man within the city. The hours are very flexible, it pays exceedingly well. I even have an apartment in one of the finer buildings in the upper east side."

There might have been another thing to consider, with the mention that there was a very high concentration of people working as heroes here. Would one more in the mix make any difference. Even if the concept of the city seemed almost opportunistic, would he really be of any use here? He'd... Well, he'd have to be. He probably would be even more useless in the general work-force. Just more things to think over...

He wanted to chide her when she mentioned the danger of who she was. He wanted to mention that he was, especially after recent events, afraid of what he was and could be, as well. He almost did it, gave in to one or both options, but the subject changed before he had to fall on that.

Her job sounded... Really fancy. Mention of the Upper East Side even had his eyebrows raising. "Sounds like you're doing good." While it was an honest statement, and he wanted her to be doing well, always doing well for herself, he still had to keep the little bit of disappointment out of his voice. The Titans was what had formed many of the great friendships that Gar had known, and Raven was one of these friendships. Without Raven as his teammate, how much would he see her? Was this visit only a courtesy to his arrival? "Even if it's a weird world... Well. You deserve to do good."

Her smiled warmed further at that, arm raising so she could set her chin in her palm while she talked to him. This felt so natural, like he had been here the entire time - a good thing, she guessed. At least it was nowhere near as awkward as it could be.
"Thank you, Garfield. You have no idea how much that means to me. And yes, I am doing well. Between the career, the place I live, and the wonderful friends I have made---" there's a pause, and she wonders if she wants to drop this bomb so soon. She really had no reason not to. Based upon what Garfield had told her, he was from a time before they became... something. "--- plus the man that I am involved with. Life has gone well for me here."

Her eyes fixed themselves upon the table. Despite knowing all of the things that had just went through her mind, she still felt as if she was a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. A strange form of guilt she really wasn't accustomed to...

It... Still hit a little like a bomb, somehow. Nothing catastrophic, of course, but (and here's that damn word for the millionth-and-third time since she'd walked into this cafe) it surprised him. Without having formed a proper reaction to that kind of thing, he let out a little, "Oh." Oh? 'Oh' was the best he could come up with. Then, after another moment, he realized that that had probably been a weird reaction. Plus, the way she looked about it... He couldn't tell what it was really, and guilt didn't even strike him as something that she should feel. She was put off. He'd put her off completely.

"I didn't know you dated." That was his brilliant come-back insofar as not making himself look like an ass. Great. He might as well sprout the donkey ears right now. His green eyes darted away from trying to look at her. He was embarrassed now, maybe. "Not that I... I mean. That's good, too." It was normal and healthy. Gar liked people and being with people, no matter how much it never worked out. Again, if Raven could achieve that normalcy, she deserved it.

He didn't even get why that had hit him like that, really. It was just... Nothing. It was nothing. God, he was so awkward. He really should have gotten over that habit by now.

Her blue eyes finally lifted to him, especially at how he had reacted to such a thing. There was a part of her glad that he had reacted a bit negatively - considering what they had when it came to her own memories. Yet she still felt guilty... and that was written all over her face.

A part of her wished to just tell him about all of it - their time together, the kiss they shared that was still stuck in her memory, and perhaps always would be. But he had said he was tired of the future, right? ... best to not talk about that. She smiled, shrugging lightly as another strand of hair was tucked behind her ear.

"His name is Harry, and he's helped me through quite a lot here. He's very kind, and considerate. He is actually who I am vacationing in Paris with." the slightest of distant smiles crosses her face as memories of the last couple of days poured into her mind. However, forcing herself to snap out of it, she looked up at him again.
"... I hope that won't be a problem..."
What? What did that even mean? She hadn't needed Peter or Tony's approval to continue this relationship, and she surely didn't need Gar's either. What was she hoping to hear exactly? She couldn't even answer that herself.

Gar's eyes might have widened at the revelation that she was vacationing with this guy. Harry. That was such a normal name. Raven, with a normal job and a normal boyfriend... Raven, the normal girl. It was still a near-startling thought. He was used to Raven the Unreachable, quiet and prone to forcing distance, and now she was vacationing in Paris with Harry. Big leap forward and, again, he had to wonder how long she'd been here. At least she hadn't been alone, even if she'd been without any of them.

For a moment, before she spoke, she still had a peculiar look about her that he didn't have the means to place. The wistful smile that replaced that expression, though... Wow. It broke when she returned her attentions to him, however, and his mouth pressed into a puzzled line at the final statement.

As if her relationship should concern him, right? He quickly shrugged, let out a huff of a laugh and a smile that cut itself short after that. He... Was trying to think things through, for a moment, for all of the little bits and pieces that she'd mentioned. "Well..." And now he was fidgeting again, fingers tapping and eyes moving around. He felt caged, all of a sudden. As much as he liked Raven, this felt exceedingly awkward, like treading on forbidden ground. He kind of wanted out of this conversation. "Why would it be a problem?" He got it out with a big smile, even. It was none of his business. He suspected, maybe for a moment, that the question might be exceedingly loaded, but he didn't mean to press anything.

Her eyes widen at that question - and awkward silence fills the air between them. To be honest, she hadn't expected him to blatantly ask that. Well... not blatantly, as he had no idea what was was crossing into, but to her that question held the weight of the world, and then some. How does one explain a romantic relationship to someone who has no memory or experience of it? Would he consider her delusional? Would he just... get up and leave?
... no this was Garfield, she had to hold more trust and faith in him than that. And... oh, well she had sat there for a long enough period in dead silence to probably make him more concerned. Fantastic - she always was the queen of tact when it came to these things.

Best get this over with...
"... because where I am from, it was you in his position." her eyes soften, and she sighs gently, a bit of color filling her cheeks. "The last I saw of you before I came here, at least. We were dating." a pause as she lets that sink in. "So. I am quite ecstatic to see you, of course. However this is somewhat awkward to me, as you... obviously have no idea of what I'm talking about."

... Wow. Okay. If there was any chance of Garfield surviving this meeting with his wit intact, it just flew out of the window. For a moment, he was probably completely incapable of forming complete thoughts. Ducking his head down a little bit, he again ran a hand through his hair. He probably needed a hair-cut, but that didn't matter right now. Right now... He looked back up to Raven and pushed a smile onto his face, a soft and joking kind of smile. "You're... You're joking, right? I mean... You'd never--" He quit while he was ahead, or as close to ahead as he was probably going to get, here. The smile faded, and he looked at her with the facial expression equivalent of a question before he turned his gaze away to look at the wall.

Talk about awkward. That feeling of being caged only increased tremendously, and his eyes were searching for something to distract him. Still, his mind was running over the possibilities, over what her statements about the two of them implied. She didn't look too different from the last time he'd seen her, so... The draw that he might have maybe felt towards her (still felt?) had been more reality than stupidity, which felt good for a split-second. However, there were much heavier facts to consider. The last time she'd seem him, they'd been... Together? Was that the right word? And now? Now, she was vacationing in Paris with kind, considerate Harry.

Gar was a being of little confidence when it really counted, and those facts and the fact that they didn't quite add up right had the potential to wreck something he had yet to understand. What a blown chance. What shit-luck. He looked across the table at her again, trying not to look a bit like a kicked puppy before he mustered up the will to smile, to blatantly laugh at himself. "Dumped already. That bad, huh?"

Her eyes never left him despite anything he said or did, however her eyes would only continue to soften with every passing moment. Her empathic powers reached out to take in whatever he was feeling, to try and understand what was going through his mind right now. However nearly anyone looking at him right now would probably be able to tell that.

However she felt something quite familiar cross her consciousness, and there was a brief squeal of her chair against the floor as she goes back an inch, eyes widening considerably. That feeling, that very emotion... it was like she was being taken back in time a couple of months, standing in a bedroom, staring up into warm, but pained eyes, and hearing "I can't" whispered ever so softly. She had just caused that exact emotion to impact someone she cared about, and she nearly looked to the point of tears now, the moistness obvious in her eyes.

"... I--- no it's... simply..."
She leaned onto the table, hands resting atop of his to gain his attention completely. However she couldn't muster the courage to say anything past that - a lump firmly forming in her throat now. But she was completely unable to take her eyes off his.

The touch at hands was definitely enough to draw him back quickly, and her gaze was met immediately with one that was nearly startled. When he saw her wet-looking eyes, though, that wide-eyed look was smeared away again. It was simply..? Simply what?

He couldn't press the question when she looked like that, however. It was no good. His mind was too overdone for the day to try and think of a good counter or a question or any kind of logic. There were things, obviously in some masochistic part of his conscious, that he wanted to know, but he didn't know where to begin. Hell, feeling usually worked better for him than thinking, and he couldn't even begin to know everything that he felt right now. Everything, this whole place, was jumbled and confusing, but enough about him.

"Hey," he started, attempting that same comforting tone he'd been going for when she'd walked into the cafe and reached forward for him. "Don't look like that, alright?" He could hear a rasp in his voice, his throat tightening. Almost absently, he turned his hands around so that his palms were up, a few green fingers tapping playfully at her wrists. They were all affectionate gestures done before he remembered to catch himself. Too bad. "I get it."

It was said with an unintentional shortness, aimed only at himself. Of course, he didn't really 'get' any of it, but a little fibbing never really hurt anybody.

A weak smile pulled at the corners of her mouth, and she did her best to blink away the emotion from her eyes, even looking to the side to regain her composure. A quick inhale through her nostrils, and she looks at him again, the smile a bit more sincere now.
"I apologize, I shouldn't be dropping all of this on you so quickly. It isn't fair, and is very selfish of me."

Her eyes drifted down to their hands, and she takes a moment to slip her hands into his, squeezing gently.
"I should be talking about the reality you now find yourself in instead. As you may find yourself here for awhile, after all."
The thumb of one hand delicately runs along his - she had actually said that with a good deal of... joy... in her voice. After all, she didn't find anything all that bad about being here, and now that he was here... it only made things that much better, really.

"Reality might be cool," Gar conceded, managing a better smile when faced with her own. The happiness in her voice when she mentioned the time that he might spend here was both comforting and foreboding, in a way. If Raven was the only person he had, so far... How well would that work out, considering what he'd just learned?

Whatever. He could figure it out or ignore it. If he was stuck here, no amount of confusing interpersonal mess was going to stop him from being there for her, for better or worse. More than that, maybe being stuck here could provide something other than calamity. Raven herself certainly seemed to look fondly upon the place, though they certainly weren't the same judge. He could do it, too. He could establish a place here and live like that, if he needed to.

Among his confusion and the knots in his guts, he somehow reached a resolve about the whole thing. He'd be alright. "So what's the low-down? Where do we start on that front?"

"Well, for one, you have a few choices in living arrangements." she lifted one of her hands from his, but leaves the other where it is, and uses that hand to further express her points. "Most new individuals to the city live in a large central building here, however it's known to be rigged full of cameras. There is also the headquarters of the Titans, who I am sure would be more than willing to take you in as one of their ranks."

Another smile, in an attempt to be supportive during such a confusing time. Better late than never, Raven...
"There is always the option of finding a roommate or an apartment of your own, and a job to pay for it. Unless you are lucky enough to know someone who will allow you to stay for free."

Considering the suddenness with which he'd been dropped here, the central building was looking to be the option available to him. He could probably deal with cameras, and he probably needed to meet with the Titans, even if he wouldn't know them save for Tim, and even if he was unsure of them as a result.

"Yeeah. Even with my charisma, I don't think I can network that fast. I guess it's the camera-ridden house for ol' Gar." It didn't sound like a bad option, save for the camera detail being a little creepy. If worse came to worse, Gar's ability could make almost any condition livable. "Is check-in pretty easy, at least?"

"I wouldn't know, the day I arrived I was contacted by Tim. I never had to stay there myself. I know a few individuals who have stayed there, but they all got out rather quickly. Evidently it is just bare basics there."

Raven's eyes were now cast down at a napkin set before her, a pen in her hand as she begins to scribble out an address on it - she actually pauses, crossing out something and writing something completely different below it.
Below that, a series of six numbers is written, followed by another series of seven numbers beside it.

With a flick of the wrist she turns the napkin, sliding it towards him in one smooth motion, her chin back to resting in her palm casually. With the pen in her other hand, she motions to each line.
"Go to this (http://darkprophecies.livejournal.com/2439.html) address. This is the number to get past the security system, tell it to no-one else. And this (http://darkprophecies.livejournal.com/3242.html) is the number I can be reached at, if you would rather speak to me on something other than the network."

Edited 2009-07-08 06:10 (UTC)

Gar tilted his head in an attempt to read while she wrote, but the numbers were fairly lost on him until he got the formal introduction, an address, a code, and a phone-number. He took up the napkin as if it was a fragile, special thing, and looked at it carefully, attempting to memorize.

East 75th... Damn. That wasn't bare basics. "This is..?" Her apartment? He looked back up at her with a disbelieving and careful expression. "Are you sure about that?"

"Quite sure." she actually held a very calm, collected, but warm expression and aura about her now. Odd how her roommate and near brother had been ported out, and about a week later, Garfield was ported in. And the place was a bit empty without anyone else in it. ... he probably wouldn't mind the cats.

Then again she wasn't exactly asking him to move in. Or was she? ... she'd leave that up to him. Regardless, she'd have alot of explaining to do when Harry, Peter, or Tony showed up at the door. 'Oh yes, this is my boyfriend, except he is not truly my boyfriend. But he will be staying here.'
... however Harry would probably do the exact same for Mary Jane.
Well, the expressions on her face while thinking these things over must have put on quite a show for Garfield, especially that last part. She snaps out of it, smiling again.

"It isn't as if we haven't shared a residence before. And I would prefer you there, rather than elsewhere, really."

Even considering the earlier part of their conversations, Gar's concerns on the matter where a little different. The obligatory housing for the people drawn here was just that, made for new-comers. Without a job... Well, he'd probably have to get some kind of job anyway, but he doubted he could make money for that kind of real estate in any job that anybody would be willing to give him. His identity as one of the super-powered imports was obvious, too, though he didn't know how far the stigma might stretch here.

So, either way... A temporary solution, right? He already felt like he might be crowding her, and he couldn't imagine that his presence was much more than just more trouble at this point. "You don't have to do all of these things for me, you know." The look on his face plainly said that he appreciated it, however. "I'll pay it back, Rave. You can keep bugging me about it, too."

A slight laugh in response to that. "Garfield, really..."

She tucks more hair behind her ear, sighing lightly as she taps the tip of the pen against the table a few times. No real reason, perhaps just something to do to try and relieve the awkwardness of this entire conversation.

"The titans have always been my family, and yes, that includes you. I prefer to keep such people close to me. There is no need for 'paying back' when it comes to this. I simply wish to make sure you're safe, comfortable, and taken care of. Is that such a bad thing?"

That was fairly straightforward, and it left little wiggle-room for his arguing. The idea that he was acting the part of a (figurative) leech was a little harder to shake. "It's not bad thing. I really appreciate it, Raven, you coming down here and everything. I just... I don't want to overstay my welcome before I even get started around here, so let me know if anything becomes a problem. I want to make sure you're alright, too, you know."

Another smile, but a very sincere one as she takes his hand again, shaking her head. "I'll be sure to tell you, Garfield, but I truly don't see any problems arising. It's truly a waste for me to be in such a place alone as it is."

Taking hold of her cup of coffee, she sips from it slowly, swallowing, and lowering it again. "And who's to know, you may even like it. It certainly isn't titans tower, however there are a few forms of electronic entertainment there from Terry - the one who had been my roommate before he was ported out of the city." her voice dips slightly in energy at the mention of Terry's name, but it's not very noticeable. She's been attempting to keep herself happy that he was 'sent home'...
"And you are free to enjoy any of the food within the house. It isn't as if I'm there to eat it, after all. ... and there are cats, three of them. But do be careful around the orange female, she tends to be a bit cranky."

Gar took in the words like a shopping list, trying to remember the boundaries and details. He didn't know who Terry was, but he hoped that it wouldn't be jerk-y to use his stuff. The food... God, he felt like he was just stumbling in to someone else's life, shoving aside bits and pieces of whatever had formed in this world so that he'd fit properly. He wanted to be back at the Tower, telling Vic about how he'd had the weirdest dream last night. His knuckles tapped the surface of the table again, but it seemed as solid as ever. He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose.

The fact that Raven had three cats was kind of cute, and it got a smile out of him. The fact that one of them was temperamental enough to warrant a warning... That got a laugh. "I'll be sure to watch out." Though, he somehow doubted that the cat could be as bad as all that, even if domestic cats could be finicky and self-centered things.

He didn't have anything else to say after that, and lapsed into another bout of thoughtful silence. A rarity during most times, the thoughtful silence was plentiful this particular even. Worse, he wasn't getting anywhere in his thoughtfulness. He rapped on the table once more, quickly, and averted his eyes again.

She held the silence herself, a slight smile pulling at her lips as she felt the emotions whirling around him. The poor thing... thrown into such a stressful situation, drowned in more details than he ever had put on him at one time. Especially with recent events in the city, and how this place seemed to pour stress on it's inhabitants regularly.

Raven reached across the table to take his hands again, folding hers into his with a single slow, delicate motion. She waited until his eyes were back on her before speaking.
"Things will be fine. We have been prepared to handle situations like this. After all..." a pause as she squeezed his hands slightly, a bit more of a supportive smile crossing her lips. "... we're Titans."

It was like a pull in the right direction, almost. He was able to look at her again and to take in the words with the confidence that they were true, maybe with a little pride in that truth. He was very fond of her in that moment, because she knew him and what he'd been taught, and he thought that maybe he should ask her to stop looking at him like that, all smiling and believing. Like everything else, maybe it was too much too suddenly.

He skipped over that, though. He smiled, too, and squeezed her hands and swallowed whatever was rising in his throat. "Thanks, Rave."

Her thumbs lightly rolled over his fingers again, a sigh escaping her lips as she smiled again, but softer.

"It will be a... transition. Some make it easier than others, I have seen that first-hand." another attempt at warmth and compassion, trying desperately to calm Garfield's nerves, although she knew it would be a futile attempt. Anyone would be stressed out right now, after all. "You have adapted to darker situations than this."

"And you're not alone." there was strict emphasis on those words, with a firm look in her eyes that left as soon as it had come. "There are many here that do not get that luxury, I'm afraid. So you already have something going for you."

Gar tried for another laugh, and was getting sick of them coming out half-hearted and too tried. He actually had something going for him? "About freakin' time." Granted, that something ended up with added layers of confusion about time-lines and involvement, but he'd ignore that. He could. Raven would still be there, either way.

... He have to talk to Tim. He'd heard Tim was around. Tim mostly likely wouldn't say weird, complicated things. Tim probably thought he was too dumb to take it, which, hell, might've been the truth. He would have rather not tried to take all of that in, really, because then at least he might feel a little better. He wouldn't be on-edge, wondering what he should say and wondering how to immediately un-acknowledge things he'd just been made to know. How do you step forward when your future's revealed and then wiped over?

He should just go. He could get some sleep and maybe tomorrow would be clearer. He could start on getting to know people. He could pin down Tim, maybe. He could let Raven get back to Paris. That might be good, if he could think and move and sleep without feeling like he might be scrutinized. Usually, he craved attention. Now... Not so much.

He didn't have a watch or anything. "I haven't kept you too long yet, have I?"

"There is no such thing as you keeping me too long, Garfield." she slid his hands from his despite it. She had a few hours before needing to teleport back and take Harry to the show she had promised him, however... perhaps it was best to just let Garfield stew over what had been said. Perhaps get a good night's rest in the meanwhile, and relax. And she could go back and take solitude in Harry's arms while she put her mind and emotions back in order.

"I could... teleport you back to the apartment if you like. Rather than have you find your way there in whatever chaos this city has gotten itself into during my absence." there was a half-hearted laugh at the end of that.

Doué pour voler, l’oiseau excite ta jalousie

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject