14270/Let the Feelings Out

Let the Feelings Out
Date of Scene:	05 April 2022
Location:	Roof, Titans Tower
Synopsis:	Conner and Rachel have a chat atop Titan's Tower.
Cast of Characters:	Superboy, Raven

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Superboy has posed:
Titans Tower.

A chief achievement by the team and their ability to make a difference in the world. The large building stands atop a lone island and is, most noticeably, T-shaped. The technological wonders in this building are some of the most unique in the world, mimiced only by the predecessors of the team, the Justice League. The most spacious area - and in some opinions the best - was the roof of the Tower.

Covered in pools and pillows and balconies and grills, it looks like a dream out of a summer beach party movie. It was quiet and even serene.

That is, until a loud *THUD* was heard towards the roof area. The Tower had pinged the new arrival about three seconds before he actually arrived.

Superboy.

He wore standard clothes. Fatigue pants, dark boots, and a black shirt with his Superman emblem on the front emblazoned in red. He's probably back from one of his patrols into the city. Considering none of his clothes are torn or beat up, he probably didn't find much.

His feet solidify themselves on the ground and he stands up tall. The eternal frown on his face was noticeable, even as he started walking on the roof. He looks around, as if searching for other Titans.

Raven has posed:
The roof is perhaps the only place in the Tower aside her room that Raven will occasionally medidate. Sometimes she'll swim laps, sometimes she will sit on the pillows and read. Usually if there's a lot of the team up here she will make a brief appearance before retreating back to her room. It's safer for everyone that way.

Today, Raven is reading, reclined back in one of the seats, reviewing her history text book. Earth history was fascinating to her. The *THUD* of someone landing on the roof draws her attention from the textbook to the culprit. "Conner." She greets him in that deadpan tone of hers, expression neutral as ever. "A quiet patrol?" Her attire is relatively casual as well - a pair of dark jeans with a navy blue t-shirt and black spiked choker.

Superboy has posed:
"A boring patrol." Conner rarely corrects Raven, namely because Beast Boy is always trying to convince him not to correct Raven. Best to never earn her wrath. But Conner is currently walking towards her, he walks with his heels first to create that satisfying audible sound of boots meeting the hard floor. To be honest, Conner never minded Raven's presence. He would often be slightly upset if Rachel retreated to her room after making a brief appearance.

But some folks are just different than others. Some are quieter, some are louder. Some are the life of the party, some would prefer not to be in the party at all. Just depends on the person.

"Good book?" Conner's blue eyes turn to the textbook she was reading. He focuses his eyes as if to get the title from the textbook.

Raven has posed:
The truth may just be most Titans would prefer she stick around. Maybe Raven would have liked to stick around too, but she'd never tell. She watches Superboy come closer, sitting up a little in her seat. "American History." The textbook is lifted slightly to show him the cover. She wasn't very close with many of her fellow Titans and Conner was probably lower on the list of members she associated with regularly. He was very extroverted and that was...dangerous.

Her head tilts ever so slightly, setting her book aside then. "This city is never boring." She comments. "Quiet sometimes, but rarely boring. So why was this patrol boring?" Sometimes its less about Raven's wrath and more about her interrogating you with questions.

Superboy has posed:
"The shortest civilization history. But the foundation of heroes, I like to think. Freedom and democracy played important roles on the world stage." Conner actually lifts his lips in a little bit of a smile. He was extroverted, it's true. Largely stemmed from a more rebellious and slightly tempermental attitude. He was just guarded, really. He wasn't exactly taught proper social skills and failures in the cloning process made him a bit more reactive than the average person.

"It was today. The most I found was a petty theft on two occasions. I stopped it, but the small things sometimes makes you miss the big things. The world isn't ending today, which is good." He steps closer to Raven, gesturing to a spot next to where she was at.

"Can I sit here?"

A simple question. Conner never minded questions. He never really understood magic, only that it was dangerous and to be respected.

Raven has posed:
"I more find interesting how often history seems to repeat itself." Raven looked towards the book again for a moment. "Comparing it to the World History class I took last semester at least. You are correct though, America changed the world." She looked back up to Conner then, loosely lacing her fingers together as he asked if he could sit with her. She looks towards the open seats and then back to him. "If you would like to."

Rachel knew that it was important she try to get to know her teammates, especially the ones that she was uncertain of, like Conner. The more she knew about them, the better able she was to keep herself in check. "The world ending would be an undesirable outcome." She says finally, circling back to his comments about patrol. "So that is good, yes. Also the people whom you saved from being robbed likewise I'm sure are thankful. Their day has not been boring." There is the barest quirk of her lips upward as if she was going to smile, but it was gone in a blink

Superboy has posed:
Given permission, Conner decides to take a seat next to Rachel, coming down not as a flop so much as a slow and steady decline until he finds himself settled next to her. He exhales slowly, as if getting rid of all the irritation that the day brought. "In more ways than one." He looks at her. "What part are you on?" There's many good parts to America's history. Plenty of bad too.

"Yeah." Undesirable was an incredible understatement. Yet she circles back to his patrol and he finds himself being amused. "To them it's not boring, sure. But for us it's another day on the job. I guess boring doesn't really cover it. Just want to do more for people." Conner was a rage monster at times, but in his heart, he was a good person.

Strained and struggling, like everyone else, but good.

He noticed her barely-a-smile. It was minute, but he saw it. He liked it.

Raven has posed:
It's possible Raven was expecting Conner to sit in one of the many other empty seats available and not next to her because there's a slight tensing of her body as he settles in. She shifts a fraction of an inch away from him to make sure there's still plenty of space between them. "You could always volunteer at the homeless shelters or something." Despite the deadpan tone that makes many things sound sarcastic, he can likely pick up it's a sincere suggestion.

"You are there when help is needed, Conner. There is not much more that you can do as a superhero."

She lifts her book up again, placing it in her lap and angling it so he can see it. "A review of the Civil War. Though this textbook seems to put more emphasis on the reasons that led to the Civil War and the effects of the War on the citizens while it was going on which I enjoy." There's a beat of pause and then she asks, "How are your classes going?"

Superboy has posed:
She tensed up. Hopefully Conner wasn't so repulsive that she felt the need to gain distance immediately, but something could be said that Raven only moved an inch away as opposed to practically flying away at lightspeed. There's still plenty of distance between them to avoid it being awkward, but Conner lifts his shoulders in a shrug. "Sure." His own expression makes it difficult to know if he was being sarcastic or if he's genuinely accepting the offer. Well, we'll see on Wednesday.

"True." Conner's eyes narrow. He wanted to be like Superman. Even better if he was given half the chance. But that time will come, but it will come later.

Civil War history. "The best kind of history. Telling you the why, telling you the reasons, telling you who it affected. It's the fun one, instead of just telling you what happened, it tells you the stories involved." Conner shrugs. "My classes are going fine. I'm learning things. I think I'm going to try for an engineering major. I want to build motorcycles and cars."

Raven has posed:
"I agree. I like to know the details of the things I am studying. Not just the basic A to B." Rachel nodded once, looking back down to the textbook. "Engineering sounds interesting. I have not done much delving into those topics of research. If you enjoy cars though, and wish to build them, it sounds like a good field of study to go into." She thumbed over the page of her textbook a moment before closing the book and setting it aside once more.

"I am supposed to take chemistry next semester. Science has never been my...strongest subject. We will see how it goes." Rachel shifted in her seat again so she could face him better. "Do you have a favorite subject so far?" See? She can be sociable! When the topics are safe and neutral. Plus, knowing the sorts of classes someone enjoys can lend insight into them.

Superboy has posed:
"A to B is boring. Are you the type who likes to know A.1, A.2, etc? Fine details." Conner asks. "I do like cars. I...am still learning to have hobbies. Not everything can be heroics, there has to be time for normal too." He watches her out her book away and angle herself towards him. Thoughwhat she says about science makes him tilt his head. "I like science. I could help you through it if you want."

"My favorite subject is probably science. The math is a pain, but it's not something I'm bad at. I'm just lazy sometimes." He chuckles.

"It relaxes me I think. Much like books might do for you, it clears my head and keeps me calm. I'm not the most level-headed person when I'm stressed and I'm sorting that out, and fixing things teaches me patience." Blue eyes turn to look into Raven's own. "Have you picked a major yet?"

Raven has posed:
"Yes, precisely. The details are how you gain a better understanding of everything. I...greatly enjoy the details." Rachel said, seeming to choose her words carefully. There's a slight brow raise when he mentions liking science. "That would be appreciated. Yes. I will likely need assistance."

"Science or fixing things?" Rachel asked when he spoke of 'it' relaxing him. "Having constructive outlets is important." She might know this better than anyone. "If you need assistance in figuring out hobbies, I may be able to provide some suggestions." Even if she doesn't have too many herself.

When his eyes meet her own, Rachel hesistates a beat before averting her gaze just a little. Focusing on his face as a whole instead of his eyes specifically. "Not yet." She admits. "I want to pursue Psychology...but I do not believe it would be a wise course of action for me. So I am continuing to contemplate it."

Superboy has posed:
"The details give us the story." Conner mentions with a bit of a friendly smile. Raven's acceptance of assistance makes him nod. "Cool, I'll be there if or when you need me." If she ever needs him. Need is a strong word. But Conner doesn't seem to be putting too much thought behind his words. He's genuine in his words and tends to mean what he says and say what he means.

"Fixing things. Science makes me think. Fixing things makes me relax." Conner shrugs lightly. "What would you suggest?" by way of hobbies. "I know things, but...doing them and how I like is a little challenging for me." He notices her gaze shift ever so slightly. He can see the very atoms of her body, he notices that slight avertion. Did she feel nervous with eye contact?

"Why not Psychology? It's a popular study I think."

Raven has posed:
"Fixing things does seem like it would be a good way to relax if you were the handy sort." Rachel agreed. "My forms of relaxation are usually reading or meditation. Sometimes I will dare to watch a movie." It has to be some kind of joke. Especially when she clears her throat a little and turns her focus over towards the pool now instead of him. She was, perhaps, overly cautious sometimes.

"It is a popular area of study, but I am..." Her voice trails as she tries to figure out the right words. There's a soft sigh of resignation as she settles on, "I worry that the further into the subject matter I go, the harder it may be to keep myself in check." Another moment of pause before she adds, "You are one of the newer members to the team but," She turns to look at him again, "trust me when I say it would not be beneficial for anyone if I lost control of myself."

Superboy has posed:
Conner nods, before he notices how she coughs. He chuckles a little bit at the joke. "What kind of movies do you like?" Conversation! He turns a little bit in his seat so he can give her his full attention, and Raven is no longer spared from eye contact, unless she shies away from his gaze. "Reading is alright. I tend to read when I have to, which probably makes me sound like I hate books."

He looks at her long and hard then. "The same could be said for anyone here. I lose control sometimes too. I hurt feelings, I break things. I scream. But, as someone who was raised in a cage, it's okay to let things out or you'll hurt yourself too." He looks at Rachel then. "...besides, you look like you have a nice mind."

Raven has posed:
Raven manages to hold his gaze a little longer this time, but just like before it eventually does avert slightly again. "I appreciate it, Conner." Her fingers have laced together again in her lap now. "But letting things out is exactly what will cause problems in my situation." She gives her hands a brief squeeze. "It's why I spend so much time meditating. I do not want to endanger any of you." A beat of pause. "I am better about it than I used to be though." She feels the need to clarify that much at least.

She doesn't really like this topic of conversation, it's edging on too personal for her. She doesn't comment on his mention of her having a nice mind. The vague hint of pink on her cheeks and the way her grip tightens on her hands might be answer enough. She instead answers his question about movies. "I enjoy mysteries and comedies. Reality television is also rather interesting. It's like...a study of humanity...but with drama. What sort of things do you like to watch?"

Superboy has posed:
Conner watches her cheeks pinken. She tells him that she can't let things out or she'll hurt people. Conner scoots a little closer to her. "Well, you could talk to me about it if you want. I don't mind personal stuff." Conner hums a bit, though her hands tighten around each other. He lifts a hand as if to rest it on her shoulder. He reaches, and briefly intends to touch the tip of his finger against her shoulder if she permits the contact.

"You have friends here too."

Conner smiles at her. "I like action TV. I'm...a total guy like that I guess." He chuckles. "But I'll watch pretty much anything. We could watch something together sometime if you want."

Raven has posed:
Conner gets closer, Raven shifts slightly, avoiding that brief touch of his fingers to her shoulder. She unclasps her hands, picks up her textbook and starts to get to her feet. "I will remember that." Is her response to his comment about her having friends here.

"I am going to go continue studying in my room." Her feet lift off the ground. "...and yes, I would be open to watching something sometime." She agreed. She watched him for one more second and then turned, quickly flying towards the entrance back down to the living quarters, phasing through the wall instead of taking the door.

Once out of sight and safely back in her room, Raven drew in a slow breath and exhaled steadily. The textbook gets set down near the rest of them and an odd looking hand-held mirror is lifted off her dresser. There's some meditation in order before she can do anything else.