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Description
Raven: Alone

Raven's eyes traced over the words almost passionately, absorbing each one as the epic tale played in her head. Though her face remained stoic with an easy set frown, she found herself indulging in the emotions of the lone heroic vagabond. She had been following his journey for nearly two hours and, while Raven was hardly the type to weep over a fictional character's tribulations, she held a degree of empathy. For the first time in those two hours, her facial expression changed ever so slightly as she wetted her lips. The place of the final battle had been infiltrated several pages ago. The dramatic climax was nearing. The hero was alone.

Loneliness.

She was certain that sense of loneliness would seep into her palms and spread up her arms like cold, flowing water if her book could embrace such an emotion. The feeling would cause a flutter in her stomach and almost snap her out of her dream world. Through her many adventures with the character she had come to picture herself as part of his story. She could see herself walking with him, side by side, down the long dusty trails he had endured. No words passed through their lips to accompany the constant rustling of her wind whipped cloak and the metal clanks of his weapons on his armor. They shared no glances as they encountered various foes or monsters and demolished every obstacle in their way. And yet - with each mention that he was alone, Raven would feel herself being pulled from the pages and see him continuing down that dusty road without her.

It was rather disorienting at first. In those brief moments she would feel a thin veil appear before her. It was as if she could no longer picture herself with him or in his place. Such moments were temporary, and the veil would evaporate as quickly as it had appeared. This had not occurred when she first embarked on his journey. The first few chapters had been just as much a telling of her tale as it had been his. Though ever since chapter twenty she could this strange rift crash between them only to quickly repair itself. It was confusing. She had felt like him before. She was him before. But now -

"Lance."

Raven and Lance looked up at the sinister hiss that broke through the silence. A dark and gaunt figure melted from the shadows, leaving his black cape to spill about his ankles. His spiked armor was just as black and contrasted horribly to his sickly white complexion. Raven could not even see the villain’s pale lips until he opened his mouth to speak once more. "You are alone again, are you? Just as you always were." With that, the girl once again felt herself being drawn skyward to watch the exchange from over head. "I always will be." Lance responded. "I need no others. I will face you alone, defeat you alone, and continue on as I always have."

"You are a fool." Raven's words fluttered out on nothing more than a gentle breath. Lance had helped and befriended several people on his journey. All had wished to accompany him and promised to never see him by himself again. Each and every one of them he had refused, leaving them with nothing more than a curt farewell before turning his back on them. The result left him at the final leg of his journey without a single heart beat beside him. Most other stories may have had his friends burst in at the moment his lack of companions was pointed out, or perhaps he would have denied his solitude, claiming that their strength was still with him and always would be. However, like the many books in her collection, this was not like most stories.

Raven watched the battle from her overhead perch, noticing that she had not instantly returned to Lance's side as she had before. Her eyes never wavered in spite of it, not one movement from the fight had escaped her, even as she began to ponder what had just happened. The moment her fingers had lifted the leather bound cover she was certain of her one great connection to the protagonist that awaited her inside. Loneliness. The word once again caused her stomach to warm and she sighed. What she had first thought of as her strongest relation to him now seemed to be what was setting them apart. Why should that be? She was so much like him.

A gentle knock brought her eyes from the pages and to the metal door across from her. "Raven, we're all going to watch a movie. You in?"

She looked silently at her door before turning back to the book in her lap. Rather than indulging in the story it held, she merely stared at the words splashed over the two open pages. "Maybe, I'm the one who's been a fool." She slowly traced her fingers over the page as the knocking resumed and there was a whispered inquires as to whether she was in there. Her fingers came to rest over Lance's name. She stared for several seconds at the character she thought was so much like her and, as the rustling of her friends from outside her room caressed her ears, she felt herself smile. "Well, Lance, you've made your choice and you're free to finish your journey just as you like." She slowly closed her book. "Alone."

Placing the heavy book on her mattress, she pulled her hood up and floated towards her door. The hiss of her door sounded, revealing four teenagers who until that moment had concern written over their faces. The concern was replaced by relieved and hopeful smiles as she regarded each one of them. She would probably never find herself connecting with any one of them the way she had with Lance, that much she was certain of, but for the moment she had realized just how little that mattered.

"This movie had better not suck."

Description
Raven: Alone

Raven's eyes traced over the words almost passionately, absorbing each one as the epic tale played in her head. Though her face remained stoic with an easy set frown, she found herself indulging in the emotions of the lone heroic vagabond. She had been following his journey for nearly two hours and, while Raven was hardly the type to weep over a fictional character's tribulations, she held a degree of empathy. For the first time in those two hours, her facial expression changed ever so slightly as she wetted her lips. The place of the final battle had been infiltrated several pages ago. The dramatic climax was nearing. The hero was alone.

Loneliness.

She was certain that sense of loneliness would seep into her palms and spread up her arms like cold, flowing water if her book could embrace such an emotion. The feeling would cause a flutter in her stomach and almost snap her out of her dream world. Through her many adventures with the character she had come to picture herself as part of his story. She could see herself walking with him, side by side, down the long dusty trails he had endured. No words passed through their lips to accompany the constant rustling of her wind whipped cloak and the metal clanks of his weapons on his armor. They shared no glances as they encountered various foes or monsters and demolished every obstacle in their way. And yet - with each mention that he was alone, Raven would feel herself being pulled from the pages and see him continuing down that dusty road without her.

It was rather disorienting at first. In those brief moments she would feel a thin veil appear before her. It was as if she could no longer picture herself with him or in his place. Such moments were temporary, and the veil would evaporate as quickly as it had appeared. This had not occurred when she first embarked on his journey. The first few chapters had been just as much a telling of her tale as it had been his. Though ever since chapter twenty she could this strange rift crash between them only to quickly repair itself. It was confusing. She had felt like him before. She was him before. But now -

"Lance."

Raven and Lance looked up at the sinister hiss that broke through the silence. A dark and gaunt figure melted from the shadows, leaving his black cape to spill about his ankles. His spiked armor was just as black and contrasted horribly to his sickly white complexion. Raven could not even see the villain’s pale lips until he opened his mouth to speak once more. "You are alone again, are you? Just as you always were." With that, the girl once again felt herself being drawn skyward to watch the exchange from over head. "I always will be." Lance responded. "I need no others. I will face you alone, defeat you alone, and continue on as I always have."

"You are a fool." Raven's words fluttered out on nothing more than a gentle breath. Lance had helped and befriended several people on his journey. All had wished to accompany him and promised to never see him by himself again. Each and every one of them he had refused, leaving them with nothing more than a curt farewell before turning his back on them. The result left him at the final leg of his journey without a single heart beat beside him. Most other stories may have had his friends burst in at the moment his lack of companions was pointed out, or perhaps he would have denied his solitude, claiming that their strength was still with him and always would be. However, like the many books in her collection, this was not like most stories.

Raven watched the battle from her overhead perch, noticing that she had not instantly returned to Lance's side as she had before. Her eyes never wavered in spite of it, not one movement from the fight had escaped her, even as she began to ponder what had just happened. The moment her fingers had lifted the leather bound cover she was certain of her one great connection to the protagonist that awaited her inside. Loneliness. The word once again caused her stomach to warm and she sighed. What she had first thought of as her strongest relation to him now seemed to be what was setting them apart. Why should that be? She was so much like him.

A gentle knock brought her eyes from the pages and to the metal door across from her. "Raven, we're all going to watch a movie. You in?"

She looked silently at her door before turning back to the book in her lap. Rather than indulging in the story it held, she merely stared at the words splashed over the two open pages. "Maybe, I'm the one who's been a fool." She slowly traced her fingers over the page as the knocking resumed and there was a whispered inquires as to whether she was in there. Her fingers came to rest over Lance's name. She stared for several seconds at the character she thought was so much like her and, as the rustling of her friends from outside her room caressed her ears, she felt herself smile. "Well, Lance, you've made your choice and you're free to finish your journey just as you like." She slowly closed her book. "Alone."

Placing the heavy book on her mattress, she pulled her hood up and floated towards her door. The hiss of her door sounded, revealing four teenagers who until that moment had concern written over their faces. The concern was replaced by relieved and hopeful smiles as she regarded each one of them. She would probably never find herself connecting with any one of them the way she had with Lance, that much she was certain of, but for the moment she had realized just how little that mattered.

"This movie had better not suck."