Demons (Damirae)

Chapter Eighty-Eight

Damian smiled at the memory. Those cubs were adorable. He cried publicly for a week when Bruce found out about them and sent them back to the zoo.

Bella's jaw was hanging open. In earnest, she stepped out from behind Bruce's legs and asked her brother, "Were they soft? And cute? And beautiful?!", her grass green eyes wider than tennis balls.

With equal sincerity and eagerness, Damian nodded and replied, "The softest, cutest, most beautiful things in the world.", Bella's little face welled with such explosive excitement that Damian thought she might burst. When her face gradually became a tomato, there was a general wave of concern in the room.

"Is she good?", Duke whispered to Cass, who merely shrugged, "I don't even know who this kid is!"

Besides her boyfriend, Selina knelt, eye level with the child, "Bella, are you-"

The five-year-old finally burst, jumping up and down in a circle around the woman, "AAAAAAAAAAAAH! Yesyesyesyesyesyes!", she ran over to Damian, still jumping as she urged him, "We're stealing them again!"

Bruce buried his face in his hands. Those were his children. His actual children. What did he do in a past life to deserve this?

In that moment, Damian knew that Belladonna truly was his sister, regardless of her plant-mother.

"Yes we are little Wayne,", he shook her hand, "yes we are indeed.", and ruffled her dark, springy ringlets.

Raven, who'd just returned from wrangling with her recently secretive brother, entered the kitchen, saw Damian and Belladonna shaking hands in an accord of mischief, and left. Today was not the day to be dealing with that. She might just unleash Trigon and end the world to give her some peace of mind.

***

With everyone bar Alfred out of the Manor (and Adyn slipped off to wherever the heck he was) Raven was left with very little to do. She tried to read in her room- no use. In the library- no use. In the living room- no use. So she left the book, quitted the living room, and figured some exercise would do her good. A change in clothes, five minutes of warmup, and twenty minutes in the simulation room later, Raven acknowledged that her mood had not slightly elevated. Abandoning the training room, Raven made her way to the kitchen, wherein she poured herself a mug of tea. Taking it in to the living room, she sat down on one of the sofa's, staring out of the large window at the impressive Manor grounds, drumming her fingers on the arm of the couch.

A meow from the doorway alerted her to the presence of Mr Pennyworth: the cat. He waltzed over to her, leaping up on to the sofa besides her and settling himself on her lap, curling up. Apparently his own bed wasn't comfortable enough. Raven stroked behind his ears, smiling as the cat vibrated, purring even more as she rubbed under his chin.

Nothing was quite as relaxing as a cat. So regal, and so adorable. Like Damian.

Every moment in the future that Raven reflected upon it, she couldn't understand why she'd done it, but in that moment, Raven felt the compulsion to reach out. She let her mind open a closed gate.

Father?

Child? You've never sought me out before, Raven. What Earthly troubles are there that you've resorted to me?

No, no that's not it.

Then what child? If you'd wanted to join me in ruling the universe you'd have released me by now. What is it you want?