2013-02-03: Fashion Advice? Really?

It was getting close to evening here in Metropolis. People were still in the Titan's Tower, but then people were ALWAYS in the Tower given the military presence stationed here. And that a few of the Titans actually called the building their home, with no lives or actual homes to go back to. Raven was one such person.

The quintessential outcast of the group, the one who believed herself apart from the others by necessity. Most of the rest of the Titans were settling into rather easy friendships. The 'witch' was the noticeable exception. Oh, she knew what her 'nickname' was, the way people spoke it when they thought she couldn't hear. Even most of the soldiers on duty in the Tower found her unsettling.

But today the proverbial banshee that was the hooded form of the gothic teenager wasn't looking for trouble, no crime to fight, no books to read (at the moment). No, she was trying to find an answer to a current dilemma. The young girl was terrible at social situations, having been raised by monks almost all of her life, kept away from her mother and other children. She now found it overwhelming. But there was a possible solution to her difficulty that she was even now seeking out.

The hooded figure, cloak drawn about her like a shield of darkness. A sleeved arm reaches out and a pale finger presses on the door chime to one of the rooms, that belonging to Wonder Girl. She already knew the pseudo-Amazonian was within the Tower, it wasn't hard for her to pick out people's emotions, even at distances.

The soft clearing of her throat preceeds the lifeless, emotionless voice that follows. "Cassandra... May I enter? I would like... to ask you something."

'Cassandra', as some people call her, is in her room (gosh, of all places to be!) organizing... BOOKS. The very things Raven is avoiding for once! The irony burns. It's not her entire collection of books from home or anything, but she picked up some stuff to read that she thought might be helpful, and also some school text books, because studying is important. She's humming lightly to herself as her computer plays some bubblegum-hip-hop-something-or-other song in the background while she works. But the chime of the door calls Cassie's attention away. When she hears the voice on the other side while in the process of making her way across the room, she is a bit surprised, but does not seem to feel any particular 'unsettledness' at the realization Raven has come to call on her.

"Coming!" she calls out even though she's only a few feet away from the door, as she took the time to stop and click pause on the music player. Then the door slides open, and there's Wonder Girl, all blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and full of smiles, and carrying a math book. "Ravety-wavety, come on in! What's up?" She moves to the side to give Raven room to enter.

There's no expression change as Raven waits, the door opens, and Wonder Girl greets her. Of course, it'd be hard to gauge her expression anyway considering that most of her face was covered in the shadow of her hood, save for her mouth and eyes. As the blonde steps aside, Raven practically glides into the room, standing in the midst of book-unpackings and all around cheerful decor like a feminine version of Batman. Finally, as she turns to face the other girl, the dark-haired teenager reaches up and pulls back her hood, exposing her face and head fully.

"...I'm sorry for interrupting." If it was possibly, one could almost say she was FIDGETING her hands beneath the blue fabric of her cloak. "I went out of the Tower the other day. With Starfire. We met a friend of hers for... costume shopping."

Raven turns slightly to survey the rest of the room, looking towards one of the mirrors, at her own short-haired reflection. "They seemed... happy. Shopping, talking about clothes. 'Girl stuff.' Normal." Finally, with a frown, she stops looking at herself in the mirror and returns her eyes to the blonde as she gets to the point in her dead, monotonous voice. "...Can you teach me about clothes? I would like... to make friends."

Cassie listens attentively, realizing this is important to Raven and thus setting down her book. "No interruption. Just organizing some books. Nothing major." She closes the door and seats herself, offering a chair to Raven too. Hmmming thoughtfully, Cassie nods when the other girl finishes. "You've come to the right place. I'm SORT OF still learning about things myself, but clothes is something I picked up right away. I'll gladly teach you what I know. But on one condition!" Cassie holds up a finger. "Let me be your first friend?" the blonde asks with a grin.

The empath's eyebrows raise slightly at the mention of a condition as she takes a seat. Her cloak bends with her form so that, except for her head and her boots peeking out from beneath, she almost doesn't have a real body. At least her poise is perfect, sitting on the edge of the seat as if afraid to relax, her back ramrod straight, short hair framing her face.

"I-..." Raven falters for a moment at the request, averting her eyes and twisting her fingers together momentarily. When she looks back a second or two later, there's an actual expression on her face, just barely: The hint of a smile. "I would like that."

Then her expression turns more serious as she gets to the matter at hand, the tiniest bit of a trown on her lips. "...I do not like high heels."

Cassie smiles back happily, admiring the way that cloak looks (very dramatic and awesome) but thinking of how to help accessorize her new friend. "Well, Raven, high heels aren't for everyone. They can compliment a dress at some kind of formal occasion where you're not expecting to have to run around, but just navigating stairs can be a hassle in them. And if something DOES come up, having to chase after... Like... I don't know, Villain Man or something wouldn't be much of an option." Hopping up, the blonde teen cups her chin with one hand while crossing her arm over her with the other, inspecting the dark-haired girl. "Hmm... Basically, if you want to know about clothes, the main thing to remember is that if it looks good but isn't comfortable, it's probably not worth the money. You need to make sure that what you have going on tells people who you are! It shouldn't just show them what they want to see, you know?"

Cass moves closer to Raven and tries to take her hands to help pull her to her feet. "Let's see what you have to work with, hm?"

The dark-haired goth seems to be paying rapt attention, as if she were taking mental notes in some kind of brain-notepad, even though she doesn't give any outward signs. No head-nodding, no 'mm-hmm' or other cognitive sounds, just that intent, placid stare. "...I see."

Unfortunately what 'told people who she was' was her Azarathian monk robes and hooded cloak! That which spoke of a guarded, cut-off teenager who kept others at a distance as much out of concern for them as a sense of self-preservation. Heck, she could feel Wonder Girl's emotions roiling over her empathic senses without even trying. She doesn't resist as she's pulled to her feet.

But at least her skin isn't cold to the touch like some vampire.

"I only have the clothes given to me on Azarath and... a few things I have acquired when I want to be less conspicuous." Raven spreads her arms, allowing her cloak to part to reveal the robes she wore beneath, the simple blue fabric reaching from her neck to the floor, the boots, the sleeves which weren't quit connected at the shoulders. "These were... 'all the rage' where I come from."

Taking this all in, Cassie nods as she looks the other girl over. "Hm, hm... I see, I see! Well, dresses seem to suit you, and it looks like you're comfortable showing a little leg. So, here's what I'm going to do. We can go shopping some time, you can try on some dresses, and see which ones you like most. Maybe some other stuff if you feel up to it. You're pretty and elegant, so I think something to compliment that would be best for now." Then she shrugs and says, "And if you decide to try some other stuff, that's great too! All I know is you are due for a shopping trip, and I'd be de-lighted to be the one to take you on one!" And after that, the conversation is likely to go on in a similar vein. Or maybe Cassie will want to hear more about what things were like for Raven back home. One way or another, however, Cassie will do her best (>:o) to teach her new friend the Ways of the Teenager.

This was the second time that someone had brought up the issue of her 'showing off' her legs in her outfit. Perhaps she should really begin to consider wearing something UNDER those robes so as to have it no longer be an issue! She lets the cloak drop back into place with a carefully neutral expression. "I would appreciate the help." She doesn't comment on the other compliments, after all, her friend was just being nice. Raven was evil, filled with darkness. There was nothing 'pretty' or 'elegant' about that.

"Thank you. ...If you are free tomorrow morning, perhaps we may go then." Like a moving shadow, the dark-haired girl slips towards the window. "Starfire's taste is a bit too... risque. I admire her flare for life, yet I would not feel comfortable in her choice of clothing. Even if people seem to enjoy them."

Conversation is to be had, to be sure, even if Raven does talk like an emotionless automaton. But at least she seems genuinely interested in learning all the things that Cassie has likely learned from fashion magazines and what the models in them wore.