Chapter Text
Raven considers herself good at college.
She was taught how to study on Azarath. She studied a lot . She spent endless afternoons in the library when she was not allowed to play with the other children or indulge frivolities.
So why is this difficult?
Her academic advisor in Manhattan College said that she should choose a major. When Raven clearly had no clue what to choose, she recommended that Raven explore her options. And Raven doesn't really know what her options are . A career was not something she had to consider when she was on Azarath. Her “career”, as it was, was controlling the potential for evil within her.
She has the college's brochure out. She's sitting at a table outside the tower. Wally is sitting with her. He volunteered to help. And Donna volunteered as well when she saw them talking, and brought along Robin. And Victor followed them out while eating a popsicle.
“Why am I here?” Robin asks, as Donna pulls her to the table. “I dropped out of college. Matter of fact, you dropped out of college, too! I'm not sure how either of us can help Raven!”
“Hush,” Donna says. “It's just because I found a job I liked and half the point of college is to prepare you for a job! So think of me as an expert!”
Raven can sense Donna's enthusiasm. It's almost contagious, in a strange way. She is extremely excited to talk to Raven about college.
“Have any advice?” Wallace asks Robin.
Robin walks over to the table and sits down next to Wallace. Donna sits next to Raven and Victor scoots on their bench as well.
“Uh... don't do it unless you actually want to do it?” Robin says, but she phrases it more like a question. “And finance is boring and it sucks.”
“My dad says finance is good for making money,” Wallace volunteers.
Robin smirks. “And yet you're going into physics.”
“Hey, physicists can make good money!” Wallace says quickly.
“I was under the impression this was about higher learning,” Raven says. “And not making money.”
“It's supposed to be,” Victor says. “But c'mon. At what you're paying you've got to think about money if you don't have rich parents or a great scholarship. ‘You’ being the general you here.”
Raven nods. She is aware that most of the Titans are wealthy. Or their parents are. The way that she is currently paying for her education is just due to Mr. Dalton, Garfield's adoptive father. Donna had suggested asking him for money, since the couple thousand dollars that her tuition would cost would be pocket change to him. Questor was enthused by the suggestion, as he believed that Raven's example was one which Garfield should emulate, and Dalton agreed.
“Tell me how you decided your majors,” Raven says.
“Well, I was undeclared,” Victor says. “Like you. I was convinced I'd become an Olympic athlete and not need to work a regular job.”
“I see.”
“Do you ever want to go back to school, Stone?” Wallace asks. “You'd probably do great. I mean, you don't even need your athletic scholarship with your dad's money, and you're some kind of super-genius, right?”
Victor snorts. “Willing to admit that after the math help?”
“Hey, calc 2 sucks,” Wallace protests.
“Now what kind of physics major thinks calculus sucks?” Victor asks. His tone is disapproving, but he feels, emotionally, as if he is having fun. “Isaac Newton didn't invent calculus for this!”
Wallace rolls his eyes.
“I am undeclared,” Raven says, because that is how the college considers her. “They don’t like that. They want me to declare something.”
“Well, what interests you?” Robin asks.
“Philosophy,” Raven says. It’s her favorite class.
“You can’t get a job with a degree in philosophy ,” Wallace says, derisive in tone. “It’s just the most expensive way to wind up a McDonalds manager.”
“Philosophy is a respected career on Themyscira,” Donna chimes in.
“Yeah, but Raven’s not working on Themyscira,” Wallace says.
The talking about her, rather than to her, seems rather unhelpful.
“ Do you want a job?” Victor asks. He’s looking directly at Raven. His interest seems genuine.
And Raven should say… she should say yes?
“... Is this not a job?” Raven asks, gesturing her hands around to her friends, to the Tower. “We provide a valuable service for the world. We help society. How is that not a job?”
“It’s only a job if you get money for it,” Wallace says.
That seems wrong. “So if a doctor were to offer his services free of charge to help those in need, that would not be a job?”
Wallace looks to the others, as if they will help him out here.
Victor rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, technically it probably wouldn’t be counted as a job if the guy didn’t get paid at all, but that doesn’t mean there’s no point in doing it. But I guess… do you want to get paid?”
Raven thinks.
It would be nice to not have to ask her friends for money to buy things that she wants. But they almost always give her money when she does ask, due to their aforementioned wealth (or parental wealth).
“If you don’t want a job,” Donna suggests, “You can just study what’s interesting to you. Like philosophy!”
Robin crosses her arms. “Yeah, but you don’t need college to do that.”
She is correct.
But the library in the college is very nice. It reminds Raven of the library on Azarath in some ways. The library in Titans Tower has some nice reference and non-fiction books, but many periodicals and comics that just do not interest Raven at all and seem quite juvenile.
“I enjoy the environment,” Raven says, folding her hands together as she rests her elbows on the table.
“Do you need to declare a major then?” Robin asks. “Just keep studying what’s interesting to you.”
Raven twists Azar’s ring on her right index finger.
… She is not sure that Mr. Dalton will wish to pay for her college forever. She recognizes it is a big imposition, even though he does not recognize it as such.
“You could try out some art classes,” Donna suggests. “Maybe you’ll like something artsy. Kind of like your knitting.”
Raven does enjoy knitting.
Unfortunately, Donna continues: “And it would be a good way to get out some emotions, you know!”
Of course.
Art must be forbidden to her, if that is the case.
“I should not do art,” Raven says. “It is too risky.”
Everyone just seems simultaneously confused.
The realization dawns on Victor first. “Oh,” he says, “Okay, so no art. In that case… have you already explored all your options?”
… She supposes she has.
“Yes,” Raven says, “I shall study philosophy.” When she catches Wallace’s face, she cannot help but add, “It will become incredibly useful for my future career at McDonalds.”