meme continuation - raven | helen magnus - random scenario meme

[absolutelynot]

absolutelynot A lot had happened recently. Marriage, Motherhood, and a lot of trials had accompanied Helen's life. She'd never forgotten everything that had happened in Cittagazze when she'd worked for the Company, nor the events that had led to the severing of that connection. After all, that place, that world, had been the catalyst to her engagement and subsequent marriage to James and she wouldn't have changed that for the world.

She'd never expected to see any of her friends from Cittagazze ever again. She'd been under the impression that the windows were being controlled by someone else, someone she didn't want to deal with. Even with Janus at her side constantly and still being able to see Althea, she'd never imagined she and James might not be the only people who could see their daemons.

And so when Janus told her he could see something that looked suspiciously like a window in the basement of the Sanctuary, right where the old one used to be, she didn't believe him. He was right on the edge of their 25-foot range and it was the middle of the night. The war was over and she and James were still trying to deal with the aftermath of everything that had happened in France. The children were upstairs asleep -- though they weren't exactly children any longer, being around forty years of age -- and James was wandering elsewhere in the Sanctuary.

Helen was alone in the basement. Or so she thought.

She'd never imagined that window would become active again nor that one of her old friends might see her with red hair rather than blonde. It would be a stark change to the innocent woman they'd once known.


featherdream Ever since Raven's window had been closed, he and the other ancients had kept a close eye on its blank location on a rooftop in Boston. It was an anomaly, in a world they otherwise understood. Raven had lifted the permanent time field he'd placed, which had frozen anything that had passed through the area, and had moved on to other projects. But he, like Cat, was always drawn back to Boston at one point or another, and on one such trip he noticed that same fluctuation in the corner of his eye that had once drawn him initially into that other world.

He flew to it, Nyx at his side, and watched — longer than most things would watch, in the shape of a raven as was his default when he was in Boston. A day passed, during which he made a small detour to pilfer a croissant from a table at a nearby cafe, before he made the decision to go through the window.

Sending a brief, mental message to Cat, informing her of what he was about to do so that there wouldn't be too much worrying this time — he underestimated his siblings in this regard — Raven flew through the window with Nyx right on his tail.

And then there was darkness. And — a wall.

With a slightly undignified squawk, Raven hit the wall and tumbled to the floor. Dizzy from both the trip and the surprise, the former more than the latter, Nyx hopped at his side, taking a good look at their surroundings. A basement...?


absolutelynot Helen had grown accustomed to expecting strange things to happen daily. What she hadn't expected was to hear a squawk coming from one of the back rooms. She froze. What on Earth...? And then she frowned. The sound had come from the room her window had once been in. But that couldn't mean anything, could it?

"I told you it was back," Janus grumbled, fluffing his feathers as he hopped back into the room and stood to the side so Helen could look into the room, flicking the lights on to find out what she'd just heard. For a moment, nothing looked any different, but then she noticed the forms of two birds on the ground not very far away from the shimmering window. She'd hoped Janus had been making that up, though she knew he didn't have it in him to be that cruel.

Whether it was cruel to hope that she could ever see those friends again or cruel to imagine a threat from the window again, she hadn't decided.

Perhaps these were simply two birds, though one looked suspiciously like someone's daemon. But it couldn't be, could it? Taking a deep breath, she moved closer, kneeling nearby so she could look at them better.

"Are you all right?"

Not that she expected either of them to answer her, so she reached out to the raven to see if it would allow her to help.


featherdream Raven fluttered his wings to stagger himself back to his feet, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. Helen's voice was different than his memories recalled, and so for a moment he didn't respond at all. Just a bird, dazed, having a look around. But as his mind fully engaged with his environment, sweeping out, he paused.

This woman's mind was familiar. Her clothes were different, and her hair, and there was a new layer of knowledge and experience, but there was no mistaking the keen mind of Helen Magnus. Not for Raven, at least, who had spent so much time around it. He peered up at her for a moment, silent, disbelieving. Had the windows all changed?

I am... all right, Helen, he projected to her carefully. Nyx abandoned all pretense, ever Raven's emotional side, and flew over to Janus to stare at him, delighted, before hopping around him in a circle.


absolutelynot The raven looked absolutely dazed. Concern swept through Helen and she tilted her head slightly at the bird, watching him. The poor thing wasn't doing very well. Perhaps he had flown in somehow and gotten stuck in here--

But that voice... Her eyes widened and she turned to the other bird. For a moment, she simply stared, but then recognition swarmed over her and her face broke into a tentative smile.

"Raven...? Is that you?" Her voice was cautiously optimistic as she held her hand out to him. Janus recognized Nyx on the spot, flapping his wings happily and mirroring Nyx's happy hops. The windows must have changed for him to come through like this, unless he'd been able to fly through Cittagazze without incident. Somehow she doubted that would be possible, but she could hope.

"Don't tell me you managed to hurt yourself again or I'll have to ground you," she teased, remembering one of the last times she'd seen him. She'd taken him on a walk around the Observatory. That was decades ago, so long ago, before her children were born and even before she and married James.

She'd almost forgotten how much she missed her Observatory friends.


featherdream He looked up at Helen, his feathery face unable to display the quiet thrill that passed through him at her recognition. It was the biggest surge of emotion he had felt in quite some time. He hopped forward, himself, too big to perch on her hand but wanting to examine her more closely. She did, indeed, look quite different, though it was only details. Most of her appeared the same, including her 'apparent' age.

Helen's clothes gave him the biggest clue. He hadn't seen their style in quite a long time.

Yes, it is really me, he confirmed, a smile in his voice. I am fine. I had simply forgotten what that travel was like. My window opened quite suddenly. Are you well, Helen?

absolutelynot Helen's smile warmed and she reached over to give him a fond stroke against what would have been his cheek -- assuming he hadn't decided friendly touches were bad in the time since she'd seen him. One of her first friends had found her again and she was more than happy to have him back.

"Dear god, Raven, it's been nearly fifty years," she breathed as Janus flapped his wings and started fluttering around a little more. He was showing the excitement more than she could at the moment. For her part, Helen wondered if Raven would be able to use his human form now or if the window travel had disoriented him to the point of being unable to change forms for a while. She didn't mind either way; it was simply easier to hug him as a human.

"James and I are quite well, thank you." She had a wedding band across one finger now, he might notice. "Janus told me our window had opened recently, but I didn't believe him. Suppose I should have, seeing as what came through it."

Her daemon puffed up importantly, as though proud he had seen something she had not.

"A lot has happened since I've seen you last."


featherdream Has it been that long here? Surprise glinted through Raven's neutral tone. He didn't shy away from her hand, and felt just the same as he had the last time they'd met — in this form, at least. It has only been... Well. Not even twenty years, in my world.

That windows shifted had once been common knowledge, of course, but the ancient had put that information to the back of his mind, as it hadn't been needed for quite some time. Now, it all came pouring back. He shook his head a little, before focusing on the present. The time, here, in that case... It is... the forties?

It did neatly explain how different she looked, and why she wasn't expecting visitors from a re-opened window in the basement. But still, he marveled, just a little. Helen was a unique woman, after all, and part of him wondered how long she would endure.


absolutelynot Helen blinked in surprise at his admission of time. So the windows were affecting time displacement as well? That was odd to think about.

"Indeed. Just after the war." If he knew as much about Earth history as he said, then he would know which was she was talking about. The big one. It had taken a toll on all of them and her expression saddened just a little bit. She and James had been having a rough time of it after that, but she was determined that all would be right and well soon. She couldn't lose him. Not now.

Sometimes she wondered that herself; how long would she endure? How long would James endure? And would she have to outlive her own children? Her family was ever at the forefront of her mind.

"Would you care to look around now that you're here?" Either as a human or a raven. She didn't care.


featherdream The War, in his world, had caused him to further retreat from a humanity who were clearly not listening to them anymore, and he wasn't sure how to process this information except to be glad that he'd arrived when it was over. He nods. Of course. But allow me to...

Concentrating for just a moment, there was a swell of darkness and then Raven stood there, in his human form. Nyx hopped over to stand by his feet, waiting for her opening to perch on his shoulder.

"You fared well enough during the war, I hope?" he wondered, with a gentle smile.


absolutelynot Helen stepped aside at the swell of darkness, standing as he did. The question made her bright smile tremble. The war had obviously taken its toll on her, more than she liked to let on especially around the children, but how would Raven have known? Few knew what had happened to the two of them. Very few and she preferred it that way.

Janus didn't move, knowing exactly what Helen was about to do. She paused for just a moment, her smile faltering, before she moved. In one swift motion, she'd reached up to give one of her closest friends a hug, assuming that hadn't changed in the years they'd been apart. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut against the tears threatening her and she held back the quiet sobs as best she could.

The war had been horrible beyond imagining. She and James had come out the worse for it and now they were in the midst of an argument, or a disagreement of sorts. She hated it, but she couldn't even talk to anyone about it. Not until now. Perhaps she could tell Raven.

"James and I are alive," she answered finally, her voice thick with emotion. "That's about all I can really say without delving into details."

But she would with Raven. Not here, of course, but perhaps in the room she grew up in. Her room, not the room she shared with James. That hit another nerve and she sighed wearily.


featherdream That 'alive' was the quality that she announced made Raven pause, as did Helen's hug. He both regretted and appreciated that he had asked the question in the first place, as the information was valuable — but seeing Helen, such a dear friend, so upset was rather vexing. Raven wrapped his arms around her firmly, returning her hug. He could feel the tension in her frame and wondered, vaguely, what she was holding back. But at the moment, he was simply grateful to be here — and to see her again.

"I am sorry it has been hard," he murmured, pulling one arm away to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Nyx, still at his feet, uttered a soft and distressed chirrup. "The war was a horrifying event in my world, as well. I am saddened to hear that it did not go better here. But that you and James made it through I am grateful for."

He was well aware of the power of a simple hug, and didn't pull away until he felt some indication that Helen was ready to move on. If he could offer some simple comfort to a friend, especially in a situation like this, he would.


absolutelynot For a few moments, Helen simply stood there and cried softly onto her friend's shoulder. Being able to do something as profound as letting her emotions out like this wasn't a luxury she'd had recently. With everything happening, doing so would have only exacerbated her troubles, especially where James was concerned. The last thing she needed was for him to think she was even more upset than she already was. Then he would really stop talking and they would be at a full impasse. She didn't want that at all.

After a while, once Raven had spoken and Helen had managed to regain her composure, she pulled away to discreetly wipe at her eyes. That done, she gave him a small smile, making a quick decision to take her friend to her rooms. At least there they could talk.

"Why don't we walk?" she suggested. "I can tell you about it once we're in my room and you can re-familiarize yourself with the Sanctuary on the way."


featherdream Raven inclined his head slightly. "That sounds like an excellent idea," he murmured, as Nyx flew up to finally perch on his shoulder. She had crooned quietly during Helen's quiet moments, and regarded the other three rather sadly. This wasn't quite the reunion that they had hoped for. But it was a reunion, and for that they were both grateful.

"Has your facility grown?" he added, wonderingly, as he gestured for Helen to lead the way. He would walk alongside her, as always. His memory of the Sanctuary's layout was spartan, but present — as long as no major remodeling had been done to the layers he was familiar with.


absolutelynot Likewise, Janus took the opportunity to perch on Helen's shoulder, giving her a gentle nuzzle with his head in comfort. Helen offered them all a small smile and turned to move out of the basement area. At this age, she wouldn't need an escort's arm and she carried herself differently: still upright, but far more relaxed than she had once been. Losing the corset had done wonders for her posture and ability to breathe, even though she had technically done that decades before anyone else.

"Indeed. We have a great many new residents now, some of which you'll be interested in." There were a few bird-types. For a moment, she fell silent, but as a slow and small smile crossed her face again, she glanced over at him. "I'm afraid you won't be able to see the children yet. They're asleep at the moment, but if you're still here come morning, I know they would love to meet you. They grew up hearing all about you."

Yes, children. She and James had two children. That was something worth mentioning, as the last time she had seen Raven, they had only recently become engaged. Having children was a step she hadn't been certain she would be okay with taking at the time.


featherdream His eyes took on a slight glow that they hadn't had, before, when Helen mentioned children. There was warmth there, and also some pride. Sometimes it was difficult for people like Helen to make a family for themselves, and he was pleased to hear that she'd done so. Even if it might be hard, in the end, to deal with — as time wore on.

"I will stay as long as you will have me," he answered, "assuming that the window appears to be stable."

Though it saddened him to say it, Raven knew he couldn't be stuck here. His siblings, if left in total absence, were fond of doing very stupid things, though Coyote was currently locked away and incapable. He was simply one of the wilder cards, however. Some of the others could do much more spectacular things.

"How old are your children?"


absolutelynot She was glad to see his happiness at her admission, feeling her cheeks warm slightly at his look. It meant a lot to her that he'd been important enough to have had an impact on her like this.

"We can check on it in the morning and frequently throughout the day," she replied as they moved into the corridors leading to the residential area. It looked much the same as it had the last time he was here.

"39 and 45, respectively," was her answer. The first had been born shortly after the windows had been shut down, when Helen had finally gotten the nerve to ask James about having children with him. He'd been extremely receptive to the idea and she'd found she liked it more than she expected to. With their luck, the second had been an utter surprise a few years later, but she didn't regret either child in the least. At times, she considered asking James about bringing her embryo to term and raising it as his child, but with the wars going on and now their issues with John being brought up again she didn't think it was a very good idea to ask yet.

"They're hardly children anymore, but I think I'll always see them as such."

featherdream "Most parents do," he said, his voice purposefully neutral as he said it. When he moved on, his voice was a little warmer. "And siblings. I still think of Cat as my 'little sister'. Our ages are purely semantics, by this point," Raven added, with a flicker of amusement. Was there really a difference between millions of years? Ultimately, it was almost the same. 'Older than dirt', as Badger sometimes huffed.

"What are their names?"


absolutelynot "I suppose you have a point," she teased with good-natured humor. "It would be difficult to think of them in any other way after so long." Even if the children would prefer to be thought of as adults these days.

His question brought a secretive smile to her face. "Gregory Raven Watson and Madelyn Watson. Our son was named after my father... and you, of course. Our daughter was a little more difficult, as no combination of Martha and Meja seemed to work. We chose an M name in their honor."

It was one of the only ways Helen knew of to keep the memory of her friends so alive. Every time she looked at her children or thought of them, she was reminded of her friends and she wouldn't have it any other way.


featherdream Raven was quiet for a brief moment, mildly overwhelmed by this information. When he finally spoke, it was with a deeper warmth than before. "I am certain that they would be honored, regardless," he murmured, smiling in his usual way — thinly, but still quite there. He wasn't an externally emotional creature, as his friends knew. "As am I."

Humans had once named things in his honor, of course, but in names that they had chosen for him that he barely approved of. Raven was a name that he was quite attached to, and parents did not name their children lightly.


absolutelynot Helen simply smiled her secretive smile. Lifting one hand, she gently placed it on Raven's arm for a moment, a way of saying she understood. Naming her children after her dearest friends meant a lot to her as well and she'd been happy to do it. She loved these friends as much as she loved her family and it showed in the names she and James had chosen.

"This way," she murmured softly as they approached her rooms. Pushing the door open, she stepped inside her sitting room and motioned for Raven to follow. Only once they were both inside did she shut the door again, turning to face her friend with a tense smile.

"Well, then, where shall I start? Unless you'd like to hear more about the children."

Comments

[featherdream]

"Start wherever you would like to," he murmured, glancing around the sitting room and trying to make sense of the changes to it. Raven had no experience with humans who aged past what they were 'supposed' to. Most of the humans he'd known as of recently were Wardens, for his siblings, and Wardens often died young and painfully. "Please. But I would of course be honored to hear more about them."

[absolutelynot]

Most of the changes involved moving what she used daily into the one she occupied with James. Other than that, the layout hadn't changed. She simply nodded and offered him a place to sit before sinking onto one end of the couch.

"I suppose the beginning would be as good a place as any," she murmured, settling in for a long talk. "I'm sure you could guess that James and I got married not long after the windows closed. We decided it wasn't worth waiting much longer. Our son was born within a year and Madelyn a few years after that. Admittedly, she was a bit of a surprise." She offered a smile at that, remembering how shocked she'd been when she discovered she was carrying a second child. It had been a good shock, though, and Helen would never have changed it for the world.

"I assume your world had an incident in 1912 with the cruise liner Titanic?"

It wasn't a casual mention, either, and he would likely be able to figure that out. She'd actually been aboard the ship when it had sunk. She was also one of the fortunate few to survive.

[featherdream]

Raven nodded. The ancients weren't omniscient, and in 1912 they had been rather distant with humanity. But the sinking of the Titanic had been a big deal, and it had made the news all around the world.

"Yes. It hit an iceberg and sunk, with only a few handfuls of people on the boats to weather that cold place, as I recall," Raven said, typically modest. His memory was just fine. "Did it happen that way here, as well?"

[absolutelynot]

Helen wasn't really looking forward to telling him this next part. She nodded sadly. "I was fortune only to have experienced the icy waters for a short time. I gave my seat in one of the liferafts to someone else and yet Molly Brown pulled me out of the water anyway."

She'd been lucky, to have come that close to dying and yet survive despite everything, but it had been close. That night still haunted her at times, memories of the cold water mixing with nightmares of the war. Bombs would scatter the ship, splinter it to pieces, and she -- or James, as he was often with her in these -- would sink to the bottom of the ocean with it.

"Before you ask, James wasn't on board. He was still in England with the children." And they had all been happy to hear of her survival. She would never forget their faces when she saw them again.

[featherdream]

He was quiet for a moment, suddenly aware that it was very fortunate that they were having this conversation. Any number of events, in either of their worlds, could have twisted together and prevented their meeting again. But they hadn't — they were both alive, and the Window had opened. Raven gave Helen a thin, relieved smile.

"I am glad to hear that you made it out safely," the ancient murmured. "That is indeed fortunate. And I can only imagine how anxious James was for your return."

[absolutelynot]

They were very fortunate, indeed. Helen could have died several times over, and she was certain Raven's world wasn't the safest either, but they were both still alive and as well as could be expected. Nothing had cut this meeting short or prevented it from happening at all.

"They all were," she answered sadly. "Wouldn't let me out of their sights for months. Not that I wanted to leave their company. I spent a lot of time around James." Until the war had come. Helen sighed wearily.

"The first war was difficult enough. He was acting as a spy and I was stationed as a doctor for the wounded soldiers. The children were left with my father and not a day went by that I didn't think of them. James came back... different. The war was harshest on him, I believe, and our relationship was strained. We took a small break, realizing we could barely help ourselves, let alone each other. Sadly enough, the same is happening now. I can only hope we will recover this time as we did then."

But it's worrisome. She doesn't know where he is, not exactly, nor does she know when or if he'll return to her. She can barely sleep for worrying about him and the nightmares aren't releasing her from their hold. If anything, she's expecting them to get worse now that she's worrying so much about him.

There's still more to the story, of course, and the distant look on her face as she glances away across the room says as much.

[featherdream]

Raven considered how best to process this news. War changed every human. It was hard, and cruel. And it was difficult enough to watch it change others; Raven had always considered himself lucky that he had never become personally embroiled in such things. He was an outside observer. It was his siblings who caused the chaos. Yet, each one saddened him, often to the point where he stopped observing for a short time.

Humans were good at documenting their wars. It was one of the few things that they almost always documented.

"It is hard on a person," he remarked softly, nodding. "That kind of horror. He only needs some time to come back to himself, I hope."

[absolutelynot]

Helen nodded, her gaze dropping to her hands, which she'd folded in her lap as she tried not to fidget too much. She was worried, about him, about herself, about their relationship. Everything was overwhelming her lately and she wanted nothing more than to bury her head against his shoulder. Unfortunately, he was part of the problem at the moment, a variable for which she wasn't entirely sure how to solve.

"We both did last time," she admitted softly. "If I only knew where he was, I'd drag him back myself." She missed him desperately at this point, more than she knew what to do with. "We were fortunate enough to return to each other last time." She swallowed hard, her resolve and composure faltering. "Every time we disagree like this and one of use leaves for a time... I realize how fortunate I am to have him at all. And dear god I miss him."

Helen wasn't kidding about dragging James back home. She'd go find him in a heartbeat, if she knew where he was. At this point, she just had to home he would return for her in short order. She wasn't entirely certain how long she could manage without him.

[featherdream]

Slowly, he reached out with a hand to gently squeeze her shoulder. With Helen and their children here, he hoped that James would return. If only to see them again, if they could both not move on. But he doubted that James would remain gone for very much longer, at least with no communication.

"I am sure that he misses you," Raven murmured. "Sometimes it is hard to say."

He missed Coyote, too, but there was nothing to be done for Coyote. His sibling was locked away, for good this time if Raven was to be honest. Coyote would never stop being a part of their family, but he had done too much, now. It wasn't safe, for anyone involved, for him to roam the Earth.

Then he wondered if he should, perhaps, change the subject.

"So this is the first time that the Window has re-opened?"

[absolutelynot]

Helen hoped that Raven was right. She knew James, or she hoped she did, and if he hadn't changed that much under her nose, then he likely missed her as much as she missed him. However, he knew where she was. It was up to him to return to her. She offered Raven a fleeting smile in response to the squeeze to her shoulder, appreciating the gesture. The hope was there that James would return, and soon.

He was everything to her and she knew Raven would understand.

A nod greeted the question as Helen took a breath to steady herself. "As far as I'm aware, yes. Periodically, I check the basement area to be sure, but Janus was the one to alert me this time. He's never before sensed it."

Janus, who had taken a position on the back of a chair behind the desk at the other side of the room, fluffed himself importantly.

"He would have said something if he had. What about yours?"

The fact that the Windows had opened again was concerning, particularly with no warning. Helen wondered if it meant anything and hoped it wouldn't be an ill omen of things to come.

[featherdream]

"There has been no activity," Raven noted, thoughtful. "Our Window is in Boston and I have kept my eye on it at all times, physically and with magic. It is not fool-proof, of course, but the Windows used a different sort of energy than the kind in my world. It is easier for our magic to detect it, for that reason, I believe."

He would have known. And yet, the rooftop of the brownstone apartment — which had no idea what had been above it, once — had been quiet for all of these years. Until now, oddly.

"I wonder if any of the others had a similar experience."

[absolutelynot]

"Your way is much more accurate than mine," Helen responded ruefully. "I admit, I had thought the Windows would be closed forever. Now... perhaps it's quite a good thing I was wrong."

Having the Windows open, even just theirs, might mean more trouble in the long run. They couldn't rule that out. All the same, Helen was happy to see Raven again and the possibility of meeting their other friends again brought a smile to her face again.

"If only there were a way to to find out, to contact them and ask. I would love to hear from them again."

[featherdream]

He nodded, thoughtful. The Windows were a tricky thing that he still didn't understand. Not wholly. And without that understanding, dealing with the Windows was just about flying blind. No magic of his world had ever been able to stimulate the crack in the universe to open.

"It would be good to see them, and know how they are faring," Raven agreed. "Some years after I went home, I approached Badger to see if he could perhaps replicate the technology of the PHS. But he was not successful."

[absolutelynot]

Helen frowned at that news. Strange that such a device couldn't be replicated. "I wonder if it is something unique to that world?" If so, it would explain why they seemed to be so difficult to remake. "I still have mine and I believe James has his. Whether or not they still work... I've no idea."

If they did and he'd actually taken his with him for some odd reason... Well, she would at least be able to contact him and leave him a message, however small.

[featherdream]

"Perhaps. Badger thought that its power source was something more unique than even what I had dreamed of, back then," Raven mused, thoughtful. "I often regret not asking more about them, but I had had a feeling that the true inner workings were... not for us to know. And I had not wanted to alarm anyone. Or cause too much attention to myself."

He was, after all, a very unique and powerful creature. While some people often railed against him for acting so neutrally, it was the only responsible way he knew how to act as well as the only way he wanted. His abilities in the hands of a creature like Coyote or Snake would have been devastating.

[absolutelynot]

"No, that likely would not have been a good thing. I would imagine they wouldn't want to speak too freely of such things," Helen agreed softly. That all brought up the question of what really made their PHS devices work. "Perhaps it is something for the future."

Their future, the one they had free of the Company and whoever had taken it over. Some days she was glad to not have to worry about all of that. But then she recalled the friends she had made whom she might never see again and her pillow would become damp with her tears.

One of those friends was here now and she reached over to gently pat his hand, glad for the chance to see him, even on such a somber note.

[featherdream]

He smiled one of his thin, genuine smiles at her, nodding. "I will live for quite a long time to come, and so will you, I suspect. I am sure we will figure it out, eventually. It is an interesting technology, to say the least, and I am sure it can be put to very good uses. One separate from pure profiteering, perhaps."

While there was always a need to sustain a technology by securing its financial asset, Raven's mind went the scientific and altruistic route. It was one of the reasons that he and Badger worked so well together, the others being their long friendship and equally keen minds.

"I am glad to see that your Sanctuary project has continued."

[absolutelynot]

"I am certain we will. We have more than enough time in which to do it and if James is willing to help, I know we can all figure it out."

She had faith anyway that they could all put their heads together to work on it. James was the smartest in this world and as far as she knew, Raven was highly intelligent as well. If Badger was half as intelligent as either of them, the four would work quite well together.

"As am I. When it first began, I never imagined it would last like this. I can only hope we will keep it running well into the future. I doubt our cause will ever end."

And really, she liked it that way. It gave her something to do, people and Abnormals to help. She would be more than satisfied to keep busy.

"I should hope you'll have plenty of opportunity to come see us flourish. Don't be a stranger, all right?"

[featherdream]

Raven chuckled and shook his head. "I do not intend to be."

He had so few friends, due to ancient age and his general demeanor (he supposed), that he couldn't afford to ignore any that he had. While Raven had a habit of being distant, it never translated to not caring about those he considered close to him. His siblings — or some of them, at least — sometimes forgot about this.

It was comforting to have a friend who would, hopefully, endure longer than his human friends usually did. At times it was discouraging to make friends at all, when he knew he'd have to see their death all too soon. His mindset of time, as a millions-year-old creature, being what it was.

"Is society at large still pretending that your Abnormals do not exist?" he wondered, perhaps a touch sadly.

[absolutelynot]

Helen had grown accustomed to Raven's distance and long since accepted that it was part of who he was. She even liked it, understanding why he would choose that route. If she could, she doubted she would be strong enough; her life was far too involved in one side to play neutral party.

As far as friends were concerned, Helen was slowly beginning to conform to Raven's thoughts and if she'd known them then, she would have given him another reassuring hug. Knowing she would outlive nearly everyone she'd ever known was wearing on her already and she considered herself fairly young. Who knew when she would actually succumb to age? Perhaps tomorrow. Perhaps never. At this point, she didn't want to find out.

"Yes. It seems to be the best course for now. We are hardly the only ones who know, however." She sighed wearily, her mind wandering back to the recent war. "We're now having to save Abnormals from being used as weapons. Certainly not what my father had in mind, but if we can help, we will."

[featherdream]

"I am afraid that is the mindset of many. They only have a thought for what can be useful to them. And very rarely do they think of its well-being," he noted quietly. "It is a part of why my sibling Badger finds humanity so alarming, I am afraid to say, no matter how much I have argued with him on the matter."

Badger's argument had merit, but Raven knew from experience that not all humans were like that. Some, like Helen, thought of conservation and curiosity, and not about ways that something new could chiefly benefit them.

[absolutelynot]

"I'm glad you haven't shared his thoughts on humanity or you and I would never have met." And she can't imagine what life would have been like without meeting him back then. She placed one hand on Raven's arm out of comfort, smiling at her friend. "Perhaps Badger should come by the Sanctuary sometime. He might find it refreshing."

[featherdream]

Raven chuckled softly at the thought of Badger roaming the hallways, looking irritated and poking his nose where he shouldn't. Likely criticizing every piece of machinery and making suggestions of how everything could be done better. Badger was an acquired taste.

"Perhaps. I will be sure to let you know if he voices such a desire." So that she could prepare for that level of shrewd disbelief, that is. "Though I do plan to tell him about the Window, so that we can puzzle things out more quickly, when I return."