Kathy's Baltimore to the causeway, so-late-Monday-night-it's-actually-Tuesday-morning

[tigerundercover]

There wasn't a lot to scavenge in an empty city in the middle of winter, but Raven still wasn't ready to give up on the causeway just yet. Fandom would pull through for her -- somehow. She didn't believe in much anymore, but she had to believe in that just a little bit longer.

Besides, the way her life was going, it would open back up the moment she gave up and left.

She'd managed to clear out a few local exes in the last couple days, enough that she felt confident enough dozing next to her small fire. She kept it lit for light more than warmth, in case the road just decided to fade back into existence in the middle of the overcast night. Plus, it meant she had just enough light to practice making shark-tooth faces at herself in a little shard of mirror.

She'd learned how to make her own fun.

[ooc: For those expected. THE JOURNEY IS NEARLY OVER!]

Comments

[tigerundercover]

Val would actually get a little bit of side eye from Raven, seeing as she'd actually been someone's pet dog for a while. Val would win her over eventually, though.

"You house sounds good," Raven assured him. "I haven't slept in a house since, like, October."

That probably wasn't as reassuring as she thought it was.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Nope! Not in the least! Raven was very bad at this game, where 'this game' was 'not making Hardison look at her in horror.'

"Yeah, so, first order of business," Hardison said, barely remembering to scoop up his computer and shut down the program. "Get you home, get you fed, get you somethin' warm an' comfy to sleep in." He paused, remembering Raven's propensity to make her own clothing. "Okay, maybe not that last one. Hot bath instead?"

[tigerundercover]

So the fun thing about being a shapeshifter: when your eyes go wide, they sometimes went really extra wide. "I haven't had hot running water since before LA!"

So that was a 'yes please' on the bath, there. She might be immune to cold, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy a good hot water experience.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"We'll get you into the tub while Eliot makes you somethin' to eat," Hardison promised immediately. Hell, he'd be promising her the moon if she'd made that face at him right now. "Maybe we'll even find a way for you to eat in the tub!"

Like...have Val drag a tray in? Something? He'd let Parker figure it out if Raven liked the idea. She was the Mastermind for a reason.

[tigerundercover]

Hardison, Raven was naked right now. She wasn't even pretending not to be. You think she was going to get mad at someone bringing her food while she was in a tub?

"That sounds very . . . posh," Raven decided. "But we can do it one thing at a time."

More might actually be kind of overwhelming, let's be real.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Yeah, but she'd be...more naked in the bathtub! Super-naked! Like being naked except for socks, which only highlighted how very naked you were!

Besides, Hardison was so happy to see Raven right then that he hadn't even noticed that she wasn't mimicking clothing. He was too excited to be seeing her in the flesh to realize how much flesh there was.

"Whatever works best for you," Hardison assured her, leading her past the diner and towards Eliot's--now their--home. "Girl, you could probably get a piggyback ride outta me right now you asked right. All the way up these damn stairs."

[tigerundercover]

"It's okay. I'm used to walking." Raven's callouses had callouses with callouses. She looked back at the diner, confused. "Did you move?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Yeah, right around the New Year," Hardison said, managing somehow to smile even wider. "Me an' Parker decided to move in with Eliot. He had more space anyhow."

And it left Raven with a place to live once she settled in. But he figured he'd bring that up later. Let her get used to the idea of being safe first, before he threw the idea of her own apartment at her.

[tigerundercover]

Raven let out a little squeak, then clapped her hand over her mouth. "You all moved in together!" That was adorable. "I guess you're finally managing to tame Mr. Spencer, huh?"