"Bleah. Damn Azarathian body clock," Beast Boy muttered. It had been a month since Trigon had been destroyed and Beast Boy's bloodline had been infused with that of Azarath's. Ever since then, he had been waking up at 6 AM, just like Raven did. Although he was getting used to it, and it did give him alone time with his girlfriend, he still wished he could sleep in some mornings.
Groggily, the boy got up and got dressed. Another thing he had changed was his attire. His bloodline didn't force him to do so, but he figured that he should do it justice and not wear spandex all the time, especially since the Doom Patrol had long since been left behind in his past. He now owned a wide variety of clothes: a couple robes similar to Raven's, some short-sleeved T-Shirts, dark jeans, and a couple pairs of kickass black studded shoes. He had gone shopping with Raven, since she of course had a better knowledge of Azarathian fashion.
Looking in his closet, he decided to don a black shirt that said "Yeah, I'm green. Your point?" Raven had made it for him in celebration of their first month together. He pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans to match and walked up to the roof, sidling up to a meditating Raven. On the opposite corner of the roof, he spotted Robin as well. Not wanting to disturb his self-described "dark angel," he decided to chat with the Boy Wonder.
"Hey Rob," He caught his attention with a wave. Robin looked over and laughed. It was still odd to see his green friend up at such an early time in the morning.
"Hey. Sleep well?" Robin greeted him.
"Beh. I got woke up three times. Starfire talks in her sleep, and loudly. Finally just slept through it, but damn. Heard from Slade lately?" Beast Boy added. While Slade was now considered a Titan, he had opted to be more of an honorary member, rather than actually making his home at the Tower.
Robin shook his head. "Nah. Don't expect to for a bit either. He said he was going to go see if he couldn't find some answers about personal matters. Didn't want to dig further. I'm just glad he's on our side now. He was a bitch to fight, but he's a hell of a sparring partner. Taught me a couple moves that'd make Batman jealous," He added with a smirk. Beast Boy just shook his head and laughed.
"Hey," Raven said, joining the two boys after finishing her meditation. They both jumped.
"Oh, mornin' Rae," Beast Boy smiled and gave her a good morning peck on the cheek. The girl smiled, feeling the same pure joy that she always felt when she was able to freely express emotion.
"Hey, so uhm...There's a concert going on tonight, about 8 pm. It's in that new club, some sort of battle of the bands type thing. It'd probably be fun," Raven suggested. Beast Boy gave her an odd look. She sounded almost...nervous?
"Sweet! Sounds like a plan to me. Concerts rule," Beast Boy enthused. Awesome! We can go and dance and listen to some sweet music and drink pop until it comes out our noses! He thought. Azarathian, yes. Entirely mature, no. He was mature only when he wanted to be. Which was mainly when he was around alone with Raven.
"Sounds good," Robin agreed. The trio headed down to the kitchen, meeting up with Starfire and Cyborg. Cyborg was cooking, much to Beast Boy's chagrin. However, ever since he had paired up with Raven the Azarathian girl had began to make him tofu whenever Cyborg cooked. It was a sweet, loving gesture and it halted the meat vs. tofu war. Win/win. "Thanks Rae," Beast Boy said as she set a plate of tofu eggs and bacon in front of him and gave him a light flick on the ear, her equivalent of a your-welcome kiss. Cyborg rolled his eyes and stuck his finger down his throat, earning him glowing white eyes from Raven.
Calming back down, Raven got another nervous look on her face. "So...I already told Garfield and Robin, but there's this battle of the bands thing going on at the new club. Starts about 8 pm, thought it'd be cool to go to," She suggested to Starfire and Cyborg.
"While the idea of going to the club is most enticing, why would one go to watch others duel with elastic?" Starfire inquired, confused. Robin laughed.
"No, not rubber bands, Star. Musical bands. Remember that CD I showed you? Linkin Park? Linkin Park is a band. A band is a group of guys that play music," He explained. Starfire nodded her head in understanding.
"Yeah, sounds like fun. Might even be able to go behind the scenes with the bands afterwards, being Titans and all," Cyborg suggested. Raven gave a laugh, thinking Oh, how right you are.
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The day was pretty average, although Raven was missing for most of it. She had holed herself up in her room, something she hadn't done since Trigon was taken care of. This worried Beast Boy, but he didn't want to disturb her so he just shrugged it off. This left getting his ass kicked in Speed Racer against Cyborg and Terra as his only alternative. Apparently, even Terra was better at video games than the changeling was.
"Oh, that is just bullshit," Beast Boy complained as Terra and Cyborg sandwiched his car between theirs, destroying his. Then Terra ran Cyborg off the road and hit the finish line.
"Oh yeah, who's your daddy, go Terra, it's your birthday," Terra got up on the couch and began to dance, much to the other two players' annoyance. Looking at each others, they both sighed and went to find other things to do. Cyborg went to mess around with his precious car, and Beast Boy went and screwed around on the Internet.
"Alright guys, everyone to the T-Car," Cyborg yelled. He had just finished washing and waxing it, so it shone like a lightbulb. Everyone piled in, amused at Cyborg's almost obsessive ways concerning the vehicle. The team had donned street clothes, since they would draw a lot more attention in uniform. Robin had on sunglasses, a plain white long-sleeved shirt, and blue jeans. Starfire had opted for a sleeveless, blue shirt and a pair of black shorts. Cyborg had a hologram ring on that made him look the way he did when he infiltrated the Hive, and Raven had gone for a black shirt with a red pentagram on it with black jeans and studded bracelets and belt.
Once they got to the club, everyone gathered up to plan out who was going to be where.
"Ok, me and Star are gonna head over and get something to eat at the food stand," Robin told them. Cyborg snorted, and Robin gave him a dirty look.
"Terra, Raven and I are gonna...Hey, where'd Raven go?" Beast Boy looked around, confused. Sure enough, the demoness was nowhere to be found. Beast Boy's face betrayed his worry for his girlfriend.
"BB, relax. She probably just found some people she knew and hooked up,. She'll be back in a few," Cyborg consoled him. He, Terra and Beast Boy headed off to the soda bar to grab some Pepsi. Oh, how right Beast Boy was.
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Stealthily, Raven broke off from the others and headed back behind the stage. "Hey Raven! Ready for tonight?" A guy in a blue shirt and black pants greeted her with a smile.
"About as ready as I'll ever be, Ben. Where's my group at?" She asked. She knew Ben from the old club he used to work at. He smiled and gestured.
"Right over there, first on the right. Good luck," He gave her a thumbs-up as she headed for the door. "Hey guys," She said as she walked through. Three other people looked up and said "Oh, hey Rae."
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Beast Boy had begun to relax. Now he was talking trash about how he would destroy them in Mega Monkeys 5 when they got home. Terra and Cyborg were arguing over what the best character in said game was, in a heated debate with wise rebuttals such as "You dumbass, Volken has range AND speed!" and "Alright blondie, get it through your head: Etheron is the best!" Ordering another refill on his soda, Beast Boy jumped into the conversation, arguing that his favorite character, Rabelton could kick both their asses. They had just rolled their eyes at each other and stopped arguing when the announcement came.
"Hello all! My name's Ben, and I'll be your announcer for tonight. Now, it's time to start this show! The Battle of The Bands of Jump City! And our first band of talented artists is..."
He paused, looking at his sheet.
"Nevermore!"
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Raven couldn't help but grin as she summoned her equipment from its storage in Azarath. She couldn't keep her stuff in her room, because it would get noticed. It wasn't until now, when she had full control over her emotions, that she reveal her favorite hobby and secret to her friends. Taking the custom guitar and its accompanying amp wire out of the case, she jacked in and made her way out to the stage.
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When the band came out, Beast Boy's mouth dropped to the floor. He turned wildly to Terra and Cyborg, who were frozen with their own mouths open in shock. "Um...Am I the only one that sees Raven standing with that band holding a guitar?" Beast Boy stammered.
"No...no you are not," Terra stammered back. They all watched as Raven slung the guitar in front of her and took the microphone from Ben.
"Alright guys, before we play I have a couple words to speak. See, my fellow Titans and my boyfriend Garfield didn't know I played guitar, much less had a band, till just now. So I'd just like to tell them to enjoy the show.
Second, this song's a new one. This is the first time we've ever played it live, so I hope you like it. I had...inspiration," She said, eyeing Beast Boy from the crowd. "It's called 'The Beast Within'" She finished. The drummer, Charlie, began a fast beat, while her bassist Liz started up an accompanying roll. Both guitarists, Lily and Raven, began an opening solo that fit the bass perfectly. Finally, after a scorching lead, Raven started to sing metal.
(verse 1)
Demons within try to tear me apart
While a man by my side tries to win my heart
Fated to bring the end of all creation
He fought me and brought me
to a realization
(verse 2)
I was the portal, the key to evil's will
But now with their help I don't have to kill
The final showdown, the ultimate battle
The one by my side bravely takes the saddle
(chorus)
He's my Beast Within, my protector forevermore
He's my champion, the one who ends the war
Evil's influence, the mighty have fallen
Once a demon until he came callin'
He's my Beast within, and I'm his angel of the night
Together we've stood and together we fight
What darkened my past he is no more
My Beast within made sure he was nevermore
With those lyrics out, Raven busted out a solo that Beast Boy couldn't even keep track of. Raven's fingers moved at speeds that put Kid Flash to shame, and her second electric guitarist was complimenting her with a lower-pitched lead of equal ferocity. The other Titans just gaped, unable to move. Finally, the solo ended and Raven took the mic again.
(verse 3)
Once in shadows, the bird was alone
Her destiny, not to be her own
Brought to the light by the strangest of ways
He destroyed evil's might and freed her
To freely live her days
(verse 4)
Now I'm part of him, and he's part of me
Bonded together yet completely free
The demon and the joker, consumed by love
Dark angel and saving beast, the dark bird now a dove
(chorus)
He's my Beast Within, my protector forevermore
He's my champion, the one who ends the war
Evil's influence, the mighty have fallen
Once a demon until he came callin'
He's my Beast within, and I'm his angel of the night
Together we've stood and together we fight
What darkened my past he is no more
My Beast within made sure he was nevermore
The chorus repeated once more, and finally the two electrics leapt into a string-burning solo to end the song, Raven literally playing her guitar behind her head. Jesus, was all Beast Boy could think as he watched, mesmerized. Finally, jumping in the air, Raven blasted a last note and the song ended.
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As she played the last note, Raven was grinning crazily through her heavy breathing. She couldn't help it; yes, she was nervous as to the crowd's reaction, but she found the looks on her friend's faces absolutely hilarious. Good thing I told Ben to take pictures, she thought. And the crowd went nuts. Nevermore got a standing ovation, with some of the loudest cheers coming from her friends.
Raven gave the "rock on" sign to her band mates and motioned for them to head off stage. They nodded, packing away their equipment and exiting to the back room. Once off the stage, they all busted out in laughter.
"Did you see your boyfriends' face, Rae? And by the way, nice playing. I think we hit everything perfect," Lily added, gasping for air.
Raven just nodded, unable to gain enough oxygen to speak. Finally, the four friends regained composure and went in for high fives. Then, they heard footsteps coming down the backstage hall and turned around.
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The Titans had regained the ability to think and move when Ben approached them. "Hey, Raven told me you guys were to be permitted backstage access. I'm pretty sure she wants you to meet the band, so go ahead!" He motioned to the backstage door. The Titans thanked him and went through said door.
They didn't have to look far for the group; they hadn't been able to make it back to their room before losing it. Robin tapped his foot as the Titans waited for everyone to regain normal breathing, which they finally succeeded in. Raven, Lily, Liz and Charlie turned to the Titans, struggling and failing to keep straight faces. Finally, Raven held it together long enough to speak. "Guess you learn something new everyday, huh?" She said.