Even In The Grave, All Is Not Lost

A Little Torture

The door slammed open, bouncing off the wall with a thunderous smack. Raven didn't have to look up to know it was Emori. She was the only one who didn't bother to knock anymore. Who always entered the room like she owned the place.

Or like a queen visiting her lowly and poverty-stricken subjects.

"I come bearing the answer to all your problems."

Raven perked up. "You've figured out a way to permanently sew Murphy's mouth shut?"

"Sorry, Little Bird. I appreciate the things he does with that mouth far too much for that."

"Jesus, Emori." This woman needed to come with a goddamn warning label. "You could have just said no!"

She shrugged, unrepentant.

On the other side of the room, Luna hid a smile.

Traitor.

Though she couldn't quite bring herself to be too annoyed. She could never be annoyed when Luna smiled. And it was a nice change from her mood of before.

Raven's hopes had been realized: the dark cloud that had hung over her earlier seemed to have abated with rest. Thank God.

She never knew how to handle Luna when she was like that. Mostly just got by on sheer luck and desperation - as evidenced by their standoff at the dock. She wasn't good at comforting people. Had never been good at comforting people.

Not like Luna. Who, by all accounts, was a master. Raven had no clue how she did it. And did it so easily. Always knowing the right thing to do or say to make the pain hurt a little less. The bad not seem so bad. It was a gift.

Consumed by her thoughts, it took a beat for the rest of Emori's words to catch up to her.

"Wait, Little Bird? Seriously?"

Like that was original.

And she wasn't even little! She was a nice, good, decent height. Average sized. Elves would be envious of just how average she was. Well, not average average. There was nothing average about Raven Reyes. But, you know, whatever was a step above average that was her height.

Emori gave another shrug before pointing over her shoulder. "It's what she calls you. I'm only borrowing the term."

Since when?

Raven whipped around to look at Luna accusingly, noting that she'd suddenly become very in the bracelet she was working on. "You couldn't have thought of a better nickname?"

"What's wrong with it?" she asked without a hint of remorse, folding the blue thread over and under. "I think it's sweet."

Emori snorted.

"That's what's wrong with it. Give me something badass, not sweet."

Luna nodded gravely. "I'll take that under advisement."

Raven narrowed her eyes, not confident of her sincerity in the slightest. And, wait-

Did this mean that she and Emori had been talking about her behind her back? Because. . . well, shit. That was only marginally better than knowing that she and Murphy were talking about her behind her back. Mostly because everything that Emori heard eventually made its way back to her more loathsome half, so there was hardly much of a difference to be had.

"What did you bring, Emori?" Luna asked, changing the subject.

Raven narrowed her eyes.

Sneaky.