Character Bio: Corv, from Patreon

[Originally posted at my Patreon Page in a patron only post on Jan 24th of this year, as noted, I have no intention of stuff there remaining exclusive forever.  This is actually overdue to be posted here.]
[Corv first appeared in the only extant chapter of Bunking Together, and her team first appeared in the second chapter of A Family Matter.]

I was trying to start doing an overview of the teams I've introduced so far in super person universe, but instead this popped out:

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Corvida of the Outland Reach is a half-demon who was intended to be an Antichrist figure but was taken in and raised by some of the nicer inhabitants of Hell.

Between her 12th and 13th birthdays her power started to manifest in significantly greater force than it had before.  If she remained in Hell she would have been a beacon that drew her full-demon father and his forces not just to her but also to those who raised and protected her.  She fled to earth where the power of her father and his followers was significantly weaker.

Initially she tried to find heroes who would help her in the inevitable fight against her father.  That failed.  Many were wary of of joining forces with a demon while others who would have helped were unable to do so for reasons of politics.  Also, she was a kid talking about apocalyptic prophecies.  There were quite a few (ones who couldn't sense her nature or the truth of her words) who just didn't take her seriously.

She wandered the United States for more than a year.

When she was 14 she found herself in the middle of a citywide disaster.  She did what she could to help, which was when she met Java --a former sidekick who was about her age.  When adults in authority came to the area she and Java were working in, they shunted the two aside "children" aside.

Corv and Java were placed with three other would-be heroes in the same age group.  The group would later refer to this event as, "Being put at the kiddie table."  Rather than sit idly by, all five slipped away and ended up solving the problem on their own.

Their effectiveness, as well as Java's fame from his sidekicking days, caused the city to officially recognize them as a legitimate team of heroes, one that would step in when others super powered threats arose.

A few of the heroes that Corv had previously written off had some hand in this, behind the scenes, as getting Corv her own team was seen as a potentially viable compromise solution.

Those who didn't want to work with demons or children could be comfortable knowing that she was in a provincial minor league team.  Those who thought that Corv deserved help could be comfortable knowing she had found it.

Corv's team became the model on which various subsequent young adult teams were based, and the flagship of a franchise of such teams.

The moment Corv turned 18 the inevitable battle with her father began.  It was a confusing and complex thing as Corv, someone who never wanted the role, was intended to be the instrument of her father's will, and the executor of his power, on earth.  Much of the battle involved the fight for Corv's mind and soul itself.

After the eventual victory, Corv and her team returned to being guardians of a single city and fighting the lesser threats that presented themselves.

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[Shared Super Person Universe Index]

Attending Church (super people)

[Part of A Family Matter.]

Enzie knew that, when it was possible, the cult operated out of disused christian churches.  They'd take down the crosses, replace the stained glass windows with their own designs, and pretty much move in without changing much.

It didn't surprise Enzie that Corv brought them to a church, the size of it did though.  Impossible to tell whether or not it had been a cathedral in it's previous life, but it certainly lived up to Ezie's associations with the word "cathedral."

Corv led Enzie through the building, to a side door, which opened into a room with more a business setting.  Chairs to wait in, a receptionist behind a desk.

"We're here to meet with Thomas, we don't have an appointment," Corv said.

"There's an opening at--"

Enzie took a look at Corv to see what had stopped the receptionist.  Her skin had taken on a green tinge, her eyes had turned an inky black that made made it seem there was nothing but void behind her eyelids, and she'd somehow managed to grow impala horns in a real hurry, even though Enzie was pretty sure those things were male-only.

The receptionist found nir voice and said, "Goddess!  You grace us with your presence."

"Why does she get to be a god?" Enzie asked.

The receptionist looked to Corv for guidance.  Corv nodded.

"When the Lady Corvida triumphed over our old god --her father-- she proved herself a more worthy deity," the receptionist told Enzie.  After a pause she added, "Also, she does not demand human sacrifice of us."

"I can see how that would be a plus," Enzie said.

"I do not particularly like being called a god or a goddess," Corv said, her form returned to normal, "but their schism with the main cult has earned respect in my eyes, and I allow them their terminology."

"If you are willing to wait a few moments, Lady Corvida" the receptionist said in a way that made clear not waiting was an option, "I will tell brother Thomas to end his current meeting."

"That will be quite sufficient," Corv said.

* * *

"Lady Corvida," Brother Thomas said with a bow, "what brings you to me?"

"First," Corv said, "let me take a moment to admit that I was wrong.  You have done a great amount of good with this organization.  I was incorrect to tell you to disband your sect."

Brother Thomas looked shocked, humbled, intensely grateful, proud, and also completely speechless. Enzie guessed that that was probably a fairly standard response to having one's god say, "You were right and I was wrong; good work," to one.

When he found his voice, or at least partially found it, Brother Thomas used it to say a breathless, "Thank you."

"As to what brings me here," Corv said. "this is Enzie.  For some months Enzie has been seeking their half sister and half niece.  It has recently come to light that Enzie's half niece is my half sister.

"I want to know everything you know about the girl."

There was a pause, Brother Thomas blinked.  Then he said, "Nothing."

"Do you have any suspicions?" Corv asked.

"We didn't even suspect she existed," Brother Thomas said.

"The loyalists are hunting her," Corv said.  "It is imperative that I locate my sister first."

"I understand," Brother Thomas said.

"The prohibition I placed upon contacting me has been lifted with regard to this matter," Corv said as she placed her team's standard business card on Brother Thomas' desk.  "I want to be informed of everything you learn as soon as you have learned it, with only concerns for personal safety and moral action constituting a valid delay.

"If I am unavailable, any member of my team, or Enzie, is an authorized proxy."

"I understand," Brother Thomas said.  "Is there anything else?"

"When you begged me for a command," Corv said, "I commanded that you do good.  You have done well in that endeavor.  Continue to do so.  Keeping my sister safe from my father's followers is of great personal importance to me, however keeping any child safe from them would be of equal objective importance."

Corv turned to leave, then sighed.  "Aster and I are romantically engaged.  I assume your church will find that fact to be of interest.  Make of that what you will, but do not bother her."

Corv walked to the door.

"So we're going now?" Enzie asked.  "And we're no closer to--"

"We came here first because Brother Thomas is my most agreeable contact," Corv said.  "He is far from my only contact.  He is extremely far from my most up to date contact, given the schism."

Instead of opening the door, Corv extended her hand forward. From it and darkness began to engulf the door.  At first it was just a small amount, and only slightly darker than the area had been, but soon there was an inky circle, as tall as the room, which completely obscured the door.

Corv stepped through.

Enzie wondered if Corv could create darkness that wasn't inky, then stepped through.

-

[Previous][A Family Matter]
[Super Person Universe Index]

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So, I didn't want Corv's demon side to have remotely the same heritage as Desdemona and I wanted that to be visibly true.

Part of that is in the eyes.

Seraphim (fiery serpent angels) have six wings and I feel like if the wings get multiplied by three then other two part things could as well (e.g. six eyes, six nostrils, six ears...)  Somewhere, way back in Desdemona's family tree, there was at least one seraph (probably fallen), the only thing she retains from that distant ancestor is her six eyes.

Corv, by contrast, has only two eyes.  I had forgotten that I gave Des black eyes too, but hers would be a matte black that in no way were evocative of ink.

Skin color is also a big deal.  I had Des be red, so for differentiation I wanted Corv to be anything but.  The pallet traditionally assigned to (Christian) demon skin is very limited.  Black was most common.  So that's all "Woo! Unfortunate implications."

Chaucer associated green, not red, with the devil.  While deuteranomaly and protanomaly are definitely things, green feels like a good contrast with Des' red.

Des has no horns at all and does have a leaf-nose-bat style nose.  Corv has large horns, and her nose doesn't change (to the point Enzie isn't even thinking about her nose as he surveys her face.)

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The earthly cult of Corv's father is more or less divided into two organizations (which cooperate with each other, just not openly.)

One is secret, thus has no public face, and is free to do whatever advances the cult's aims.

The other is a religion (tax exempt) that openly operates like more or less any charitable church and, besides the fact that they have different iconography, could easily be mistaken for a Christian denomination.  This is not an accident.  Casting themselves in the image of Christianity is seen as a little, "Fuck you," to God et alia.

From the outside, and from the lower levels, it looks like a good organization that helps people and . . . stuff.

Only when you are initiated into the first of the inner circles do you start to learn the truth.

A lot of the good works are for publicity, others serve specific agendas. The end goal is for Corv's father, whose philosophy is that the weak exist to do what the strong command, to rule earth by proxy.  There's a fair amount of death and violence involved in laying the groundwork for that.

When Corv utterly failed to be that proxy, and (temporarily) killed her father, that kind of threw the leadership into chaos.

What's a high priest to do when their God just died?

Most of the church stayed loyal.  Corv's father is a kind of being that simply doesn't stay dead.  Having a dead god, thus, was only a temporary thing.

On the other hand, Corv trashed their prophecy and, by defeating her father (with some help from her friends), proved in the eyes of some that she was stronger than the God they had been following.  So by her father's own rules, she got to impose her will on him and his followers.  That her will was a hell of a lot nicer factored in a bit too.

So Brother Thomas argued that they should stop worshiping Corv's father and start worshiping Corv herself.  This led to a schism.

When Brother Thomas came to Corv with his new sect dedicated to her, she basically told him to fuck off.  He refused to disband his religion and followers, but insisted that, other than that, he was totally ready to follow her commands.  She gave him fairly generic orders to do good (feed the hungry, help the oppressed, give shelter and clothing to those who need it, protect those who cannot protect themselves, respect self-determination and consent, stop the fucking human sacrifice.)

For those outside of the inner circle, the main difference between the splinter group and the old group is that the original group was working toward something.  They focused on a coming age in which their God would rule the world via his daughter and wash away all wrongs (which meant they didn't have to.)  The splinter group, on the other hand, is just plain working.  They follow said-God's daughter who chose not to rule the world and instead commands that it be made a better place, by its inhabitants, in the here and now.

Marching Orders (super people)

[This plotline now has an index.]
[Last installment left off with Enzie asking about the giant robotic pangolin.  You know, I don't think that I ever mentioned it was giant in the text.  Anyway, that's where we start here.]

"Did you not see the robotic armadillo?" Icelos asked.

"Robotic armadillos are a dime a dozen," Enzie said, "the pangolin was more interesting."

"Focus on the matter at hand," Java said.  Enzie definitely got the impression that the statement was focused at Icelos.

"But I took down the armadillo," Icelos said.  "I deserve credit."

"We just found out the world might end again," Java said.

"If the kid's six that gives us a dozen years to prepare," Map said.

Enzie nodded at that.

"The issue that faces us in the present moment is that there is a child who is being sought out by a cult that wants to make her into a monster," Corv said.  "This is most definitely not about the fate of the world right now."

"I wouldn't be here if it were," Enzie said.  "I don't give a damn who collects taxes, I do care about the fact I have family who seem to be in danger."

"I thought that you did not like your family," Aster said to Enzie.

"I don't like my father," Enzie said.  "I have no reason to think that my sister or her daughter are anything like him.  I'm not."

Java said, "I'll try to find out if regular law enforcement has been doing anything that might be related. Map, Icelos, there's a good chance we'll be dealing with demons again.  Anything you can whip up to help would be appreciated.

"Aster, go to the main computer, familiarize yourself with every location we've found that has significance to the cult of Corv's father.  Go to each, patrol around them for as long as you deem fit --look for anything remotely magical-- and then move on to the next.  Surveillance only; unless you actually locate the girl and she's in immediate danger, do not engage.

"If you do locate her, regardless of whether you're forced to engage, contact us over the coms immediately.

"Corv, Enzie, find a way to track down your relative."

* * *

"Exactly what does Archipelago expect us do?"

"The island of Java is part of the Indonesian archipelago," Corv said, "and I believe you are aware that that is not the thing to which Java's name refers."

"Point.  The question still stands though."

"You are not merely a half angel; you are also an archer," Corv said.  "I have skills that do not come from my biology as well."

Enzie knew what Corv was talking about and said, "Somehow I think being demonic gives you a bit of a leg up over fully human magicians."

"Perhaps, but it is none the less true that I am well versed in human magic," Corv said.

"Your father has many followers, of them some are likewise magic," Enzie said.  "What do you expect to do that they cannot?"

"They can likely call upon my father for spells of locating," Corv said, "but any such spells will be limited by the fact they can only call upon her paternal heritage."

"Not much of a limitation considering how seldom he reproduces," Enzie said.

"There are more powerful spells that require the cooperation of individuals from both sides of the subject's family," Corv said.  "I can serve as the individual from the paternal side, you can serve as the individual from the maternal side."

"Powerful enough to break through whatever's been keeping child and mother out of the cult's reach for nearly six months?"

"Perhaps not," Corv said, "but with such force seeking them, concealment magic should be hard to maintain continuously."

* * *

Inside of a magic circle, Enzie sat back to back with Corv.

"What happens if this works?" Enzie asked.

"I have never had the opportunity to test this spell before," Corv said.

A moment later they were standing nowhere.

Then they were somewhere in the world, but it was so hazy it was impossible to make out.  Another place became overlapped with it, then a third.

Then the places shot apart and they were high in the air above all three, a pulsing, though very dim, light marking each.  More lights came into being, each time they were forced farther from the surface of the earth, so that they could view them all.

In the end they stood in void.  The earth before them, spotted with dim lights, too many to count, spread across North America, Europe, and Western Africa.

"I'm no mage," Enzie said, "but I'd class this as a failure."

"None of these results are strong enough for a relative as close as my sister and your niece," Corv said.  "These must be relations we share through our mothers."

Enzie nodded.  "Which wouldn't be very close relations."

There was a pause.

"Is my body blinking?" Enzie asked.

"I do not know," Corv said.

"Well you'd better get us back in ourselves before our eyes get all dried out and itchy or something."

"I did not realize that the spell would be so immersive," Corv said.  "I suggest that next time we close our eyes before beginning."

A moment later they were seated back to back within the magic circle.

"So . . ." Enzie said, "that accomplished nothing."

"On the contrary, now we know that the spell will work for us," Corv said.  "We shall need to repeat it continually at pseudo-random intervals to have the best chance of detecting our relative."

"So that's it?" Enzie asked.  "Spam the spell in hopes that at some point random chance dictates that we use it when their concealment has lapsed."

"That is merely one part of it," Corv said.  "I have contacts within my father's cult and intend to use them to locate my sister.  For me, that will be the next part of it.  What you do is up to you."

"Of course I'm coming with," Enzie said.

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[Previous][A Family Matter Index]
[Super Person Universe Index]

People don't say the name of Corv's father.  I honestly haven't figured out why that is yet, but it's just not done.  Demons might use his name, but only in Hell itself.  Even his earthly cult doesn't call him by name, instead calling him "our god".

It could be as simple as it being hard for humans to pronounce, it could be something with vast metaphysical implications, all that I've got so far is that no one in this is going to call him by name without a very good reason.

A Family Matter Index (super people)

A Family Matter is a plotline in my super person universe focusing on Corv and Enzie's newly discovered shared relation and the events surrounding the discovery.

• Initial Meeting - Corv and Enzie meet, Enzie reveals that Corv has a (relatively) new half sister.
• Meeting the Team - After Corve insists on bringing the matter to her full team, Enzie meets Corv's team.
• What's going on -or- Why Enzie should never be able to explain things - Enzie shares what they know.
• Marching Orders - In light of the information Enzie shares, tasks are assigned to everyone.

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[Super Person Universe Index]

What's going on OR Why Enzie should never be allowed to explain things (super people)

[Enzie met Corv in this bit, and the rest of the team in this bit.  If I ever revise this I'll try to make it clear in the text that Enzie is speaking fast and generally being frenetic while delivering this info dump.]

With the introductions over, Enzie wasn't sure exactly what was supposed to happen.

"The reason for this meeting, along with Enzie's presence here, is that Enzie claims my father has sired another child," Corv said to her team.  "I believe you are all aware of the potential ramifications, if that is in fact true."

Everyone turned their attention to Enzie, and Enzie felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny.  "Look, I came to Corv, she was the one who insisted the matter be brought to the lot of you, so it's not like I have a wondrous mission briefing or PowerPoint presentation all prepared.

"Truth is, I don't even know where to start."

"I find that the beginning is often a useful place," Java said.

"Even if it does sometimes make for a longer story," Aster added.

"Ok, let's see, the beginning . . ." Enzie said.  "Right.  So . . . you may have noticed that the world has not, in fact, ended.  Well, not ended as such.  More restructured.  We are not living in a Hellscape with our necks bowed in submission to demons because a new age in which compassion is laid by the wayside and morality reduced to the ideas of proper conduct the powerful impose upon those weaker than themselves.  That whole thing didn't happen.

"It not happening is what started all of this.  You see, there was this whole prophecy thing, and Corv was supposed to bring it about and . . . not so much.  But when people have held onto a belief for as long as Corv's father and his followers have held onto that whole prophecy-thing . . . well, a dose of reality is seldom cause for paradigm shift, and so instead of abandoning the prophecy they hit the books to see what they did wrong, and if there was still time for them to do it right.

"Whether or not there was still time: yes.  Totally.  Plenty of time.  The prophecy places great emphasis on things coming some multiple of a thousand years after a given date, but it's very hazy on what the start date is.  It could arguably come to fulfillment in the late 2030s and still fit, so it'll be a bit before they have to give up on this go round and wait a millennium-ish for the next opening.

"So, seeing that their opening hadn't passed, they attempted to determine what went wrong with Corv so they could make sure they'd get it right on try two."

"So you just used a lot of words to say: after Corv failed to bring about the apocalypse the bad guys tried for a do over?" Java asked.

"That I did; that I did," Enzie said.  "So I'm guessing you know the gist of the prophecy.  Salient points being that Corv's father will have a half demon offspring born to a mortal mother who will be indwelt by his power and will when she reaches the age at which the Emperor Who Never Was was first married, measured in years, rounded down.  Because when I decide how old someone should be before they become Antichrist, I always ask myself, 'How old was Julius Caesar when he was first married, again?'

"Apart from the positively bizarre last requirement, that's pretty straightforward and basically covers it.  There is, however, a lot of boilerplate, a bit of Latin poetry in epic meter, mystical trappings, and a lot of Christianity.  I mean, you wouldn't think that demons would be Christian, but damn do those in the vicinity of the Cursed Dome really, really frame everything they do in terms of, 'Christianity says this, and we hates it.'

"The Christianity is where they found their supposed error with Corv.  See, the subject of the prophecy is supposed to be a sort of mirror Jesus.

"Jesus taught that oppression was kind of a bad thing, she will teach that the oppression is the right an proper way to do things.  Jesus' followers largely ignored his actual teachings and instead re-purposed elements of them as they saw fit, her followers will obey her completely and without hesitation.  Jesus was killed, she will live.  Jesus didn't want to rule the world and certainly didn't take it over, she'll want it and get it.  So on, so forth.

"In modern English translations, commentaries, and exegeses, the actual word 'Antichrist' is sometimes used."

It was around this point that Enzie noticed Icelos had tuned them out and was now playing a 3DS.  Enzie sighed.

"Ever hear of immaculate conception?" they asked.

"It is a Catholic doctrine regarding Mary, daughter of Joachim and Anne," Corv said. "It states that, because of her miraculously immaculate conception, she was the first human being since Adam and Eve, in their prelapsarian states, to be free of Original Sin."

"The idea being that the Incarnated form of God could only be produced from a womb untainted by Original Sin," Java added.

"Yup," Enzie said, "that's the one.  So after going over all of their notes, the followers of Corv's father decided that the problem had not, in fact, been Corv.  Instead they thought they chose the wrong kind of mother to birth their little Antichrist."

"Did the fact that I was raised by principled individuals who taught me common decency and basic morality never occur to them as a possible confounding factor?" Corv asked.

"Yes and no," Enzie said.  "They definitely want to raise the new child themselves and in line with their worldview and teachings, just in case, but for the most part they were of the opinion that it didn't really matter.  Thus it being 'just in case' rather than 'so this time doesn't fail like last time.

"Instead their foucs was all on the immaculate conception.  If Jesus was born to a mother massively less stained by sin than the rest of humanity, then the subject of their prophecy ought to be one who was equally different from ordinary humanity on the sin scale, but in the opposite direction.  Mary was born lacking the great defining sin of humanity, they reasoned, thus the mother of their champion must be born with some great defining sin beyond that of humanity."

"One cannot be born morally stained," Aster said.

"That depends on whose worldview you subscribe to," Enzie said.  "Here on earth being born already tainted by sin is a lynch-pin of a great many religious sects."

"If they subscribed to the doctrine of original sin," Corv said, "then they would naturally believe that it was a singular sin.  In their minds it would be the only sin so great as to be inherited from the parent at the inception of life."

Enzie shrugged.

"It therefore follows that it would be impossible to find there equal and opposite Mary," Corv said.

"Think harder," Enzie said.  "If you're not smart enough and knowledgeable enough to get this on your first try, I'm going to conclude that coming to you was a waste of time."

Map made a groan of protest.  Java looked angry.  Aster looked confused.  Corv looked like she was indeed thinking harder.

"There are some reminders that might help you on your way," Enzie said.  "Well, two.  First, on the day they ate the fruit~that~probably~wasn't~an~apple they did not --in fact-- surely die, but there is a part of the Bible that does have an 'all fall down' story.

"Second, let me reiterate the point about Christian demons.  Well, anti-Christian, same foundation, opposite beliefs.  They wouldn't do anything so heathen as, say, involve the daughters of Loki."

Enzie thought about their own words for a bit.  They produced interesting ideas.  From the offhand comment came a world of imagined possibility.  Enzie said, "Which is kind of too bad because if they did the daughters of Loki would beat them without any of us having to get involved, set the organization back centuries if not millennia, and do it all in a way that was simultaneously agonizing and hilarious.

"I'd get popcorn."

"Have you quite finished amusing yourself?" Corv asked.

"Probably," Enzie said.  "You have an answer?"

"Not only do I have an answer, I am also fully capable of showing my work," Corv said.  "I could have arrived at the answer without your heavy-handed hinting."

"Well tell us," Icelos said, though his attention was still on the 3DS.

"I did not need to be told that my father's followers would not look to things outside of their dualistic worldview," Corv said. "That leaves them with very few options for a mother, namely angels, demons, humans, and combinations thereof.

"The only direct mention of the mother in the prophecy is the note that she is to be mortal.  That means that she must be at least partially human.  That said, if she is to be set apart from humanity via exceptionally maculate conception, she can't be fully human.  Even the most terrible things humans do to other humans don't result in condemnation on the level of Original Sin," Corv turned to Aster, "which, for the record, I do not believe exists."

"As my father is a full demon and the child is to be half, the mother cannot have any demonic heritage.  This leaves a human angel crossbreed as the only possibility. Since it is the mother's conception that is supposed to be stained by sin, she would have to be a first generation member of the nephilim."

"Yup," Enzie said.  "Told you that if you'd thought about it you'd see it wasn't impossible in their mindset.  Rainbows and all."

There was silence for a bit.

Aster broke it by asking, "What you said, what does it mean?"

"My half-sister is a quarter angel," Corv said to her.

"My half-niece," Enzie said.

That got everyone's attention.

"It's not like it's the same half," Enzie said.

"Assuming any of this is true," Java said in a long suffering kind of way, "how did you find out?"

"Right.  So.  My dad: asshole," Enzie said.  "I've been looking for him --on the side of course; I've gotta make money for food and such-- for positively ages.  Trouble is, he's got some kind of a magical filter thingy that makes it hard to track where he's been, what he's done, who he's done, and how many half-relatives I have out there.

"Best I can figure, not long after Antichrist 1.0 over there," Enzie gestured to Corv, "failed to work out her dad's followers started looking for nephilim in likewise magical ways that started to break down his filter, and presumably any similar filters a bit.  This was a while ago, though.  Traces might have been easier to pick up on, but they still weren't enough for me to follow."

"How long ago was this?" Corv asked.

"I'm not sure precisely," Enzie said.  "I only realized the change took place in retrospect; that made it hard to pinpoint.  Still, easy to make an educated guess.  As soon as you beat your father his followers would have hit the books.  It'd take a year or two, maybe even close to three, for him to recover enough to be able to even attempt impregnating anyone."

"Which would indicate that our family member should be five to seven years old," Corv said.

Enzie nodded.  "Something went wrong for the cult a little less than six months ago.  I know now that they lost the child and they think the mother is responsible, but at the time all I knew was that something blew a hole in the obfuscating magic keeping me from getting leads on any of my family members, but only for two of them.

"I can't find where they are, whatever they're using to stay hidden from the Cursed Dome et alia is keeping them hidden from me too, but I have been able to track down some of the places they've been.  It's what's allowed me to put all of this together.

"Once I found out you were their previous attempt at prophecy fulfillment, I came to you," Enzie said to Corv.

"Which is how we all got to be here," Enzie said to everyone.  "Now, why was there a robotic pangolin on a rampage?"

-

[Previous][A Family Matter Index][Next]
[Super Person Universe - Index]

Meeting Corv's team (super people)

[Previous installment here. This is the first time we've actually seen the other members of Corv's team. The closest before was seeing an ex-member.]

Corv had kept Enzie separated from the others until the last one arrived in the common room, so Enzie's first look at the team was when Corv led them in to begin the meeting.  First impression, formed based on a quick glance, was that they were as one would expect.  A bunch of people in their mid twenties.

"Everyone, this is Enzie," Corv said with a gesture to Enzie, "'They-them'."

A response seemed appropriate, so Enzie gave a nod.

"Enzie, this is my team.  Java, 'he-him'," Corv gestured to the most famous member of the team, and it's leader.

You couldn't come to this city without learning about the guy.  First nation heritage --some east coast tribe-- and enough you might guess it if you didn't already know, but no tribal links.  Orphan who was taken in by a presumed-rich white guy with a penchant for vigilante activity.  For reasons that had never been explained, Java cut ties and hopped to the other side of the continent ending up here.

Real identity unknown, and apparently he wanted to keep it that way since, though he was in his own home, he was still wearing obfuscating headgear.  It was a toned down version of what went with his mission attire --probably a non-combat version-- which obscured enough of his face to make facial recognition attempts difficult at best.

"Aster, 'she-her'," Corv gestured to a young woman who seemed to be intent on reading a book, upside down.

Trying to place her within a human geography was something that could only lead to frustration.  Her eyes were a bit too orange; human eyes that were light brown, amber, or even some forms of hazel could give an orange appearance, but not that orange.  Her skin could pass as dark brown, though the blue tint was there if you knew to look, but the shape of her features called to mind Ireland.  Her hair was like unto flame.

The fact that she was an alien surprised no one.  The fact that she resembled a human at all surprised a great many people and led to massive amounts of speculation.

"Map, 'he-him," Corv gestured to a native Hawaiian whose body was, at most, half flesh~and~blood human.

The other half was composed of varying levels of prostheses.  His below the knee prosthetic on his left leg was a bog-standard civilian-purchasable model.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, his right arm and shoulder utilized technology that wasn't even supposed to exist.  Sleek, somewhat glowy, and doubtless possessing a strength and finesse mere mortals and mundanes could not hope to duplicate.

Enzie had known about Map before, but still found themselves fascinated by Map's head.  The top of Map's head was all machine, everyone knew that.  The change from flesh to tech followed a straight diagonal line that started near the crown, cut between the eyes --right electronic, left biological-- narrowly placed Map's nose on the flesh side, and continued to his cheek bone.

If the internal replacement followed the same pattern, there was no way Map should have survived loosing that much of his brain long enough for it to be replaced with whatever kind of computer could manage such a feat.

Enzie had never really thought about that before.  Before Enzie had mostly noted the odd hairstyle that results when more than half of one's scalp is no longer organic.

"And finally we have Icelos, 'he-him'," Corv said as she indicated four-foot two Caucasian guy with no features of any real note, in Enzie's opinion.

Enzie knew the name and knew the reputation, though.  Hispanic pagan with impressive combat skills who set the uptight white Anglo-Saxon protestant masses on edge before they even learned that he seemed to be able to take on the form of any living creature.  Yes that included blue whales; no it did not include redwoods.

"I'm thrilled to make all of your acquaintances, I'm sure," Enzie said, not bothering to sound sincere, while mentally taking inventory of how many arrows were ready in their quiver.  If things went badly, it would be very hard to get away.

-

[Previous][A Family Matter Index][Next] [Super Person Universe - Index]

-

Names:

As previously noted:
"Corv(ida)" means 'Crow/Raven' and "Aster" means 'Star'.

For the new names:

"Java" is a type of sparrow, the white dude who took him in, and whom he outgrew, was a member of a loose coalition of like minded individuals that pooled their resources (mostly access to incredible technology) so they all fight crime in spite of having no powers.  Said coalition is called "The Host", because that's the collective noun for sparrows (think "murder of crows" or "gaggle of geese".)

"Map" → MAP → Mechanically Augmented Person.  "Mechanically Augmented Person" is his preferred term for his ... classification of human.  (As opposed to, "Whoa, it's fuckin' cyborg!")  When it came time to make a code name, he went with it.  No, most people do not pick up on that meaning.

"Icelos" is the name of one of the three most prominent children of Hypnos (sleep).  He's a god of dream (one amoung many), and in dreams he can take the form of any animal, natural or mythical.

Family Matters (super person universe)

[I finally went to buy bread today.  Long walk both ways, but it means I can eat.  Anyway, a plotline for super-person universe was quite developed, though far from fully formed, by the time I got back home.  I'm thinking I'll do some installments to get what's in my head out.]
[Corv has previously appeared in "A Confrontation in Hell" and "Bunking Together" (those are placed in in-universe chronological order), this plot-line takes place after those.]

An arrow shot into the mechanical pangolin, and it was soon engulfed in an unnatural fire.  The ease with which it was dispatched did not bother Corv.  The fact that whoever had done so waited until it had led Corv away from the rest of her team did.

Someone landed behind her, and Corv expected a trap.

"Well, that was easy," a voice said.

As she turned she surveyed where the individual might have jumped from.  There was nowhere that would account for how light the landing had been.

"Here I thought I'd have to come up with some elaborate ruse to get to talk to you alone, and it turned out all I had to do was follow the sounds of explosions and screaming and then wait for a bit."

"My team is my family," Corv said.  "There is no positive reason for wanting to separate me from them."

"And here I stand still un-attacked," the individual said; "I sense a willingness to hear me out."

"If you have something of value to say," Corv said, "I would prefer that you say it quickly."

"Well, you know how you just said your team is your family?" the individual asked.  "You might want to reconsider that seeing as how you're no longer your father's only begotten daughter."

Corv suppressed disbelief, anger, confusion, doubt, and even fear so that she could say, "If what you say is true, it would have been better to approach my entire team," levelly.  "I shall summon them now."

"Wait, wait, wait," the individual said, now approaching.  Hands up and palms open obviously meant to indicate a lack of threat.  "I came to you, not your little club of vigilantes."

"We are an official branch of city law enforcement," Corv said.

"And sanctioned by the League of 'this didn't work for nations so why would we expect it to work for heroes?'; I know," the individual said.

Corv was vaguely amused.  She decided to let it show.  "The name 'United Heroes' evokes the feel of a corporation."

"That would be 'Heroes United', thank you very much."

"Now you evoke the feel of a football team," Corv countered.

"What rules?  Association, rugby, gridiron, Australian, or Gaelic?"

"I think it likely that you know I had in mind Manchester United when I said that," Corv said.

The individual shrugged and said, "Association.  Why not just call it 'soccer'?"

Corv's amusement had reached an end.  While she was not left ill-tempered by this fact, she did wish to move to the serious business at hand.

"I shall summon my team," she said.  "If you wish to be useful, you will tell me what makes you believe my father has sired another child."

"This is a family matter," the individual said, "not something that calls for a bunch of oddballs in silly uniforms."

Corv didn't allow her body to respond to that, but she was somewhat annoyed none the less.

Over the past year she had increasingly taken to wearing a hoodie and blue jeans --clothes she had identified as quintessentially normal for earthbound humans in this region-- as her mission garb and did not think it was fair to classify her as an oddball in a silly uniform.

Instead of responding to that part of the comment, she decided to respond to the first half.  "If what you say is true then it is a matter of my family."

"You didn't even know she existed a few minutes ago and now you claim her like she's some object?"  Corv could tell that the individual was genuinely upset at the idea.  "Fine.  Have it your way.  She's your family on her father's side and my family on her mother's."

Corv had been planning to say that her invocation of her family had been because she knew the threat her father posed rather than a claim of ownership, but she was shocked by the revelation of additional family ties.  Part of her mind very much wanted all of this to be a lie.  Things would be easier.

Unfortunately, nothing had given her any indications of deception.

After some silence, the individual said, "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot here.  Maybe we should start over."

Corv nodded.

"In informal settings I prefer to be called 'Corv', and my pronouns are 'she', 'hers', 'her'," Corv said.  "What is your name, and what are your pronouns?"

"I go by 'Enzie', unless you and I get exceptionally close in a real hurry, and 'they' et alia."

"Enzie," Corv said, "it is extremely doubtful that you know my father and his followers better than I do.  Please trust me when I say that we will require help.  My team is capable, I trust them, and by their vocation they have agreed to put their lives in great jeopardy."

Enzie didn't respond.  Instead they looked at the ground as though it had suddenly become interesting.

"Do you have an alternative suggestion as to where we might procure the help we will doubtless need?" Corv asked.

After a while, Enzie said, "I don't like your vocation, and I don't like your politics.  We have common cause because we share a relative who is almost certainly in great danger." They sighed.  "If I can put up with your team for the duration of our collaboration, it's only fair that they put up with me.  That means no digging into my past, no moral judgments, no lectures, and no law enforcement activities in my general direction."

"That seems equitable and viable," Corv said.  "It is, as you said, a family matter."

-

[A Family Matter Index][Next]
[Super Person Universe]

-

Enzie is one of the people who doesn't have a code name.  That said, the fact that "Enzie" is a shortening of "Mackenzie" is privileged information.  Enzie doesn't remember if "Mackenzie" is their first or last name, just that it is their real name.  The one their mother called them before she died.

As one might guess based on the prohibition on law enforcement activities in their direction, Enzie is a criminal.  Proud of it too.

A confrontation in Hell

[Corv previously appeared here.  This is a superhero setting.  Corv is a demon, Yorth is a superpowered human, and they were on the same team before Yorth betrayed it.]

"I knew that I would find you here."

It seemed liked forever since she'd heard a voice, but how long had it been really?  Surely in this place an hour could last an eternity.  Could it be that her mind had finally broken, or was this really Corv?

Yorth looked up, and she saw Corv clear enough.

"This place is for oath breakers; betrayers," Corv said.  She walked closer to Yorth, but not really towards her.  Instead Corv's steps curved around Yorth.  Yorth, was forced to turn just to keep looking at Corv.  When Corv stopped she said, "Thus I knew that I would find you here."

"Did you come to gloat?" Yorth asked.

"You know, " Corv said, "I found it quite enjoyable to have another on the team with a name considered at least as strange as my own."

"Good to know that I served some purpose in your eyes," Yorth said.

"In this place," Corv said, "one can usually not avoid the sounds of screaming.  The volume of the cries of the suffering is nearly legendary in its intensity.  As it is, the stories have still traveled quite widely.

"Those who rule here are quite unlike those who raised me in the Outland Reach.  Those here delight in the pain of others and have devoted thousands of years to the study of how they might best extract it from whomever they can claim."

"That's nice," Yorth said and started walking away.  There was nothing here but the flat sand beneath her feet, so it really didn't matter which way she went, and right now 'away from Corv' seemed very inviting.

She never lifted her eyes from the ground.  Her eyes ability to see in the darkness ended about three point two meters from where she stood, to look straight ahead was to loose oneself in darkness.

She heard Corv start to follow her.

"Therefore I find it interesting that you have been given space to yourself," Corv said.  "There are many here that would give anything to escape the touch of their tormentors and the sound of their fellow captives.  They will never be afforded that luxury, yet here I find you free from both."

"Yeah, it's really great here," Yorth said.  "You should invite the whole team."

"The situation makes me wonder if perhaps what you fear most," Corv said, "is being alone."

Yorth had stopped.  She hadn't meant to.  Damn her legs for stopping without her permission.  She'd given Corv, the person who killed her, a victory.  Corv one --two if killing Yorth had earned a point-- Yorth zero.

Yorth turned back to Corv and said, "I should have known.  I'm in Hell; you're a demon.  You've come to make me suffer.  Some small part of me thought maybe you felt bad about killing me."

"I do not," Corv said.  At least that was honest.  "I have no regret about what I did because you are not dead."

Yup, Yorth's mind had broken.  She asked, "Then why am I here?"

"You did die," Corv said, "and you remained dead for quite some time.  Your heart beats again, however, and your brain has escaped damage."

Corv took a breath, Yorth just wanted her to go away.

"It is quite difficult to keep a brain cold enough that it will not soon succumb to the lack of oxygen inherent in being dead," Corv said.  "That we were within the geothermal tunnel multiplied the difficulty."

"I don't care," Yorth said and resumed walking away.  "You killed me, I died, I'm in Hell.  Fuck off."

"Your body currently in the hospital," Corv said.  Yorth heard Corv start following her.  "Do you recall the small hospital we saved from destruction some months ago?"  Flashes of memory, her eyes began to water.  "Those there remembered you, and they were honored that we would entrust them with your well being."

"Go Away!" Yorth shouted.

"I cannot do that," Corv said.  "At the moment your body is ready to resume its life," Yorth felt Corv's hand on her shoulder, "if it is simply given a soul."

Yorth spun quickly, "Leave me alone!"

"You can have your life back," Corv said.

"I don't believe you!" Yorth shouted.  She sniffed a bit --Corv had made her cry-- and turned away again.

"You were probably happy when I died," she said softy.

"Of course I--" Corv abruptly broke off and swore in the strange language she reverted to in times of great emotion.  "I didn't know how-- it was the only way to--"

"You really can't finish a sentence unless you pass it through committee, can you?" Yorth asked.

"I did not know if those ... abominations inside of you could continue to control your body if you were unconscious," Corv said quickly, "and I was not exactly burdened with an overabundance of time."

Yorth said, "You knew about the--"

"They screamed of wrongness," Corv said.  "They have all been removed."

"Those were what allowed me to control my power!"

She didn't know why she was upset.  She'd never be using her power or her body again.

"You were not the one in control," Corv said.

Yorth said, "You don't know--"

Corv interrupted with, "I know that you were the one who suggested that I kill--"

"So now you killing me is somehow my fault?" Yorth asked.  "That's rich.  Did it ever occur to you that that might have been bluster?"

"If you had not broached the topic," Corv said, "I would have hesitated and we both would have lost a friend."

"But instead I died," Yorth said, "and now everyone is happy."

"I will not be happy until you allow me to reunite your soul with your body," Corv said.  "I brought up the previous topic because I owe you thanks.  Because you introduced the topic, you both can live if you simply come with me."

"If you can resurrect the dead," Yorth asked, "why is this the first I've heard of it?"

"You will be my first," Corv said.  "The opportunity seldom arises."

Something about that made Yorth take this seriously for the first time.

"Has anyone ever broken out of Hell before?" Yorth asked.

"Many," Corv said, "but I do not know how they accomplished such a feat."

"So..." Yorth asked herself if she was really taking this seriously and found she didn't know.  "What, exactly, is your plan?"

"With my help you will be able to leave this private room," Corv gestured to the emptiness around them, "and then we have but half the population of Hell between us and your body."

Yorth laughed.

"When we have returned to earth, and your body," Corv said, "it will be a trivial matter to reconnect body and soul."

"That doesn't sound like the best thought out plan," Yorth said.

"Perhaps you think you are not up to the challenge," Corv said.

Yorth recognized that.  Corv was being playful in a way she only ever would be if she thought they were already on the same side.  Was she?

Yorth thought for a long time.

"Is there a worse Hell they stick me in if they catch us?" she asked.

Corv nodded.  "Many, each with suffering so great that your language lacks words to describe it."

"Well," Yorth said, "let's get going."  She was rewarded with a smile from Corv.

*

* *

*

Corv was created as an original character whose name gave homage to her loose inspiration: Raven of Teen Titans fame.

I've bumped into things about Terra from the same show on multiple occasions.  Again today.

Terra was an insecure girl who ended up trusting the wrong person (he preyed on her insecurities) leading her to betray the team and work against against them afterwards.  When she finally turned on evil-ass, she discovered that the assistance he had offered her (to help her control her powers) gave him the power to remote pilot her body.

And redemption equals death petrification.

Or something like that.

Her story was, loosely, used to inform Yorth, hence the name.  Yorth → Jorth → Jörð → "Earth" which is "Terra" in the Latin.

Bunking together (a superhero story)

[On a meta note, it's like all posts are on a delay now because I'm writing this Monday morning before the post I wrote Sunday night actually posts.  Still meta: my computer successfully charged overnight so I have powered time to write this and hopefully actually preform the data migration I was frantically setting up last night.]
[On an "about this fiction fragment" note, this takes place in a universe with a lot of superheroes and supervillians and the population has gotten used to this fact.  Think the DC or Marvel main universe, except not subject to someone else's copyright.]

Corv exited her portal on Pent's balcony.  Others in her team might have been hesitant to go to A-list heroes for guidance, but she had no such compunctions.  She consciously walked with normal footfalls so the sound would alert Pent to her presence.

When Pent turned toward her, Corv realized she'd never seen Pent in a completely casual state before.

Corv knew that Pent's name was after the Penthesilea of myth, and knew that Pent was in fact Amazonian royalty like her namesake.  Corv also knew, unlike the movie makers of the present day or the majority of sculptors of old, that Amazons practiced a form of ritual body modification.

It wasn't the coercive stuff of myth, at least not anymore.  Now it was done only to the willing, only to those old enough and knowledgeable enough to meaningfully consent, and performed with the best medical technology had to offer.

Still, it was a bit of shock, one Corv suppressed out of respect, when she saw that Pent only had a single breast.  In public, in this allegedly civilized part of this world, Pent always appeared to have a right breast as well.  It was what was expected, and heroes were especially attuned to what the populace expected to see.

"Welcome to my dwelling, Corvida of the Outland Reach" Pent said.  "What brings you here?  I hope there are no troubles with your team."

"All is well with my work, Pent progeny of Otrera," Corv said, returning Pent's formal address. "I come here for personal reasons."

"Oh?" Pent asked.

Corv easily recognized that this was a neutral invitation to further explain.  Some found Pent's highly nuanced mode of speech difficult to interpret, Corv still didn't understand why.  Every word Pent spoke had clear meaning.  Often, as now, much clearer meaning than found in the more numerous words of "ordinary" people.

"I would not trouble you with such matters," Corv said, "however, as you know, in our profession it can be difficult to find more traditional help for various matters."

"Of course," Pent said.

"I have additional difficulties as I was raised in relative isolation and am therefore often unprepared for the frequent, nigh constant, social interaction that seems to define earth culture in this area," Cov said.

Pent nodded.

"I do not know with certainty that you can provide me help," Corv said.  "But as you come from a warrior culture I thought you were more likely than most others I might contact to have insight on the confusion and complexities that can result from comrades bunking together."

Pent raised an eyebrow, a slight motion, but for Pent it was a clear sign of surprise and being caught off-guard by the topic.  "Bunking together?" she asked.

"Just so," Corv responded.

"Perhaps we could discuss this over tea," Pent said, gesturing for them to enter her apartment.

"That would be nice," Corv said.  It was rather unlike her normal mode of speech, and she was well aware of the shift and allowed it to happen.  She was relieved that Pent was willing to listen to her concerns, and she considered this act of allowing feeling to translate directly into words without being passed through her normal filters and formalizations a signal to Pent of how grateful she was for being given Pent's time.

* * *

"This tea is wonderful," Corv said.

"You should say that to Seegserd, it brews it itself," Pent said, gesturing to the mass of flesh and slime that had served them.

"Your tea is excellent, Seegserd," Corv said.

Seegserd gurgled.

"Perhaps it is not that I am too kind," Corv said, "but that you are overly humble, for I do believe this is the finest tea I have ever tasted."

Seegserd made more gurgles.

"You are quite welcome," Corv said.

Seegserd excused itself and left on a trail of mucus in a way that was something between a a slide and a slither.

"I thank you for speaking kind words to Seegserd," Pent said.

"They were simply the truth," Corv said.

"I believe you; I have never known you to speak falsely," Pent said.  "However most are put off by Seegserd's appearance."

"While concerns over safety meant I was not permitted outside of the encampment I was raised in," Corv said, "it was near a trade route and I saw, from a distance, many caravans in my youth.  By chthonic standards, particularly those of the Outland Reach, Seegserd's appearance is quite normal."

"Would that earth were that accepting of those who look different," Pent said, "but you did not come here to discuss that."

"No," Corv said.  "Though I find I don't know where to begin."

"You said that you wished for insight on the experience of comrades bunking together," Pent said.  "When and why did this bunking together start?"

Corv sighed.  "It started with Aster having insomnia.  The reasons were both personal and work related, but they are not mine to share.  She initially tried to deal with the problem on her own but met with no success.

"Her non-terrestrial biology meant that local remedies were useless, and her people have not pursued pharmaceuticals outside of the limited areas of antibiotics and anesthetics," Corv said. "Apparently, for all mental afflictions they found that psionic intervention by skilled practitioners was a much more reliable solution."

"But Aster had no access to such practitioners so far from her home," Pent said.

Corv nodded.  "After a particularly long and tiring day of work in which we had to deal with a multiplicity of threats to the city with no down time between them, she came to me.  She thought that perhaps if she were not in a room alone, she might be able to sleep.

"I was honestly too tired myself to think clearly, simply let her set up a blanket and pillow on the floor because it seemed the path of least resistance," Corv said.  "It worked.  Though fitful, she was able to sleep that night.  It did not, however, magically cure her insomnia."

Pent nodded.

"When it became clear that in order to sleep Aster would need to continue sharing a room for an extended period we attempted multiple solutions, but in the end the only viable long term solution was to let her share my bed," Corv said.  "The fitful sleep she had been getting became truly restful, even serene, sleep, and that is where the situation currently stands."

"And the complexity and confusion you mentioned?" Pent asked.

"I don't know whether Aster came to me simply because the other members of our team are male, because she thought that sharing a room with me would be more likely to allow her to sleep than sharing a room with one of the others, or because of a particular desire to be close to me," Corv said.

"You haven't asked her?" Pent asked before Corv could say more.

"I've wanted to," Corv said.  "However, my powers are strongly tied to my emotions, Aster's are tied to her own, and thus if things blow up the explosion could be literal --also: possibly quite large.  Without knowing her feelings it would be difficult at best to avoid the kind of misstep that might result in such."

"I see the problem which that presents," Pent said.  "What makes you think such a conversation might be so emotionally fraught?"

"Aster has had a traumatic history with various forms of rejection, which questioning could be interpreted as," Corv said, "and I am entirely unclear regarding my own feelings on the matter."

"I apologize for interrupting you before you conveyed all of the pertinent information," Pent said.

"You apology is accepted," Cov said, "and your query was entirely reasonable."

"What is the extent of the current situation?" Pent asked.

"Aster has been sharing my bed for over a month," Corv said.  "At first I was uncomfortable with the extended physical proximity to another, especially when I was in as vulnerable a state as sleep.  I allowed it only to help a friend and colleague, and because the inherent danger in the work we do would be greatly magnified if Aster were in a perpetually sleep deprived state.

"I have since ... changed my opinion on that," Corv said, "but the change itself concerns me because I think it might not be due to the familiarity brought on by time in a new routine but instead by feelings of ..." Corv found she was at a momentary loss for words.  "Affection of a sort different from friendship, or perhaps mere attraction.

"This in turn makes me worry that if Aster doesn't feel reciprocal feelings I might be taking advantage of the situation in a way she might see as a betrayal, or at least ... um ... creepy," Corv said.  "On the other hand if she does feel romantic affection or attraction toward me, then since I'm unsure of my feelings for her, I might be the one not to reciprocate, which presents its own problems, and neither am I sure how I feel about sharing a bed with someone who might feel that way toward myself.

"Further, even in the event that we both feel the same way toward each other, that could still potentially be devastating because if I broach the subject when we don't actually feel anything other than friendship it could unnerve Aster, and in the other case if two people with superpowers governed by their emotions started a relationship any rough periods, which are inevitable in all relationships, would be potentially calamitous for everyone in the vicinity."

Corv took a deep breath.

"And all of this is surrounded by the things that I do know for sure: if Aster tries to sleep alone she fails, if Aster shares my room but is at a distance she sleeps fitfully, if Aster shares my bed she sleeps well and so do I," Corv said. "In our line of work being well rested can make life or death differences that are quite literal.

"I think that covers all pertinent information," Corv said, "but before you respond I'd like to point out that it would be a very good idea if our community could get one or more therapists who are cleared to know sensitive information and are prepared to have patients ranging from science experiments to Hell-spawn to people out of their time or from civilizations that don't officially exist to aliens such as Aster.

"I'd like it if she were able to work out the core problems at the root of her insomnia with a professional," Corv said, "and I'd certainly have liked it if there were someone I could have talked to about all of this."

"I agree that the lack of care our community provides for mental health is deplorable," Pent said.  "I have made some efforts to change it, though I fear they weren't as high of a priority for me as they should have been." Pent looked away for a moment.  "It is still something that I intend to work toward, but it is always a difficult and risky proposition to bring civilians into our world."

Corv nodded.

"I can offer you no advice regarding the complications created by your powers being tied to emotion," Pent said, "but that is not why you came to me.

"I do have experience with how bunking together can complicate relationships that seemed simple, and I do understand the confusion such a situation can cause," Pent said.  "And primary thing I can tell you is that the two of you need to talk about it, in spite of the danger that entails.

"I am hopeful that such a talk will go well for both of you," Pent said, "but if it does not I am sure that waiting to have it will not make things any easier and may well serve to make them significantly worse.

"If you are concerned about the effects of your powers, perhaps you could arrange to have such a discussion in an isolated area, but there is no shortcut or way around.  You have to confront the issue with Aster.

"It would be optimal if you were able to understand your own feelings first," Pent said, "because fairness dictates that you be willing to share your own if you ask her to disclose hers.  But don't let trying to understand yourself be an excuse for putting off dealing with things.  Also, be prepared for the possibility that she may be as confused as you are."

Corv nodded.

"You simply have to talk to her, there is no other way," Pent said.  "And don't worry about your duties.  One thing that I have always tried to impress upon others in our line of work, particularly younger ones, is that if you don't take care of yourself you won't be able to help others.

"If things do go badly, and you, Aster, or both of you need some time off, the rest of us can find a way to fill the gap for however long is needed."

Corv nodded and stood, "Thank you.  I fear I've taken too much of your time already."

"No," Pent said, "you haven't."

Pent stood herself and visibly made sure to look Corv directly in the eyes.  "Some of the others may view themselves as your mentors or your elders, but I've always viewed you and yours as friends.  The only reason I won't freely give my time to a friend is if another friend needs it more."

Corv smiled, it was a slight smile but Corv knew that Pent would see it for the expression that it was: the biggest smile she ever gave outside of truly extraordinary circumstances, and bowed.  "Thank you again.  I will take my leave of you now."

"I do have one final thing to say," Pent said, "if you would like to hear it."

"I would," Corv said.

"You said 'confusion and complexity', both of these are inevitable parts of any relationship," Pent said.  "They also both can be addressed in the same way."

"Talking," Corv said.

"Just so," Pent said.  "Confusion about another can be addressed by talking to the other.  Confusion about oneself can benefit from the insight of another, and confusion about your relationship can be alleviated by discussing it between yourselves.  Complexity is often the result of unknowns, which can sometimes become known through conversation about the situation."

Corv nodded.

"Thank you for your time and your words," Corv said.

"Thank you for your company," Pent said.

Corv opened a portal; Pent's apartment was left behind.

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Some notes:

This is inspired, unashamedly so, by a story I once read about Raven and Starfire called Sleeping Arrangements.  While I consider this to be original and if I ever get to writing more of this situation it will continue to not map onto the inspiration (Aster did not randomly plant a kiss on Corv, for example), I've put references to the origin in as a sort of respectful nod.

Corvids are members of the crow family, which is surprisingly large (blue jays, for example, are part of the crow family) with "Corvidae" being the name of the crow family as a whole.  Corvidae is a plural feminine noun.  The singular is a "Corvida".  Moreover, the word comes from the Latin "Covus" which means "Raven".

"Cthonic" means underground which is the traditional location for Hell.  Hell being where the character Raven grew up.

"Aster" means "star".  I thought that Asterphlox/Asterpyr (Starfire) would be taking the reference thing too far.  Also, for some reason, I liked the principle heroes of this particular ficlet having monosyllabic names.  Seegserd gets multiple syllables because it's just an ordinary person who happens to have a job brewing tea for Pent in her sprawling and lavish, but undescribed, apartment which I have just decided is not a penthouse apartment because Pent living in a penthouse would be brain hurty absurdity.

The part of Sleeping Arrangements that most inspired this was Raven going to Wonder Woman, an Amazon Princess, for advice.  Hence Pent being Amazon royalty named after the famous Penthesilea.*

Seegserd is entirely of my own invention, because good things shouldn't always be pretty.  There's no reason that creatures of nightmare or fever dream can't have hearts of gold.  Even when they don't have literal hearts.  And why shouldn't a hideous mass brew really good tea?

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[Original Work Index]

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* Why Pent instead of Penth?

The Ancient Greek theta which we transliterate as "th" was actually closer to how we say "t" than tau, which we transliterate as "t".  So the beginning of Penthesilea would actually sound like "Pent"

Why don't we transliterate it that way?  Multiple reasons.

The transliterations are traditional and predate the English language so we tend to stick with them.

Additionally tau is an unaspirated stop.  It's not that English doesn't have unaspirated stops, it totally does, it's that English is constructed in such a way that English speakers often have difficulty recognizing and reproducing unaspirated stops on a conscious level.  Every unaspirated stop is is an allophone to the corresponding aspirated stop with the result that English speakers often can't tell the difference between the two.

We need a way of speaking where we can tell the difference between a tau and a theta so in English speaker pronounced Ancient Greek we pronounce things like theta, phi, and so forth the way that they look to us.  The weird exception is chi.  Chi we stick with which is why "Chris" (chi-rho-iota-sigma) has an initial sound completely different from "change".  The "ch" in change was picked up in Old French and I think you'll find that "ch"s that sound that way generally were, the "ch" in Chris is from the Greek, and I think you'll find that "ch"s that sound that way generally are.  But for most Greek letters transliterated as something-h, we knowingly butcher the pronunciation in order to have a language we can speak in a way that makes sense to us.

Sometimes tradition (not conscious choice) leads to things being very fucked up.  Neither Greek nor Latin had a soft C.  Greek had kappa which became our K, Latin just had C which sounded the same way.  It made perfect sense to transliterate K as C to the Romans because the two letters sounded the same.

But now we have Julius Caesar (try Yulius Kaisar instead, you'll be a hell of a lot closer) and Cicero who we pronounce Sisero in spite of the correct thing being Kikero.  That's just butchering the Latin.  For the Greek that comes through the Latin consider that centaur should be kentaur and cyclops should be kyklops.

Want to have your mind truly blown?

Ancient Greek had no stand alone z sound.

It was zd.  Zdeus not Zeus.  Do classicists say that?  Hell No.  We say, "Zeus."