An Inaudible Irritation

5. Rorek

Raven dreaded every step she took with every fiber of her being.

Of course Nightwing would get called on a mission while they were going over a lesson. That was just Raven's luck. Now she was obeying Dick's wish and going to pick up Damian from his fencing lesson.

The building was easy to find, which relieved Raven. Once inside, she was met with a room of only two people. Their graceful movements were almost in sync. Damian was amazing at this sport.

Raven stood there quietly for what seemed to be half of an hour before either of the two took notice of her presence. The shorter one approached her and raised his sabre. She flinched, the blade mere centimeters away from the tip of her nose. "Why are you here?" It was Damian.

"Your brother told me to get you," Raven nervously signed in response, hoping that she was making sense. She hadn't communicated with him like this before.

"I am not a child," he said as he lowered his sabre and lifted his mask up over his head to reveal his sweaty face. "Leave."

"Actually," the instructor spoke and began cleaning up the equipment, "It's passed the time to conclude our lesson. I'll see you Tuesday."

Damian turned around, resisting the urge to argue. He grabbed his bag in annoyance and headed out the door, leaving Raven several steps behind. "You know, just because you learn sign language to talk to me doesn't make me instantly like you."

Raven raised an eyebrow at his words. She went to ask him what he meant, but he ignored her.

Once they reached his apartment, Damian stopped at the door and turned to face her. "Well, you can go home now. I'm sure Grayson will be satisfied."

"Why can't you be nice to me for once?" Raven grumbled out loud to herself. Her expression held an annoyed appearance.

"I don't like being looked down upon," Damian said in response.

Raven's eyes widened in response. "You can-"

"I can read lips, moron," Damian cut her off. "I may not be able to hear, but I can still see."

Raven furrowed her eyebrows at him. "I learned because I thought you could use a friend," she signed.

"I don't need a friend," Damian said before opening the door and taking a step inside the door frame. "Good-bye."

Raven wore an unamused expression as he closed the door. After this she started walking down the sidewalk.

The weather was pleasing today, so she decided to go to the park and read her book in peace and quiet. It would help her calm her mind. Trying to be friendly sure did stress her out.

Half of an hour passed as Raven was getting lost in her enchanting book. The sound of a girl shouting  "Look out!" quickly pulled her out of her thoughts.

A baseball was swiftly moving towards a boy who was on his phone, paying no attention to the world around him. By the time he noticed, it would be too late.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" Raven quietly chanted as she used her power to stop the speeding ball, leaving it levitating in the air mere inches from his head.

They made eye contact briefly before Raven let the ball drop to the ground, watching as the other people around were confused.

Raven felt her heart beat faster as she watched the boy put his phone away and make his way over towards her. She really hated socializing with strangers. Especially now that he saw what she could do.

"Thank you. You saved me from a major headache," the boy said and flashed her a smile.

Wow, he's beautiful, Raven thought to herself as she admired him. He had shaggy, almost white blonde hair and deep blue eyes that were slightly decorated with black makeup. His dark colored sense of style matched her own. He looked to be a few years older than her, maybe in his early twenties, if even that.

"Not really," Raven shrugged it off, but he wasn't budging.

He slowly sat down next to her on the metal bench. "It's okay, you don't have to hide your power from me. I'm also a sorcerer."

Raven blinked. "Really?"

"Well, yes and no," he answered and chuckled at her shocked expression. "My name is Rorek."

"Rorek... like as in, Rorek of Nol, the white wizard? From thousands of years ago?" she questioned, her eyes wide in amazement.

"You do your reading," Rorek commented and gave her a smile. That smile faded when he noticed her sheepishly avert her gaze. "It's not a bad thing, darling. I'm just surprised a girl so beautiful could read such ancient stories."

"B-Beautiful?" Raven stammered, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink as she tucked a strand of her colored hair behind her ear.

"I... lost my power," Rorek suddenly brought up, a frown on his face as he spoke. "From my battle with the evil dragon, Malchoir. He cursed me."

Raven glanced at him with a concerned look. "Can you get them back?"

"I need someone with greater power," Rorek said and let out a sigh. "I haven't found anyone like me."

Raven said and sat back in her seat. "Could I possibly help?"

"You would?" Rorek asked, his eyes lighting up.

"I can try," Raven responded and met his gaze. He was beaming with joy. "I'm Raven, by the way."

"You're such a sweetheart, Raven," Rorek said and smiled at her. "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem," Raven assured him. "But, where would we start?"

"Well," Rorek began and pondered for a moment before responding. "How good are you with spells?"

Raven moved her gaze to the ground as she spoke. "Not as good as I wished," she admitted. "I only know the basics."

"I'll teach you everything I know," Rorek decided, smiling at her. Raven let out a small yawn, which gained his attention.

"Sorry, I haven't taken my daily nap," Raven said before letting out a nervous laugh.

Rorek chuckled at the comment. "Shall I walk you home?"

"If you want," Raven replied, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. Rorek stood up from his spot and waited for her to get up as well. Once she gathered her things, she started leading him to her and Kory's apartment.

Raven suddenly pulled her hood up as she recognized someone they were about to pass on the sidewalk; Damian.

"Is something wrong?" Rorek asked, noticing her strange behavior.

"I know him," Raven answered and let out a sigh. "From school."

"Is he weird?" Rorek quietly asked.

"He's my friends' boyfriends' brother. I tried to be his friend, but he constantly pushes me away." Raven replied. "He's very stubborn."

"I see," Rorek said and looked at her so
with a smile. "Well, Raven, I'll be your friend."

Raven felt her heart skip a beat at the sight. "Okay," she spoke before turning her head again, avoiding Damian's stare while they passed by him as he walked his dog on a leash. 

Damian raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look back at the two as they passed him by. A bad feeling pooled in his stomach at the sight, but he didn't know why.