"I'm a magician," Raven said bluntly.
"No, I mean, was that magic just now?" Killer Croc gestured with his claw.
"That was telekinesis, one of my abilities, I guess. It's currently the one I have the best control over," Raven sighed lightly and turned back to continue watching TV.
Killer Croc's eyes lit up and he said, "Can that ability be learned? Can I learn telekinesis?"
"It's not for you," Raven answered coldly: "It's a bloodline ability, unless your father is also a Big Devil, otherwise, it's impossible."
"I don't know who my father is, definitely not a crocodile," said Killer Croc with a shrug.
Raven suddenly froze, then she stood up again, turned around, and scrutinized Killer Croc closely: "Do you mean both your parents are humans but you ended up looking like this?"
Killer Croc nodded.
"Ancestral bloodline, huh?" Raven mused: "An ancestral bloodline usually involves more than just a change in appearance. Do you feel different from ordinary people in any way?"
"Does being exceptionally strong count? I hardly ever feel tired, and I don't need to eat much to keep going for a long time."
Raven shook her head and said: "There's definitely more to it than that. Animal ancestral bloodlines usually come from a blessing by the animal gods of ancient times. Goddess Ache once told me that, in the age when humans still needed the protection of various gods, many Beast Gods would bless the powerful warriors in their tribes."
"These warriors would acquire some characteristics of beasts, or even the ability to transform into beasts. They would have immense strength and some of the Beast Gods' magic, leading their tribes to conquer the wilds and extending their bloodlines."
"However, the reproduction rate of the human race is too rapid; generation after generation, this precious bloodline got diluted, which is why it's virtually unseen now. But there are still some lucky individuals who suddenly awaken their ancestral bloodline."
"You mean I might be able to use magic?"
"If you're the holder of such an ancestral bloodline, you should be able to use some magic. As for why you can't, I'm not sure. If the High Priest were here, he might be able to tell."
Raven thought Killer Croc would feel dejected since he seemed very interested in magic, but the Big Guy was not discouraged at all. He said, "It's okay if I can't, you can, right? Have you been looking for work recently?"
"Someone offered me a job," Raven replied truthfully: "To work as a mover at a bookstore."
"Perfect!" Killer Croc snapped his fingers and said: "Moving, you're just perfect for the job."
Then he rubbed his enormous claws together, almost shyly: "Um... I was thinking of starting a moving company myself. I'm just a bit short of the money needed to rent a place, and it's a bit slow when I move things alone. What do you think...?"
"I can work anywhere, but I've already promised them," Raven said: "And I'm dangerous. I have a vast amount of energy inside me that could explode at any moment."
"Explode?" Killer Croc thought for a moment and said: "I have a friend who's also great at exploding. I just happen to be meeting him for dinner after I finish work this afternoon. How about giving it a try then?"
"I'll make a call first," said Raven.
Raven called the Forgotten Bookstore, but as it was morning, the coffee shop downstairs was sure to be busy, so neither Constantine nor Zatanna answered the phone.
Although she was supposed to work at the bookstore, neither of them had specified when she should start. She liked the house she was in now, especially being able to watch TV. It would be terrible to have to move out because she couldn't pay the rent.
After some thought, Raven asked, "Will you pay me if I work for you?"
"Certainly, but you have to be able to move at least half of the stuff, and it has to be steady and fast. Absolutely no breaking anything, or idle chatter. I'll split the earnings with you fifty-fifty," he laid out the terms.
Raven nodded and said, "I could give that a try."
Having said that, she extended her hand and the few pieces of furniture that had not yet been moved floated up at the doorway. They glided steadily through the entire first floor of the house and landed neatly in the backyard, sorted by both size and color.
Killer Croc was even more delighted. Usually carrying these big items himself would take several trips, and while he was not easily tired, hauling them all day still strained his back.
More importantly, it was slow. He could move at most two households a day, or three if he worked overtime. But with this girl's help, they might be able to finish a house in just an hour. Even accounting for travel, he could manage over ten households in a day.
As for whether the moving process might seem a bit fantastical, Gothamites couldn't care less; in fact, the ability to move without touching any furniture at all could be considered a selling point. There had been an employer worried that his scales might scratch their precious furniture, but now that problem was completely eliminated.
"You haven't had breakfast yet, right? As a welcome gesture for joining the team, I can whip up a big meal for you, but I may need to use the kitchen here. I'll call Professor and ask."
Shiller was munching on a sandwich during a break when Killer Croc called to ask if he could use Shiller's new kitchen to make breakfast for himself and Raven; Shiller seriously considered whether he should just fly back home to partake in the ready-made meal.
But because the new classroom still needed some tweaking, with a few students currently adjusting the wall decorations and notice board, he had to stay and supervise to prevent any Little Smart Ghosts from tampering with the schedule. With a sigh, he gave up the idea.
Killer Croc was showing off his culinary skills in the new house's kitchen. Even though the original manor's kitchen was more suited to his size in terms of space and furniture, the new house had many modern gadgets like pots and pans, an oven, and everything else he needed for his cooking artistry.
His dishes were essentially the Gotham working class's home-cooked meals: stewed fish, baked bread, cream cheesy casseroles with a heap of chili peppers. Soon enough, a strong, fragrant aroma filled the surroundings of the house.
It was typical of Gotham's local cuisine to be rich and spicy, as the lower-class laborers doing heavy physical work needed food with lots of calories and plenty of protein. Combining these two elements usually meant a dish was complete.
You could imagine that Raven, from her diet in Azarath, which could be described as a life-sustaining meal, was quickly attracted by the intense fragrance and couldn't even continue watching TV.
She sat next to the kitchen island platform continuously sniffing, and as each dish was served up, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
"Come on." After cleaning all of the dishes and washing his hands, Killer Croc grabbed the biggest plate available and gulped down a large piece of bread.
Raven curiously stared at his throat, knowing that crocodiles swallow their food whole without chewing. Was it the same for Killer Croc? If he couldn't chew, wouldn't he miss out on the taste?
However, it seemed Killer Croc had answered this question many times before. He explained, "I have a row of molars similar to the human race, hidden under my tongue, which I can use to chew. It's a bit more effort than normal, so I usually just chew a couple of times before swallowing."
"Possibly because my tongue is longer and I have many more taste buds than humans, I can actually taste more flavors than you can. And since I don't sweat, I really enjoy eating spicy food—the sensation is just too thrilling."
Raven tore a small piece of bread and dipped it in the cream soup in front of her, clearly laden with a generous amount of cream cheese. The milk's fragrance was overwhelming, and the bread was chewy.
Raven has always been devoid of worldly desires, and she had no particular cravings for clothing, food, housing, or transportation; just being alive was enough. But she had to admit that this kind of meal was more delicious.
The two of them finished breakfast at record speed. Killer Croc washed the dishes and even put them into the dishwasher for another round of cleaning. After tidying up the kitchen and drying the water on the floor, they were ready to set off.
It wasn't until she was on the moving truck that Raven realized the restless energy in her body had been much quieter since Shiller arrived. Did the Professor have something special?
Soon they arrived at their first employer's house, where it was apparent that Killer Croc was familiar with the regular client. They shared a hug, and Killer Croc introduced Raven, saying, "This is a distant relative's cousin of mine. She's a bit odd, like me, but that won't get in the way of the work. Just watch."
At Killer Croc's command, Raven raised her hand, and this time it wasn't just one or two pieces of furniture—they all neatly floated up into the air, arranged by size, and one by one drifted into the truck's cabin.
The employer was clearly amazed, while Killer Croc explained whether it was magic or telekinesis he was using, the result was undeniably good.
Even the best moving companies rely on people to do the lifting, and as long as that's the case there's bound to be wear and tear from picking up, carrying, and setting down the furniture, not to mention the jostling during transport. Scratches and bumps are inevitable.
But this method gave people a sense of security. Although the items would still be jostled in the truck, it at least reduced the chances of damage during lifting and setting down, especially for popular electronic products with screens, like plasma TVs. The most worrying part is the screen getting damaged during handling, but with telekinesis, that concern disappeared altogether.
Killer Croc had also noticed this and realized that if that was the case, their moving company could take a high-end approach, specializing in moving expensive items like TVs, computers, and big screens. The transportation fees for these items were quite high and landing a corporate big deal would be a huge win.
However, it wasn't ideal to rely solely on this young girl; after all, humans tire out. If there were more mages who could do this kind of work, they would have no clue how profitable it could be.
Killer Croc complained to Raven about this on the road, saying, "People always look down on this kind of physical labor, thinking it's not tough and not profitable, something only low-class people would do. But in reality, I'm earning more now than those white-collar workers getting pay cuts in the tall buildings."
"Direct customer service with heavy-lifting involved often brings in tips, and with a generous employer, one tip can cover my meals for several days. They don't know what they're missing, huh."
The truck arrived at the destination soon enough, and after unloading the cargo and settling the bill, Raven looked in astonishment at the banknotes Killer Croc was holding. He had earned 30 US Dollars just for this one trip.
If he ran two trips a day, that would be 60. No matter the weather, he could earn close to 2000 US Dollars a month, excluding tips. Even after deducting vehicle maintenance and gas expenditures, the net profit was almost 2000.
Before the Great Depression, a McDonald's hamburger cost only 60 cents, even cheaper with a meal deal. Although prices had increased, for someone of his size, it wouldn't cost more than five dollars to eat to fullness. Even if he were to eat like that three times a day, he could still save over a thousand dollars a month.
Now Raven understood why he was keen on starting a moving company.