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[gone_byebye]

The door opens onto an alley in New York City. It nearly always does.

"We go around the front and into the Firehouse," Ray says. "The door tends to lock behind me when I head to Milliways. Don't worry, the guys are all used to me bringing home strangers."

Comments

[creator_raven]

Raven laughs, the sound warm and bright, and only a little sharp.

"I am, I think, more than pleased to meet you. There have been stories."

He wrinkles his nose, still grinning.

"I am fond of those."

[gone_byebye]

Ecto gives a happy little squonk noise. "Daddy's told me about you," she says. "And he's read from the stories in the books, too. But mostly he's told me about you because he says the books aren't as interesting as the real thing. Do you eat eyeballs because they taste good or because there's something significant about 'em? There's all kinds of stuff about mythic significance in Daddy's books."

[creator_raven]

Raven considers this question.

"Symbols are useful, I think. On occasion."

He shrugs, sending ragged coattails flapping against his legs.

"But mostly, with the eyeballs, it is about the taste."

[gone_byebye]

"Cool," says Ecto. "I wish I had a-"

"Ecto, honey, what did Daddy tell you about wishes?" Ray interrupts quickly.

"'I don't trust midgets with wands and neither should you'?" Ecto offered.

"No, that's if you're offered a wish. I mean don't go making them unless you're prepared to deal with all the consequences."

"... oh yeah. Okay."

Ray looks back to Raven apologetically. "Sorry. In my line of work a carelessly dropped wish could make things way too interesting way too quickly."

[creator_raven]

Raven's smile is sharp.

"It is, I think, very wise of you."

There are always prices.

Then he blinks.

"It is the winged kind of midget?"

[gone_byebye]

"Any kind of midget," Ecto and Ray say simultaneously.

They have been over this before.

[creator_raven]

Another blink.

"Also bonsai?"

[gone_byebye]

"If a bonsai tree is offering my daughter wishes, I think we have bigger things to worry about," Ray says. "All things considered. Did you want to see that way down I was telling you about?"

[creator_raven]

"Bonsai mountains are trickier."

Raven makes a face. A face of resigned weariness.

Then he brightens.

"I would, I think. Yes."

[gone_byebye]

"Bonsai mountains?" asks Ray, interested. "I never heard of such a thing... Anyway. Yeah. Watch this."

He dashes for the nearby stairs, clambering up the flight with all the grace and quiet ease of a herd of rhinoceros. There are footsteps overhead a moment later.

"Daddy's going for the pole," Ecto quietly informs Raven. The directional lights along her left side flash.

"Okay, are you watching down there?" Ray's voice suddenly calls from the vicinity of the ceiling. "Here goes-"

ScreeeeeeeTHUNK!

"You gotta try this pole!"

[creator_raven]

Ray's comment by the mountains is met with an almost-quiet 'it is less complicated than the bonsai dolphins, I am reasonably certain'.

And then Raven watches, transfixed, as Ray plays what will shortly become Raven's favorite game ever.

He looks delighted, both at the speed of the descent and the noise.

Particularly the noise.

"It does not look very difficult, I do not think."

And then he heads for the stairs.

[gone_byebye]

Ray grins. "Would you believe Peter and Egon almost passed this place up? They didn't even look at the poles!"

He backs away from the pole so Raven will have room once he's made it upstairs and through the kitchen, where the other end of the pole is located.

[creator_raven]

It is unfortunate that, at almost that precise moment, there is a very loud crash from the kitchen.

Oops.

Hopefully nothing broke.

And then ScreeeeeeTHUMPthumpthump--

Okay, so the landing needs work.

But at least Raven's laughing.

"They are certainly not half so wise as they might be, then."

[gone_byebye]

"Wise isn't a big thing around here," Ray says, and Ecto honks her agreement. "Smart, yeah, wise, no. There's another pole over there- wanna race?"

[creator_raven]

If Raven were Freakazoid, he would say 'DO I?' at this point.

But as he is, alas, not blue and wearing red longjohns, he instead grins very brightly and breaks into a not-unimpressive sprint for the stairs.

One assumes this means 'yes!'

[gone_byebye]

Remember how it sounded like baby rhinoceros before when Ray ran up the stairs? Grown-up rhinoceros, now. Especially since Ray has to dart across the kitchen to the pole in the sleeping quarters once they get up to the top of the stairs, since you can't really race on just one pole.

Whoever gets down first is going to be greeted by a wide-eyed pair of young boys and an even wider-eyed woman a few years younger than Ray.

[creator_raven]

Raven is manifestly not pouting when Ray wins.

Experience, it seems, is very important in this game.

Or possibly Raven just likes making very loud noises (yay friction!).

At least this time he does not smash his face into the floor.

It will count as a victory for years to come.

And then he looks up, and blinks, and goes still--at least for a second.

"There is more than one door, yes?"

[gone_byebye]

"If you count the little one that opens through the main doors, yes," says Ray. "Hi, Catherine. Um, Raven, this is my sister Catherine; Catherine, this is my friend Raven..."

Catherine, to her credit, neither facepalms nor pinches the bridge of her nose. "Pleased to meet you," she says with a smile, offering a hand for the shaking. "It's not often Ray manages to talk anybody into using those poles."

[creator_raven]

Raven takes her hand briefly.

Then he gives it back.

"This is because people are often stupid. Also boring."

He laughs, then.

"Possibly I am very picky."

[gone_byebye]

"I like him, Mom," says the smaller of the boys.

As Catherine does her best not to roll her eyes, Ray grins. "And these are my nephews, Alex and Joey. Guys, meet Raven."

The taller of the boys, who looks a bit more like his mother, squints up at Raven. "Are you another scientist?" he asks skeptically.

[creator_raven]

"I have heard stories, I think."

He wrinkles his nose, head tilting to look at the taller boy.

"Mostly I am thinking no, yes?"

That last is a bit directed at Ray.

Raven is still grinning.

"I am not so good at rational, perhaps."

[gone_byebye]

"I'm not even going to ask, Ray," says Catherine wearily. "Just remember the rule, okay?"

"No blood, no fire?"

"I'll settle for 'no lingering evidence of blood or fire by the time I get back'," says Catherine, "but yes. You boys be good for your uncle, okay?"

"Okay," the boys chorus. Their mother hugs them, then opens the aforementioned little door and gets out of there.

The boys look back at Raven. "Okay," says Alex. "If you're not another scientist, are you one of the Jedi? Uncle Ray brought Master Qui-Gon back from Milliways once."

"He was blue," Joey volunteers. "I could see right through him. It was cool."

[creator_raven]

Raven attempts not to look shifty when Catherine mentions the rule.

It is almost successful.

Then he props himself up against the wall, head tilted, black eyes wide and bright.

"Mostly I am Raven, who sets things right. There are stories. And feathers."

He's a helpful creature, really.

Er.

[gone_byebye]

The look on Raven's face is pretty much one Catherine's seen every single time she's ever talked to Peter Venkman, so that's just... well, that.

Alex frowns a little at Raven's answer. "What kinds of things?" he asks.

"Alex," Ray says, "do you remember the story about how Raven stole the sun from the people who had it in a box?"

"Yeah?"

"This is that Raven."

"..... cool!"

[creator_raven]

Raven leans forward, flashing a bright grin.

"It is surprisingly easy to fit in a pocket, I am thinking."