Daniel Wolff

"Daniel Wolff." Honestly you're tipping your hand a little with this one. The name is an anagram of Slade Wilson, with each "s" replaced by the pre industrial grapheme which corresponded to "f." Obvious anagram is obvious, but it's also a common enough name that a cursory search on it won't reveal anything and uncommon enough that using it won't arouse suspicion.

She repeats it, mulling over the name.

"So that was...a truth compulsion right?"

She snaps back reappraising you.

"I tried to lie about being a fan. Didn't want you to think I was being a creeper or something, but it came out anyway."

"Oh" she's looking away nervously.

Deciding you've come this far it's time to take a bit of a gamble.

"It's...fine. I probably wasn't as up front with you as I should have been. I can't fault you for being suspicious."

She drags her cloak in closer around herself.

"I...should probably just get going" you offer, making for the door.

You can't help the sense of satisfaction as she calls after you.

"It's not-" she begins

You pause looking back at her.

"It wasn't ok for me to do that" she swallows hard. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I should have heard you out. I should have talked to you but..."

"Talking is hard for you?"

She nods averting her gaze.

"You seemed pretty animated when you were talking about Azarathian marriage culture."

You note another flush of her cheeks, followed by a shake of her head. "No that was just...I guess you'd call it dating. Marriage is different."

You raise an eyebrow, recognizing the pattern. "But you still want someone to talk to about it? Someone to explain it to?" She nods again, seeming to light up a little bit.

"But other things are harder to talk about right? Like your relationship with Starfire?" There's the kicked puppy look again.

"...I can tell you want to talk to me about Azarath. And I would like to hear about it."

"But-" she replies deadpan.

"But I think I could help you handle this if you told me more."

She seems to withdraw more. "How?"

"Well, I think we were making some progress before you y'know..."

She nods slowly.

"And since you don't like talking about this...I'm guessing you haven't actually talked with Starfire about this?"

"I-"

"Or at least not enough that she fully understands the differences that are happening."

"...No."

"Well...maybe if you told me that would make it easier."

She sits down on one of the benches for a moment. "I don't know."

"Well you were pretty articulate earlier? Couldn't you keep doing that?"

"That was different."

"Is it because you attacked me?"

"No!" she sputters for a moment. "It's like...before you were just some random guy. I didn't know you and you were just there and I was...venting. And now I know your name and it's..."

"I'm not just some random guy anymore?"

"No...now you're Daniel...the weirdly perceptive pizza delivery fanboy."

You place both hands to your chest in mock shock "You wound me fair Raven."

You note the faint tugging at her lips at the gesture. "Who may or may not be a sorcerer in disguise" she continues.

Raising your eyebrow again you shrug. "Wouldn't know about that" you dismiss quickly before sitting down in front of her cross legged.

"But I DO know that problems don't go away unless you deal with them. And if you're not going to deal with it yourself, then maybe the magical pizza delivery man can?"

She raises an eyebrow. "So you do have magic then?"

"If I had magic, why would I be wearing a talisman that makes using it impossible?"

She narrows her eyes perceptively before leaning back.

"Consider it this way, either I can help you in which case maybe things between you and Starfire can be better-" you note the slight hitch in her breath as the thought enters her head "or I can't in which case all you've lost is an hour telling your story to a stranger who no one will believe anyway."

She consider for a moment longer before speaking up again. "Why are you so keen on helping me?"

"I'm a fan remember. Being able to help you is sort of my dream." She stares flatly at you.

"Ok...and you were right earlier" she raises an eyebrow "I did get "aroused" when you mentioned you and Starfire together."

She shuffles around under her cloak pulling her knees to her chest.

"Pervert" it's almost imperceptible but you're almost certain you can see her smiling from behind her knees.

"Sue me. So do you want a wing man or not?"

She's quiet for another moment before nodding.

She begins by telling you how this all started when she and Starfire kept meditating together. How it was nice to just enjoy the silence and quiet mantra's together. Then how their ritual got more involved as they would go out to eat someplace afterwords. Then how after that they'd start trying something new. Sometimes it was trying on clothes. Other times going to a movie or show. And that eventually it got involved enough that when they started meditating they ended up spending the whole day together. How time just seemed to not matter and how they could have been doing anything. The only thing that was important was that they were together.

It wasn't until they came back from one of their day trips when Starfire immediately kissed Robin that she realized she wanted...more. She wanted what they had. She wasn't stupid. Knew that Starfire might not accept her. Knew that Robin would take a LOT of convincing. But that if she could manage it, she'd have what she had never been allowed to want before. A relationship, a proper azarheth.

After going through the proper cleansing rituals she approached Starfire privately and performed the Azar hai. Starfire had been so happy when she'd done that. The look of unadulterated joy and innocence had sent her heart fluttering and memorizing each precise step had been absolutely worth it. Afterwords she explained the rituals meaning and Starfire was overjoyed. They embraced and kissed and...other things, and it was all so nice.

This went on for almost a week, during which they planned how they would tell Robin. She taught Starfire the Azar hai as a means of enticing him, even as she began studying the Azar loe to cement their distance from one another, but still share their mutual admiration and love for Starfire.

But Robin was...Robin. Inquisitive. Curious. Investigative and...suspicious. Before they had everything ready he barged in on them as they were sleeping together. That was the first moment Raven recognized that what she did, from Robin's perspective at least, was wrong. A betrayal of trust he'd placed in her. Placed in Starfire. He got angry and in spite of her hasty explanation and their mutual plan, he didn't want to hear it.

Starfire tried to calm him down and he'd said things. Hurtful things. Things that he couldn't take back. Robin stormed off, Starfire was heartbroken and Raven was left stunned and full of guilt. By the next morning Robin was gone and had left a short note;

"Gone to train with the Grand Master. Be back later."

Raven tried to console Starfire. Tried to quell her own guilt at hurting her own teammate and friend...and only wound up making herself miserable. Starfire stayed locked in her room for three days, silent not even coming out to eat, while Raven was left alone to wonder how she had managed to make everything go so wrong.

When Starfire emerged from her room again, she was the same bright happy girl she'd always been. It was like the entire fight with Robin had never even happened. For Raven the guilt was still there but with Robin gone for who knew how long, she could finally have the relationship with Starfire she had wanted. The meditation same as always. The dinners. The dates...the things which came after the dates.

But it changed one day when Starfire said she wanted an azarbrow. The request had come almost out of nowhere and didn't make sense to Raven. It wasn't that there was a specific person she was thinking of, she just wanted one. Raven declined, stating that she wasn't ready for that. Starfire, as innocent as always had instead decided on finding another azarheth. Raven...couldn't deny her that. Not after what happened with Robin. Doing that would be admitting to Starfire that what she had done to Robin was wrong. That their entire relationship was based on an act of treachery and was poisoned from the start.

It was shortly after this that Cyborg and Beastboy suggested having a party. Throughout the entire process the pair had somehow managed to stay ignorant of the drama that had spread amidst their teammates. It was then that Starfire declared she would perform the Azar hai for everyone at the gathering. It was only then that Raven recognized how much Starfire had misinterpreted the ritual and the nature of Azarathean mating customs.

Not wanting to make things worse, Raven had withdrawn. Starfire even offered to have them perform the Azar hai together, so that they could both "claim" new azarheth. The thought had nearly turned her stomach and while she had politely declined she knew she couldn't keep doing this. Not willing to risk a confrontation and have Starfire hate her, she'd instead allowed their relationship to fallow into azarlebrow.

Which brought both of you back to the present. You can't believe your good fortune after hearing all of this. You actively school your face into one of concern and benign acceptance, but inwardly you are grinning like a madman. There are simply so many ways you could use this information. The only limit on what you could get out of this is your cunning and imagination.