LogFAQs > #936552848

A

"Oh well I'm going to need to see them all then," you say with a chuckle.

Raven grumbles while her mother giggles. The three of you put things away in the kitchen and you quickly rinse them down with water before following the ladies to a back room.

"Here we are," Arella says as she opens a door.

She walks in, followed by Raven. You go in last, and see this room is not too different aesthetically from Raven's room at Titan Tower. The bed is considerably smaller but has a similar canopy resembling the hood of the Azarathian cloak.

"Just how you left it," Arella says to Raven.

"It definitely is," Raven says as she goes to the bed.

Raven sits down while Arella brings out a book from a shelf. You walk over to sit with Raven on the foot of the bed and Arella brings the book over. She sits on your other side and sets the book on your lap. You open it and see a little baby Raven swaddled in a blue blanket while in her mother's arms.

"Aww," you say with a little chuckle.

Raven blushes a little as you continue through. There's toddler Raven, perhaps no older than five years, having her height measured against a wall, and apparently learning to eat with utensils and not her hands. There are many others as she grows up, from her first use of her powers to just a sweet smile in the sunlight. Then there's Raven at about 10 years old wearing her first cloak and leotard, which were also pure white.

"Adorable," you say. "Are those still around? It'd be surreal to see something from when Raven was so small."

"Oh, I suppose Raven wouldn't have told you," Arella says while Raven starts to blush again. "The materials used in the cloak and the leotard are Azarathian 'soul fuse' fabrics. They grow and change with the person they were made for."

"So, you've been wearing the same leotard since you were a child?" you ask Raven.

"Leotards," she defends. "Plural. But yes. They aren't one-size-fits-all, but more... all-you-will-ever-need."

"Impressive enchantment magic," you say. "Is that also the power behind changing color like a mood ring?"

"Yes, actually," Arella says. "Which is part of why I knew them returning to all white was sign of something wonderful between you two."

Arella smiles at you and Raven, and the two of you smile at each other.

"However, the belts are a bit different," Arella says as she looks at her daughter's waist. "Oh, and what's this?"

She reaches across you to touch Raven's belt and observe the new gems in the light.

"Rorek put these in for me," Raven says with a proud smile. "Jewelcrafting and enchantment for some passively active magic."

"That's impressive, too," Arella says.

"Thank you," you say.

"Oh, you should share some of the photos we have," Raven says.

"Oh, yes, I would love to see those," Arella says.

"Well they're only on my phone, but I suppose I could."

You bring out your phone and project the photos for everyone to see.

"How lovely," Arella says as she sees Raven with the wind blowing and the shining sea behind her.

"Wow..." Raven says. "Rorek, that looks incredible. I don't think I'd seen these back since you took them."

Raven rests her head on your shoulder as you move through the slideshow.

"Aww," Arella says as she sees the selfie. "How cute. When and where were these taken?"

"Southern California," you say. "Over a month ago, actually."

"We weren't officially a couple then, but we were quite literally on the road to it," Raven says.

"Wait, you've only known each other a few months and you're wanting to get married?"

Arella sits up and has a very serious and disapproving look on her face.

"Well, yes," you say, suddenly feeling guilty. "But it's felt like much longer."

"Mother, it's not that big of a concern," Raven says.

"Are you sure?" Arella says. "What could possibly make getting engaged after only a month of being together 'not that big of a concern'?"

"Because of everything that's happened in that same month," Raven says. "Just the other day, Rorek and I slayed a dragon. This same dragon basically seduced me into freeing him!"

"What? Why didn't I know about this dragon?"

"Well, we don't exactly have an interdimensional telephone or mailing system," Raven says. "And... I felt really stupid for being so naive and gullible, and vulnerable... Plus, in the grand scheme of things, being catfish'd didn't compare to how I still feared my father using me to conquer the universe."

"Catfish'd?"

"It's slang for a situation like that," you explain. "A person pretends to be someone completely different, sometimes to the literal sense where they create a fake identity to hide behind."

"Oh. Raven, you could've visited and told me about this catfish dragon. Honestly, it feels almost like a 'like mother, like daughter' situation."

You stay quiet as that sinks in.

"Well, this may be very fast," Raven speaks up. "But my life has never been normal. I don't want to upset you, but I'm not changing my mind."

"If you're not changing your mind, then can't you at least be more patient?" Arella asks as she stands up. "It doesn't have to be your very next birthday. You could wait an extra year, to see if this relationship of yours is built to last."

"I think we should also mention how you and I fought through my family's situation," you tell Raven.

"Your family?" Arella asks.

"Right," Raven says. "Rorek's family is basically magic royalty, and he had a very long list of young women ready to be engaged as soon as he turned 18. I literally had duels with some of them to deny them his hand in marriage. He's mine one way or another at this point, so why wait?"

"Or more logically," Arella counters, "why rush it?"

Raven and her mother both grumble and frown at each other, and you also see a resemblance.

A) Side with Raven
B) Side with Arella
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Go Catgirls!