I agree with what others have said about how the shift in tone is good; it makes it feel like the story is progressing, as we start to see what some of the real issues with the characters' lives are.
I'm intrigued to learn that Raven is the only one of his kind, and I'm curious to see what happens from here.

Easily my favorite part of the story so far. It flows better, and the dialogue was fun and showed the characters' personalities nicely.
I'm excited for the rest.

I think the story is great and I like how you change the mood of the story slightly every time it gives a sense of evolution to the characters that would not be seen otherwise. Keep it up you are doing a great job.