"It's not always this hard." A deep, familiar voice stated behind her. She was not startled. She expected him to follow. Or hoped, at least.
"Is it not, on the contrary, always just like this? The brutality? The ferocity? Does it ever change? Do you ever tire of it? Could you, in all honesty, look me in the eye and say that again, after we what I have just witnessed?" She rambled, legs hugged to her chest, staring out into the murky water of the ocean. She had fled to the docks, which in no way could be considered 'nice' or even 'okay'. Certainly not 'clean'. Not a place one would visit in high spirits.
Robin's heart went out to her. Though they had been Titans for some time now, four years to be exact, but these things were never easy. They were always things that forced one into a grave reality. He had done his best to shield her from these sort of heinous crimes, the worst humanity had to offer. It was only a matter of time before she saw it though, he supposed.
"If that's what you want, I'll do it. Anything you want."
"How…Noble." He winced. Her voice had a bitter edge about it, one that so rarely had a place in her personality. He had seen it once though, when her father had come back into power. Robin still could not find it in himself to pity what had become of the man when Starfire found out. What he had done to her was absolutely inexcusable.
He lowered himself down onto the rocky ground beside her. Contrary to when they both stood straight, sitting down he was taller. Starfire credited it to his (Alfred enforced) perfect posture and long torso.
Robin leaned forward, arm extended and hand cupped. He dipped his hand into the water, then brought it to show her. "It's not always like this. Sometimes it's clear as glass, and you can see straight through it to the bottom. You can see everything. But sometimes it gets this way; murky. It silt on the bottom of the sea gets all stirred up and disturbed. And most of the time-" his fingers sprung apart, and the water swiftly drained from his fingers. "It's hard to keep hold of. It's always different. But not always bad."
She stayed silent, contemplative. She was taking the gruesomeness of the murder better than to be expected. Before his arrival to her current location he had envisaged a completely horrorstruck and weeping alien girl. Then again, with the family she grew up in, it might not have been the worst thing she'd ever seen. It was just hard for him to imagine his Starfire, the innocent, beautiful, strange princess to be the kind to be calloused to the like of what they'd seen today.
Then again, he could hardly call blazing out of the crime scene as soon as her duties allowed and coming to this filthy area 'calloused'. He tried again, this time reaching for a small, flat and rounded stone. He tossed it into the water and it landed with a splash and a plunk. Then he reached for a similar stone and drew back his arm horizontally. This time, when he threw the rock, his arm was propelled in a way that remained parallel to the ground and he flicked his wrist.
The rock effortlessly bounced three, four, five times into the relatively calm water, before sinking below the surface.
"Sometimes you have to see it from the right angle, go about things in a certain direction." He said quietly.
"And how do you come to see things in this way?" She delicately asked, matching his volume.
"Time, I guess. It helps put things into perspective."
Somewhere nearby, thunder rumbled and then the sky lit up with a brilliant flash of light. Rain began to tumble down from the accumulated rain clouds, as lightning continued to arc through the gloomy sky. Robin chuckled darkly, "When it rains-"
"It pours. Yes?" She finished, then asked for confirmation. He nodded his agreement. In between Cyborg's constant chatter, Beast Boy's endless movie nights, Raven's countless book and Robin's reassuring guidance, Starfire had become a pro at the English language, though her way of speaking remained prim.
He stood and dusted of his suit pants, then turned and bowed to her. "I hate to be a bother, but I do hope I could impose this once- May I have this dance?" His mouth remained neutral but his eyes were smiling. Her lips curled upward slightly, acknowledging his friendly mock at her way of speaking. She dipped her head slightly in a nod. It was all the encouragement he needed! He reached down, lending her his firm grip, and pulling her up with ease.
He put one hand on her waist, tenderly holding one of hers in the other. He moved back and she moved with him, slowly at first, remaining a polite, friendly distance apart.
Their impromptu dance increased in tempo slowly, a creeping crescendo. And with each step, each beat, they drew closer until they were flush against each other, grinning like school girls with a secret and twirling and dipping in the pouring rain.
It was then, soaked, freezing and happy beyond compare that she made a choice. She would no longer wait for the storm to pass, silent and alone. She would dance in the rain. And she wouldn't be alone doing it.