"Raven, I need you to do me a favor..." Nightwing said sheepishly. Never a good sign.
"What favor would this be Nightwing?" I asked bluntly. Doing a favor for someone let alone Nightwing was never a good event.
"I need you to find someone. My brother to be exact." Nightwing stated as he set a file on the meeting table. As I opened it I recognized the name, Redhood. I flipped through the pages, all saying he had recently disappeared from batman's view.
"This is a big deal, he needs to be found and healed, the Lazarus pit did some damage to him and we don't need him causing trouble. So, you will need to pack immediately. I have hotel booked in New York, that's where he was last seen." Nightwing took a small pause, "I would go myself but he has a knack for avoiding other Robins. So I'm sorry to say, you will be alone on the mission. Any questions?"
"How long do I have?" I questioned while processing this new information.
"One month, I would suggest packing now." He said in a slightly apologetic tone. I nodded and exited the meeting room. I quickly teleported to my bedroom, then removed my grey suitcase. In minutes I had the majority of my needed clothes packed. I then checked all my toiletries, laptop, and other positions.
"Hey Raven, I have the location of your hotel." Nightwing said from the other side of my door.
"Here," He handed me a paper with the information. "Don't forget to change." He stated before leaving.
Closing the door I picked out a black tshirt and blue jeans with my grey boots. Once I had double checked my posetions I teleported to a alleyway near the hotel. As I walked the few blocks to the hotel I smiled slightly, it was nice to be back in the city. I was here for a couple years before joining the Titans. I knew my way around the streets well enough.
"Ma'am would you like me to take your bags?" A man asked me after I checked into the hotel. I politely shook my head as I stepped into the elevator. It was already late enough to not be able to get any real research done before I would need to sleep. Once I had opened my door and set my bag on the floor I unloaded my belongings. Checking the paper Nightwing gave to me I saw my temporary alias was actually quite nice. It was twenty-two, my real age. My temporary name would be Rachel Kate Rome. It worked for me.
As I checked the time I realized I would need to go to bed if I was going to be able to gather data and do my everyday things like eat and workout. Quickly I pulled on a tank top and shorts and crawled into the bed.
Once I woke to the sound of my daily alarm I stretched and got dresses in my running clothes. I had on tight shorts a normal shirt and my running shoes. As I left the building I made note of all the people eating breakfast, none matched Redhood's description. I exited the building and crossed a couple blocks before I noticed something. I had the feeling someone was watching me. I quickly pulled into a alley and readied my magic.
"I wish we could have met on different conditions, Raven. I have heard a lot about you." A deep voice says from behind me. I quickly turn around and come face to face with a shiny red mask.
"Redhood." I say with as much spite as possible despite my surprise.
"Ahh, I see birdboy told you about me. I'm honestly glad. I really wanted to meet you." He said as he took a step forward.
"Why?" I questioned quickly while increasing the amount of power I had at my hands by having it slither out in the form of tentacles.
"Raven, I understand your concern but I in no way mean to hurt you. I would like to explain the predicament to you in a more... private place." He stated while motioning to the very visibility ally we were in.
"Fine but you understand that I will most likely be turning you in to batman right?" I said as I began the long walk back to my hotel.
"Yes, I do. I just need to explain this to you. From what I heard about you, you would understand my predicament." I only nodded in confirmation. I quickly realized that we would not be able to just walk into the hotel.
"I need to teleport us." I stated as I pulled him into a discreet location. The area was very tight so we were in a slightly intimate position but I chose to pay no mind as I focused on sending us to my room.
Once I had wrapped us in my energy I quickly dropped both of us onto the floor of my room.
"Alright talk." I said as I pulled the curtains shut. Once I turned around I was shocked, he had removed the Redhood mask. From what Nightwing described I could not place with the face I saw. He had short wavy black hair with one thick white streak. His face was muscular and well defined with tan skin, jade green eyes, and full pink lips. I snapped myself back into focus.
"This entire situation didn't start with me." He took a deep breath. "Batman and I had had one of our arguments that night, I wanted more control over myself and he didn't agree. I stormed out of the manor, I had no destination, I just walked. Soon enough my walking led to a part of the city I wasn't as familiar with, let's say I got tripped up," he stated with a small chuckle. "I wandered around for a while, no wonder someone found me. That someone just happened to be the joker... He knocked me out, I only remember getting dragged away. When I came to, I was in a almost empty warehouse, just me and Mr.J. He laughed at me, he beat me, he pointed out every last insecurity I had. I was helpless." Jason said with a shaky sigh. I placed a hand on his shoulder, he took it and pulled me to sit on the bed with him.
"I'm sorry." I whispered sincerely. I knew what it was like to have everything you wanted to hide thrust into the open, to have everything you loved dissected into nothing but a lie. He wrapped his arms around me, I did the same.
"He laughed while he set the timer, it was going to kill me. I knew it, I knew Batman wouldn't be able to reach me in time. That didn't stop me from trying, I scratched at my binds with no result. When that timer hit 0 I didn't remember anything. It seemed like only moments passed between that and my reserection."
He shifted me closer to him, his grip became stronger. I feared nothing. I knew what I was supposed to do, I was supposed to comfort. It was what he needed, whether he would say so or not.
"It was painful you know... the pit. It hurt, it burned, it felt like I was in a frying pan. I felt it seep into my skin, I ran away from it but the deed was done. I was alive and I decided to have my revenge. I found some supplies I built up a reputation as someone who took down bad guys in a cruel, sick way. The top of my list was The Joker. I was waiting, I wanted to make a scene. To wreak the same havoc to him that happened to me. It didn't happen though. Batman let us both go. I fled here." He finished tearfully. His hug only became more strong. I understood that he would let me go when he no longer needed the comfort.
"Raven... I want one night of comfort. One night with no nightmares from the pit." The man quietly proposed. It was sad to see a man so wonderful to be brought down so easily.
"Stay here I will be right back." I addressed him. I quickly gathered my pajamas and changed in the bathroom. Once I came back I saw he had removed his bulletproof clothing, he was left in a shirt and loose pants. I gave him a small smile. Cautiously I lowered myself next to him.
"I think I understand what you are going through," I paused, this was not something I shared with most people. "My sixteenth birthday was the year I was set to become the portal or gem as i was called. I was supposed to allow my father entry into this world so that he may destroy it. I wished to resist. My father and Slade made a deal. Slade would capture me and beat me into submission, I would allow my father entry, he would destroy Earth, and I would be discarded. However, I chose to resist. The Titans and I fought Slade as hard as we could, I was still taken by him. He beat me, he dissected my realationships and friendships until they seemed to not exist. I was almost ready to comply until, somehow, I found enough strength to throw Slade away from me. Trigon entered the world non the less as time had already been frozen. My friends and I barely were able to defeat Trigon and push him into the underworld permanently. I was scarred from the fights." I said as I motioned to the patterns still engraved into my body like tattoos. "I will forever remember the day my father would never plague me again."
"Raven... I'm so sorry." He told me quietly. As his air,s wrapped around me once more. I only nodded as I turned off the lights. We both drifted into a comfortable sleep.