Chapter 23: Are you perhaps...

After Kara left, I finally had the time to check out Mount Justice.

Originally, I was already on the way there but Kara showed up and had caused me to get sidetracked. Don’t get me wrong though, it wasn’t anything bad. Rather, I got sidetracked in a good way.

I flew towards Mount Justice while thinking of such things.

Actually, there wasn’t anything that I actually needed to do here. All I did was walk around the place and inspect it. The actual members will only be coming here next week.

Other than that, I should also scout for new members.

The sidekicks of the Justice League are pretty much guaranteed already.

Dick Grayson as Robin, Wally West as Kid Flash, Roy Harper as Speedy, Donna Troy as Wonder Girl, Kaldur’ahm as Aqua Lad.

Then there’s Kara who will be joining in as well as Supergirl.

If it were others, they would be satisfied with this lineup already. But not me. That’s because I know there are still many young talents out there.

Plus, there are too few girls here!

...Ahem, but that’s not the main point.

Anyway, the team can use a little more diversity when it comes to abilities. I should start looking.

This begs the question though.

...Where do I start?

I already have some names at the top of my head but I didn’t know where to look for them.

There’s Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire...okay, maybe not Starfire just yet. There’s also Artemis, Zatanna Zatara,  Lagoon Boy...on second thought, I think he’s annoying so let’s not include him.

Miss Martian would also be nice. Only, I don’t know if she’s still on Mars or if she is already here on Earth.

Maybe I can even recruit Deathstroke’s daughter...if he already has one in this world…

Blue Beetle is also good but I still don’t know if the Blue Beetle here is Reyes or someone older.

Let’s see, who else...Static, Terra...maybe Jinx too?

…

Simply put, there are a lot of them and I still don’t know where to look for them.

After thinking about it, I sighed and shrugged.

Forget it. I’ll just go to the Batcave for now and use the Batcomputer to put a tag on these people. Once the satellites pick up their locations, I will then go and recruit them.

While I was typing away on the Batcomputer, Alfred approached me.

“Would you like some tea, young master Lucas?”

“Ah, thanks Alfred.”

I took the tea from Alfred and took a sip while still focused on the monitor.

Alfred looked at the screen as well and asked.

“Are these the new recruits?”

“Yep.”

“...I still can’t quite figure out how you know all these people when you’ve never met then.”

“Hehe, you can say I dreamt about them.”

I just laughed and didn’t fully explain. It wasn’t like I can say that I used to read about them in the comics and watch them in TV series in another world, right?

Alfred raised a brow and looked at the screen again.

“...I would understand the females. But for you to be dreaming about boys, are you sure you are okay?”

“Screw you! You're the one who's not okay!”

Alfred just chuckled when I glared at him.

I was about to shout at him more in irritation when the Batcomputer beeped.

Looking back to the screen, there was a small bat logo on the map and a name on top of it.

Ah? It already found one of them? And it’s...Raven?

Seeing who this person was, I scratched my cheek and deliberated on what to do.

Should I go there right now or wait for a bit more?

...Screw it, I’ll just go.

“I’m leaving!”

“Take care, young master Lucas!”

I quickly flew over to where Raven was and stopped a few distances away in the sky.

I didn’t plan to approach her immediately. For now, I decided to observe and see the situation first.

While in the air, still hidden behind the clouds, I saw Raven who wore a black tattered robe with a hood. She was crouched down on an alleyway while pinching on a leftover bread she had found in the trash.

…

Okay, fine! How can I still remain silent after seeing this!?

I was about to approach when a couple of hooligans started to swager their way towards Raven. I doubt they saw her face considering she wore the hood quite low so they probably don’t know that she’s a beauty.

In fact, the satellite was only able to catch a glimpse of her when she looked up momentarily and revealed her face.

Stopping, I waited and see what Raven will do.

Sure enough, the hooligans started to jeer and laugh at her who looked like a homeless person. They were about to start kicking her just for the heck of it so I immediately intervened.

But before I could do anything, a black shadow slithered out of Raven’s robes and started to attack the hooligans.

Seeing this, the hooligans finally knew they messed with the wrong person and started to run while calling for help but this was an alleyway. Most people tend to avoid it and not get caught up in anything and get themselves hurt.

That’s why, despite their yelling, no one arrived to their rescue.

In just a minute, they were grabbed by the shadow and swung to the walls with heavy thuds. Soon, none of them were able to stand anymore.

They weren’t dead. Rather, they had all fainted from the pain and trauma they had felt just now.

I sighed and started to descend in front of Raven who was shaking while looking at her hands, seemingly not believing that she had done something so terrible.

When she saw me land in front of her, she quickly stepped back and the shadow reappeared again on its own as it started to attack me.

I only looked at the shadow and raised my hand to grab it.

“Rachel Roth. That is you, correct?”

“H-how do you know me!?”

Raven seemed to be shocked that someone was able to stop her power with their bare hands and took another step back for caution.

I tried to smile at her gently to show her I meant no harm.

“I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to help you control your abilities better.”

“Help…?”

I looked at the unconscious hooligans and continued.

“Don’t worry about them, they’re not dead. At most, they will spend a few weeks in the hospital.”

I looked back at Raven and released my hand on the shadow.

“You don’t need to worry about me either. I’m strong so it's impossible for you to kill me. Even if you lose control, I can stop you.”

“...”

The shadow lingered in front of me for a bit but returned to Raven’s side.

“There is more to your abilities than this shadow thingy. I know you can also sense other people’s emotions so you should be able to tell that I’m not here to harm you.”

“...”

Seeing Raven still silent, I sighed and shrugged my arms.

“Alright, I’ll be honest with you. The truth is, I am building a team of young heroes that can assist the Justice League when needed. Recruiting you is also a way for me to monitor and contain you in case you become a threat. I know there is a demon residing in you and if I simply leave you be, one day, you will lose control. Whether you like it or not, you will start killing people and bring about destruction. I just want to help you stop that from happening.”

Facing an empath capable of reading emotions, I didn’t hide anything from her and spoke the truth. Of course, I can simply block her with my own mental powers easily but that will only lead her to doubt me even more. Eventually, it will become a problem.

Raven was still silent and I can see her deliberating about my offer a bit more.

Since my presence here might make it harder for her to reach a decision immediately, I was about to leave to give her some moment alone when she started to speak again.

“...I’ll go with you.”

Surprised, I asked her once again.

“Are you sure? It’s fine if you need more time to think about it.”

“No. I don’t have anywhere else to be. As you said, I can tell when people are lying...and I can also tell if a person is good or not...maybe you somehow tricked me, maybe not. Anyway, I don’t have anything else to lose.”

Hearing her, I raised a brow and approached her with a smile.

“Oh? You’re quite beautiful, are you sure you don’t have anything else to lose?”

Raven looked up at me with emotionless eyes even after I teased her which only made me embarrassed.

“I don’t mind being your woman. You're strong, handsome, and I can tell from your clothes that you’re also rich. I also don’t see any malicious intent from you so I know you won’t let me suffer.”

“...”

I sighed and knew that Raven was messing with me as well. Anyway, she can sense my thoughts. Even if she can’t read minds, she can still tell that I was just joking earlier.

When I was about to turn around, I caught a glimpse of her mouth curling upwards.

…

I shook my head and didn’t bother to argue any further.

“Come on, I’ll buy you some clothes first and other necessities then I’ll show you where you will be living.”

Mount Justice also has several rooms so she can stay there for now.

Raven accompanied me to the mall and had her pick a few clothes and underwear.

After a few hours, I was already holding a ton of bags. She didn’t just buy clothes, she also bought a few other electronics and even game consoles.

“...You sure bought a lot…you even bought a PS4 and Nintendo Switch...are you going to be a freeloader?”

“This might be the only time I will ever be able to go out. Might as well take advantage of it.”

...So she IS going to be a freeloader!

I sighed again and wondered if Raven really had this character…

Beastboy is one thing. I know that kid likes playing games often but Raven?

Well...she is still just a teenager. I think she’s 18 years old at the moment? So I guess it isn’t that unbelievable…

Then, I took a look at the games she bought.

Dark Souls, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry...okay, fine. This is more believable.

A demon girl playing demon games...in Chinese novel expressions, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She also bought other things like makeups, perfumes, lipstick, combs, and such. She didn’t seem all that bothered either when she bought her underwear with me there.

I must say, it’s really not good for my heart seeing her pick up black lace bras and panties...now I can’t get the image out of my head.

I shook those thoughts away and waited until Raven was done.

Once she was done, I produced a white hard light and shaped it into a box to carry all the bags.

Raven still can’t control her powers to let her fly so I carried her in my arms while dragging the box of shopping bags with me as I flew.

Huh? I can just make a seat shaped from hardlight and carry Raven that way? Nonsense! How can I legitimately touch a beauty if I did that!?

Raven looked at the white hardlight copied from Green Lantern’s powers and was silent.

Feeling that she might be thinking why I am carrying her physically when I can just use the hardlight, I quickly spoke.

“Ahem, this is one of my powers. I can shape it into anything I imagine just like Green Lantern’s ability. If you want, I can make a plane instead and let you ride it?”

“...No, I was just thinking how similar it is to my powers as well. You control the light while I control the darkness. Isn’t it romantic?”

“Uhh...I guess?”

Hearing her say that made me think of two Marvel heroes. Cloak and Dagger.

Thinking about it, we really look similar to them...just genderbent…

While I was thinking of such nonsense, I felt Raven’s head rests on my shoulder as she closes her eyes.

“I don’t mind being carried like this. You’re very warm.”

I can’t even respond to that. In just a few seconds, I could already hear her steady breathing. She’s already fallen asleep.

The shopping must’ve tired her a lot.

I smiled at her then flew off at a steady pace so as to not disturb her sleep.

In a few minutes, we have reached Mount Justice.

Raven was still asleep so I carried her to her room so she can sleep properly on the bed.

When I settled her down, I couldn’t separate myself from her. It wasn’t because I was unwilling...but since both her arms were around my neck and her grasp is quite strong, I was unable to remove myself.

Of course, with my strength, I can easily force her to let go of me but that could either harm her if I don’t control my strength well or wake her up.

I sighed and laid her down on the bed and phase-shifted quickly.

I settled her things in her room and took one last look at her before leaving.

===

As soon as Lucas left the room, Raven’s eyes opened.

She looked at the door and pouted. She didn’t think that he would even have that ability as well.

Sighing, she looked at the door and thought for a moment. She stood up and walked towards it.

Her hand gripped the door and hesitated.

Finally, she turned the knob.

With a click, the door opened.

Raven sighed in relief and closed the door again.

Actually, she was still doubting Lucas even now. Only when she saw that she isn’t being locked and kept prisoner did she finally believe in him.

She looked at the shopping bags in her room and smiled.

As she started to unpack and organize her things, she saw the game consoles and looked around the room.

“...There’s no TV…”

She picked up the console and walked out of her room.

Raven didn’t know where to go so she just picked a direction randomly and started to look around.

After a few minutes, she finally found Lucas. He was in a kitchen area and was cooking something. She ignored the nice smell from the food and glared at Lucas.

“...Isn’t this place too big? Why is there no one here?”

“Ah, you’re awake? Well, this base is actually inside a mountain so it is pretty big. Right now, there’s just you and me. The group hasn’t been officially formed and the other members will slowly be arriving here.”

Raven looked around again and asked.

“Where can I put this?”

“Hm?”

Lucas looked at the game console in her hands and smiled wryly.

“Hold on. I’ll show you around once I finish cooking.”

Suddenly, they heard a growl.

The two looked at each other for a few minutes. Finally, Raven put the console on the table and sat on a chair.

“I’m hungry.”

“...”

Lucas smiled wryly again and continued cooking without saying anything.

There was an awkward silence again between the two so Raven spoke again.

“Come to think of it, I still don’t know your name.”

“...I thought you knew already? Did you actually follow someone without knowing who they are?

Raven tilted her head.

“Why should I know you?”

Lucas was speechless. He thought that everyone on Earth already knows him…

Sighing, he introduced himself.

“I’m Lucas. Lucas Wayne.”

“Oh. I’m Rachel Roth. But you already know that.”

“...”

Lucas was speechless again. He already said his name and she still didn’t show any reaction?

“Have you never heard of me?”

“? Are you popular or something?”

“...Nevermind. Food’s ready. Come and eat.”

Lucas shook his head and didn’t bother to explain as he put the food on the table and placed a plate in front of Raven.

He looked around and saw where the utensils were placed so he handed her a pair of spoon and fork as well.

As the two of them eat, Raven continued to ask.

“You said that you are forming a team to back up the Justice League. Are you a member of the Justice League?”

“You can say that.”

Lucas smiled and thought inwardly.

I made the Justice League in the first place…

Raven didn’t mind the ambiguous way he answered and continued.

“Who are the other members?”

“Well, there are already a few fixed members. They are mainly the sidekicks of the current Justice League. Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad. Tomorrow, I will be bringing another member here. She is a Kryptonian like Superman and is actually his cousin. Due to circumstances, she landed here on Earth and I’ll be training her as well. I hope you two will get along.”

Raven nodded.

“...Is it really okay for you not to lock me up?”

Lucas laughed at her question.

“Would you rather I chain you up and lock you in some kind of dungeon?”

“...Maybe.”

Lucas was shocked at her answer.

He looked at her squarely in the eyes and spoke in deep seriousness.

“Rachel.”

Perhaps Raven was slightly intimidated seeing Lucas suddenly become serious. She gripped her hand and forced herself to look at him in the eye as well.

She felt that his playfulness from earlier was a lie and he is now about to show his true intentions.

Lucas continued to look at her and asked without changing his tone.

“Are you perhaps...a masochist?”

“...”