After a time, Raven's not quite sure what they're protesting anymore. They have to protest everything now anyways. She goes protesting anyway. It's all they have left. Just this giant, never ending protest for human rights, and she's exhausted, but damn is she not going to give up. And besides, it means meeting new people, people who share your ethics in a world where everyone seems to be against you. It gives her hope that it's not all lost. Marching in the streets, full force, a bunch of other people chanting with you, it gives her life, really!
Even though nowadays they get targeted by the police or by "counter-protests" (fascists, really), who don't care for casualties. She's pretty sure they would kill her given half the chance or a meeting in a dark alley, but they're all together now, and she still believe her side can win. Or go down fighting. Whichever would come first.
These days her leg is giving her pain, though, so she's trying her best not to be first line. Not that it'd be better to get trampled by a fleeing crowd, but at least she won't take direct hits. When they arrive - cops or neo-nazis she doesn't really know from where she is - there's a movement from up front, chants getting louder and objects being thrown, some people trying to back up even as others run forward to confront the "enemy". It's only time before this whole mess becomes a full blown civil war, she knows, but for now she's got to get out of here before it gets too ugly. She really doesn't need another night in jail, and she can't afford the hospital.
She tries her best to go to the side - side streets are easier than going all the way back through the crowd, and possibly running into more opponents. Some part of her registered that it should be sad she did this often enough to have all the exit strategies down so well, but she doesn't really feel it. It's more of a low bubbling panic that's nowhere near reaching the surface, like she knows she's in danger but she's gotten used to it and it's now just a silent alarm in the pit of her stomach and anyway she can make it out of here. She gotta.
She's about to reach a nearby wall when a man in front of her elbows her in the face while trying to throw something, and she hadn't realised she was so close to the front now. She tries to fight the dizziness, to move back through the crowd, but a few feet further she stumbles and twists her ankle, and her other leg, even with its brace, isn't quite enough to keep her upright.
She stumbles on a woman who was apparently also trying to escape the crowd, and she turns around to look straight at Raven. She looks fierce, with wild hair and so much makeup around the eyes it looks like war paint, and for a second, the way she's looking at her, Raven thinks she's going to punch her. But the woman takes one look at her, frowns and suddenly puts a hand on her shoulder.
"You're alright?" she yells over the crowd that's now going around them, bumping into them.
"Yeah, I'm good, sorry."
The woman takes one look around them. "We gotta get out of here."
"Side streets," Raven yells back, "Safer, quicker, can always pretend you live there!"
"Come on, then!"
Somehow the stranger decides they're in this together now, and grabs Raven's hand in hers as she makes her way towards the crowd. It does help that she's tall, and somewhat scary, because people seem to go around them. But her pace is too quick, and Raven stumbles once again, hurting her bad leg even more.
The woman must feel it from the tug of her hand, because she stops, and looks back at Raven, "are you alright?" - and for the first time her eyes meet Raven's brace, and Raven expects the usual pity or questioning look, or that she'd just leave her here, but instead she goes, "Damn it, you should just have said I was going too fast!" and suddenly she's got an arm around her, helping her stay up amidst the crowd. "You can just lean on my shoulder," she tells her. Then a smile. "If you can reach it!"
Raven wishes she had a snarky retort, but she comes up short. Maybe it's the situation they're in, or the way this random stranger just decided she was helping her, or how she's not looking down on her even now that she knows. Or maybe it's that damn smile, and the snark she is so used to dealing to others herself. She idly thinks that if they get out of this mess she needs to get that girl's number.
She's not really sure how, but they somehow end up walking right against the wall for a few meters, and Raven's really glad when they reach a crossing. At least you can push back against people... There's some people a bit further in the alley but it's a dead end so people aren't trying to flee from there. It's probably not such a good idea to stay there in case the cops decide to round them up, but she's thankful for the opportunity to lean against a wall and rest her leg a bit. She'd sit on the floor but she's not sure she could get up, and she might have to do that real quick.
"Thanks," she says, out of breath.
"You're alright there?" The woman looks concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It sucks, but so long as I can walk, I can get myself out of this mess."
"You're bleeding though," the woman nods at her forehead, and Raven raises her hand to her face only for her fingers to come back sticky and red.
"Oh."
"There." The woman hands her a handkerchief. "It's clean," she feels like adding.
"Some guy elbowed me... I must look a mess. That why you took pity on me? Some girl looking straight out of a horror movie?" she tries to joke.
"I just thought if you can take a hit like that and still be standing, you'd make a good ally in a zombie apocalypse!" the woman actually winks at her!
"Yeah, well, I'm a bit out of shape right now. And I guess we have to go back in there if we want to get out before the cops start taking people..."
"Oh, don't worry, I got this!" It's true she doesn't look a single bit worried right now, especially compared to when they were in the crowd. Even though they're in a dead end with the cops, or possibly a bunch of violent assholes, not that these weren't synonymous these days, about to get to their level.
"You did notice I can't do parkour, right?"
"Come on!" she grabs Raven's hand again, pulling her from the wall and further down the alley. "I'm Anya, by the way."
"Raven. And where are we going?"
"Nice to meet you, Raven-and-where-are-we-going."
"That one was very bad, just so you know. I'm really unimpressed."
"How about this?" Anya stops in front of something that looks like a shop, big enough that it's reserve might lead to another street on the other side for deliveries, which means they could just leave through a main street further away that was far from the protest. Except it's got its curtain down, so Raven doesn't really see the point.
"What about it?"
But Anya doesn't answer. Instead, she rings the bell of what looks like the apartment on the floor above, and Raven decides she must know the owner. If anything, they can hole up there and wait for it to pass.
"Niylah! Get your ass here!" she yells towards the windows above.
A woman peers behind the curtains, and when she disappears, Anya mumbles something like, "she better not leave us out here!"
When a small door at the side of the shop is pulled open, and a woman emerges only to wave them in, Raven realises they're still holding hands. Anya doesn't seem like she's letting go any time soon as she leads her inside. It's not like Raven's going to complain anyway, even if their host looks at them weird.
They enter a small kitchen, and Anya pulls her a chair and makes her sit. Raven would never admit it aloud, but she does feel a little sad when she lets go of her hand. But she has more pressing concerns, like not anger their hostess for barging in like that, looking all bloody.
"Sorry," she says, pointing apologetically towards her brace to explain her sitting down uninvited.
Niylah, if that's how she's called, nods at her, but then she takes Anya aside and they have a whispered yelling match somehow. It seems to Raven, whose hearing is good but whose lips-reading isn't so much, that the girl is angry at her saviour for going to the protest and endangering herself altogether, more than for imposing herself and some stranger on her like that. Raven is reassured that they're not getting kicked out, but at the same time she's left wondering whether they're an item, and she doesn't like how it makes her feel. She's not a goddamn princess who falls for the first person nice enough to give her a hand, goddamnit! But then she'd willingly admit that that's not all there is to this Anya chick.
Finally, Niylah leaves the room, and Anya leans against the countertop, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her leather jacket's pocket. "Want one?"
"Isn't she going to mind?" Raven wonders.
Anya shrugs. "Hasn't so far." She holds out the pack to her, and Raven takes one. She rarely ever smokes, but right now she's thinking it could only help steady her nerves. Anya leans forward to light it for her, and Raven tries not to think about how sexy that is. Clearly her brain has taken a harder shock than she assumed, if she can't keep it in her pants even in the crazy situation they're in.
"Thanks."
"No problem. It'll help with the scolding that's coming. Don't worry, she's not mean, she just thinks she's everyone's mother," Anya fake-whispers.
Just then, Niylah walks back into the kitchen with a first-aid kit and other bandages and stuff.
"I heard that!"
She doesn't seem angry, though, she's even smiling lightly. She ignores Anya from then on, taking a chair to sit next to Raven and dress the wound on her forehead. "I'm afraid you're gonna have a scar."
"Won't be the first one," she mumbles, mechanically massaging her leg.
"What the hell did you go into that protest for though?" Niylah asks, ever so calmly, and for a moment Raven doesn't know what to say.
"Because people have to," she finally says. "No-one ever fought my battles, so I know if I don't go, no-one's gonna go for me. Because then everyone thinks others will go for them and no-one shows up. And if we don't protest, then we're as good as dead."
Niylah sighs, then turns towards Anya. "Wherever did you find a girl who thinks just like you." At least now Raven's pretty sure they're not together.
It's clear Anya is trying not to smile now. "Down the street, actually."
Niylah slowly shakes her head, and finishes bandaging Raven, and asking the routine questions they ask you at the hopital to make sure you don't have a concussion.
"You're a nurse?" Raven wonders.
"Yup. You can be grateful I was at home and not in some 12-hour shift trying to save some other protesters... I like you guys, I respect what you do, but I'm tired..." She looks Raven up and down. "No other wounds? Your leg needs taking care of or is that okay?"
"No, I'm fine, I can deal with that, thanks."
"Great! Now I can go back to bed." She turns to Anya. "You're welcome to take the couch if you need to rest. And there's coffee and shit - just help yourself. As you do."
She left them again, mumbling something Raven didn't quite catch.
"So." Anya grinned at her. "I guess we're stuck here til this shit dies out... Wanna watch a movie or something?"