With Love, Her Beast and His Demon

Garfield's Five Fun Facts about Ravens

One

Knock. Knock.

"Go away. I'm fine," Raven murmured from her spot on the bed. She sat cross-legged, her hands on her knees and her eyes closed, chanting her mantra quietly in an attempt to pacify the turmoil of emotions inside her head. Though she had only whispered the words to the intruder outside her door, she knew his enhanced hearing allowed her words to echo loudly and clearly to his ears. After all, there was only one person who regularly checked up on her following an incident like that.

"Raven, please open the door," Changeling pleaded lowly from outside. She heard a quiet thump on the metallic frame, most likely signifying he had thudded his forehead on the door like he usually did when he wanted to come in. "I know you're not okay. Please, can we talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about Garfield. I'm fine. Just leave me alone," Raven insisted, her voice stern and her eyes shut tightly.

"You know I'm going to come in anyways, so could you at least open the door and save me the trouble of shifting?" he questioned.

Raven sighed, fully aware that he wasn't bluffing as he had done it before. She didn't bother shifting from her spot and instead used her abilities to open the door. She heard him approach her silently as if he were afraid she would snap at him at a moment's notice. His aura emitted gentle waves of concern and affection that enveloped her heart and warmed her soul. She didn't open her eyes to gaze at him—she knew if she did, she would succumb to the shameful sentiments hidden beneath the surface.

The bed slumped when he took a seat, and she could sense his tender warmth beside her, tempting her to give into his embrace and release her troubled emotions once and for all. But she refused.

The room was quiet, and she could only hear the soft hum of the air conditioner appeasing her surroundings. When he broke the deafening silence, the words he uttered were entirely unexpected.

"Did you know ravens were often culturally depicted as evil in the past?"

"What?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion but her eyes remaining shut.

"Ravens," Changeling stated like the topic was entirely obvious. "They were often seen as omens. Take for instance, in Celtic mythology, they were associated with the goddess of battle and war or in Welsh myths where they were depicted as harbingers of death. A lot of European cultures also viewed them as pure evil."

Raven wasn't exactly sure of how to reply to that, so she simply let out a low "Oh."

"But I don't believe that, and you shouldn't either," he continued.

"Huh?" she stammered.

"The words those people called you today... They're not true. You know they're not true," he stated.

Raven finally opened her eyes and regarded him with a puzzled gaze, "How do you know that? I am the daughter..."

"Of a demon. We all know that, Rae. Dick knows it. Kory knows it. Vic knows it. Hell, even Batman does! But do you think we see you as an evil witch?" Changeling posed.

"... The woman who said it..." Raven began, her gaze directed to the floor. "The woman I saved. She was terrified of me... There was no malignity in her tone like there usually is in the people who call me that. She really believed I was evil. That I was going to hurt her and her daughter... That I was..." her voice dissipated, and she swallowed the lump in her throat to prevent herself from letting go.

"Rae, you don't have to listen to them. They're wrong. They don't know about the countless times you've sacrificed yourself for this city. They don't know about the unspeakable horrors Trigon put you through," Garfield placed a finger under his girlfriend's chin and gently directed her eyes towards his own. "Don't believe them, Rae. If anything, you're more of an angel than you are a demon."