Donna set her glass down. Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through: "I knew she wasn't our Raven when I heard she'd taken the Tower and demanded we bend the knee. I fought her. I lost. She claimed her prize, and I swore to follow the winner, whoever she was. That's my code. But I won't speak for anyone else."
Kyla-el's mouth pressed tight at the corners. She looked around the table, weighing each face.
"Then I'll say the rest plain," she said. "Raven's body holds a different soul. A traveller, of you will. Not from our world, or could be, given how familiar she is with us. But not from any we know. She was honest when pressed. She was also effective, as you've all seen. But she is not our Raven."
Silence rolled out a second time, deeper than before.
Harley scratched her cheek. "Okay, but like… what are we doing about it?"
"First," Kyla-el said, "I give you a choice. If this makes you feel betrayed, or used, or just done, you can leave now. No one will chase you. No one will call you a coward. You will be safe. It's… perfectly reasonable." She gestured, and a thin door-shaped boomtube opened in the night air at the edge of the roof, a quiet rectangle of darkness that hummed like a big cat, a creation of hers that would send those who pass through it to a designated location.
"Please… take your time." Kyla-el added as she watched the faces of those at the table.
"I am guessing I don't have a choice?" Enchantress finally spoke.
"You were under punishment from… let's call her… Dark. You were under punishment from Dark, and the one whom I follow is Dark. Until your case is resolved, you are under Dark and by extension, me as well." Kyla-el answered after taking another sip of wine.
Enchantress sighed at that, almost cursing, but stared back at the food and sat down to eat once more, but this time more ladylike.
No one moved.
Kyla-el didn't push. She lifted her glass again instead, taking a small drink. "Second, for those who stay? We have a problem. For those not in tune with the power cosmic, the universe is moving against her. Powerful beings have started to test our borders. If we fall apart now, we lose more than a goddess, a friend and a means to somehow reach Raven, IF we still can. We lose the ground we've taken—order in places that were never safe. We lose leverage. We lose time."
Poison Ivy set down a bowl, fingers tapping softly on the wood. "What does staying mean?" she asked. "Tasks. Risks. Lines we won't cross to be crossed? Our lives? FOR WHAT CAUSE? Forgive my outburst, I had already decided long ago to follow… Dark. Her essence is genuine and raw if anything. But what are you asking of us?"
"It means you'll follow my lead while she's gone," Kyla-el said. "It means you'll be asked to hold territory and keep people alive within those territories without starting new wars. It means when we move to bring her back, you will be part of that plan, or you will stay out of the way."
"'Bring her back' means what, exactly?" Batgirl asked. She finally looked up. Her eyes were wet but hard. "Our Raven? Or the other one? Dark?"
Kyla-el didn't flinch. "We don't know if our Raven can be recovered. We believe the soul that took her place can be. She—Dark, may be the only one who can hold what's coming off. I won't lie to you to make that easier."
Batgirl nodded once, like a tiny bow. Her mouth flattened into a line.
"Thank you." she said, and meant it. She really wanted the one who made her feel and do things she otherwise would have never felt and done before.
Huntress leaned back, arms crossed. "If the choice is between chaos and someone who kept their promises…" she said, trailing off. "I'll stay. Just don't hand me a collar."
"No collars… at least not from me." Kyla-el said. "No thrones either—at least not today."
Catwoman swirled the wine again, thinking. "I like winners," she said. "I like being alive. I like a city where kids can walk after dark and not pick up shell casings. I'll stay."
Donna let out a breath she'd been holding. "I already gave my word," she said. "You still have it."
Harley popped a grape into her mouth. "I'm, like, ninety percent sure this is a terrible idea. We are like the real BAD GUYS this time." she chirped. "But I love terrible ideas. I'm in."
Beast Boy didn't say anything for a long moment. Then: "Raven believed all of you were worth saving when no one else did." He rubbed the back of his neck. "If there's a chance to get her—or her—back, I want to help."
Poison Ivy tilted her head. "If the plan protects the living world, I'm yours," she said. "If it burns forests to save an empire, I'm gone. Those are my conditions."
"Given what we are up against… that would be difficult." Kyla-el said. "I won't promise that, but I can assure you that I'll do my best and more to make sure it is so."
Jinx and Bumblebee watched Victor. Victor watched Kyla-el. After a beat, he nodded. "You already knew my answer," he said. "Say what you need."
Enchantress licked her thumb and dragged it across the last smear on her plate. "I will remain… not that I have a choice." she said, sounding bored and satisfied at once. "The food is good. The war will be better."
"War…" Batgirl whispered to herself as her eyes drooped.
Kyla-el's shoulders eased, just a little. "All right," she said. "Then let's talk about how this actually works."
She lifted her hand again. The steel floor behind her rose into a simple map, a clean relief of the Galaxies claimed by their goddess and the near-space around it. Green lights pulsed where the various Lantern spectrum patrols overlapped. Orange for Tamaran fleets. Soft blue points marked spaces and domains that were once owned by gods that fell to Raven's harem. A few red sparks flared where trouble had recently happened and might again. That was to be explained later.
"Donna, Huntress—keep Gotham in the shape she carved," Kyla-el said. "Don't expand. Don't pick new fights. If anyone tests you, make an example that ends the day, not one that starts a war. We need to be ready at all times and not caught in the middle of something."
Donna nodded. Huntress tipped her glass in a silent yes.
"Catwoman and Batgirl," Kyla-el went on, "you'll own the streets between cities and some parts of the sea under our goddess's command. You needn't worry, I will relinquish command and authority of the seas into your hands, and I expect that with time, the rest of the sea will fall under your command. As we speak now, I feel more of it has been taken."
Batgirl's mouth quirked. "And even if you do give us the power, I am not sure we will be that powerful enough to go up against the likes of Aquaman… I mean, did you see what he did recently? And if I can remember correctly, aren't there like gods of the seas that would want us gone? Do we just go with the flow metaphorically?" she asked with hope.
"Metaphorically, and I am getting there, give me a sec." Kyla-el echoed. It was almost starting to feel like when she was Superman and fighting the good fight, allies, comrades, plans and tactics.
"Ivy, I want every plant listening through the city and beyond. Can you manage that?"
Ivy's eyes warmed. "It will be difficult… but I am sure I can manage." she said, almost to herself.
"Victor, Jinx," Kyla-el said, "you're the spine. Communications, energy, counter-intel. If someone gets into our systems, I want them caught inside like a fly in amber. Bumblebee, support."
Victor's smile showed one tooth. "Say please."
"Please," Kyla-el said, and the table chuckled.
Are they now handing out powers like it's a Super Saiyan bargain? - Said someone.
The balance of power is shifting now, Raven is still trapped in the source wall, Kyle Reyner is learning more about the life equation and his powers, and Blackfire is out and unleashed with greater power than before.
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