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2010-02-21 - Raven the Dark Healer
Summary: In an attempt to help Echo, Wesley takes her to go see Raven.
Who: Raven, Echo La'Tour, Wesley West When: February 21, 2010 Where: Building Foyer - First Floor - Titans Tower An expansive building of steel, glass and bright primary colors, Titans Tower is a rather impressive sight. The headquarters has been divided into many levels, four of which are intended for the most use. Every room is expensively furnished, with a care taken to ensure comfort and long durability. This, the lowest level, is intended for public use. The area comprises a spacious lobby with low couches and benches for seating, while pictures and articles framed on the walls show the many members, talents, and achievements of the Titans. Along either wall is a set of computers with which one may send e-mail messages directly to the team. In the center of the room is a large, circular info desk, and at the back of this floor, accessible through a hallway and with proper key-cards and codes, is an elevator which reaches every floor in the building, save for the topmost ten.

Wesley hangs up the phone, having just placed a call to Titans Tower to touch base with the sorceress. He turns back to Echo, letting her into his car, then driving the girl across town to the large complex, finds parking and then, with a brief glance to the girl to make sure she's following him alright, leads the way towards the front door.

Echo is quiet most of the way. She is somewhat distrustful of any 'cure', believing the results may be more harmful toward her than helpful. She trusts Wesley however so goes with him to speak to this magic user. As Wesley and her walk toward the front door, the girl's slender fingers end up in Wesley's hand. She is wearing her dark fairy outfit, and holds Wesley's hand firmly for some simple comfort.

Wesley hangs up the phone, having just placed a call to Titans Tower to touch base with the sorceress. He turns back to Echo, letting her into his car, then driving the girl across town to the large complex, finds parking and then, with a brief glance to the girl to make sure she's following him alright, leads the way towards the front door.

Echo is quiet most of the way. She is somewhat distrustful of any 'cure', believing the results may be more harmful toward her than helpful. She trusts Wesley however so goes with him to speak to this magic user. As Wesley and her walk toward the front door, the girl's slender fingers end up in Wesley's hand. She is wearing her dark fairy outfit, and holds Wesley's hand firmly for some simple comfort.

Telephones... Why do people use the infernal things? Oh yeah... Not everyone knows how to use magic or psichic powers to simply communicate with each other. Still, doesn't mean that the resident half-demon sorceress from the world of Azarath cares for the little technological communication devices. (You should have seen how long it took Raven to figure out how to use a Titans Communicator!) Unlike before, Wesley wasn't going to see Raven in her civilian attire... No, she's in her 'hero' uniform... which for her /was/ her usual attire...

As Wesley and Echo walk into the building foyer, the lone security guard at the front desk looks up. "Hi. Can I help-"

He cut off as the cloaked form of Raven walks out of the elevator behind him. "I'm expecting them." and thats all that needs to be said... The guard shuts up at that... Quite frankly, Raven freaked him (and most of the other guards) out...

Walking up to Wesley and Echo, Raven pulls back her hood. "Welcome back." She says to Wesley before looking at Echo. "And hello..."

Wesley squeezes Echo's hand gently, and then reaches his free one out for Raven. "Hey," he greets warmly, glancing over to Echo. "This is her. Knowing her, she probably has a lot of questions for you before we get started."

Echo states practically, "We are not starting anything." There is no question in her mind that she has agreed to nothing. The girl has a surprisingly strong will. But she does bow her head respectfully toward Raven, "I am Echo, Echo La'Tour. It is nice to meet you Raven." Her blank eyes stare forward unseeingly. Yet her radar picks up the shape of Raven's cloak and her face. Sometimes picking up the body suit depending on how the cloak shifts. She cannot guess Raven's age from her voice, she sounds sort of old. Yet isn't that just the tone? The pitch of the voice sounds sorta young. It is difficult to tell.

Raven had what some might call an old soul. Someone her age wasn't usually as mature as she was... then again, most people weren't her, either. She lightly shakes Wesley's offered hand, before turning toward Echo and raising her eyebrows just a bit. "Actually, I'm with her on this..." She states. Raven agreed to meet her. If it was within her abilities, she would help her. but, she certainly wasn't going to do that if Echo didn't want it. "Nice to meet you too, Miss La'Tour." Yes, Raven was kind of a hard one to read... on any level. "Regardless of what might happen today, why don't we get out of the foyer at least." Raven was not exactly the best of hosts, but she wasn't about to just let guests that might be staying any length of time to simply stand in the doorway, as it was. She turns back towards the elevators. "We'll go upstairs a bit..." Pause and a glance over her shoulder. "If that's all right with both of you."

"Fine by me." A glances towards the teen. "Echo?" he asks. "And yeah, you're both probably right, all either of you have to go on is my back and forth... we should find out if it's even possible."

Echo can at least sense Raven is powerful. The mind shield that her mind ping bounces off is a huge hint. The truth strength of it, Echo doesn't want to even try testing out. Echo weighs Raven's question as if it is an important one. To her, it honestly is. But she nods firmly, even as her hand tightens on Wesley. She keeps her fear under control. Raven isn't a doctor, but she doesn't know how to fight or protect herself from magic. Still, the faith the girl is showing considering her past abuse is amazing in and of itself. "We can go into the elevator." She was apparently able to sense it and understand what it was.

With the question about a change of venue out of the way, Raven nods to that as she walks to the elevator... which opens for her without her on it's own. What? Was there a reason that she had to press the button? A moment more, and they were all in the elevator and it was going upwards. Raven closed her eyes for a moment or two. "All things are possible, Wesley." Raven says in a somewhat belated response to his comment. "To some degree or another. It all depends on just how far you want to go to get what you want." A moments more silence before speaking again. "... Echo, I can understand your apprehension... But I assure you, nobody will do anything to you or Wesley while you are here that you don't want." she opens her eyes and glances down at the girl. "... I promise." And then the elevator dings and the doors open. Raven holds an arm out to keep the doors from closing again while Echo and Wesley step off of it.

Public Elevator - Lower Levels - Titans Tower

The elevator is large and simple, as most elevators are. Two large, stainless steel doors enclose the large shape, which is free of music when in motion. The rest of the box is oak panels; all cut at odd angles and stained different shades to create a mosaic of wood that lines the three walls. The floor is the same, the ceiling fit with a few simple, round light fixtures. To the left of the doors, visible from inside, is a stainless steel panel of buttons showing floors 1-70 in buttons that emit a soft white light when pushed.

Guest Area - 69th Floor - Titans Tower

This floor is dedicated entirely to the comfort and entertainment of guests to the members of the Titans. It is decorated mainly in a very sleek and modern style, separated into many rooms and spaces. Here the walls are all very white and the furniture all vibrant and comfortably modern. What decor there is to be found is very simplistic and consists of brighter, primary colors.

The elevator leads out into a short, curving hallway with three large, circular doorways. The central archway leads first into a spacious great room that is divided into multiple seating areas. Here, one can find a large television, gaming systems of every variety, a few desktop computers, a miniature library, and even a couple of classic arcade games. Beyond this great room is a dining room set up with three large, circular tables and beyond that a large, fully-stocked kitchen.

Wesley steps out of the elevator, looking between the pair. "Nice place," he observes, whispering to Echo. "You can borrow my eyes if you want them." He looks between the two again. "So, you remember Echo's concerns, Raven?"

Echo nods and shares Wesley's vision. As it is unintrusive and Wesley doesn't have telepathic powers, he wouldn't even sense she is there. "Thank you for your words Raven." She doesn't sense any insincerity in them, so she decides to trust Raven for now. Her body relaxes a little more, which is helped by Wesley's offer. She has not only her radar but cna see everything Wesley sees now. That is how she finds out how young Raven seems to be. It makes her wonder about why she sounds so grown up, and if it is a good or bad thing.

"You're welcome." Raven says back to Echo as she walks out of the elevator and into the main room itself. "Believe me... I know how it can be." Raven could sense that echo had a lot of questions, but since she didn't just arbitrarily read people's minds, she didn't know exactly what the questions were. She figured that Echo would ask them when she was good and ready. no need to rush it... "Yes, Wesley. I remember you telling me about some of them. and I can tell that you have a lot of questions, Miss La'Tour. Please, ask them... Otherwise you'll never know the answers, right?" She gives the faintest hint of a smile at that.

Wesley moves over to a nice, comfortable seating area, and takes a seat, careful to keep his eyes on Raven's face, only a few brief moments of glancing about to find his own path. He wants to give the blind girl the benefit of facial expressions to go off of.

Alright, Echo can't help but smile. A warm, full expression of warmth and amusement. "I think we might just get alone well Raven. I have the same philosophy." She finally releases Wesley's hand. A big sign that Echo is warming up toward Raven. The girl seems a strange little thing, appearing so young yet she is a teenager. And when she moves as she does now, it is with calculated moves and strong observation to her surroundings. Her fingertips reaching out to touch materials and hard surfaces, as if searching for some hidden secret. The girl seems able to move about the place easily without Wesley looking about and showing her.

"I have many concerns. Though the thought of healing my bones is a wonderful thought, I would think just as everything else in life there is a cost. My muscles have been surgeically enhanced. They are the reasons my bones have broken and snapped so many times. Pushing my speed to the limits causes a strain on my bones that the doctors didn't find a way to correct fully. I must be constantly careful about that. Furthermore, I have a radar chip that has been surgically implanted into my brain. I do not wish to lose this ability, as my blindness would be an even more hindrance to the activities I wish to perform in my life-time."

There is a slight pause before Echo adds, "Wesley said your magic could restore to what my body once was. Would that not mean losing these other things? The radar that makes my life so much easier, my muscle argumentation which has saved my life repeatedly and allows me to superhero? If it merely corrects my bone issues, it would not be worth it. As it would not fix my blindness, I am born with it. It would not cure my abnormal appearance, I am albino and born this way."

Raven waits for her guests to take a seat first before she takes one herself. She rests her chin on her hands, which she props on her knees as she listens to everything that Echo says. All her concerns are valid... She nods a bit, though her eyebrows arch just a little at the girls last comments. "what's abnormal about your appearance?" She asks in all sincerity before rubbing her chin a bit. "So, what is desired here is to fix your bones... Which have been broken numerous times... Without dealing with the augmentations that you have been given." she says it more to clearify things to herself then to repeat what has already been said. "... Let me ask this... Not that I think it can't be done. In fact, I am sure it can be, and that its well within my abilities to do so. But... if I understand everything correctly, and your bones are unaltered... then... wouldn't they break again?" Raven was probably just pointing out the obvious here, but... she felt it needed to be asked.

"And the scarring related to the repeated breaks," Wesley says, and looks over at Echo at Raven's question. "Well, my understanding of it is that they were broken as often as they have been because of the punishment she was forced to endure previously," he explains, not wanting to share anything to private. "And they healed as poorly as they did due to a lack of ethical medical treatment. That's my understanding, at least."

Echo is unfortantly walking about and wondering. But she won't mind if Raven takes a seat. The girl is a little high on energy, but it is carefully controlled. She has to completely explore the room before she feels comfortable enough to sit down and try to relax. When Raven asks about her appearance she answers simply, "I have no skin pigmentation. It is a mutation even without the consideration that I was born with an active X-Gene." Echo carefully weighs Raven's latter question before answering, at first a mere simple, "Yes."

Echo then shrugs slightly at Wesley's words, "It is possible, though the organization had a very good medical facitility. They actually likely repaired bones that would have never been repaired in a normal hospital, let alone without metal pins." Echo has done some research because of this. "The thing is, if they break again, it would be...very messy. From what I remember the scientists saying, my bones would basically shatter inside my body. They are too fragile, I must never push my limits unless I wanted to become a useless piece of meat." Yep, the organization scientists weren't very nice. "Which is entirely their fault, they were the ones that always pushed me to begin with even when I didn't want to, breaking my bones in the first place. I remember once a bad fall caused my arm to break."

Raven wasn't one that was going to weight the moral question of whether or not Echo should do the whole 'superhero' thing... That was not her choice to make... It was Echos. Besides, Raven could relate to the girl... In perhaps more ways then she would ever admit... she sits up a little bit, closing her eyes again as she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "... Unlike some, you are not tied to a destiny that you can not change, Miss La'tour." Raven says as she opens her eyes. "What you do with the abilities that you have been given is completely your choice... In a way envy you..." She says that last part rather softly. She sits back up again, looking at her and Wesley, and then back at her. "If it is your wish, I will do as you ask... I will repair what should have never been broken and damaged. After that though... Well... the rest is completely up to you."

"Way I see it, even if they do break again, better that it's the /first/ break, as far as the bones are concerned, right?" Wesley asks, focusing on Raven, though he does glance over to Echo from time to time. "Maybe we can start you on calcium supplements to try and strengthen the bones. There are ways to train bones."

A soft mmmm comes from Echo. "For a long time I had no choice Raven. My mind was manipulated, controlled. For that, I felt so much anger and hatred. It took a long time to forgive the person truly responsible. Even then, I will never forgive the organization for what they did to me. They were the power that backed it all up, that destroyed my life and manipulated it for their own purposes. They changed what I was perhaps meant to become, meant to be. But I will just build a new destiny for myself, I refuse to surrender." She pauses for another moment before continuing, "I hope you can build a new destiny for yourself Raven. You seem a truly kind person, but I can tell...something isn't right. It isn't 'normal' by most people's standards. I am sorry for that," but Raven would not sense any pity from Echo, just sorrow and compassion. "We all struggle with what we are given, and some are given less options than others. I hope you have a chance for something that will make you happy and proud." There is sincerity in her tone and in her.

Echo then looks 'toward' Wesley and smiles softly. "Thank you. I think once I am sure my growing is complete I may go research into the idea my friend Kisha mentioned. She said there may be a way to use nanotechnology to strength and constantly repair my bones so they do not break so easily. Public technology is not to such an extent. However, perhaps I can speak with Samuel about researching into it, or look into companies like Stark Enterprises or Wayne Enterprises. They are often known for break throughs." She has been researching on a lot of things lately. "An injection and technology is something I am more comfortable with than 'medical' enhancements," such as were done to her muscles. The cutting and opening of her body.

There is a very long pause from Raven at that point. No, there was no pity from Echo... And honestly, Raven never expected (or even thought she would deserve) any such thing from anyone. The time for that was long gone, and Raven has come to accept the inevitable for her. But, that didn't mean that she wouldn't go down fighting, so to speak. "... You are right on one thing, Echo..." she says finally. "'Normal' is something that doesn't apply to me. But this, truly, is not about me..." She gives that ghost of a smile again. raven was never one to really talk about herself... Her problems were her own, after all. She wasn't going to burden anyone else with them... she forces herself back to the here and now... The fact that she would be using her dark powers to help someone like Echo is just one of the many ways that she has found to 'stick it' to her father... "Well then... if it is agreed, then we can do this right here and now if you wish. Unless, you have any other questions?"

"Normal's relative, and highly over-rated," Wesley says with a smile. He turns to Echo. "Perhaps I'll come up with something. Heck maybe I can find a way to bottle my own abilities and let you borrow them for a bit the next time you injure yourself."

Echo laughs softly at Wesley's words, a sweet and innocent sound. "Silly willy." But then toward Raven she smiles softly. "I suppose, but to me, life is about *everyone*, and *everyone* is important." She then takes a deep breath. "I have one more question before fully agreeing. How exactly does this work? I never realized magic was real before, so I am very curious." And estastic, and happy, and nervous, and afraid, and ready to jump up and down and jump with glee and scream to the world magic is real and the world rocks! Yep, Echo is a strange teen.

... And Raven is not? Perhaps the opposite end of the spectrum, but 'starange' sums her up quite a bit. "Miss La'Tour, it is not my place to argue with you on that subject." Her ghost of a smile doesnt fade. "So I'll not debate it here and now..." Personally, Raven is pretty sure this world would be a lot better off without her... Or more accurately, this world would have been better off if she had never been born. But, since there wasnt anything she could do about that... She then cants her head a bit at the question. "How exactly does... what work? Magic? I... am not sure I can fully explain that to you..." Lord knows shes tried before with some of her own teammates. "If you are asking how Im actually going to fix your skeletal system... Well, that's kind of complicated too. But I can promise you this... You wont feel a thing." Hell, Raven was planning on putting Echo to sleep for the duration of it...

"It apparently works different for everyone, Echo," Wesley explains. "Raven and another magic user might do things entirely differently to get the same result. Luckily for us, Raven doesn't need to sacrifice any chickens, or kill any plants."

Echo frowns, "I don't like chickens dying." She is an animal lover, but she eats meat. Don't ask her, she sometimes feels guilty about that. She then mmms, "It's fine if I don't fully understand Raven. If you could just explain some of the principals. It would also help if I knew if there was a cost you had to pay for what you are doing for me."

Raven gives Wesley an odd look at that. "Uh.. No. Im not going to be sacrificing anything..." If Raven was sacrificing things, then the world was in very big trouble... "Well, in simplest terms... Im going to use my abilities to channel energy from within me to set right what has been done to your bones." Sounds simple enough... She does pause at the second statement. "The cost I pay? Oh... Well, it might hurt for a moment or two. But one of my abilities is regeneration..." Wait a moment... what was Raven saying here?

Wesley considers that for a moment. "Does it... have to be /your/ energy?" he wonders. "I mean, if you'd rather channel from me... I'm a tough guy, and bounce back pretty quickly," he explains, glancing between the two. Chivalry. How quaint.

This causes Echo great consideration. "I cannot simply ask you to do this Raven. Especially if it will cause you pain and suffering. If you were an evil person, I wouldn't particularly care." Echo wouldn't, she isn't always a nice and sweet person. She can be very dangerous. "But I like you, and I sense your sincerity. You seem willing to do this. The pain won't be more than you can bear, or more than you can easily regenerate from?" Echo is taking Raven's 'cost' very seriously. She doesn't want to hurt Raven. Echo frowns at Wesley's words, "Geez, that makes me feel so much better. Go from someone I like to someone I'm highly attached too. Can you weigh on the guilt any heavier Wesley?"

Chivalry... How quaint indeed. Raven kinda just gives him a deadpan look at that. "... You remember what I just said about not sacrificing anything? I'm not going to do that to you..." Scary part was that Raven /could/ do that... Rather easily. And it wouldn't be something that Wesley would bounce back from all that easily (if at all...) That was one of those things that she refuses to ever allow herself do to. She reaches up and rubs her chin a bit at Echos words to Wesley, and for a moment, that smile of hers threatens to grow beyond something that's almost hard to see. She clears her throat softly at that. "Echo, take this for what you want..." Raven certainly wasn't one to brag about herself... Echo would be able to tell that much... "... But I can assure you, there is quite possibly no level of pain or discomfort that you, or anyone else on this world, or many others, could inflict on me, that could surpass what I have already been through." No, that isn't a play for sympathy. It's a simple statement of fact. "Don't worry about me... I assure you both. I will be fine."

"I feel better sacrificing myself than asking a near stranger to sacrifice for you," Wesley says with a warm smile. "And I can heal up on my own." He turns to Raven. "I just thought I'd offer," he says simply.

Echo accepts Raven's words. "I know the sort of cruelty that is in this world. I can understand your words Raven and I will trust in them. Thank you for your assistance. No matter if this is easy or difficult for you to do, I appreciate it and it means a lot to me. Thank you." She then sits forward on the couch, "What should I do?" She has agreed and ignores Wesley before she hits him...painfully, like in the knee cap. Watch him heal from that.

Again, Raven was not going to try and argue. She simply nods and stands to her feet, letting her cloak kinda fall over her a bit. "Thank me after it's over." She says. "Your part in this, Echo, is to relax... In fact..." She waves Wesley off the couch. "Just lay down on the couch and get comfortable..." she thinks for a moment or two. "Think... Happy thoughts... Really. It helps..."

Wesley hops off the couch, and offers Echo a hand for squeezing. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens," he suggests to his friend with a only half-teasing smile.

Echo waves Wesley's hand away. "It is fine. I've suffered worse." Brain surgery, repeated broken bones, emotional abuse and neglect, etc. This doesn't bother her, she trusts Raven. Doesn't exactly understand Raven, but trusts her. She lays down onto the couch and relaxes, taking deep, steady breaths until she slows her breathing. Her blank eyes close and she thinks about furry Nicholas and furry Beast. About Wesley painting her nails on Valentine's Day, and Alex Summers swimming in the waters so beautifully. How he paid attention to her and gave her advice on her acrobatics. Good and happy thoughts, like Alice falling into the rabbit hole and discovering a new and magical world.

Raven gives Wesley a glance at that... She honestly... didn't like that song. (Any surprise there?) But she lets it go as she takes a deep breath, and slowly lets it out as she reaches up and pulls her hood back over her head. Her face literally vanishes into the shadows as she actually hovers up a few inches off the ground, before crossing her legs so that she was 'sitting' in the air in a lotus position, her cloak draping over the majority of her form as she summons up her Soul Self. Wesley would see it clearly, even as Raven weaves together the simple spell for putting Echo to sleep... Once that's done, she focuses a bit more, and her Soul Self goes from being and inky black aura, to a fully formed silhouette of a giant bird... It soundlessly turns and looks at Wesley for a moment, steering at him intently with glowing red eyes. For a split second, it looked like it might actually attack him! but it doesn't... It looks as if it was restrained by unseen forces.. and is forced to turn towards Echo... It spreads its dark, black wings around Raven and Echo... Those happy thoughts? Raven did that on purpose, to make sure that Echo didn't possibly get any subconscious nightmares from any of this! And the part that Raven /didn't/ tell them... she would be able to heal Echo, by taking her injuries into herself first... And then healing herself from there... Which was really, not a hard thing. (It was actually a lot easier that way...)

It doesn't take too long, and eventually, Ravens Soul Self pulls back, and then retreats back into Raven herself...

"There..." She says, her voice slightly strained. "She should be fine now... Now... I'll need to go rest for a while..." She doesn't let Wesley see it as she hugs herself under her cloak. "You'll... forgive me for not seeing you out..."

Wesley goes, momentarily, tense as the soul self looks at him, his eyes meeting it, his hand reaching out to hold somewhat possessively onto Echo. If it intended to attack him doesn't seem to be any big concern of his. His concern is for the girl. Once it's all done, the boy nods gently to Raven, looking at her with some concern. "Thank you," he says. "If you ever need anything, just let me know." He scoops Echo up, and carries the small girl to the elevator, one last glance thrown back in Raven's direction as the doors close, ushering them out into the world. The sleeping girl gets to crash at his place tonight, Wes will have to take her back to the school in the morning.