Happy Thanksgiving! Yeah! I love the holidays, so each holiday i will produce a story, so enjoy this years Thanksgiving tale.
WOURNING: The use of real names will occure for a few people... don't know the real name? Tough squashs.
The air was a chilling bluster of wind as he swept through and across the brown leaves and withering branches across the city and island. The wind had red, brown, even yellow leaves dance across the crisp grass and scratched across the pavement in the streets and sidewalks. The cold and curling fall air continued its dance, scratching and brushing against Jinx's soft, dull, pale skin. Most of her body was covered in a fall coat and fur hat that barely kept her hair in under its white furring. Her sharp coral eyes swept side to side, eyeing down all the creatures in the barbed pen. Her arms where folded in front of her as her lips where incoherently cursing that she had to come out here. "I can't see why we just can't buy a turkey from a grocery store like normal people," She hissed without looking away.
To her side, Jericho shrugged under his heavy winter coat and scarf, his gold locks slightly dipping under the fringes of his faux-fur hat. "By the way, why are you dressed like we're in a blizzard?" Jinx scoffed with a smirk and a lean onto the wire fence in front of them.
Once more, Jericho simply shrugged and joined Jinx in looking over the poultry behind the fence. He knew why he was wearing it, but it would prove pointless to try and tell Jinx. Rose had made a fuss about the cold and made Jericho bundle up so he wouldn't "get ammonia"; sometimes she seemed a bit over protective of him at times. "I guess it doesn't matter. You're cold, you're cold," Jinx nonchalantly dismissed with a dull look in her eyes.
At first, Jericho felt a cold aura from Jinx, so he put a hand on her shoulder. It seemed she reacted to his glove hand, because she tapped it with her slim hand and chuckled lightly. "I'm fine. It's just that Kid Flash was being stupid before we left," She explained.
The rustling wind brushed passed them, ruffling the turkeys in the pen slightly. "He was so focused on getting the stupidest thing, he didn't even notice I left," her voice dragged a little, Jericho listening to each word intently.
He felt her unwind under his hand and her back straitened up. "Forget about all that… I'm with you, and we're looking for a turkey," She laughed.
Jericho let her go and nodded under his bundled winter wear. They both looked back over each turkey intently. Pointing and shaking their heads one after the other, not finding any that suited the search. Finally, Jinx pointed to a fine large one in the corner. "That one looks perfect!" Jinx announced excitedly.
Without waiting for anything from Jericho, she hopped the fence and charged through the flock of turkeys and directly at the target fowl. Jericho chimed a small grin on his face as he watched the pink haired girl knocking bird after bird out of her way and also launching neon pink crescents of energy out of her hands to try and stop the turkey from escaping her. As she continued, Jericho walked to the small wooden stand with a tall, burly man standing inside it. The man looked out at Jinx as she continued with enjoyment across his face. "Yer' friend there seems to be enjoying her capturein'," He laughed with a look down at Jericho.
Softly smiling up at him, he dug through his front jacket pocket and took his wallet out. The man started to laugh and put up a defying hand. "Na, na, na. There will be none of that here," He looked back at Jinx, with her hair now matted and filled with feathers and pinning the turkey down in triumph. "That there was payment enough," Jericho nodded to the man with respect and put the wallet back.
He saluted to the man in farewell before turning on his heels and returning to Jinx. Jinx struggled to her feet, franticly trying to keep the turkey down as it flailed about. "Since when are birds this hard to put down!" Jinx screeched while finally subduing the bird by hitting it in the head with one of the wooden posts that kept the fence up.
Looking at the unconscious bird, Jericho couldn't help but feel bad; but he still helped Jinx carry it by holding it by the feet while she laced her hands near its neck. Getting it into a proper hold, they started their long walk out of the rural area of Jump City and then through the city itself to get home. The sky was gray but still provided a calming afternoon light that Jericho seemed to enjoy; unlike Jinx who grumbled the entire way into town. "After we get home and ditch the bird, I'm going to take a nap right on the couch," She told Jericho.
Suddenly, Jinx felt a slight tug on the bird's body coming from the legs. Jinx looked up curiously to see what was wrong with Jericho. What met her eyes was not the kind, companionate eyes of the young blonde; but fearful, saddened emerald eyes. "What's wrong?" Jinx asked, and that's when it hit her. "O-on second thought, why don't you, carry the bird. You're better with animals," Jinx complemented shakily with a smile as she pushed the turkey's body onto Jericho.
Jericho pushed the turkey back with a declining head shake, as if saying: No, you are more experienced with things fighting back, you hold it. They both knew it, and they both wanted to avoid it. The second they got to the island, one of them would have to "prepare dinner". The cold air around them made them even more chilled to the bone at the thought. Jinx looked at the turkey between she and him. What once looked like a vicious and monster-ish bird now looked gentle and innocent. Jinx reluctantly looked back at Jericho, both sharing the same sympathetic and nervous look to their eyes. "It's not like we never had turkey before, right?" Jinx tried to reason.
Jericho sternly shook his head and looked back at the place they got it. "…That's true; we never knew all those other turkeys. But…" She looked down at it once more, feelings its warm body pulsing in her hands. "We don't know this turkey, so…" Responding to her conclusion, Jericho quickly dug through his pocket and took out a dollar.
Jinx looked at it and instantly recognized the crispness of a dollar bill. "It's a dollar… so?" Answering her again, he pointed from the dollar to the turkey. "…Bill?" Jericho nodded at her conclusion. She studied the unconscious bird for a minute and then smiles genuinely. "He looks more like a Josh—Gah! I'm bonding with it!" Jinx squeaked, than looked to a triumphant grinning Jericho.
She knew she lost… they couldn't kill the bird. They sighed in relief, no matter how short lived it was. Because they had a new problem that troubled them… what would they bring for dinner?
The crisp chill of the fall air danced all about, but couldn't enter the warmth of Titan's Tower. The insides as much as the outsides where chaotic with everyone setting up decorations and raking leaves away for a clean island face. But no one was allowed to enter the kitchen area, despite how alluring and inviting the wafting aroma of baking thanksgiving traditional dishes and cooking vegetables. The most inviting of it all, the crown jewel in Cyborg's feast was without anyone's disagreement his pumpkin pie. The golden outer crust perfectly fringing over the sides of the pan that held its perfect orange insides. Every inside of it perfectly leveled with the right amount of flavor and special seasonings. Light flowers of whip cream done across the face of it in a decretive design. Cyborg took a wafting sniff of his own creation and grinned. "Man! This is the best pie I've made in years!" He congratulated himself.
He picked it up and placed it on the smooth counter to let it cool before dinner and went back to his other dishes that need fine tuning before they were presented. As he diced and chopped carrots, he felt a gust of wind rush by him. He continued to cut and frowned. "Boy, you better step away from that pie before I mess you up," He threatened lowly to the person behind him.
Another gust swept by him and Wally West sat down in the chair across from Cyborg. "Hi Cyborg, fancy meeting you here?" He greeted with a cheery grin.
For once, he was not wearing his mask or costume. Instead he just wore a long sleeved wool sweater that had a lightning bolt down the center of it and average pants. "I thought I said no one was allowed in the kitchen until dinner?" Cyborg questioned, completely dismissing Wally's greeting.
Wally ran his hand through his spiked red hair and laughed. "Did you? Sorry, I must not have been there," Wally dismissed once more.
Cyborg slammed his knife into the chopping block he was using and looked to Wally again. Wally flinched but kept his friendly grin. "Wasn't there—you where in front! I know since you kept saying 'will there be pie? Will there be pie?'," Cyborg growled with a mimicking tone reminiscent of a whining child.
Wally pouted for a second and say back with a fold of his arms in front of his lightning bolt. "I don't sound like that," Cyborg pointed at the door behind him and narrowed his one human eye.
"Out," he ordered.
"Fine, fine," Wally let out in an exasperated tone and a slide of his chair. "I can take a hint," Wally started to walk towards the door behind Cyborg as he went back to work.
After a few seconds of Cyborg's return to cutting, he stopped mid slice of a steamed carrot and looked behind him. "Wait a second—" His suspicions where confirmed when he saw his pie was gone and the sliding door behind where it once was slammed close. "Son of—Flash!" Cyborg yelled after the red headed speedster and broke from the kitchen after him; fist pumping in one hand and knife bared in his other.
Unlike the city streets, outskirts, or even Titan's island, the mall was only lightly bustling with shoppers and workers doing the final touches for their own Thanksgiving celebration and festivities. Some just wanted decretive standees or wooden posts to present that subtle but so welcomed show of the holiday that everyone was so accustomed to. But, that was not the case with Red Star as looked into the window of store, eyeing all the not so festive but common shopping endeavors that the store held within. He grimaced slightly as he scratched his ungloved hands to his hatless red hair. "I do not know. What do you think I should get?" He asked his friend behind him, not as Red Star, but as Leonid.
His friend was wearing a large trench coat with a hood covering his face so one couldn't see any part of him; but the covering of his body couldn't mask or even subdue the scent of gasoline coming off his skin. His shoulders ebbed up then back down with confusion at Leonid's question. "Get? Get for what? We're just supposed to get more chairs for dinner, what are you talking about?" Kid Devil asked.
Leonid furrowed his brows over his neon green eyes slightly. "We will get the chairs; but you buy gifts for your loved and cherished friends and family on this day, yes?" Leonid asked in return.
Kid Devil was about to correct him, but hesitated for a minute. To Leonid, he never celebrated an American Thanksgiving in his life, and was probably unsure on the procedure. As bad as it was, he couldn't pass up on this opportunity; no matter of Leonid was his friend. "Oh, right, right, yeah. You have to get presents for your loved ones in thanks for them just being so great," Kid Devil 'explained'.
Leonid's face lit up and he shook his head with a chuckle. "American holidays are so complex. Will you help me look for a gift for them?" He asked Kid Devil.
"Be glad to. And good thing I'm here because I'm an excellent bargain hunter,"
"Are you?"
"Yeah. You see this power I have? I got it for a great deal," Kid Devil pointed out as he gestured to his body under the coat.
"Is that so?" Leonid returned as the two of them started to head into the store to start their shopping.
"Well… It's complicated, but it still was a good deal compared to what I could have paid," Kid Devil laughed with a jostling push of Leonid.
Leonid chuckled and pushed Kid Devil back, but accidently knocked him through a wall. The debris of the wall fell down on Kid Devil with a crumbling shutter and Leonid flinched slightly at the sight. "Uhh…" Kid Devil's tail wagged slightly from out of the cracks of the debris and Leonid heard a soft laugh.
"I'm fine..." He said as he pushed the debris off and walked back over to Leonid. They both looked back at the mess and Kid Devil slid his tail under his coat. "…Let's not tell Robin about that. I actually want him and Titan's West to invite us over for the holidays," Kid Devil joked. Leonid agreed with a nod before the two of them turned back to the store and went off for 'Holiday shopping'.
While the rest of the city was rustling with leaves and bare tree branches, the island in the center of the bay was purely cleaned off all leaves and looked a clean green mass, aside from the giant white tower that was resting on it. Thanks to the persistence of Terra, Geo-Force, and Herald, all the crisp autumn leaves had been 'raked and put into a proper place'. No one at the tower wanted to question how or what they did, the bottom line and only thing they cared about was that leaves where not on their island anymore… they'd worry about what happened to it after dinner.
Inside the main room of the tower, the large sofa had been set aside for a long table able to accommodate all the invited members of the Teen Titans. The table was covered with platters of still steaming food, plates and utensils, a fine white table cloth with an embroidered 'T' on it from top to bottom, and a beautiful center piece in the shape of Titan's Tower with everyone on it made from un painted wood. The Titan's had marveled at how well Rose and Cassandra did at crafting a perfect and well detailed model of the island and Titans. Everything was set, except for three highly important pieces. Many of the titans stood about the room, mixes of impatient and patient waiting occurring as they awaited the three final things they needed to start.
They all knew, as much as anyone, that you couldn't eat at a table without chairs, which they sent out for since they were short a few; since they added a few members since the last Thanksgiving. They also saw that the turkey they sent out for wasn't here yet, but that was understandable given the distance of the ranch they were sold at. But they all where impatient about the gem of their dinner: the pie. Luckily, their waiting was finally cut as the three doors that led to the main room slid open and the three parties they waited for returned. Leonid laughed heartily and waved a case of fold up chairs to his side with Eddie close behind him; his jacket now removed so his crimson skin shone clearly. "Worry not, we have returned with the chairs!" Leonid continued to laugh.
He set the chairs down near the kitchen area and stood to the side, another bag clenched tightly in his hand. From another door, Cyborg had put Wally in a head lock under his arm pit and held his pie in his open arm. "Now what have we learned?" He asked coldly while everyone smiled at Wally's misfortune.
"I was going to give it back; I was just playing around,"
"I caught you in Stone City! I had to get in the T ship to catch up with you!" Cyborg snapped, tightening his hold on Wally.
Wally squirmed for a second then finally slipped out. He looked around for a second and saw the chairs. "Oh look! I'll set up the chairs!" He offered, trying to get off the topic of Cyborg beating him.
Before any rebuttal, Wally flashed through the room and set up the chairs around the table in seconds. Cyborg sighed and put his still intact pumpkin pie on the dining table; then noticed Jericho and Jinx fidgeting in the corner. "Yo. You two got the turk—" Jinx quickly whipped out a fine and well plucked turkey from behind her; cooked and ready for eating. "Well alright!" Cyborg cheered and clapped his hands.
Everyone else joined in the clapping: at least these two did their job with excellence. Without further waiting, they all settled down into their chairs at the table. Dick, who didn't remove his Robin mask, sat at the head of the table with Kory in her green long sleeved sweater to his left and Raven with her hood down to his right. "Before anyone eats…" Leonid called for everyone's attention.
Everyone gave mixed looks of interest and annoyance that their meal was being held off even more. Leonid checked their faces and presented his bag to everyone. "I come presenting gifts for you all," He told them with a cheery smile.
For a moment, no one knew what to say. But, Rosabelle, who sat next to him, gave him a sympathetic smile across her sinew skin face. "Leonid… Thanksgiving is not a holiday of gift giving," She told him as she placed her claw nailed hand on his shoulder.
He glanced over to her and laughed with enjoyment in his neon eyes. "I know that!" Everyone looked at him surprised and somewhat confused, but none so much as Eddie who's eyes had gown slightly wide. "Eddie thought he could take advantage of the idea that I've never had Thanksgiving before, but what he didn't count on that I know how to read and use the internet to find out about American customs," He explained further.
Eddie sank down in his seat as he felt eyes drill into him for trying to take advantage of a fellow Titan. "So then why did you buy gifts for everyone?" Dick asked.
Leonid dug through his bag and went around the table, giving everyone a small box. "Because I saw that this holiday is all about giving thanks… so I will give thanks for what deserves the most thanks. My friends and fellow Titans…" When everyone received their gift, they opened the small box and saw that inside was a cheap necklace.
But what was etched into the dog tags of each one was a single word. "…My home away from home. My family," He chuckled once more and took his seat.
Everyone felt touched to see the word 'Family' etched on it. Dick smirked and put his on. "We are like a family, aren't we?" Everyone nodded in agreement and slid their necklaces on as well.
Seeing nothing else was going to happen, everyone prepared their knives and forks for the dinner before them. "Wait!" The room was filled with groans again with another interruption; this time presented by Wally. "Before we eat… let's give it up for Jericho and Jinx for getting this great turkey," He gestured to the two of them and then at the fine turkey in the center of the table.
His comment was followed by everyone's applause and agreeing nods. Jericho and Jinx simply waved it off as they shifted in their chairs uncomfortably. "Now… let's dig in!" At the final call, everyone delved into the meal before them.
Each taking helpings of all the festive and traditional foods before them, they took pieces of the turkey after cutting it. While eating, some of their faces contorted in unfamiliar taste. "…Jinx? Jericho?" Dick called for the two of them.
They flinched but looked down the table at Dick. "Where did you get this turkey? It tastes… different," Jinxed looked across the table at Jericho with a nervous and skeptical half smile.
"Uh, you know… where you normally get farm raised turkey," Jinxed told Dick with Jericho giving a supporting nod.
Everyone eyed the two of them suspiciously, knowing something was up. But what they didn't notice was inside the trashcan next to the door the two of them entered from was a large box stuffed deep inside it's containment with the label "Tofu-turkey: With all the looks and smell of a real turkey dinner".
Dinner came and passed. Before and after, everyone shared in stories of adventures they recently had or just saying what they were thankful for, as was tradition at this time of the year. But one individual had slipped out once her dining was done. She sat alone on one of the rocks outside on the coast of the island, dangling her legs off the edge. She may have had fun with Jericho when they went to go get the turkey, and felt pretty sly about slipping the turkey away and replacing it with substitute turkey for dinner, but she couldn't forget the person that dampened her mood since this holiday morning. She felt he could sense her feelings, because he had dashed up behind her with his usual carefree expression. "Hey Jinx. What's up? Why are you just sitting out here alone?" Wally asked her in his usual speeded tone when he was happy.
She grimaced at his voice but didn't turn to him. "Oh… now you want to talk?" She snapped.
"What's that supposed to mean? I always want to talk to you," He replied, somewhat hurt by her comment.
"Not this morning. You where so busy trying to get Cyborg's pie—"
"Oh that? Heh. I was trying to get it for you," He laughed.
Jinx flinched for a second and looked back at him with narrowed but surprised eyes. "Why?"
"When we were here last time and you had his pie I saw the most beautiful smile of delight on your face… I just wanted to get you to smile like that from me doing it," He replied proudly and a smile across his face.
Jinx pondered that for a second then came down off her rock. She took a few steps up to Wally and grabbed his arm and started to drag him off towards the tower. "Where are we going?" Wally asked while trying to keep up with Jinx.
"Home… it's Thanksgiving. So I want to go home and show you how thankful I am for the greatest thing in my life…" She replied, a slight pink shade coming to her face but a devilish glint to her cat like eyes.
Wally smiled and walked a little faster with her and giving her a peck on her cheek. The two of them traveled for a little bit in silence until Wally broke it with a question. "…And what's that?"
Oh the Thanksgiving antics... I know it wasn't great but hey, thanksgiving isn't as exciting as Christmas.
REVIEW, READ, tell your friends. It's a story for all those that have thanksgiving lol.
Family is family, but a friend can always be welcomed. "Not for you, not for me, but for us".
Happy Thanksgiving! See you in the big times!
Cyborg: Where did my pie go!