I sat on a park bench licking at a mint-flavored ice cream cone drizzled with mustard. I was waiting for Beast Boy to see how many times he could ride the Twisted Twister double-loop roller coaster before he vomited. He was currently on his fifth ride. I didn't mind waiting. It gave me an opportunity to watch the other carnival goers. Cyborg was busy entering a hotdog-eating contest, and Raven was wandering near the haunted house to soak in the emotions there, but we had agreed that the changeling should not be left on his own unsupervised for too long. Robin said he would meet us later once he finished filing our latest case. I hoped he would hurry.
"Is that Starfire?"
I looked up to see a group of five teenagers staring at her. I smiled waved shyly. I did not get up from my seat as they approached, even though it felt rude to stare up at them. From experience I knew I would tower over them and that made most humans uncomfortable.
"Wow, it's so cool to meet you. I'm Britney," said the shorter of the two girls with her hair pulled back in a tight blond ponytail. "Where are the other Titans?" She looked around quickly as if I was the one in need of constant supervision.
"They are in the vicinity," I informed her with a smile. The five teens blinked at my choice of words, making me cringe inwardly. Humans are so strange with their language. Why have so many words with such precise meanings if they only used a small fraction of them in their everyday speech?
"So...any chance we can get a picture?" the other girl asked, brushing her straight brown hair behind her ear as she held up her intelligent phone. I stood up in agreement and as expected the youths' eyes widened when they realized I was over six foot tall. The tallest boy was on eye level with my nose. He gave me a lopsided grin while Britney grabbed a passerby to take the picture. The five of them assembled around me. I had to suppress a giggle when I realized that each of them were trying to imitate a specific Titan's pose. Britney held up her fists like she was preparing to fight, the brunette raised her hands like claws as if she was casting a spell. One of the boy's lifted his arm out in front like it had a sonic cannon attached to it, the smallest boy posed like a monkey scratching himself, and the tallest boy stood beside me casually. I stretched out my arms to pull them all closer so we could fit in the frame, and at my touch on his back, the tall one slid his arm around my waist.
"Wow, thanks Starfire. You're the coolest!" Britney squealed after she'd retrieved her phone from the stranger. It had taken four attempts before they were all satisfied with the final photo.
"So what are you doing?" asked the brunette named Chelsea. "You're just sitting here by yourself?"
"I am waiting for Beast Boy to conclude the testing of his gastrointestinal fortitude on the coaster that rolls."
Their faces glazed over as they tried to decipher my words. Britney giggled behind her hands, and I cringed inwardly.
"Weren't you saying you wanted some cotton candy?" asked the tallest boy, stepping between Britney and me. I recognized the protective gesture as one that Robin often performed during our interviews when I misunderstood the questions that reporters asked. For some reason it was twice as embarrassing to have this stranger stand up for me than my leader.
Britney shrugged and started walking for the nearest concession stand.
"Thanks again, Starfire. You coming, Carl?"
"Yea, one sec." Carl hung back while his friends wandered away. I glanced around for some sign of Beast Boy.
"It's a surprise to see you out like this and not, you know, fighting crime. I suppose you don't get a lot of free time, do you? Always on call, huh?" He shuffled his feet as he spoke. I tilted my head to one side.
"I am not aware of any price placed upon my time, and I seldom have a need to use the telephone." Even as I said it I knew I was missing something. He grinned.
"I mean you probably don't have time for anything other than saving the world."
"Well, it is difficult to schedule recreational activities around our training schedules, patrols and the fighting of crime, but Robin believes it is important for us to take time for the 'chilling out'." At the mention of Robin, Carl's smile flickered.
"Robin seems like a pretty cool guy."
"Yes, he has most certainly earned his title of 'Boy Wonder'. Even on my planet he would be considered a great warrior for one so young."
"So, are you guys together?" he asked with a directness that took me off guard. I blinked rapidly in confusion.
"No." Robin was obviously nowhere to be seen. Though he could easily see this for himself, his face contorted with disbelief.
"Really?"
"He said perhaps later, but he told me not to do the waiting for him."
"Well in that case... Um, Starfire, would you be interested in maybe going out sometime?" He stammered the question so badly it took me a moment to understand what he was saying. When I understood, I smiled at his courage.
"Certainly. You seem very nice." His face flushed crimson and his teeth flashed white with relief. You would think I had proclaimed him Grand Ruler of Tamaran. He leaned toward me.
"How about tomorrow?" His excitement was a little overwhelming, but I did my best to be polite.
"Maybe tomorrow afternoon if no criminal activities occur that will require my attention."
"That'd be awesome!" He was practically glowing with excitement and I felt a stab of pity for him. Beast Boy had explained 'the fans' to me. I knew they put the Titans on a pedestal and were thrilled by even the slightest amount of our attention. My time was such a small thing if it brought him such happiness.
"I'll give you my number. You probably don't want to give out yours."
He leaned toward me to say the number into my ear as I pulled out my communicator. He was so close I could practically feel his cheek brushing against mine.
"Uh Starfire, is everything alright?"
We both looked around to see Robin standing at the other end of the park bench watching me with a peculiar expression on his face. His mouth was relaxed, but his eyes were fiercely alert. His body too was at odds with itself. Both hands were relaxed at his sides, but his shoulders were so tense I could see the definition of his biceps through his sleeves. I noticed that he deliberately kept from looking at Carl, which was strange.
"Everything is fine!" I assured him brightly to put him at ease. "Carl and I are going out and he wishes to give me his number."
To my surprise, Robin's eye twitched.
"You're going out? Since when?"
"Well, not until tomorrow," I replied pleasantly. "I am not certain where yet. I presume somewhere outdoors, yes?" I looked at Carl for confirmation and saw that he looked absolutely crestfallen.
"Oh, I thought you understood... I...maybe I should go."
"Carl, is it?" Robin stepped closer and held out his hand. "You don't have to go."
"My friends will be wondering where I am," he mumbled, slinking away. I wilted.
"Have I done something wrong?" I asked quietly as he slipped away across the fairgrounds. Robin came to stand beside me.
"You may or may not have broken that guy's heart." Robin flashed me a sympathetic look. "He thought you were agreeing to a date." His eyes fixed on my face as he said those words. Dismay gripped me and I clapped my hands to my cheeks.
"Oh! I did the leading on of him. I must apologize!"
"Maybe you should just let this one go," he suggested. "I don't know how going after him will make it better. Unless you do want to go on a date with him?" He searched my face quickly.
"I have no desire to partake in the preliminary mating ritual with him. I assumed..." Robin stepped closer and touched my shoulder.
"Trust me, you're not the first person to make that mistake. Happens to us humans all the time."
That caught my attention. Did he speak from experience? I could not picture Robin making such a blunder. Robin was always so well-informed.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, taking an uncomfortable step back.
"I doubt you have ever found yourself in this predicament. You would not misinterpret another's intentions." He tugged at his collar.
"It happens more often than you'd think. Come on, let's grab some cotton candy." I had the impression he wanted to change the subject. I did not wish to let the topic go, but the thought of cotton candy persuaded me. Earth had such a large variety of candies. On Tamaran there was no such thing as sugar and even our tastiest berries would not be called 'sweet' by human standards.
"I should wait for Beast Boy," I remembered. Robin pulled out his communicator.
"Cy, when you're done eating link up with Beast Boy."
"I thought Starfire was watching him," I heard Cyborg say.
"Starfire's with me. He's riding roller coasters. He'll probably be at it all night."
"Oh okay. Starfire's with you... I got it." Some emotion dripped from Cyborg's voice that was unfamiliar to me. It was a blend of teasing and suspicion. I could not understand why our being together would be considered suspect. After all we did the hanging out together all the time. Robin didn't respond. He just rolled his eyes and ended the call.
"Is our case asleep now?" I asked as we weaved our way through the crowds.
"Huh?"
"You put it to bed, is that not the expression? I presume it is asleep now and that is why you are free to join us?" He grinned and reached back to catch my hand.
"Yes Star, it's all tucked in. To be honest, things have been kinda slow recently. I mean, it's been weeks since the last petty crime. I can't remember the last time we've gone this long without a burglary, not that I'm complaining," he added hastily.
"That is good. Perhaps our presence is making the difference."
"As much as I'd like to believe that, experience tells me otherwise. I don't know, it just gives me this feeling. It's like the calm before the storm." His hand tightened around mine with his conviction. Naturally, it didn't hurt, but it told me just how strongly he felt that something was off. I did not want to lose him to his brooding, and I gave his hand a little tug.
"Look, the thin plastic filled with helium!" I pointed to a woman in a red and black costume who was holding a large bouquet of red balloons in her hand. As I pointed, she pinched her lips together and stabbed a balloon with a long thin needle. It exploded so violently that her entire bouquet popped along with it. Green gas hung in the air. A nearby child burst into hysterical tears of fright. Then her mother's face began to run with tears. So did the family's beside them, and another group of teenagers'...
"Starfire, get in the air!" Robin shouted. I obeyed instinctively. He squeezed my hand as we rocketed ten feet into the air. Beneath us, I could see an ever-widening circle of people dropping to their knees as a soft green haze radiated from where the remains of the balloons had been dropped. Of the woman, there was no sight.
"Titans!" Robin brought out his communicator again, informing them rapidly what had occurred.
"It's Joker venom and it's spreading fast. Whatever you do don't breathe it in. Raven, try to get the infected out of here as fast as you can. Starfire and I are going after Harley."
"Who is Harley?" I asked when he was finished.
"She's Joker's girlfriend. I don't know what she's doing in Jump, but I don't like it. If she's here that means he might be too. We've got to find her."
But beneath us several more explosions went off as more balloons burst and more green gas filtered into the air. Even from our distance I felt my eyes begin to burn as if they'd been splashed with the juice of the glembak berry.
"Robin, I cannot see..." I gritted my teeth as my eyes began to tingle painfully. Remembering that his human senses were more sensitive than mine, I rose several more feet into the air. I scrubbed at my eyes, but they were on fire. I shot of an eye beam, hoping to burn the residue from my eyes, but the added heat only intensified the pain. I shrieked.
"Star, put me down. I have the anti venom. I'll be all right. Fly to the harbor and rinse out your eyes. Just try not to breathe the gas in. I don't know what it will do to you."
"I should stay," I said, but it was unconvincing as water streamed down my cheeks. With no other choice, I closed my eyes and dipped low enough that he could let go without hurting himself on his landing. The added exposure only increased the pain I was in and quickly I flew off to do as he said.
"The whole park's knocked out," I heard Cyborg say over my communicator. "According to my readings this stuff is deadly."
"I can't move them without exposing myself to it," Raven chimed in. "It's too wide-spread."
"Dudes I can't even get close," added Beast Boy. His senses were even keener than mine and I could only imagine what the poison would do to him. I dove into the harbor, relishing the cold water on my face. Vigorously I scrubbed until the burning receded.
"I've spotted Harley!" Robin's voice crackled in and out. "I'm in pursuit. She's headed for the parking lot. I need backup!"
I think we were all stunned to hear him ask for assistance. Robin could easily manage most of Jump City's criminals by himself. He worked with us because it was easier than working alone. I knew nothing of this Harley woman, but I feared her if she was someone Robin did not dare face alone.
"I am en route," I said, taking to the air again.
"Starfire, no wait I-"
His communicator went dead.