Connor looked down at Raven as she stormed out of the banquet hall. He could hear hushed whispers underneath the bright, happy music, and some of the things they were saying started to grate on his nerves. Raven didn't deserve to be considered the object of gossip. Sighing, he ran a hand over his face, barely checked his anger, and walked after her. "Rae..." She paused, a spark of black magic jolting out from her fingertips. It snapped down to the pavement before disappearing. "I don't wanna hear it, Connor. I don't..." She trailed off and shook her head, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand. "You were right. It was just a stupid joke. I was just the butt of some prank and you tried to warn me, but I didn't listen." "Rae... look..." Connor sighed and tried to find the right words to say. He had never really thought about comforting her before. Raven was always the one to comfort him, always the one to look out for him, always helping him through tough times and bad breakups. He had never really been in this position before, and he didn't realize how hard it could be. He never noticed how much Raven did for him until it was almost too late. "I'm... sorry this happened. They're idiots for treating you this way, and if I could go in there and teach them all a lesson without losing my cool, I would. But... you're better than they'll ever be. And it sucks that something like this happened, but... at least you're okay now. And... hey... we have the whole night together." Raven finally turned around still wiping at the swell of her cheeks. A few seconds skipped by where neither one of them knew what to say, and then Raven stumbled forward, wrapping her arms around his chest. She let go of a choked sob, pressing her face into his neck. Connor felt his heart break into a million pieces, and he pulled her even tighter against him. "I am so sorry, Rae..." "Just..." She took a slow, shaking breath. "...take me home. Take me home and stay with me." He kissed the top of her head and nodded. "Anything for you."