2013.10.19 - The Raven Has Landed

Early morning, Time Square is still bustling. Is it ever not? Though it isn't as shoulder-to-shoulder as it is likely to be in three or four hours time, there's still hundreds of people milling around the City That Never Sleeps, with its brilliantly neon signs, bright lights and intense energy.

And maybe it is that energy which has called out to Raven across the void of dimensions. This is the first time she's ever attempted to travel so far under her own power, and she needs... something to latch on to. She can feel it, almost, nearly there... within a space that is not space, a time that is not time, the girl closes her eyes and hisses. Concentrating...

~AZERATH~

The word is spoken loudly, and startles a few people at a crosswalk. The voice echoes with a kind of dark, thrumming energy... and the color seems to drain from the immediate area. A good thirty feet of suddenly nullfied color in a wide sphere, crackling with black light and a sound similar to static electricity.

People panic! They scream and start to run. Thankfully, an approaching cab driver slams on the breaks in time to stop before he hits it, and it isn't so busy that anyone is at immediate risk.

~METRION~

The spherical darkness begins to warp in on itself, forming a swirling portal which, as it collapses, becomes more bird-shaped. Ten foot wide black wings looming over the taxicab and its terrified occupants, and then, of course...

~ZINTHOS!~

And that bird fades away, taking a solid form. A small bundle of dark blue cloth landing crouched in the middle of the crosswalk... where Raven remains, hunched over in her cowl, eyes closed as she steels herself and tries to regain her composure.

Troia of Themyscira is... not having her best day ever. There are multiple dents in the pavement and concrete walls of buildings made by her body being thrown into them. She has several cuts, and some nasty bruises that will, thankfully, fade much quicker for her than for regular humans. But, at least, with the aid of the Black Panther, they were able to subdue the metahuman rampaging through Wall Street, until the proper authorities could contain him. It's on her flight home when she sees the crackling darkness, and immediately descends to investigate. Oh, please don't be anything violent, she isn't sure she can handle another fight tonight. She looks back over her shoulder, curious to see if her ally in that last fight will be here as well. She could certainly use the backup if this is something bad.

"Your Majesty," insists a patient but long-suffering voice in T'Challa's earpiece, "I feel obligated to remind you of"

"Of the appointment with Secretary van Alten. I know. Have Zufan meet me at -"

T'Challa is cut off by the sudden flash and his impromptu ally changing her course without a word. He quirks a brow beneath his mask, propelling himself off the rooftop and landing noiselessly on the next. He keeps pace but asks no questions.

If she knew what it was any better than he she would probably have told him.

The shapeless bundle of cloth slowly manages to find its footing, and as she stands up, Raven's hood turns to the left, and then the right. Finally, she settles on the cab directly in front of her, and the driver who looks, well, understandably afraid. There's so many people! All the emotions are, hard to deal with, but her eyes soon find Donna nearby - T'Challa, less obvious on the rooftops.

"Is this Earth?" The girl's voice has a flat, monotone quality to it, her expression carefully neutral as she finds her footing and tries not to panic. Though, as she notes the woman's state, her lips press together. Eyes slowly taking in the detail... and behind her, the taxicab she's startled suddenly starts to accelerate, the driver, apparently and understandably, panicked by all this! T'Challa steps to the edge of the rooftop and then off of it, plummeting down several storeys to the pavement. He lands, understandably, cat-like on the pavement without so much as a dent to himself or the concrete beneath him. He steps forward, arms crossing over his chest as he levels a weighted gaze upon Raven.

"And your purpose," the Panther adds, holding a hand up to Troia as though to ask that she not be so hasty with the girl who suddenly appeared in a burst of light, "If you please." Raven steps backwards as the Black Panther slams hits the concrete. The girl's eyebrow raises, and she looks between the pair, seeming to consider her answer to both questions quite carefully.

"Raven." She says, slowly, "I'm here because Earth has a lot of heroes." A beat. "I'd like to become one of them." She still can't stop herself looking around, particularly at the crowds - who aren't so much running and screaming now heroes are on the scene - and those brilliant billboards. "Are... there a lot of cities like this?"

"Not /quite/ like New York, but we do have many large cities- but if you're looking for heroes, you've hit the right one," says Donna, gently. She shoots a look over her shoulder at Panther. The girl is young and scared, no need to add to that fright. "Though, what you're wanting to do can be quite dangerous," she motions to her own wounds- which, admittedly, look less severe now than they did a few minutes ago. "If not from Earth, where did you come from, if I may ask?"

T'Challa remains silent, arms folded over his chest. Troia's unspoken warning in, for the moment, heard and understood. He tilts his head slightly, listening to both Raven's words and those of his support crew speaking at length about possible origins for the strange girl who appeared out of nowhere.

"I know. That's why I want to do it." Raven replies, in answer to the mention of danger. Rather than answer the question about where she comes from, though, she steps forwards. Quite close to Donna, she raises one gloved hand. "I'm a healer." She says, "I can help. If... you'd like me to." She does sound at least a little questioning. Donna is healing on her own right before her eyes, she might not need any assistance with her wounds... or want to take it from the strange, grey-skinned girl.

Donna Troy decides that allowing the girl to heal her, will at least perhaps put Black Panther at ease, as well as give her an idea of the girl's abilities. She nods, giving her permission. Her wounds look serious, but with her body, they are fairly superficial. It should not be too taxing of a use of her powers. "Should I sit down, or-?" she asks.

"Troia," T'Challa begins, taking a step forward so that he might interpose himself between the Amazon and Raven if need be, "Are you sure that is wise?"

He gestures in a peaceable way to Raven, "I mean no offense, miss, but we do not know the nature of your abilities nor how they may affect her." And whether or not Raven is up to no good, though that is left unspoken.

Raven is just about to reach out and touch Donna, when the Panther speaks up. "I'm not offended. Its sensible." She says, nodding in approval of T'challa's caution. From the other end, she'd likely be just as suspicious herself!

"I can draw out the pain of injuries and take it on myself. It leaves the body free to heal. I'm... trained to handle it." Her tone remains the same deadpan neutral it has been throughout the discussion. "Perhaps not, but better she try on me first, rather than a wounded civilian, if her powers are to work differently on earth. If any unintended harm is done, I will likely recover," says Donna. "It is a risk I'm willing to take, in order for her to prove her intentions," she says, with a bow of her head to Raven

T'Challa holds up a hand to show his ascent to the idea, used as he is to being the one to give commands. Nevertheless he remains close at hand, staring intently at Raven and Troia so that he might observe this healing.

Raven does wait for T'Challa to show he's comfortable with it too. The girl then nods her head. "It hadn't occured to me that things may work differently here." She admits, "Lets see."

She touches Donna lightly on the arm, and... largely because of the woman's healing factor, it is far more impressive than it ordinarily would be. Her hand glows, and the pain fades from the injuries as she takes it on herself. The only sign of it on Raven's face is a tightened jaw, a more, determined set to her eyes. But Donna's body's ability to repair itself is no longer held back at all by the suffering the wounds impart.

Donna Troy's body immediately relaxes, with the sudden absense of pain. "Thank you, Raven. I believe I owe you a favour in return. If you like, I can offer you a safe place to stay, amongst my sisters at the Themysciran embassy, untill we can find somewhere more suited to you," she offers. Not only will it be a safe place for her, but she will also be amongst Amazonian warriors, should her "good intentions" be feigned. With nothing outwardly malevolent occurring and Troia seeing to Raven's needs, T'Challa simply nods his head and takes a step back towards the street. He offers a nod of his head, a royal bow of sorts. It's already the morning after all, and the Black Panther is less imposing by day.

"We will speak again."

He leaves no clue as to how or when that might occur for a moment later a black limousine pulls up to the curb. The door opens from the inside and he steps in after it, sitting down and pulling his mask off. He offers the pair one last look before reaching to close the door. Soon after, the car is pulling out into the morning traffic.

"No favor is necessary." Raven says, at first, giving a nod back to the Black Panther. Her voice, though, finally has some inflection in it. A little strained from the effort of taking on the pain.

"... But a place to stay might be useful whilst I get settled." She admits. "I... just need somewhere with some, privacy..." She doesn't elaborate on why that might be - but whateer the case, it seems like she's had the good fortune to fall on her feet, here! Donna brings the young woman to her sister's embassy, and makes arranements for her to be given, temporarily, the room set aside for Donna herself. There are not many personal touches in the room, as Donna rarely stays at the embassy, but it is, nonetheless, the suite of a princess. The surroundings are very nice, and offer quite a good deal of privacy..