"I am dripping wet and cold. Again.
"Yeah." "Yes." "Mm-hmm." "That you are."
"...Right. And you people are dry and warm."
"Yeah. "Yes." "What do you mean - " "Not the time for movie quotes, Cyborg."
"You all have a lot of explaining to do and not a lot of time to do it."
Before the rest of the Teen Titans, Raven was left in only her leotard after her drenched cloak had been put in the dryer. Soaked from the rain and swaddled in a blanket, her flat stare had everyone looking in any direction but her own. Except for the visiting Jinx, who was looking between the group in turn to see whose expression was most guilty. Kole, also visiting, had her face in her hands and was also silent.
Shoved forward by the others, Cyborg cleared his throat. "Well, Raven, it's simple. You're really just overreacting over it, and..." His jaw nearly came unhinged with fear at the pure white glow in Raven's eyes and the shifting movements in her shadow. "...And I think Robin dearly wants to explain this!" Immediately grabbing the Boy Wonder, Cyborg plopped him down in front of Raven and made a tactical retreat to hide behind Starfire.
Beast Boy chuckled. "What's the matter, Cyborg? Way to act like a little - Mrow." He smiled cheekily up at Cyborg from his cat form. "Get it?" The glare Cyborg gave him caused the fur on Beast Boy's shoulders to bristle. He hissed loudly and quickly turned back to his usual form with a huff. Seeing the looks he was being given, he laughed nervously. "Um...! Nobody here but us chickens!" With a buk buk buk, rooster-Beast Boy took his turn to hide behind Starfire.
Robin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, Raven. I'm the leader of this team, and I'm not going to explain this until you calm down." He gulped nervously, but refused to back down as Raven's eyes glowed brighter, her face gained an ugly scowl, and tendrils began to raise up from her shadow. "You don't sc are me! You'd never hurt us over something like this!"
What Would You Be Willing To Bet, Fearless Leader?
Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire shivered in an equally-terrified Cyborg's arms. They all looked frightfully around themselves, but Raven's echoing voice had ceased to blast from the very Tower itself as it had been. Now, she was just giving them her usual flat stare - Flashlight eyes and shadow moving gone.
Cyborg whispered frightfully to his team, "D-D-D-D-Did y'all ever know Raven could do stuff like that?" They all shook their heads frightfully. "Yeah. Me neither. I'd let y'all down, but she just scared me so bad my joints locked. " Meanwhile, Starfire tried to comfort Beast Boy. Beast Boy, who was now sucking on his thumb and starting to regress out of fear.
Eventually, giggles of thrilled enjoyment broke the silence. "This is way more entertaining than the movie we watched! You guys are terrified of her! Hah!" Wiping a tear from her eye, Jinx sighed to calm herself. For a few moments, she simply sat there in silence. Then, however, she looked up at Raven.
"They all were too busy because Starfire saw a cockroach and Beast Boy was trying to keep anyone from squashing it."
All of the other Titans just gave Jinx their own flat stares. It was Robin who eventually spoke up. "Okay, Jinx, that's what the Titans call 'completely not cool.' We would have explained it to Raven...Once she stopped...Um...Uh..." He struggled to find the words.
Jinx snickered gleefully. "Once she stopped scaring all of you 'super heroes' like you're all back in Elementary School and have a mean detention teacher?" The collective stares began to turn quite angered. Hands raised appeasingly, Jinx tried to force down more laughter. "Relax, relax. Don't all get your panties in a knot. Kole and I will fix this."
Despite Kole's protests, Jinx dragged her along. Raven was left on the couch as all of her friends clustered together for safety off to the side. Eventually, a jerry-rigged spotlight shone down on the table, where Kole wore a cute little suit-dress and a bowtie.
She whined piteously, "J...Jinx, this is so embarrassing..." At an incoherent growl and a kick to the table, Kole flinched and went on. "S...S...So...For our, our guest of honor, Raven of Azarath...J...Jinx the Beautiful...Will...Will...Perform her astounding feats." She bowed herself hurriedly out of the spotlight.
After Jinx quietly congratulated Kole on the use of 'Beautiful' while introducing her, the show began. Jinx twirled up atop the table, where she displayed her gothic lolita-style dress and decorated little black tophat. No one had a chance to ponder exactly how she had gotten herself and Kole changed without leaving the room or even letting anyone know.
"Before I begin," Jinx said, "I have a question to ask of our guest." Another pirouette and she was off of the table. The spotlight followed Jinx as she sashayed up to Raven's seat on the couch. "You see, Raven of Azarath, you seem to be an expert on magic. Ever since I was little, I've had this problem with money that I hoped you could explain." Raven stared in silence.
Jinx giggled. "Thanks muchly! Now, here's my problem with money: " Jinx held out her palm, showing a pair of silver dollars. "Ever since I was little, I would have two coins. Then, I closed my hand. But..." Raven gazed down with a bored look, until her eyes flew wide open when Jinx showed her palm again. "...Once I opened my hand, only one coin would be left. Can you explain this little problem to me, Raven of Azarath?" She smiled.
Blinking rapidly, Raven sighed. "Okay, Jinx." A soft ahem cut her short. "Jinx the Beautiful," Raven droned. "You have my attention now." She smacked Jinx's hand away from her. "I know you're going to pull the coin out from behind my ear, so let's just not do the whole trick and say we did." With a shrug, Jinx pranced back to her makeshift stage.
An elegant curtsy, and Jinx twirled her hat off of her head. Waving her fingers above the upturned hat, Jinx suddenly pulled out a dove. Yet with a spin around the other way, a tiny firebird was sent screeching in circles around the room until it erupted in sparks of vermillion and green and indigo towards the ceiling. Jinx giggled - "I'm no Dumbledore or anything, but I guess I'm not too shabby, hmmm? Now, for the second part of my act!" Hefting a large box up onto the table beside her, Jinx ratted around.
Immediately, she pulled out a massive pair of gloves on sticks. "Applause!" She smacked both hands together playfully before dropping them. Next, she pulled out a deck of cards. "I'll bet your card is the Ace of Hearts." All fifty-two Aces of Hearts were thrown around the room. Out of the box came another pair of objects. "To discourage the urges that a lot of boys get." She tossed the matching pair of wrist-sized cones off to the side.
Abruptly, Jinx was overcome by giggles. "Good Lord. Gimme half a chance and I turn into Carrot Top." Sighing, she did another curtsy for the crowd. "Now, everyone, I am going to put on my oh-so-elegant ventriloquist act." She froze at an abrupt sngrk! from Beast Boy. "You have something to say, Green Bean?"
Beast Boy broke down into laughter. "You're good, but no way you have time to do all of that and also be a ventriloquist!"
Jinx smirked. "As a matter of fact, I got my first dummy when I was nine and I've practiced it as a side-hobby ever since. I can also speak Japanese." She saw everyone's incredulous looks. "Can to! Godzilla!"
Everyone gaze her their own flat, incredulous stares. Jinx blushed. "Oh, my, I messed up...That wasn't Japanese. Here." She moved her mouth rapidly with no noise. Then suddenly: "Godzilla!" By then, she couldn't help but crack up at herself.
Past the point of questioning her, the other Teen Titans were now just glad that Raven had ceased wanting to kill and/or maim them. They motioned for Jinx to continue.
Jinx smiled. "Alright, little guy, everyone wants to meet you!" A timid male voice spoke up. "I can't do it, Beautiful Princess Jinx! I'm so stupid and ugly!" "Aw, of course you are! That's why they're all going to love you!" "Al-riiight." The puppet was brought out.
Everyone stared, then started to crack up. Even Robin, who was desperately trying to be angry. "N, n, no, Jinx! That's not fair! You can't do this!"
Ignoring him, Jinx spoke to her puppet-replica of Robin. "What do you think of all this, Little Ugly Robin? "I'm too busy ogling Starfire to think. Purty gurl."
Despite how hard he was laughing, Robin tried to protest. "W, wait! I'm not going to stand for you calling that thing 'Ugly Robin!' That's not fair!"
"Oh, his name's not Ugly Robin," Jinx said. "His name is Little Ugly Robin!" She looked back down at the puppet. "Do you think Raven is right to be angry, Little Ugly Ass-Robin?" "Yes. I'm never considerate of her feelings and I need a big studded boot up my ass for it."
Robin was now trying to hold onto Cyborg as his ribs ached from laughter. "D, d, don't put 'ass' in front of that thing's name! That's just uncalled for!"
Jinx snickered. "Oh no, it's not in front of his name." She waited until the laughter started to die down. "...It's all one word. Little. Ugly. Ass-Robin." "I want to go back in the box where it's dark and I can think about Starfire." "Okay!" Jinx placed the dummy back in. "If you guys had watched 'Controlled Chaos' the other night then you wouldn't be so taken by surprise."
Eventually, the lights turned back on. The others were shocked to see Raven sitting on the couch, smiling, still breathing a bit heavily from how hard she had been laughing.
As Kole had explained, she used the opportunity to retrieve the cloak from the dryer.
It took only a few minutes for Raven to forgive the others.
Everyone gladly helped Jinx pick up her props.