Part II:
Raven and Credenza


ME: Okay, this was originally a one-shot piece centered on Riley and Alice but after I got brainstorming I decided just to make this a multi-one-shot Valentine's day piece! More love and more fun for anyone who loves it!

Okay, this now centers on our favorite Waitress and Spirit-Gone-Human, due to a special request from a fellow arch reader! Hope I do this couple justice, because honestly, I'm glad for them but they're not quite my top favorite couple . . . But like I said I shall do my best to make this one-shot perfect!

Enjoy and review! They are much appreciated!


H – Help

Raven was not one to ask for help. Being a former Raven it was only natural.

A Raven was always expected to do the job right the first time; posses the one in question, fulfill your mission with your host's capabilities and then wait until new orders were given. Provided your host was still alive, that is.

Who needed help for that? It had been so basic even a baby could do it.

And it had been easy enough for him . . . That is until he made the mistake of possessing one Anthony Solair.

He hadn't known what went wrong.

He should've had that man dead to rights during the process of possession.

Everything had been going fine until Anthony had went and lost it.

More specifically, before he went and had stabbed his own eye out.

Raven hadn't known how much time had passed, floating and screaming madly inside the head of the shell once known as Anthony Solair.

There it had been dark.

It had been empty.

It had been Raven's own personal abyss of hell.

Here in that madman's head, he had no one but the shattered soul he once tried to take over for company. And that was so not going to happen.

He had no means of escape, save the chance the madman would try and off himself in his hectic delirium. Considering he had been starving and near-death when Raven came to him, it shouldn't have been taking that long . . .

And for the first time in his life – So to speak as he was very old – Raven had felt . . .

. . . He had felt . . .

. . . Argh, damn him for saying so, but . . . . . . . He had felt Helpless.

He hadn't understood why he had felt this way. He hadn't understood why he had felt anything at all.

He had been a Raven, a thing of nightmares, a spirit sent by the God of Death and Entropy!

He shouldn't have had even have cared about feelings or thoughts or any of the like!

. . . . . . . . . So why did he feel like helplessness was going to eat him up like a dead fish, without even leaving the bones behind?

Before anyone could even have answered that question, Raven had felt himself and the madman hit the sandy ground of a beach.

And before Raven had even attempted to take control of the body again, the few Seagullets that had started to snap at them were set off with an audible smack and rapid flapping of panicked wings.

What in the world had –

"Yeah! You better run, you feathered vermin! And there's more where that came from, next time you try eating people on Ruin Island!"

Who had that been?!

A human?

A female?

What had she done to shoo pests like those away?

. . . . She hadn't planned to do the same to him, had she?

Wait, what he had he been thinking, of course she would have!

He had been a raven! No lowly human was actually going to – Did she poke me?

"Hey there, fella? Mister? Do you need a doctor?"

How could he have answered? He had been stuck in this lunatic's head! He couldn't – Why did she poke me again? Didn't she know a madman when she saw one?

The female had begun shaking him gently. "Come on, say something, anything!" Her voice had started to get somewhat frantic, Raven had noted strangely . . . .

. . . . Along with the fact that her hand had felt really . . . Really warm . . . .

Before the female had gotten hysterical, the madman had answered for both he and Raven with a whimper. Pathetic.

The female had sounded relieved. Her shaking had stopped. "That'll work! C'mon, stay awake, I'll go get help!"

Help?

Did she say help?

What had been wrong with this female?

He hadn't needed help!

He had just needed to wait until this stupid human died and then he could have gone on his merry –

". . . . . Help me . . . Please . . ." The madman had whispered hoarsely.

What in . . . How had he been able to talk?

The madman should have been dying now!

The female spoke to them, or rather the madman, gently, "Hey, it's okay, there's an inn; I work there, I'll find some help."

There she went with that word again!

Raven's wrath, if only he could have gotten out of this head so he could have slapped some sense into this female!

He had been a Raven! He hadn't needed help! He had been just fine! Fine!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hadn't he?

The madman, who at this point had been rambling on endlessly to the female about "hurting" and "getting out" – And was there something about "wings"? – Finally gave in to the same darkness that Raven was in and had fell back to the sand with a plop.

Great, now would this female just go and leave him alone?!

Apparently not.

"Oh, Credenza, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" The female said more to herself than him.

Credenza?

Her name was Credenza?

What kind of name had that been for a human female?

. . . . . . . And why had it sounded so nice to him?

Warmth encompassed him then. Warmth Raven had not felt in a long, long, long, looonngg time.

Probably not even ever.

Was this what feeling had felt like?

A warm, kind voice had then said gently in his ear. "Don't you worry, I'm gonna help you, I promise."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Was that what help had felt like?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It had felt nice . . . . . . . .

. . . . . Definitely a lot like what Raven felt about that day now.

From that day forward, time rolled by for both he and the madman, Er, Blitz, as he now so proudly called himself thanks to the very same human female, Er, Credenza Black.

The both of them went through plenty of changes, good and bad; sharing a body with all the pains and joys that were entailed before then just as abruptly splitting it. Both of them molding their own minds into their own heads without the other getting in the way. And making sense of each speck of thought or memory that they had.

Definitely not what your average human, or former Raven for that matter, would go through and still have some sense intact.

At least not without a little help.

Help that he knew that odd human female Credenza Black would always give with ease. Whether he did ask for it or not.

A – Automatic

Being a Raven meant he was used to being automated.

Programmed with the most basic of functions, to absorb any information input that was presented to him and categorize it into a systematic filing apparatus within his mind as to perform an accurate reaction to whatever situation was occurring. No sudden fragmentations. No out-of-nowhere blips that caused his system to crash.

Nothing out of the ordinary for the simple program of the Raven.

Being a human named Raven however, is a completely different story.

There is no form of automation anywhere. At least not one of normalcy.

Ever since his becoming human it was a never-ending cycle of automatic insanity; things constantly blowing up in his face, both verbally and literally, undesirable people with even more undesirable and very sharp objects trying to run through him with glee whom he was sure were insane, each place filled with wildly-changing scenarios that would've given a normal man whiplash.

There was next to nothing in resolute automation. All of it was just manic, frustrating realignment in a hand-basket.

He made such a point to Credenza as Blitz rescued the three of them from the depthless tide-pool that had once been the Underground.

He had sputtered what ill-tasting water dripped in his mouth and ranted, "I am so SICK of all you people! You humans, you never have a moment's peace, do you? As soon as one drama ends, another begins! IT NEVER ENDS! All I want is a life where everything isn't blowing up in my face, but no, I'm stuck with your circus! This whole world is one big mess! Tell me why you don't all just jump off the cliff like lemmings?!"

Credenza, who had failed to get his attention up to that point, had done, what he could only assume was what females did when males were being unusually stressed, the most frivolous thing that he had never even accounted for even in the obscure ludicrousy that was being human.

She gave him a small, smiling peck on the cheek.

From there the only true automation he knew was his brain short-circuiting, his thought-processing becoming gelatin and all the little ectoplasmic muscles in his little spiritual body growing warm and slack.

As he felt himself go lax on a grinning Credenza's arm, he truly began to think that perhaps automatic was overrated.

P – Patience

Neither Credenza nor Raven had had it easy.

Credenza, even now as a young woman, still spiraled constantly with the traumatic backlash of her childhood days stolen away, chained as an animal and tormented by a man who held no right to the title of a human being. The scars that bore her body and soul still bled at the recollection of the memories that refused to let her go on in peace.

Raven, even now as a still forming man with only one arm and one wing, allowed his mind to hang with the regretful linger of his past life as a soulless, mindless, cold-blooded murderer. How he had taken gleeful pleasure in infecting the minds of those good and evil, steering them down into a path that was only sure to grant them a place in hell was forever on his shoulders with no hopes of letting go.

They both were tainted with the dark of their past and once that was that, there is no changing it.

But as that was then, this was the now.

The Waitress and the Former Spirit, at first just mere travel companions, slowly grew out of their frustrations. They lent a hand to one another as hurdles were come to and climbed. They remained silent as their voices rose to shouts of anger before falling to whispers of compassion. They stood their ground side-by-side as each battle they endured raged around them.

They became not just companions but comrades. Then not just comrades but friends. Then not just friends but . . . . Well, what else was then expected?

Patience, although at times it ran thin for either one or both, was a catalyst for their growth. With tender and loving care, it yields an abundance of good results. Some unexpected, but for them, all worth the toil.

P – Power

Everyone has power inside of themselves. How they unlock it is to each their own ability.

Some find theirs through adversity and will. Others find it through instantaneous rage and frustration.

And other times it just comes right out of nowhere and leaves you with the feeling that nothing is unconquerable. That anything that you can do in that moment is possible.

Credenza didn't realize such a thing was true until she saw Raven disappear behind the Shadowmandyr Queen's wall of dark and bone.

Her heart filled with fear and rage. Her blood ran hot with fire and green. Lightning and light sparked from her throat. A single tear slipped from her blazing eyes when one final punch broke through the barrier like a pencil through paper.

Credenza didn't know what this was covering her hands. She didn't know where this power came from. But she had it now. She had it and she was not going to let it go to waste.

She had only said one thing to the beast that had both of her body-locked friends dangling in it's oily grasp.

"Drop the man or my fists start flying!"

Y – Youth

Neither Credenza nor Raven could say that they had a good childhood.

Raven was created with the sole purpose to become a ruthless assassin pledged to a dark god who sought the destruction of the known world with a vast intellect already expanding his mind. Credenza had been uprooted from what small happy life she had and enslaved for the sake of one pirate's dreaded amusement before finding freedom and scrambling to grasp back her sanity.

Never once had they really had the chance to feel some wonder in each day that passed them by. To enjoy hot summer days splashing on the beach until they were tinted red or playing in the cold, winter snow until their feet and hands were numb. To munch on sugary sweets or even excite themselves with a simple game of tag.

Very people really get a chance to live and enjoy their youth. But not all chances are lost. Like wherever Raven finds himself tackled to the ground by Credenza fighting him over a piece of pie of all things, Raven can never help the urge to comply with a smile.

V – Valentine

There are a majority of people who don't really understand the concept let alone the idea of Valentine's Day. Some of these people are often bitter-hearted, realistic and often impervious to the magic of the Annual Day of Romance.

Raven was once one of these few. At least, until the Former Spirit was given a heart by a certain Dark-Haired Waitress.

Suddenly public displays of affection like kissing, cuddling or even . . . Pawing one another left him left Raven feeling very warm and unbearably nauseous under the collar, something Riley teased him endlessly about when he caught him. You looked like you just came right out of a sauna! His ears burned red hot each and every time a couple walked by cooing sweet nothings in hushed whispers and giggly tones. He swore if heard "poopsie" or "little turtledove" one more time, he was going to make himself go deaf. And the flowers and the chocolates and the hearts hearts hearts all over the place, good God, he never thought he could detest red and pink so much.

He told as much to Credenza. About how all the burning head-numbing mushiness, the pollen-filled planted sappiness and sugar-induced affection crammed into a concoction called chocolate was all just as aggravating and confusing and head-spinning and he wished that it all would just stop for a few minutes so he could think!

Her only response, in true Credenza fashion, was to take a piece of chocolate from the bag she had bingeing on as she was reading a book and pop it into his mouth with nonchalance.

Her love showed in her smile as he chewed on his candy and gaped at her dumbly. "Happy Valentine's day, bird boy."

Raven still did not understand Valentine's Day for the life of him, but then again, who really needed to?

A – Affection

Showing affection was an easy necessity with couples.

Holding hands, cuddling, holding each other even kissing was vital to show how much one cared for the other. Nothing is ever as simplistic as that.

For Raven it didn't feel so simple.

Being an ex-spirit, he was still coming to terms with the complexity it was to being human. What should he say? What should he do? What could he do to fix whatever goes wrong? Is what he does the right choice? He just didn't know.

Then Credenza comes in. She takes one look at the sullen expression on his face. She smiles. She sits down next to him. She snuggles into the black and red wing that makes up what can only be assumed as his arm. And she smiles.

Raven can only be flustered for one moment before he too smiles.

Affection is all too easy to give. It was best just not to over think it.

L – Levity

The capability to make your significant other laugh is a valuable trait. Not everyone has the foreseen talent to bring smiles to other peoples' faces and whether it is intentional or rarely matters.

Raven realized that he had such a gift when, in an attempt to be a good boyfriend, volunteered to make everyone breakfast.

He still wasn't sure about how it happened, but by the time everyone had gotten up and moved to the kitchen, it was a culinary massacre. There had been flour caking the floor, both raw and cooked eggs dripping from the ceiling, the stove looking as though it had been vomiting smoke, pancake mix and orange juice and Raven covered from wingtip to toe in bacon strips, eggshells, orange peelings and flour.

It had taken nearly two hours to clean it all up. It would've taken a lot less time had Credenza not launched into a laughing fit which left tears in her eyes and sore sides. Her snorting, barmaid cackle still rang in Raven's ears. And it was a beautiful thing.

E – Ever After

A Happily Ever After is a fairytale dream that is either easy or hard to achieve. In most cases, it would seem almost a sheer impossibility.

Honestly, Credenza never understood how two people could meet, almost instantly fall in love, get married faster than you can blink and then ride off on that imaginary horse to a dream come true. It all seemed too idealistic for her. After all, where's the struggle? Where are the problems that everyone has that they need to overcome? The real passion that drives them to keep to the other and never stray? God knew that she had struggled, more than any one person should have to in her life. Life was in no ways a fairy tale. She knew that all too well.

People get hurt, they cry, they get old and eventually die. Some are taken all too early from this world and never get to experience what few happy moments there were. There was depression, insanity, heartache, loneliness, everything that made people truly people. With all this, how could Ever After truly exist?

She sees that in Raven's eyes as well each time she finds herself lost in them. The knowledge of real cruelty, the horror of each heartbreaking reality, the darkness of understated madness that they both had been dealt and left to rot on. They had both done and gone through so much that it was a miracle they were still able to stand on both feet and move on.

But they did. Whenever they talked, when they joked, when they fought, they wrote both their stories so intricately they become so intertwined it would be near impossible to read one half without reading the other.

Theirs was a real story. A story of misery and regret, of hope and belief. A real tale for the storybooks. Life was no fairy tale, and there was no such thing as a happily ever after. But, if they were ready to go all in, they would fight tooth and nail to tell of their Ever After again and again.

N – Nevermore

Nevermore meant a lot of different things. One of which could mean that not matter what a man tries, his demons and sorrows will always be trailing right behind him. Raven knew this better than anyone.

The blood spilled and damage done by his hands would never be washed away. The lives he ruined, the misery, the pain, all that was pinned to his back to even last beyond the grave. All who saw him could see that he was strange and dangerous, he could see it in their eyes. Dragonfly even seemed to know that with the prophecy he gave him, his sound-called gift to the Ex-Spirit.

"There will come a time where you must choose between the one you love and the one who made you. You must choose the latter. If not everything will fall to ruin."

With that hanging over his head, what hope could there be for someone like him?

When he revealed all of this to her, who else, Credenza looks him straight in the eye and states, "He gave such strange gifts. But they all came in handy at the just moment when we need them. If he knew you that well, he'd see you could never be a traitor."

All he could do was smile weakly and return the hold she had on his hand. Nevermore could haunt him as long it liked, for if there was someone like Credenza to answer all of his confounding questions, what more did he need?

T – Time

Time is always fleeting. One moment someone could be right there with you and the next they could be gone from sight.

Things like that terrified Raven. He had just begun living as a human, experience emotions and thoughts of his own, tasting and seeing and hearing everything all at once, just being in the moment; how long could that last though?

How long could it last with her?

Their battle against the Great Raven and Snow wasn't an easy one, there were never any guarantees that they would all come back from it. Riley, Tuff, Blitz, Credenza, anyone could be snatched from him in a single moment if he blinked.

These were the kind of fears he held in his head as he hid his worry with a completely out of nowhere kiss to her lips. She was surprised to say the least. Seeing that, he begun to worry again, he begun to rant. "I can never read these situations! It's always the wrong place, the wrong time. Or just not enough time. If I could just –"

Gentle, calloused fingers shifted into his hair and scratched at his scalp, leaving nothing more for him to say. As he felt his head being guided to her own, she could feel the soft smile creeping onto her face as she said with tenderness, "You're worth my time. I want to spend it with you. However much we have left."

Raven allowed his wings, both physical and not, to wrap around her. He was sure as hell going to live any moment he could with her, and he would always make the best of it.

I – Incomparable

When in love, a person can assume that their partner was beyond caparison, that they were incomparable. To Credenza, Raven was as such more than anyone she had known.

Not just because he was once a spirit that she had somehow zapped into a mortal human man. Or that his now physical body now included a rather fine-looking . . . Physique, an oddly adorable beak of a nose and a set of wings that was half solid/half cold fire-like spirit mush. Or that he was far older than he appeared at first glance, answering her secret desire for older men.

More of it was from how his knowledge of near centuries old magic could make even the most refined and worldly of magic scholars weep from inadequacy. Or how he can take anything from the most random pieces of scarp metal and turn them into an elegant hair clip or a high-flying little machine. Or that he could enjoy the most simplistic of pleasures like steaming hot ramen on the street during a chilly evening or a moonlit night on the open sea with his slender arm around her shoulders. That and he can make the funniest faces when he's flustered and never even know it.

To her, Raven was truly incomparable, a real one of a kind man. And she knew that she would never know another man like him in her life or the next.

N – Names

It was once said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Names could be either earned or given or some cases taken. There would always be so many meanings to a name it would be near impossible to count them all and once and still find just the right sound for it.

Raven at times hated his name. After all, when he was a spirit, he had no need for such a thing as a mindless drone created from a megalomaniac god. But now as a human, he constantly had to remind himself of his past connection to such being everytime someone had to explain the story of Dragonfly, The Raven and the Heirs.

Whenever he thought of changing it however, Credenza reminded him that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. And whoever tried to tell him that could just go and . . . Well, go do something not every nice.

After the final battle, after all the heartache, confusion and pain, when the evil was defeated and gone, Raven finally stopped all thoughts about changing his name. Nowadays he ruminated on taking on a second name.

When he decided to ask Credenza to marry him and they decide on their last name, he was going to need something to fight back with, after all, right?

E – Enough

Spoiling your girlfriend was one of the biggest parts of being in a relationship. Some chose to do it through money, fancy food and clothes while others had nothing to give but love, affection and coddling. However the boyfriend did it, – Or in a few cases, girlfriend – it was adamant to show that you care.

Credenza was one of the rare few who didn't need so much. She was glad for the small things. As long as you gave her a hand to hold, a sleeve to wipe her tears on and an ear to listen even in the most random of places like a Demon Hunter's kitchen floor, she was content.

Raven was glad he knew this for a fact. Just as long as he could be just that, the friend she needed or the rock to ground her, that would be more than enough.

S – Sensation

Humans are ultra-sensitive beings with the ability to be totally enriched by the five senses they possess; to hear, to see, to touch, to smell and to feel.

Raven was still not used to the sensations all human beings have. He had too many questions for so many things. Like how can it be that a simple note of music could resound like a thunderstorm in his ears if raised to enough height in volume? Or how a single touch to hot stove could spread throughout his whole body like that of a wildfire?

Credenza had helped answer his questions on both occasions, turning down the volume dial on the gramophone he had impulsively turned up too high and quickly adding burn ointment to the red, blistering spot on his finger. In true to being Credenza, she rolled his eyes at his odd inquiring and stated, "There's nothing to get. That's just being human. Just don't think too much about it and you'll be just fine."

Raven tried not to, but his logic-driven curiosity always egged him on. How could some smells be so empowering that it could make a man sick to his stomach? Why could some things taste good to him and others just so weird? Why, when the urge hit him, he had to be urgent to relieve himself or –

Two soft lips would suddenly plant themselves on his cheek. From there, his body would numb, his cheeks would warm and thoughts of bright green eyes and long, midnight black hair would flood his mind faster than a flash flood.

Being lowered to a warm lap to rest his spinning head, all Raven wanted to do was revel in the wonderful sensation that was Credenza Black.

D – Daydream

Daydreaming is one of the many normal hobbies one can expect to have when experiencing a moment of brain-numbing boredom. It is especially normal when you were together with someone.

Before you knew it, your mind would drift off into the wonder of the future you could have. Would you ever spend years together? Would you accomplish your dreams together? Would you ever be asked to get married? If you did, how would you do it? What ever would the children look like? Would you end up growing old and facing the golden years together? So much could be brought up from innocent meandering.

Raven wasn't entirely sure if he could daydream. Yes, yes, he had done an awful lot of thinking lately but he didn't really know if that qualified as daydreaming. Blitz always made it look so easy, always found humming obliviously to himself, lost in his own mad little world. Then again, when your intelligence was reduced to that of a child anything can be made easy. Not that he would ever make the mistake of uttering that outloud again. He could still feel the sting of Credenza's hand against his cheek from last time.

No, no. Raven was a man of the present moment. Focused on whatever was right in front of him. He took in all of what there was and pressed it into the mold that would frame what he would do for the future. In this mold were three things of certainty; that he would look over Blitz for as long as necessary, he would learn all he could about being human and apply it where needed and he would remain by Credenza's side for as long as they both lived.

All of that had been destroyed when he watched the robotic, mutilated, disfigured pile of bio-metal pirated corpse once known as Captain Snow drop Credenza into something that was a dead ringer for a gateway to hell, Blitz quickly following right after her in a cloud of bright red light.

His mind had gone blank. He couldn't think. For once in his life, Raven couldn't think. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. What could he do? Credenza was gone. Blitz was gone. The world was finished and the only two people who he truly cared for in this world were gone and he was all alone.

He didn't want to accept that. They could be gone. She couldn't be gone. She just couldn't. He owed so much to her, he couldn't live without her, he . . . He loved her and she couldn't leave him, not like that! Not like this!

He was so desperate to have her back that, when Snow had him, Tuff, Riley and all of them trapped in worlds of dreams, he was more than happy to let what had been cruel, cruel reality become just that. Nothing but a big bad dream.

He had everything in that world that he never even knew he wanted; a great job that he could pour all of his knowledge into. Friends that he would never trade for anything even when they caused him nothing but annoyed frustration. And, of course, a wonderful woman as his wife whom he could spend forever with. What need could he have for anything more.

But like all dreams, it had to come to an end. Ironically, it came at a kiss. A kiss from a fake version of the one whom made him crazy and happy and confused and joyful all at once and held his human heart in her hands.

He knew he had lost her then, if was this desperate to have something in place of her, then she truly was gone. All of his hope of starting over and just living had gone right along with her. All of the promises of tomorrow, words to be said, love to be shared, life they maybe, just maybe could give were gone. Dashed away like sand on glass.

Yes, he did daydream after all. But all of that was pointless now. She was gone and he would never see her again until he too died.

He almost let Snow do it too. He had started to let Snow do just that, turning his sweet dream into a horrid nightmare. But of course, as he should've expected, the plan was quickly turned on its rear as the floor exploded in colors of purple, blue and green. Familiar beloved green magic that Raven would know in a heartbeat anywhere.

In no time at all, he was swept up and falling into a starry world of peace and calm. It was all too perfect to be real. He had been nearly fooled not too long ago. He had cried out to this apparition, telling it to just let him be.

A warm touch, to tender to be faked and a voice, too full of warm relieving sarcasm to be imitated, filled him to brim to euphoria that was incapable of being measured. "Oh, birdboy. Have some faith in me, will ya? A little fire won't stop me, and no stupid bad dream could keep you from me." Her mouth pressed against his was the final confirmation that he needed.

She was here. She was here. Blitz did it, he saved her, and she was here. She was alive and he could truly live again. Whether it was reality or one of her daydreams, Raven didn't care, he just needed her.

That's all his daydreams had been about, her and only her alone. And would give it his all to make that happen. If, and only if, she would have him.

A – Adventure

Love is one of the most thrilling and exhausting adventures that anyone can have. There are hurdles and victories, losses and surprises both good and bad, each one giving their all to either make or break what they have together. Sometimes both make it, other times only one, but its taking that first step together that makes all the difference.

Credenza could definitely say that she had no idea what she was getting into the very first time she saw Raven. He, at the time, was still only a spirit that was possessing her mad friend Blitz, a truly terrifying and heartless specter that would've happily killed the Navy Captain who had caused all this in the first place and left the body's true owner to take the blame. She was no match for him, she knew, but there was no way in hell that she was going to let this . . . This ghostly thingy turn her friend into a murderer, not after everything she had done to defend him. Much to her surprise, he went away, after Blitz suddenly went into some kind of seizure meltdown and drooled. A lot.

The next time she saw him, she got even more confused. Raven was clearly not someone that she could trust and he clearly had the means to kill her when he had pinned hard against a wall. She knew that and he knew that, but when she called him out on that, stating that she had no reason to give to convince him to let her live, he had gone still. He took one look at her, gone pale, and said in a voice as stern as broke glass, ". . . I can't."

The third time he had saved her from the cruel, sadistic hands of the reborn and half-robotic Captain Snow. Well, not her directly, but if not for him she would have been cold, dead and taking her final resting place at the bottom of the sea.

Since that time, time and time again, if she ever had needed him, Raven would appear almost instantly and begrudgingly lend a hand or wing. They would fight, fight, fight some more, knock heads, knock someone else's heads, argue every now and again for normalcy's sake, kiss for a very brief time and then they would argue yet again.

They would fight against golems of both sand and stone. They would fight misshapen piles of Seranith and metal with black wings. Against traitorous Quillotian noblemen, brainwashed royal guards and their puppeteer, lowlifes, murderers, thieves and madmen of every class and breed, one winter dragoness with a severe superiority complex. And finally, they would take down an undead pirate who simply refused to die and stay dead.

There was never a dull moment, hardly ever a moment of peace. It was all pretty much hell in a hand basket. When Credenza had first dragged both the madman and the silent spirit inside him to her home island Witchdoctor's hut, she never would have seen the adventure coming.

Now when she looked back on it all with a hand on her protruding belly, a simple ring on her finger and a still on-edge worrywart birdy-boy husband who drove her nuts with his over-protectiveness, she'd never regret a single step she had taken at all.

Y – You're Mine

Credenza hated people who were possessive.

Being a former slave, which was a trade unspeakable and painful to recount, she had fought tooth and nail for her freedom, her right to live not as piece of property, but as a human being. It had been a long two years of torment and misery before she had lost her chains and shackles. And hell would freeze over long before those bound her again.

She believed everything could be its own, be it from a single rock to a single man. The only possession there should be was when you took your own name, or claiming your family or age to set facts straight. And no one had the right to take that away over some meager sense of selfishness. Every living being had the right to be free of constraints and iron-fisted ties. Adrian Snow had taught her that lesson the hard way.

No one deserved to just be taken. Then one day, as they were walking together, enjoying the day, Raven asked her a question as timidly as she had ever heard him. "Credenza . . . You're mine, right?"

She should've gotten angry at that. She should've been furious. She didn't belong to anyone. She, Credenza Black, was a free woman, young and alive! She wasn't something you could just stake claim to; she was no prize to be won!

Credenza stated none of that outloud, however. She had stayed silent for heaven knows how long, looking down at their hands. She had been walking along side his Spirit wing, the blood red veins of magic shaped to form an arm that closely matched his physical one, but only just as much. Compared to her own, the differences between them were laughable.

Slowly, she moved her hand, wrapped her lithe fingers around what bulges of mass she felt in the black tar pile that was his wing, squeezing the clump affectionately. With a smile and no sense of vindication in her voice she said, "Yes. But only if you're mine too."

Raven's face had turned red. After a minute, he smiled crookedly and nodded. From there they just walked.

Credenza Black would never allow herself to be taken hold of again. Unless it was Raven, the birdy-boy former spirit whom always asked before acting, save a sudden kiss or two.

Being claimed as his girlfriend was just fine with her.


ME: So, how did I do? Good, bad, okay? Reviews are the votes so please place them now! Or later that's fine. Next one shall include my absolute favorite Arch couple so here's hoping for an early update!

'Til next time!