I know this isn't Blue Silence but it will be posted sometime next week. I need to figure out the roles. Speedy was originally going to be the villain but it seemed irregular and too OOC.
Rather beautiful socialites were scattered throughout the gala's floor, catching his eye quite a few times and some had even caught his eye before tonight. He remembered the blonde from the new club downtown and the redhead from Bruce's surprise birthday party.
Richard Grayson, adoptive son of Bruce Wayne, always attended these types of social gathering as a bachelor and left a bachelor, almost always having a random girl draped on his shoulder when he exited. Roy said that he was an inspiration to the entire male population, Garfield failed to copy his suave demeanor each time, and Vic…Vic never failed to frown on his behavior. Out of all of his friends, Victor Stone was the only one to ever say that his one-night stands would end with a heavy heart and a scorned woman but Dick disagreed. Firstly, they were not one-night stands, merely short-term relationships. Secondly, women were not that naïve. Not always had he been the one who pursued. Most women knew of him and his non-committing ways and it had been such since…her.
"How long do we have to stay here?" Garfield whined at his left, a fresh stain that he acquired from an offended female darkening his light green shirt. What a waste of a perfectly fine alcoholic beverage.
"Is BB bitter? Why don't you go on home and see if you can salvage that blouse?" Vic asked, in no way trying to hide his amusement. Gar glared darkly only to receive a light chuckle from the dark-skinned man. Music droned in the background, nearly classical and incredibly soft but over the guests it could be heard. Some danced in the center of the room, apparently unaware that a dance floor was not the site of a groping contest.
"Where's Roy? I haven't seen him since the mayor made his speech," Richard peered through the crowd, hunting for his cropped orange hair which was, oddly enough, common in Gotham.
"Must you ask?" Victor pointed towards the bar where Roy was casually flirting and succeeding. His left arm was draped over the counter while his right tucked her dark hair behind a flushed ear. She blushed, giggled, and did all the other actions of Roy's type. He always went for the shy ones, trying to make them blossom he said.
A woman passed by, diverting Roy's attention as well as Richard's. (AN: Guess who) Her multi-toned dress shimmered with each graceful movement, switching from a navy blue to black and even a glimpse of violet. It was simple, thin-strapped, backless, and reached her ankles, almost to a point where it swallowed her small feet. Ebony hair with a purple streak flowed to her waist, also simple, no curls or tangles, just straight with a luxurious shine. It appeared that she felt his eyes on her and she viewed him, a quick peek beneath her long lashes. Her stride never broke and in seconds she was lost with not so much as an inkling of interest of looking back again.
It was strange…wanting to see her pass by again with the same fluidity. Richard had yet to hear her speak or do anything other than float by but knew she was definitely unique, something fresh to a stale party such as this. Without giving much thought, he went in pursuit of her, barely noticing that he was gently shoving his way past the obstacles of socializing people.
Finding the enchantress was an easy task. She was leaning on the wall, her arms folded beneath her chest, and her head cradled against the cool stone. She was oblivious to him, blinking slowly while staring to her right. Normally, Dick would have followed her gaze but thought it insignificant when she turned to stare at him. He had never seen such eyes, full of mystery and life, vibrant with energy. Words had lost their meaning and he simply held out a hand to her, a silent invitation to dance. She let her eyes roam over his form, settling them back on his. She shook her head slightly and at first, it seemed a refusal but then she smirked and wrapped her delicate hand in his.
"What's your name?" Richard managed to ask by their third performance, surprised that he could form words at all.
"Raven. And I believe that you are the notorious Richard Grayson," She stated like it was unimportant. She continued when his shoulder tensed under her temple. "I'm not a stalker nor am I psychic, in case you're wondering-" He certainly was. "I've seen you here before. I know all about your…protocol."
"Protocol?"
"Beautiful girl at a party, a wild night in bed, and an empty one for breakfast. That's how it usually goes, correct?"
"Usually," He would be lying if he said she was incorrect and he didn't intend to. It was not like his rendezvous were secret and embellishing the sequence of events would only be a slap to her obvious observant nature and intelligence. "It seems that you don't have a problem or-"
"I wouldn't be here…with you…"
"Yes."
"Then…no. I don't. I'm not a fragile, little girl, Mr. Grayson. I don't walk blindly into a situation. And that includes you," Raven spoke faintly, nearly mumbling into his collar.
"I wouldn't assume that you would."
A sliver of morning light poured into the room, traveling across the carpet and landing on the silken sheets where a lone figure slept. It's arms curled beneath a firm pillow and one leg bent slightly towards the other. Eventually, the warmth of the sunrise seeped through the cool fabric, waking the being trapped in its confines. Arching and stretching, Raven turned on her back, immediately remembering what transpired the night before. Every thrust, each guttural moan, the light touches, and heavy breathing. Looking for him would be a waste of time and she didn't bother.
She rested the back of her hand on her forehead, the other her waist, trying not to let her mind ponder on any regrets. She wasn't sure if she had any to ponder at all. No alcohol or his smooth charm drug her into bed with Richard Grayson, only her own free will and… recent heartbreak, one could say but she would not. On some level, the feeling had dissipated but it remained, in spite of everything, looming in her chest. Thinking about that man only made it feel worse but the time and energy she had spent on Richard definitely allowed her to contemplate about other things.
Lengthy minutes passed before Raven decided that the day should officially begin and pried herself from the bed, into the bathroom.
After Raven showered and clothed, she found something that was beyond extraordinary. She didn't know whether or not it was the good or bad kind of extraordinary. Downstairs, on the stand beside her front door, was a single black rose. Confusion racked her senses. Was this something he did to all of the women he…? Was it some sort of thank you for the good time gift? She bit her lip and picked up the flower gently so not to harm the fragile object. Lifting it to closer to her face, Raven inhaled its sweet smell and sighed. The short expel of air caused a petal to flutter to the floor and settle without sound.
Fast forward a few days…
Richard, Roy, and Gar sat in a small booth of a coffee shop after leaving Vic behind to finish his work. Supposedly, he had a breakthrough on the new holographic technology Wayne Enterprises had left under his control and nothing could get him to leave the workbench at the moment. Not even a meat lover's pizza that Garfield had tempted him with.
His companions were chatting away about some off-the-wall topic that couldn't completely hold his interests. Little did since Raven. She plagued him constantly and the ludicrous thing about it was that other than the few sentences they had shared during the dance, nothing else was said between the two. It was strange…she was strange but so…intriguing? Was that the right word? Her nature was mysterious and dark and certainly not what Richard usually saw in women. Huh…usually…it reminded him of how unusually things seemed to go now.
When he woke, he had found his arms wrapped around her middle, soaking up her warmth and beauty. For a second it frightened him. He had never stayed an entire night and mostly stayed to himself. He on one side and she on the opposite. A strong voice ordered Dick to remain there, in her bed, in her home but the logical side of him willed him to his feet and from Raven. And the rose he had brought back…that was a first. She deserved more than…him. More than just a flower but that was all he had to give. A distant shout of his name pulled him from his reverie.
"What?" Richard all but snapped at the two across from him. Roy held up his hands in defense.
"What's wrong with you? Is it that time of the month?" He mocked, lowering his arms to the table where a tray loaded with their orders was suddenly set down. Roy looked up to see a strawberry blonde waitress smacking her gum impatiently. Garfield waved and only earned a raised eyebrow. Her hand rested on her cocked hip and after some time, Roy figured out what she was waiting on. "Pay you later, babe," He winked and she rolled her eyes and stomped off.
"She was pleasant," Dick murmured before reaching for his cup, frowned at it, and set it down.
"Very…" Roy agreed while staring after the girl.
"She was cute, though." The youngest member of the trio stated.
"Half the women in Gotham are cute, Gar, but we don't go after all of them for specific reasons," Dick began and Roy finished. "Reasons like extreme vanity and of course, the bitch factor. She," he pointed at her, "was pretty much a prime example of the latter. Do we understand now, Mr. Logan?"
"Yes, teacher, I comprehend you thoroughly. Is the lesson over?"
"Unfortunately, you have much more to learn, little grasshopper," Roy replied in a sensei-like manner and turned to the entrance. "Robin, you remember her?" He nodded over Dick's shoulder. He only looked through the corners of his eyes and caught a glimpse of black, waist-length hair.
"Of course he does. That's the girl Rich left with after the party last week," Gar had seen the two leave silently, arm in arm.
"Raven?" How could he forget? Why was she here? This was their daily hangout and never in the past had he witnessed her enter nor leave the shop. Raven was propped on the counter, presumably waiting for her order and he watched her. Normally, someone that he had spent the night with before would have gone either unnoticed or ignored in order to avoid a problematic conversation but again, she invoked an unpredictable reaction in him. Richard did quite the opposite. He went over to her.
The dark beauty saw him approach and she looked at him incredibly. Like this won't be a strange conversation, she thought before saying: "How are you, Richard?"
He laughed lightly. "Fine. Yourself?"
"The same. Why are you talking to me?" Straight to the point. For some reason, he liked that. It was not meant to be offensive and he didn't take it as such. It was a question, a good one.
"Here you go, ma'am," A cashier slid over a brown cup of steaming coffee and she accepted it with a nod and a small 'thank you.' With that small interruption out of the way, her amethyst eyes fixed back on him, seeking an answer. He saw the purple stripe was gone and stroked where it originally had been. She allowed the contact but never broke eye contact and neither did he. He couldn't if he tried.
"Honestly…I don't know. I just…you are an anomaly to me, Raven. One I wish to learn more of. If you'd allow me."
Raven was silent, deliberating over these abrupt words. After more silent moments slipped by, Richard let his hand fall to his side.
"You don't know me…" was the soft-spoken response.
"Exactly. That is why I want to get to know you. What's so surprising about that?"
"You're-"
"Richard Grayson, the user. But I can't be a user forever. Women don't care for liver spots and white hair all that much. Plus…it can get boring."
"Who says that I won't?"
"I do. I may not be experienced at this but I know that you're different."
"You don't know me," She said in a sing-song voice.
"With any luck, I will."
She opened her mouth to debate but closed it and inhaled deeply. "This is so-"
"Weird? Yeah, I've been saying that since I met you."
"You're saying that I was weird?" Raven asked in a fake offended tone.
"Only in the ways in which you've changed me. At least you managed it in a week. Bruce has been trying for years." It was true. "In order to insure your trust-" Dick snuck a piece of paper into her front pocket, "You…can call me." He still had his hand on her hip.
"I don't know…I'll have to think about it," The dark-haired woman teased, rose to the balls of her feet, and kissed him, lingering but light. She ran a finger over his jaw line and unexpectedly walked around him in the direction of the exit. "Thank you…for the rose," and then she was gone but this time…Richard was sure that it was not for forever.
Okay, this is definitely not my best piece of work but I needed to get it out, ya know. This moved really fast but I'm still heavily medicated from my surgery and I'm kind of starting to feel nauseous and drowsy. I may come back and add more when I feel better.
I would really like your opinions because this is all for you guys and if something seems a little off, I'll remedy that.
If you look at the bottom of the screen, you'll see a little blue/purple button down there and it's perfectly fine to click on it.
Go ahead, look, click, drop a comment…you know you want to…don't fight the urge…
