Raven's eyes flew open.
"You want us to do what now, Star?
"Engage in the ritual piercing of the bodily parts with the best friend of forever. Was my meaning not clear the first time?"
"Crystal," Raven grumbled. Starfire was nice and all, but you could only take so much of her seemingly endless optimism.
"Oh joyous! I shall make the preparations!" And before Raven could utter a word of protest, the cheerful alien flew out of the room.
There were a million things wrong with Star's suggestion. First off, Raven personally thought earrings were an impracticality for a superhero to have. She also imagined it would be a bother to look after them in other situations, like going to bed or taking a shower.
She ended up getting them anyways.
.~.
A week later, the empathy had already forgotten about her and Starfire's one sided conversation, too busy being intent on her meditation. Although she typically preferred darkness, the warmth of the sun on her back and the summer breeze tugging at her hair were not altogether unpleasant sensations. In fact, they served to add to her tranquil state of mind. Tranquil, that is, until Starfire came bursting through the rooftop door.
"Are you ready to go with me to the mall of shopping, friend Raven?"
"Why in the world would I want to do that?"
"You promised to help me with errands. Do you not remember, Raven?"
Whether or not she remembered, Raven seemed to have little choice in the matter as the bright eyed Tamaranian had already grabbed her hand and was dragging to the (presumably borrowed) T-Car.
Once they arrived at the mall, Raven was overloaded with a number of bags from Cumberbath and Co, We R United, Dahlia's, National Fox/Pear, and, Star's personal favorite, Apostrophe.
All of the stores were playing loud music of the pop variety, were badly lit, and smelled strongly of cheap cologne. It took all of Raven's willpower to not destroy them all. The torture, however, did not end there. Star had also made Raven come with her into Fragrances R Us. By the time they left that place, Raven emitted an odor so foul it could only be described as a mixture of wet dog and cat barf, with a floral afterscent. Things can't possibly get worse than this, Raven thought. But they could.
The next stop in the mall was Eclairs.
"Isn't this a store for prepubescent girls? What are we doing here?" Then Raven saw the high stool, and the white table with a sign on top near the entrance, and she knew.
"No. No way in hell, Starfire."
"Please friend Raven? I do not want to do it alone."
"That's what the teddy bear is for."
"Please? I will never make you come to the mall with me again."
Raven struggled with herself for a moment. Was it right to deny Star this Earthen experience? And was it right to disappoint such a true and loyal, if often misguided, friend? Finally she relented.
"Fine. But I'm not getting it done there. Being seen in that store would absolutely destroy my image. I'll do it there." Raven pointed to the Piercing Pavilion, conveniently located right across from Eclair's.
"It is a deal!" Starfire beamed at her, and Raven felt slightly better about the whole experience. Slightly.
Starfire hemmed and hawed over the assortment of earrings on display, before finally selecting a pair that looked like little turtles. Raven had gravitated towards a pair of dark red gemstones that would match her chakra.
The man at the Pavilion gestured for Starfire to go first, and she shot a nervous glance back at Raven. The dark haired empath motioned her forward, secretly relieved she didn't have to go first. About two minutes later, Starfire was twirling about, overjoyed at her new "companions." That didn't seem so bad. Maybe this would be ok, thought Raven.
Raven had experienced a tremendous amount of suffering in her life. Although the level went from becoming a portal for your evil demonic father to destroy the world, to listening to and putting up with Beast Boy and Cyborg's awful jokes, she was pretty much an expert. But nothing in her life had prepared her for what was to come.
.~.
"Is that a normal reaction to receiving the pierced ears?"
"I don't know Star, do you think obliterating the Piercing Pavilion was normal?"
"Well, er, no. Did it really hurt you that grievously?"
"It felt like someone was stapling my ear."
"Yes, but look what you did to Mr. Fluffykins!"
Starfire held up the mangled teddy bear that had once belonged to the Piercing Pavilion and shook it for emphasis.
"Look don't worry Star, I already used the Titans credit card to pay for the damages."
"Wonderous!"
After a moment Starfire looked over and smiled.
"You do look very nice with them, friend Raven."
The empath rolled her eyes.
"Yeah right."
"I'm sure a certain someone back at the tower will like them." She said, practically skipping.
"Do you want to end up like Mr. Fluffykins?" That shut her up, if only for a moment. Star's optimism could never be stopped, and before long she was humming again.
"Will they not be surprised when they see us with our piercings? This day has been the most delightful! We must do it again soon! Raven? Friend Raven? Are you hearing me?"
But Raven had stopped dead in her tracks. What would the others say...Oh no, oh no no no. Beast Boy and Cyborg! They would never let her hear the end of it. Once they saw her they'd make her the laughing stock of the tower. Before she could stop herself Raven asked the one question she hoped she never had to repeat.
"Could we possibly stay at the mall for a couple more hours?" Maybe they could sneak back in while everyone was at dinner.
"What a glorious suggestion!"
At least Raven wouldn't have to face the other Titans with her shame for hours. But she hadn't the heart to tell Starfire the real reason behind her sudden change of attitude toward the mall of shopping. After all, Raven had caused enough damage for one day.
A/N: I was going through my old notebooks the other day and I found this story I had written years ago. So I decided to give it a few tweaks and publish it here! There's no epilogue but I feel it's my duty to inform you that while Robin appreciated the attempt at beautification, he made them take out their earrings. Starfire (and a coerced Raven) took plenty of pictures with them though. Beast Boy sometimes still brings it up when he wants to piss Raven off. And lastly, Starfire managed to patch up Mr. Fluffykins, although she still gives Raven grief about it.