>>"You are amazing,"

Well, that was new. It rarely ever followed the whole 'what have you done to me?' deal.

>>"I'm Raven,"

Sveta nodded, watching as the woman put on her gloves. She looked good in them too. Although she couldn't imagine why on earth a thief would need gloves like that. She was acting like a child. Or a bird.

"Raven, is dat like the bird?" she asked, pointing out the window. The bird was still watching them, as if it knew something. "Is it yours?"

Raven looked out the window that Sveta was pointing too and Blackwing looked in. It was the oddest thing that her familiar wasn't even being distracted by all the shiny and colourful bits that were scattered throughout the room, but was actually following along with the conversation. Of course he could understand basic speech, but often full conversations went over his head and even more often he just wasn't interested enough to pay attention. It was just a little disconcerting to see him now.

"That's Blackwing," Raven agreed, "and he's my familiar." She cocked her head to the side looking at him and sent a tendril of questioning through their connection. It was returned instantly, assurances that he was ok, more than ok in fact.

"Except he seems to be acting a little bit funny. And he's not normally that large." Could that have been the Russians doing? Perhaps.

>>"That's Blackwing, and he's my familiar. Except he seems to be acting a little bit funny. And he's not normally that large."

Sveta's eyes narrowed as she looked at the bird.

"Vat is a familiar?" she asked "Is it part of your ability? Maybe my power work on it too."

That sounded like a plausible explanation. Although a bird being part of a person was not an easy thing to imagine. True, she's deen weirder mutations... she'd never been so close to wild animals.

"Is it clever?" she asked, tilting her head as the bird did. Maybe it was a shifter of some kind. She had learned not take animals for granted since her days in the mutant school. Any of them could turn into anything anytime. Or anyone.
Anyway.

"You do dis for a living? Stealing things?" she asked with curiosity.

"Part of my ability," Raven agreed, bobbing her head up and down very birdlike. "You could say we're connected." She grinned and sent a fond tendril at Blackwing which, despite his acting strangely, he returned. Apparently whatever the woman had done hadn't changed his opinion of her.

"Clever is a good word for him." Even saying that, however, Raven could see Blackwing beginning to return to his previous state. All ready he was looking a bit smaller again and wasn't paying quite as much attention to the conversation. The effect, apparently, didn't last long.

"He's like a child. Brilliant by raven standards, but humans might find him wanting." Of course, humans didn't understand how ravens thought, not at all. Sure, he wasn't about to go reading encyclopedias any time soon, but when it came to opportunistic survival, there were none better. Including just about any human she had ever met. Book smarts were overrated (and sometimes baffling) anyway.

"Oh no, I don't steal for a living," Raven answered with a giggle. "Not unless I need to eat which I'm covered for food right now. I am a fortune teller." It could almost be said that she puffed up in pride at the assertion. And a very good fortune teller she was, in her expert opinion.

The bird started to shrink. Muse could see the effect of her powers fading away. It was interesting to watch. People (or birds) didn't usually stick around till it faded.

>>"Oh no, I don't steal for a living. Not unless I need to eat which I'm covered for food right now. I am a fortune teller."

She blinked. So, she was not stealing for a living. Was she stealing for fun? That, in her opinion, was a weird thing to do. She used to steal, when she and Bo lived off the street, but... well. She didn't bargain with the owner of the jewelry she took, and certainly didn't start making friends.

"Fortune teller. Is dat who, like, tells people their future?" she asked curiously "Is dat part of your ability too?"

Seeing the future, conversing with birds. That sounded more and more like a witch to her. A pretty, weird, cheerfully giggling witch. Oh well.

Raven watched as Sveta watched Blackwing shrink. She seemed to be rather interested in the effect and Raven supposed that increasing mutant powers might not always go well. Like, for example, if they produced fire or something. That could be bad. It was one thing for her own senses to increase and her familiar to grow larger and smarter, it was quite another to accidentally be the cause of a raging inferno.

"I tell the future," Raven agreed proudly. She bowed dramatically and twirled her multicoloured skirts. "The enigmatic Raven at your services." Was her fortune telling a part of her ability? Well, in a matter of speaking it could be. Not in the way most would assume, of course, but in a matter of speaking. After all, it was her raven's mind that allowed her the quickness of whit and observational skills in order to produce a good reading.

"Of course its part of my ability." Raven didn't even bat an eyelash to give away that it wasn't technically what the Russian probably thought it was. "When have you ever heard of a raven that could not read the omens of the future?"

>>"I tell the future. The enigmatic Raven at your services."

Sveta giggled as raven twirled around. She looked pretty. Also, she looked like someone you'd belive can tell your future. She did look enigmatic. Whatever the heck that word meant.

>>"Of course its part of my ability. When have you ever heard of a raven that could not read the omens of the future?"

She blinked, not really sure she understood the question right. She said she could see the future. Like, for real. That was a very interesting mutation indeed.

"I never heard of one that can" she admitted sheepishly, shooting an apologetic glance towards the bird. It looked fairly ordinary now. "So, if I touch you, you would see more? Or, longer time forward?"

Raven saw the admiration Sveta's eyes and, had she feathers, she would have puffed them up to display all their glory. Unfortunately she did not, but her clothing fulfilled much the same role as feathers might have.

"Ravens are known to be omens of the future," Raven clarified for the Russian. Maybe it was different in Russia and they didn't have the same sorts of myths about the great birds. What a shame for them. "They offer insight and wisdom. That's what I do too."

Raven wasn't really sure that having Sveta touch her again would really do much to help her readings in any way, if anything the increases in her senses and the odd way Blackwing acted might be more of a distraction. She couldn't prevent the concerned expression that played across her face briefly. "I don't see the future, I see omens of the future. I read tarot cards, among other things." Maybe that would distract her from wanting to touch her again. Although it had been a fascinating experience, it wasn't one she was certain she wanted to feel again just yet.

>>"Ravens are known to be omens of the future. They offer insight and wisdom. That's what I do too."

She was obviously proud of that. She was supposed to be wise. Or the bird was supposed to be wise, Sveta didn't quite understand. Maybe they were one and the same. Probably.
But still, sneaking into houses and stealing shiny things? That didn't seem so wise, in Sveta's opinion. Smart, maybe. Not wise.

>>"I don't see the future, I see omens of the future. I read tarot cards, among other things."

Raven paused before she said that, and Sveta could see the worry on her face. Yes, right. Her powers were still unusual, and scary, and it probably wasn't all that comfortable for her, and for the bird. She had no intention touching her again. Anytime soon.

"Oh." she nodded, still curious about the whole fortune-telling thing "Dat is very interesting. Can I try?"

"Of course you can try," Raven answered the Russian, head bobbing up and down. She always had her fortune telling gear with her, just in case it should be needed. Besides, she never knew just when she would be forced to move from one place to the next and her fortune telling gear was just about her only possession that she actually cared enough about not to leave it behind. Sometimes it was all that prevented her from starving over those particularly long and cold winters.

"For a price, of course," Raven stated with a self satisfied grin. It wasn't right to give away these sorts of services for free, after all. "Now or later, it doesn't matter. But the price needs to be negotiated first." Sveta seemed like an honorable person, she'd keep her part of the deal up, surely. Maybe she might even be willing to promise one power boosting touch for free in the indeterminate future. Ya, that was a good offer. Just because she didn't want to experience it now didn't mean that it might not be useful later. Now to wait and see what she'd come up with.

>>"Of course you can try. For a price, of course. Now or later, it doesn't matter. But the price needs to be negotiated first."

How about I don't report you to the police?

Sveta didn't say that aloud. There was no point. She wouldn't report the lady, because she was a mutant like her, and she gave back... most of what she'd stolen, and also, Sveta didn't really like talking to the police anyway. They were better off not coming anywhere near the Clinic.

"Vat price?" she asked instead. Raven already had her rings, and the pair of gloves. She looked around the room. It was a mess. "You want to pick something else, for a price?" she asked cautiously "Or do you ask something else?"

Hopefully nothing she wouldn't be willing to pay. This telling the future thing looked interesting.

Raven liked very much when the people she was bargaining with agreed to let her pick the price, or at least the starting point of the negotiation. Of course it wasn't very smart of them, not good bargaining technique at all because then she got to ask whatever she wanted. She was never one to turn down an advantage though and she could tell the Russian lady wasn't exactly used to bargaining in such a way. Oh well, her loss was Raven's gain.

"One use of your marvelous power at a time of my choosing, with gloves off," Raven answered, bobbing her head up an down in definitive fashion. One never knew when one might need a boost of power and it was a good card to have up her sleeve just in case.

Raven looked at Sveta expectantly, awaiting her answer with baited breath. Of course, if she refused then there were always other things to consider as payment, but that was what she most wanted by far.

>>"One use of your marvelous power at a time of my choosing, with gloves off,"

Sveta blinked. She didn't expect that. She was prepared to bargain over jewelry, but... not her powers.

"You want to use my gift?" she asked, unsure "Well... I think, I can do dat. Once."

Boosting a fortune-tellers power wouldn't destroy the immediate area, would it.

"But, you have to promise in return, dat you not tell anyone about who am I, or what I can do. Dat is very important. And, you can not use me to hurt people."

Oh boy, did it sound naive when she said it like that. As if she could stop Raven, or anyone for that matter, if they wanted to use her gift for evil purposes. Been there, done that.
But, Raven seemed to have some sort of a code of honor. otherwise, she wouldn't have bargained over the loot in the first place.

"Deal?"

"You want to use my gift? Well... I think, I can do dat. Once."

Raven nodded her head enthusiastically. Once was all she desired, a get out of jail free card just in case certain eventualities came to pass. Because in her life, one simply never could be certain of much of anything.

"But, you have to promise in return, dat you not tell anyone about who am I, or what I can do. Dat is very important. And, you can not use me to hurt people."

"Oh, don't worry I won't tell a soul who you are," Raven agreed with a wink. She was very good at keeping secrets, very good indeed. It helped that most humans didn't take her words very seriously anyway, outside of a fortune telling of course, but it was all part of being a raven and thus a secret keeper.

"And I don't think I could hurt anyone if I tried." Well, maybe a child but why would she ever want to hurt a child? It was an awful thought and she banished it from her mind immediately. She was no human to have such disregard for her young.

"Deal," Raven agreed. Normally this was the time when she would have shaken on it once more but given what happened last time, she opted for a formal bow instead. Much safer. "So, what do you want told?"

>>"Oh, don't worry I won't tell a soul who you are. And I don't think I could hurt anyone if I tried."

Oh, everyone can hurt anyone if they really try. Even if they don't try, they can. It is no that hard; Sveta knew that for a fact. Still, it didn't sound like a lie; Raven really meant it. It was good enough for her. Hopefully, she'd never come back to collect the debt anyway.

>>"Deal. So, what do you want told?"

Now that was an interesting question. Sveta found she was not really prepared to answer; so she brought up the first topic that came to her mind.

"Tell me about, you know, men. Boyfriends, or husbands."

Sounded like an easy question that probably every single woman would ask. For Sveta, it was a bit more complicated...