fandomhigh | Library, Sunday 08/05

She might ask you just how in Azar's name scoring in tennis worked.

Okay, so Evan had managed to leave his room yesterday! Leave it, and talk to someone, even. It was... kind of a big deal. And he and Natalie had talked about books, and that had reminded him that he was working on second and third read-throughs of some of the stuff in the stack in his room, and he had a few overdue library books in there anyway and... well...

Maybe he just wanted to check up on people, okay?

"Hey, Raven?"

Raven was giving her laptop a quizzical look, trying to figure out what all the lines on the tennis court meant and where it was bad to hit the ball and where it was good, and she raised her head at the sound of Evan's voice. She managed a smile, though there was some worry in her eyes. She hadn't encountered him last week, so she hoped Fandom's strangeness had somehow passed him by like others who hadn't found themselves in Umbridge's realm.

"Hello, Evan," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm... okay, I think," Evan replied, offering her a bit of a smile in return. And a bit of worry in his own eyes, for good measure. "I don't think anybody warned me about some of the island's weirder habits, I was mostly just expecting little green bitey Bamfs, but we all got through okay, so..."

He shrugged a little, holding up his armload of books.

"I wanted to return these. They're kind of late, I've got some money with me if there are fines on them or something."

Rambling. Rambling was okay, right?

"How are you?"

"I am sorry," Raven said. "Such things are not common, I promise -- the only thing close to that that has happened in my time here, we had more warning to prepare. It was not so sudden and so complete. There have been outside forces that attempt to invade or affect the island, but it is very rare that Fandom is so completely altered."

She held out her hands for the books with a soft smile. "There will be no fine. The library is very generous about extenuating circumstances."

Dodging his last question? No, not at all.

Evan handed the books over, giving Raven a thoughtful sort of frown.

"And how are you?"

Maybe she just hadn't heard him the first time? He had said a lot, it was easy to lose track, after all.

Raven sighed softly as she set the books on the desk. "Better," she said. "It was not a good week in that other Fandom." Horrible understatement.

"It brought out the worst in me, and I have been struggling to accept that it was not truly me who did those things."

Evan bit his lip, and then nodded a little at that. That right there kind of looked like the sort of moment when a hug might be in order, didn't it? Hopefully she wouldn't mind that he was reaching for one, now.

"It wasn't," he murmured. "But I know it feels like it. I was a student in the school last week, and spent the whole thing really believing that it was the right thing to do."

It paled in comparison to what Raven had done, and he knew it, but there were a million things that he didn't remember doing that apparently he was guilty of, so he could still... kind of relate, a bit. Maybe.

Raven come around from behind the desk to open her arms to Evan and give him a hug. She thought he could use one as much as she.

"The woman in control there, Umbridge -- she used powerful magics to control us," she murmured, guessing he'd been Imperio'd like herself. "You are not responsible for anything that happened there. Do not let that shake your faith in yourself."

Hypocriiiiiiiiite.

Evan nodded a little bit, clinging on tightly and burying his face in her shoulder.

"It wasn't really us," he said, because that needed to be stressed. "We weren't even in control of what we did. But it's still... it kind of..."

It scared him. That he could be manipulated that easily. Especially since he left his last school because people wouldn't stop accusing him of being... of...

"It frightens me, too," Raven said, not needing her empathy to pick up on his thoughts.

She was so glad Evan hadn't been in detention. Even now she knew exactly how she would have tormented him, what fears she'd use against him. The same she would've used against Jono if he'd been then as he was now. It gave her an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach that she could think of that so easily, and she tried to banish the thoughts.

"Sometimes I think Fandom shows us our worst fears to help us in conquering them," she said softly, squeezing Evan tighter. "Do not think of it as a failure. Think of it as a warning, and strive to never let it truly happen."

Her words were for herself as much as him.

"Trust me," Evan replied, giving her one last squish before easing back a little bit, "I'm striving."

Oh, was he ever striving.

"I can't help but think that Ma and Pa would be so disappointed about last week, though. I mean... I know that what she was doing wasn't right. But I didn't see any problem with it. I didn't even think to try."

"She used spells to control our will," Raven said. "Very powerful ones, so we would not question and would obey." She absently rubbed the back of her left hand with the right; the quill scars were gone now, of course, but she'd caught herself looking more than once just to make sure they were no longer there.

"There were times when I became very angry that I could almost break it, but I was not strong enough, not until near the end when I took within me the rage of a powerful green being."

Of course her ultimate success didn't make her feel much better, because by then her demon side had free reign.

"The Hulk," Evan agreed, nodding a little. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the island has a Hulk. A lot of the other Avengers seem to be here, too."

... Which he wasn't going to tell anyone from home, what with the whole Avengers and X-Men being at war right now... thing. He had nothing against the Avengers, but with Angel off fighting them, too, he worried that him being in one of Captain America's classes would give the wrong idea.

"I do not know who that is, but if he is very big and very strong and very angry, then yes, that was likely him," Raven said. He'd almost killed her and probably would have if he hadn't wandered off and left her alone to heal, but at least his rage had given her enough strength to finally break the spell.

"I think he was the same man in detention that I was commanded to alter his emotions each morning," she said. "Now I understand why. Who are the Avengers?"

If it wasn't for the fact that he'd been living on the island for half the summer now, Evan probably would have stared at Raven as though she'd grown a second head.

"The Avengers are the superhero team back home. I mean... bigger than the X-Men, or the Fantastic Four. In fact, some of the X-Men and some of the Fantastic Four are a part of the Avengers. There's... wow... Captain America and Iron Man and Thor, Ant Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Wolverine, the Black Panther, Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, The Thing and Red Hulk and..." He squinted a bit. "I could keep going. I mean, I could keep going easily. I thought for a while that maybe I'd like to be an Avenger someday, too."

Because that was what you did when you were a fifteen year-old hero-in-training. You shopped around for teams.

"I know little beyond the X-Men in worlds like yours," Raven said, searching her memory for any time Jono might have mentioned them. If he had, it must have only been in passing.

"The Avengers sound much like the Justice League in my world. I am uncertain of its members now, but at times it has been Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Atom, and the witch Zatanna. They are a powerful force of good and justice." Hence the name. She just hoped the Avengers were less judgmental than the Justice League, Zatanna.

She smiled at Evan. "That is an admirable goal, to join them," she said.

Well, last he'd heard from home, the Avengers had kind of kidnapped the mutant messiah, so maybe Evan was a little on the fence about them. Kind of.

"I haven't heard of any of those people," he admitted, tilting his head a little. "But they do sound like they're kind of the same idea, at least. Our worlds sound actually pretty similar, for all that's different between them, don't they?"

Edited 2012-08-05 18:02 (UTC)

"I have not spent much time in my mother's world," Raven said, "but in ways they do seem very similar." Except in her Earth those born with extraordinary gifts weren't singled out to be reviled, something she'd always hate about Jono's world and those like it.

"My world also has the Teen Titans, which I am told I am part of in some dimensions," she said. "That is not to be my path, but it pleases me to know that other Ravens are heroes."

"That must be nice, yeah." Evan was smiling again, though it seemed a little wan. He was happy for her. He was.

But he'd never heard of any realities where he'd been anything but a psychotic mass-murderer with a god complex.

"I wonder if the Teen Titans are anything like the Young Avengers."

"The Titans seem to be made up of many protegees of older heroes, so yes, if that is what the Young Avengers are," Raven said.

She gave Evan a look, picking up on his feelings. "There are as many realities where...I am not a hero," she said softly. "I am anything but. But in the end, none of them, good or bad, matter. The decisions we make and the actions we take here are what is important."

"I know it's what we do that really matters," Evan murmured. "There are realities out there where some of my biggest heroes are the worst supervillains that ever lived, so it isn't like it's anything new."

But nobody hunted, say, Wolverine or Iceman in Evan's reality because of the things done by alternate versions of them in another.

"Everybody did some pretty terrible things in the other timeline," he added. "People on both sides hurt people, and even people who didn't fight were just sitting back and... and accepting that evil as normal and not doing anything about it. And then it was over and now we're all back to normal, and when I listen to the radio it's all apologies and forgiveness. People are forgiving each other for all of that, people who were hurt or worse, and they're understanding that it wasn't anybody's fault but that villain's and the summer is almost over and I want to stay here."

Breathe, Evan.

Raven went for another hug then, feeling like he needed it.

"Will it be your Uncle Cluster's decision if you can stay?" she said when she eased back. "We can convince him. Principal Winchester can speak to him, or perhaps Professor Skywalker. He is Dean of Students now and very persuasive. If you want to stay here, Evan, we will find a way."

"If Uncle Cluster finds out about last week, he'd probably want me taken out of here early," Evan mumbled. "I talked to him yesterday but I made sure it was really short. He wanted to know why I didn't check in with him last week, and I just told him that I got really wrapped up in studying, so he told me to go outside and socialize or something."

Actually, he'd told Evan to go and meet some girls and lose his virginity or something productive, but Evan had learned how to paraphrase, over the years.

"I didn't like lying to him like that."

"I do not like lying, either," Raven said. She was awfully good at leaving out details, though, but it did make her feel guilty when she did that.

"You truly think he will react badly if he were to learn what happened, even if it were clear it was a one time incident that will not happen again?" she said. "In general I believe honesty is best, but...if you think he will make a rash decision, born out his concern for you, and seek to remove you from the island, perhaps it is best he not know for now. You can tell him at some future time when he sees how well you are doing here."

"I guess he'd probably think that a school where everyone hates me and none of the teachers there will tell me why is a lesser evil than a school where I could spend a week brainwashed with no warning at all," Evan sighed, giving her another squeeze. She was a good hugger, there was no doubt about that. "If it was just a one-time thing, maybe it would be okay. But Natalie told me yesterday that big scary things like that do happen. And... I mean, it all turns out okay in the end, but what if next time it doesn't?"

Considering some of the things that Evan was capable of, at least physically, and what he was capable of growing into, he could kind of respect why Uncle Cluster left him under the care of the X-Men in the first place.

"Events so extreme are not common," Raven said. "There are outside forces that seek to invade Fandom from time to time, and things that may cause our classmates to not be in entire control of their own minds, but to have everyone so drastically changed -- that is rare. But Fandom has always prevailed."

She worried at her lip, wishing she knew a solution that would make everyone happy. She didn't want Evan to go back to a school where he could be bullied. "As I said, Principal Winchester and Professor Skywalker must have had dealings with this type of situation before," she said. "It is part of their jobs to deal with worried parents and guardians. It might be wise to approach them for advice. If you tell them you wish to stay, they will help you with your uncle."

Evan nodded a little, leaning back again with a small sigh.

"Maybe I can get one of them to... to write him a letter, or something, and hopefully he'll have time to read it."

That was a good solution, right? It was better than anything else he'd come up with so far, at least. Especially since Evan could screen a letter before sending it to his uncle. He knew Uncle Cluster pretty well, after all. The Principal and the Dean, on the other hand? He'd never met either of them.

"I guess so long as things are still hectic at the Jean Grey School, at least the teachers there won't be in any hurry to bring me back."

"Talk to them," Raven encouraged. "I am sure they have dealt with this kind of situation before, and as I said, counseling students in such matters is part of their jobs."

She let a small smile play across her face. "It is not the same situation, but Professor Skywalker has stood up to my father. I am certain he can handle your uncle. Perhaps he will suggest your uncle visit ahead of Parent's Weekend, just to see how well you are doing here. If it is soon, maybe I can even meet him and tell him of my experiences to persuade him."

She'd leave out turning evil and dying.

"Maybe," Evan mused. "I don't really want to bother anybody, either."

A beat.

"So they do have days where parents or guardians get to visit? Maybe I could convince Uncle Cluster to let me stay at least that long, so that he can see the island for himself?"

And if Fantomex could make it to the island around all the being put on trial for murdering an innocent child in cold blood, and having his face ripped off by a man with no skin, that would be great! Oh, the things it was better for Evan to never learn.

Edited 2012-08-05 22:09 (UTC)

If Raven knew that about Uncle Cluster she'd be busy arranging to kidnap Evan and keep him on the island whether Fantomex agreed or not.

"I visit Professor Skywalker to speak of my troubles all the time," she said. "You will not be bothering him." It might even be refreshing to have someone who wasn't a teenage girl coming to him for help for a change!

"And yes, it is usually in the fall when families are invited to come to the island for a weekend," she said. "I do not know the exact date, but the school will send out a notice when the time is near."

Well, Evan was cloned from the blood of the tiny Apocalypse that Fantomex shot...

"I might have to stop in to talk to him," Evan decided. "I mean, this isn't even the first time you've mentioned him. I'm starting to get the impression that he's a pretty great guy."

Call it a hunch.

"Especially since so much of what happened last week was because he wasn't around, right?"

Raven's expression darkened for a moment. "Yes," she said. "I believe he was killed before I arrived on the island. So he was not there to guide me and teach me how to shield myself from emotions, and it seems once I was put in detention, I went mad from all the pain and suffering around me." Those memories were very hazy, and she preferred it that way.

She found a smile again. "He is a wonderful teacher, and has helped me so much during my time here."

Evan tried to think about how he might have turned out if his uncle hadn't been around to train him with his powers when he found out he had them at all of eleven years of age. Eye beams and energy blasts and shapeshifting... It was a lot for a little kid to handle, all in one go without any experienced direction. If it had been something like Raven's empathy, when surrounded by the crazy people down in detention, he probably wouldn't have made it, either.

He nodded a little.

"Then I'll definitely make time to talk to him," he decided. "If he's done this much good for you, then he has to be a good person."

"Good," Raven said, leaning back against the desk.

"Aside from last week, how have you been?" she asked. "It has been awhile since we have spoken. I hope all has been going well."

"I've been kind of keeping my head down," Evan admitted, scuffing a toe against the floor. "I met Loki a while back, though. It sounds like he was bullied out of his home, too. So... I guess here seems like a popular place to be if you have a history you don't want to live up to, or... something."

"I suppose I cannot argue with that," Raven said. She hadn't exactly been bullied in Azarath, but she had hardly been loved, either.

"I do not know Loki, but he is a good friend of my friend Cassidy," she said. "I think I told you that before. Cassidy is from the same world as Karla and will be a Queen like her. She works in the library on Saturdays. I think you two would be good friends." Don't play matchmaker, Raven.

"Anybody who likes books is okay in my... uh... book." Well, that statement kind of fell short. Evan blushed a little, a pink flush coloring his cheeks quite obviously. "Maybe I will stop by to visit her, too. My uncle keeps telling me to get out and meet," girls, "people while I'm here, after all."

Raven managed not to giggle at how flustered Evan seemed. Barely.

"You should," she said. "She would welcome the company as much as I do. She is also often in the gardens."

"There are gardens?"

HE WAS A VERY SHELTERED BOY, OKAY? There was important studying to be done! Studying!

"Um... I mean, oh! The gardens! Those are... I'll..." Yeah, more blushing. "Maybe I'll just come into the library on Saturday."

Now Raven couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Why are you blushing?" she teased.

"I'm not," protested Evan. Feebly. While blushing a little more. "I'm just..."

Pink. Very pink.

"I need to get out of my room more."

The pink was adorable.

"This is true," Raven said. "I spent much of my time my first few weeks here in my room, but once I began to venture out, I began to make some very dear friends. I hope you will do the same."

"I'll try," Evan replied, his blush fading a little as he smiled up at her. "People here have been really nice. I'm not entirely sure what I'm hiding from, any more."

Well, except for maybe Jono, in town, like Raven had warned him away from. Everyone else seemed to be taking his presence here pretty well.

"I hid my heritage from all but a few for a very long time," Raven said with a nod. "And when I finally stopped doing so...it did not matter. There are some who have had bad experiences with demons in their worlds who may regard me with suspicion at first, but they soon learn I mean them no harm. Despite its own dangers, Fandom really is a safe place for those like us to grow and learn."

"I don't really get the option of hiding," Evan noted, tilting his head a little, "but I don't really want to hide anyhow. My parents raised me to be a good person, no matter who I might look like. That's what I want to show people. And I think people here are actually going to give me the chance to."

That meant the world to him. After all, it had only been just a few months since he'd been ripped away from his home and thrown into something that looked fairly reminiscent of the mouth of Hell itself, before being shuttled off to school.

As you do.

If he's there.

I declare today a No Pants Day.

Library, Sunday 08/05

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