Raven Roth and Damian Wayne: The Walk of Life (Book 1 Of 2)

Chapter Fourteen

Bruce and Raven stood at a set of dark wooden double doors that had a golden pattern over them with golden handles. Bruce turned the handle of the door. "This is my mother's library, and as long as you're here, your Library." He said as he gentle pushed the door open by its handle. He gestured for Raven to step in ahead of him and she slowly stepped through into a tall and well lit room. Towering white book shelves with golden edgings dominated three of the rooms walls. Her bare feet felt slightly tickled by the soft carpet under foot as she looked around the room. In the centre was a dark wooden table with a deep red armchair either side of it and a lamp in the middle of that. There must have been hundreds of books she thought to herself as she slowly walked along one of the book shelved walls. Hanging from the ceiling was a chandelier, with bulbs shaped like candles. The ceiling itself seemed like it was embroiled with a similar pattern as the door, also painted gold but on a white background. "This is such a beautiful room. There are so many books here too." She said when she came to a stop having taken in the room before her. Bruce smiled, pleased that Raven had taken a liking to the room. As Raven turned back to face the door and Bruce she noticed two large family portraits hanging on the same wall that the entrance was in. One seemed older than the other, at least twenty years between them. "They're of the family. This one was when I was nine and with my mother and father. The other is of the boys and myself, it's a couple years old now and before Damian or Helena came here, I think we should update it sometime soon. Maybe while everyone is here, it is rare to get all of us together like this." Bruce said walking to a seat and setting himself down in it. "I know he'd never say it but I think Damian would actually like that." Raven said with a smile sitting down in the other chair. "He's a very closed off individual but over the last few days I've seen a positive change in him, I think that's your influence Raven. But what about you? I know what happened couple years ago with the league and your father mustn't have been easy and then there was Terra. How are you doing?" Bruce asked with a straight to the point, yet caring tone. Raven sat and searched her feelings for a moment. "I feel happy, happier than in a long time and that's thanks to Damian, and Dick and Kori, well everyone. You've all been so nice and invited me in knowing very little about me, I've never had that before. I am a little worried though. The dream we shared may have sparked the realisation that we had feelings for one another but there's the other side of it. The side that we've all forgotten about in the wake of us, coming together. My father. He isn't truly gone, just locked up in this crystal and in the dream, he got out. The magics of Azarath are powerful and this could have been a vision of the future." She told Bruce calmly. Bruce rested his chin on top of the knuckles of his closed palm. "Not all of us have forgotten that part." Bruce said plainly with a frown on his face. "Tim is here early because I called him in early to work on this. He's one of the smartest people I know, smartest in the family in fact. We're trying to find a way to help keep your father sealed and put together a plan for if he gets out. When Damian told me of the dream I had two thoughts. One, Damian clearly cared for you in a way that was greater than anyone else he'd ever met and I gave him what advise I could for that. I'm not the greatest person to give that kind of advice, it's not my strong suit. Two, whether just a dream or a vision of the future it did pose the very real question of what happens if Trigon gets out to Earth again. Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash weren't enough to even slow him down so we need to find a way to stop him." Bruce explained and Raven thought on it for a bit. "Magic is his strength; his world is hell in every sense of the word. He is able to step to and from any dimension and any world but with Earth he struggles because of the vast amounts of protective magic that has already been placed here. To get here he needs a conduit, a link, and that's me. Can I tell you something? Something that I don't want Damian to know because of how angry he'd get." She said letting her voice quieten at her request. Bruce nodded with sincerity and place his elbows onto the table in front of him. Raven closed her eyes and took a breath. "Up until recently I'd been thinking of a way to stop Trigon from being able to travel here. The conclusion I came to was that if there was no conduit for him to use then he wouldn't be able to get here. If I wasn't here, he couldn't be. At first I thought I'd just leave but then that would leave everyone unguarded and his servants could just blackmail me in to coming back and opening a door, like with the Justice League. So, the only sure fire way I could think of was if I didn't exist anymore. With my death, everyone could be safe from him." She said looking down at her hands as she twirled her thumbs over one another. Bruce straightened up and drew a deep breath in through his nose and his face became expressionless except for the faint trace of a frown. "Raven look and me and listen well. You put that idea out of your head. Your father may be Trigon. But you are a member of this family now too. We are stubborn, reckless, we bicker and fight. We are hard to deal with but we never give up or give in. we'll come together and find a way Raven." He said firmly as Raven took a minute to take in the words he spoke. "Never again. I promise." She said with an apologetic smile. "Okay then. I'll show you the way down to the pool once you've had a look at some of the books and decided which you'd like to read." Bruce said, his face softer now. Raven took a quick look at one of the shelves and spotted a book she had been meaning to read. With book in hand she and Bruce headed out the library and back down stairs. As they got to the foyer area the large wooden doors of the main entrance way creaked open and Alfred and Tim walked through. "Good afternoon master Bruce, Miss Raven. How are you?" Alfred asked as he closed the door behind himself. "Good afternoon Mr Pennyworth." Raven said with a smile. "My dear, as refreshing as it is to be greeted in such a well-mannered way, just Alfred will suffice." Alfred replied with a tilted nod and polite smile. Raven smiled an okay back as Tim approached her with a hand out in front of him. "I'm Tim, it's nice to meet the person that calmed the demon child." Tim said with a grin. Bruce shot him a glance which got little more than a shrug and a what from Tim. "It's nice to meet you too. It's been nice to meet all of Damians brothers and sister, you all have such different personalities and yet seem so alike as well and unified. It's nice to see." Raven said with a smile as she shook Tim's hand. "Tim I was about to show Raven down to the pool, Dick and Kori are out there already. Would you mind showing her the way?" Bruce asked. Tim looked to Bruce and nodded. "Sure. This way." Tim said pointing to an archway Raven hadn't seen when they came in last night. It appeared to be built under the stair case to give a minimalist effect. As they walked Raven felt like she should ask Tim something or talk to him about something but couldn't think of what. "It's alright." He said to Ravens surprise. "You're trying to think of a subject to talk about on the walk but it's alright. You've only had Damian to go off, well Dick to I suppose but as you said, we're all different from each other. I'm the more technologically minded of the group. I prefer to tinker with that kind of thing. Dick, as I'm sure you've noticed, is our class clown. I don't mean it as an insult, he tries to keep everyone's spirit up. Jay is our rebel. He doesn't often listen to Bruce, and will strike out on his own more often than not. Damian is easily the hot head. He'll fly off the handle at the smallest of things. Helena is the rational one. I sometimes don't know how she does it but when she's out there and someone is throwing everything at her, physically and verbally, she keeps her cool and vents in the training ring after." Tim said as he and Raven walked through a set of glass doors that opened to another area of the garden. "It's like each of you represent one aspect of emotion. Knowledge, humour, anger, impatience, serenity." Raven said with a smile finding it somewhat amusing that she rarely let emotions out but as she thought about it as Tim had describe, emotion was in front of her, making up the family that she increasingly wanted to join and be a part of. "Hey, Timmy, Raven. Joining the party." Raven turned to her left and saw Dick standing on top of a somewhat tall diving board positioned over a large swimming pool with Kori sat to the side, feet dangling in the water. "Just showing the way Dick, I got a couple things I need to sort out and then maybe I'll join for a bit." Tim yelled back prompting a long loud boo from Dick. Tim just shrugged and waved him off as he walked away, back through the door he'd lead Raven through. There was a loud cheer from behind her as Raven watched Tim walk away, followed quickly by a large splash. Raven turned back to the pool as Dick surfaced and started splashing Kori who in turn laughed and kicked her legs to splash back at Dick. Raven smiled as the older pair played and laughed. She walked to the side of the pool and sat down in one of the lounging chairs, she opened up an umbrella that was sticking out the centre of a low table. "What book did you pick up?" Asked Kori now in the pool but resting on her forearms to speak with Raven. "It's Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. It's the first in a three-book series. I've been meaning to get around to reading his work. There were so many books. I saw this right away and decided to grab it. Bruce said I could use the library whenever I liked so I can take a longer look another time." Raven said showing the book to Kori. "He really said whenever you like?" Dick asked swimming up to Kori. Raven nodded as she was slightly confused as to why that would be weird. "Bruce hardly lets anyone in there. He and his mother were very close, he hasn't touched anything in there since their deaths. He must really like you." Dick said causing Raven to think and she looked down at the book in her hand. "Father is trying to make you feel welcome. He knew you liked reading just as grandmother did so the library would be a fitting place to show you." Raven span her head round to see Damian standing there. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as he stood in three quarter length swim shorts and no top. Quickly she turned back to her book. "It was a wonderful gesture. It only makes it mean more knowing the story behind the room." She said. "In for a swim D?" Dick asked trying to lighten the mood. Damian smirked and looked at Dick. "Sure." Dropping his towel on the lounger next to Ravens Damian ran full tilt at the pool Jumping once he got to the edge. Dick let out a sarcastic and very girly scream in fake terror as Damian cannon balled into the water. Kori and Raven both laughed at the boy's horseplay. "Want to come in for a bit?" Kori asked with a smile. Raven set her book down on the table and put the towel from the lounger over it in hopes of giving it some protection from any splash damage. With a smile, she sat on poolside next to Kori. "Sure." She said as she slid into the water.