Ep2,
Luna rose stretching in the soft warm bed looking out of her west wind facing the the dark silent bay. In the pre dawn grey the water seemed to roll an icy black the mere sight making Luna shiver pulling her blankets tighter. Her clock on the bedside table chirped slightly the alarm sounding more like a gentle bird than anything to wake up a worn out girl in her late teens. In truth it never did but she liked the noise and she'd never seen another clock with hands that glowed so much like the soft moon light. Those luminous hand pointed their way to nearly four o'clock in the morning, Sleeping late was one of life's joys. She smiled at the personal joke, of course she did feel more well rested than usual, maybe sleeping an extra day after draining her power should be a mainstay. Not that Kitsu would stand for that very often, it was like the half-demoness could hear her caretaker's complaints now, 'daily practice, study and drills. (with small nod). Now eat and we'll begin' honestly Luna was surprised she was still asleep. But she hadn't been undisturbed it seemed as her training clothes lay out at the foot of the bed the white Chinese style kung-fu out fit looked beat. Of course that's because she loved it the way it seemed to fit seamlessly to her body the smooth fluid silk making feel wrapped in water.
Not wanting her Demon handler to be back to wake her Luna got up accepting the cool chill as being a solid par, at least it wasn't Durness in winter. Or some mountain range, but still the sea seemed to steal the warmth like the warm rushed to it's thief some like filling a void, she wished her books would be so forth coming. She walked to the window seeing in the western sky the first reflections of the lightening easter horizon behind her. A handful of lights twinkled at her from across the small stretch of water, there was only that massive T over there her new neighbors. What must they think of me.
With a wave of her hand the clothes that were lying on her bed were enfolding her in their warmth. The two formerly white sleeves, now bright yellow burning with her curiosity, hung down to her second nuckle on the right and on her left it stopped in a jagged tear a palm up her forearm. The pants dropped past her knee and clung tight but not constricting, they like her high top converse were yellow as well, but her belt and the drawstring at the bottom of the right leg were black. Her hair fell to her left shoulder clinging a little too short, she reflected that Kitsu was right getting drunk in tulsa was a bad idea, further she had been right that my powers were off ill use in personal grooming. It may have been too easy to sheer off the hair. It saved sooooooo much time on the other hand, and she was seized by a vague thought, this morning not one to dismiss abject curiosity her head vanished in a cloud of yellow myst. When it dissipated she was looking at her self bangs falling nearly to her eyes but the ruddy blonde hair in the back was all falling like feathers to the floor.
On consideration Luna might have made a mistake, it was peculiar but that was probably only because she hadn't ever seen herself like this before. Not like there was any way of putting the hair back. Her out fit had turned a nearly blue shade of purple before shifting into green while this occurred. Oh, well I wonder if Raven will like it, maybe she's into short hair. Idiot she probably into short hair she's probably into boys.
Ignoring this train of thought she walked to the window taking in the fresh air she calmed herself into her typical grey colouring it was a relief as the emotions let up a little. She really envied raven her tight emotional control, She then decided to make up her mind and go to the tower to day. After what ever horror Kitsu had planned for her, with a resigned breath she walked to the door opening it onto a direct stair case that lead to the lower levels of the formerly normal, if a little cheap apartment building. Now was made up of three large rooms, then the two still apartments for the two of them. One of these rooms was a large battle area, where Kitsu would undoubtable try and kill her, a library where Kitsu will try her very best to make me go blind reading, and a spell room where she'd try to push me into blowing half the city up. She smiled at the prospects of such fun her clothes a solid orange to match her eyes and shoes, An image in white of the crescent moon stretched between her shoulders the only ornament on the outfit.
Opening the door to the training room I was at once astounded with the gleaming immacularities of the expanse. A thirty or forty candle chandelier swung slowly as if in a ping-pong wind. This made the shadows seem to surge and recede like the writhing of the tides. Swiftly Luna marched through the shadow feeling uncomfortable with the sheer size and expanse of the room, the shadows particularly in the corners of the sharp ellipse. Though standing where the shadows didn't creep age the her the feeling of staring at the centre of an eye, she knew her mentor was her some where, and the thought seemed to make her skin crawl.
"Hello dear Luna, do you like what I've done to the place." Kitsune said stepping out of the shadows standing near the edge of the lit central ring arms crossed behind her.
"It is amazing but a little sparse no where to sit down, why so big Kitsu?"
"Well our fury friend here wouldn't fit if it was too much smaller." She said yanking a chain forward until it jerked to a stop with her right arm. A low growl followed immediately by two more was the response and some of the darker shadows that in the room stirred barely visible red coals were glaring now six hellish eye's burning in fire.
"Kitsu, is that Cerberus?"
"Yes, Lucy lost a little bet we had, I got Cerberus."
"What did you bet equal to the guardian of hell," Luna asked fear evident behind her violet eyes, and level tone.
"Lil Luna's not scared is she, don't worry he wont, kill you."
"I'm not scared I can take any stupid dog," Luna shouted at the dog, Kitsune having vanished. Her dark ruddy orange clothes and eye seemed to writhe themselves in the same low light of fire caught in her rising adversary's eyes. Luna didn't want to hurt the dog, but if it was going to be here for a while it'd just have to learn who the alpha was. Her pupils seemed to constrict into narrow fox like slits in the mostly orange iris, the massive dog as tall as the exterior of the building roared levelling all three heads at Luna. The stench heat and air pressure made her step once back but only a little singed at the hems, Luna glared back at the dog. They both charged Cerberus's massive leap shaking the chandelier.
Caught between her rage and excitement Luna's strike simply bounced back as the dogs massive swat threw her back against the door she had entered from, which had vanished inexplicably leaving Luna no avenue of escape. She was now just mad, if Kitsu had just not made her angry her strength would have been enough. Luna looked up into a massive ball of gyrating fire and smiled as it washed over her mixing with her own flames rushing millimetres over her body, leaving a pleasant tingle like toothpaste. She knew they would begin to burn before long but it was nice while the feeling lasted.
After several hours of playing fireball fetch with the hell hound Luna was weary but her tail was up ears perked this was all just so much fun, Her eyes slid to orange proper finally over her indignation at Kitsu. Cerberus charged forward again massive fangs dropping where Luna had been leaving the tiles smashed and spider webbed. Looking down from above her prey Luna had to admit it was a really cool graphic to decorate the floor. In fact she realised that the combination of smash lines on the tile and scorch marks on everything had turned the grandiose if plain training room into a true work of art. It's a shame it will repair by tomorrow, but such is the way, any thing created will be destroyed.
Then she kicked her force propelling her forward with the air pressure behind her a portion of the chandelier exploded from the force showering splinters down. Landing Luna agains kicked up driving the dogs left head to the ground, spring back up as the right head rose again from the force of the blow she clinched her fist and a left jab send the beast falling to the right bouncing Luna back. The middle head being the only not concussed snarled snapping its jaw only to be caught by Luna's right hook to the fore of its nose snapping the head back to the ground, where the mighty hound fell defeated.
Landing next to the fallen creature Luna scratched it behind the ear at the sound of the pitiful whimper. "It's okay girl I won't hurt you any more," Luna said looking through green eyes. "I know it hurts but I promise you'll be healed." Laying her left hand on the central neck she closed her eyes and a bright but natural green aura spread from her body slowly encompassing and enveloping the cute little puppy dog. Slowly Luna began to sweat not realising how much damage the dog had sustained during their short battle, this made her feel a little sad but if cerberus had just not fought back so hard.
Luna fell to her knees after almost a quater hour breathing hard and felt more than she really saw the large dog rise groggily to its feet. Then she was pushed over and slimed by all three of the heads their big rough tongues running her from. It was the first time she felt both like she had just had a good shower and like she needed desperately to boil her self. She managed to stand up at last when she heard someone slowly clapping and Cerberus raised it's heads looking for the source of the noise and growling slightly.
"Sorry Kitsu it looks like she doesn't like you very much." Luna said looking over the the newly appeared door Kitsu was standing in.
"S'okay She looks to be very protective of you and that's what we were looking for out of your new guard dog." Kitsu said.
"I thought you said you won her, from Lucifer?"
"I did,"
"What did you bet that was equal of Cerberus?"
"Your hand of course."
"I'll kill you,"
"Easy I bet him you would fail to retrieve more than one book, the bet lasting until your death. I knew you'd get at least two," Kitsu said taking a step back.
"Don't you ever do something like that again," Both dog and master glared at the demoness matching red eyes burning in the dim room. "I hope you have made a room for my dog," Luna said slowly.
"Yes of course I have mistress," Kitsu said pointing to another set of conjured doors these big enough for a multiple story tall dog. "Now if you will come with me we have much reading and spell work to do."
"Read it your self, I'm going to eat and shower. We can pick up your spell work later, I have my own research I need to do this afternoon." Luna said walking back to the door leading to her room.
Steam was tick like fog in the room, as a red eyed girl stood looking vaguely towards the window that looked in the direction of a massive T shaped tower that dominated her thinking. She dumped some more hot sause on the Jalepeno Habanero and red pepper salad she was munching on the Kale and Spinach base refreshing next to the insane flavour of the meal. A stack or rye slices and some cream cheese sat out on the counter next to her, she was still pissed about what Kitsune had done but at least she knew the Devil kept his bet. Given how rarely he looses it is the least he could do, be honourable. She felt a certain sense of pride and curiosity about how many had really foiled his plans, and she Luna was now in their ranks, crazy.
It was time she figured as the hot sauce drenched salad was down to a few soggy leaves and a pepper flavoured tofu cube. Taking great interest in the last of her meal she began to think about what she should ware, given that her training outfit was now even more greatly torn have been ripped in the mid drift by a swipe from cerberus's clawed paw. The two shallow gashes still stung a little almost an itch which was worse that pain Luna thought she would sign the opinion to contract if someone had asked her but as she was the only one in the room she merely moved over to her wardrobe. Dropping the towel on the floor she decided to go with something simple, a pair of long cargo shorts, and a T-shirt. The morning sun was now climbing in the chill air and I decided that it would be a good to wear a hoodie, and slipping on her ever present converse growing lighter a shade of orange then it was in a yellow cloud of myst that she vanished in leaping out the window.
Luna sat hunched over the keyboard and the monitor her eyes zipping along the text scrolling across the screen when she head the scrapping of a door that needed oiling. Also the noise of several loud people filling the formerly void tower. This frightened Luna out of her trance as she had been so mentally encased in her work that she'd forgotten she was currently breaking and entering in the hide out of the super hero patrol. Great they aren't likely to let me keep pursuing my research, having come prepared by virtue of leaving a flash in her hoodie pocket Luna hastily plugged it in as the noise of victory drenched late-teens drew nearer and nearer until it sounded like they were right outside the door.
Not knowing what else to do to buy herself a few seconds for files to down and upload Luna typed in several commands to the base security system locking the door down as though a fire raged behind.
Funny Robbin knew that this door hadn't even been closed when they had left this door open and he was certain that they hadn't engaged the fire locks. "Wait, Star, Terra don't go off yet we have trouble."
"What is it Robbin,"
"The door's locked, did one of you guys do it remotely." The masked teen said his brow furrowed.
"You mean it wasn't you Fearless," Cyborg said not flipping through his remote access to the Towers security. "Yo, we're blind in there, no. No way they hacked my system I don't have control, oh shit who ever it is is in for an ass whopping," reading his sonic cannon.
"Do you have any video feeds?"
"No I'm working on getting my systems back I've got some back doors, even if Gizmo had a month he'd still lose to me in the end." Cyborg said, a confident smile creasing his lips until it fell fading to a puzzled look as the door slide open.
"Way to go Cy champion of Binary chess." Beast Boy said to the end of Cyborgs arm and getting yanked back. "Hey what gives."
"I didn't do that, I got locked out."
"Titans, go but be cautions this is probably a trap," Robbin said like his team falling into combat mode slipping to either side of the door. Robbin with Terra and Star to his right, the door to the left, Cyborg left of the door with Beast Boy next to him along the wall and Raven still a few feet behind but in the middle of the hall not along the wall.
"Robbin, I don't feel any hostil," but it was too late and the other five Titans had flooded into the room like a swat team behind one of the Boy Wonders flash bangs. She slowly floated behind her powers loosened in their scabbard. A strange sight met her eyes the five Titans all battle ready looking everywhere for the attack, and a yellow eyed girl wearing a black and red hoodie in vertical stripes sitting quite amused on the couch. From left to right, Beast Boy in the form of a tiger was sniffing the computer chair, Cyborg was analysing the windows and security cameras, Robbin was too busy checking all the access points, Starfire in tunnel vision mode eyes burning with power, and Terry with her hand on the ground feeling for tremors. Then that Luna girl sitting on the couch a wicked laugh caught on her tongue. Raven wasn't sure what to do so she opted for a safe option and threw up a wall of psychic energy, a black transparent shield between the demon and her friends.
Huh, they must really not like guests, or intruders yep I'm defiantly breaking and entering. The group entered after the flash, and Luna watched unfazed as they spread out. If only she had brought half a dozen minions it would have been cute watching them try to ambush this elite swat unit. A mouse couldn't have gone undetected by their extravagance but no one looked at the couch. Or that's what she thought until the black barrier of psychic energy found genesis between her and them. It then dawned on Luna that this was a perfect opportunity to test out her ability to pass through Ravens power. She could shift through pretty much everything else after all, even hell fire of course it didn't mean that this would hurt.
She was gone in a cloud of yellow myst, a large majority of her good sense told her this would be a bad idea, but her curiosity took over like the sun in the sky. She was right this was a bad idea, it was like traveling through ice, but even worse like her soul had been plunged into the icy lakes of hell. Like a film was played against her closed eye lids she saw the young empath's life the exact number of her own years, her extensive training to suppress emotion in Azerath temples and the prophecy surrounding the completion of the girl's second decade of life. The horrible fate, the weight like holding back a runaway freight. Tears were welling out of her blue eyes when she appeared on the other side.
Looking at the other six teens in the room she really only saw one and Rachel's look was like something from wake. Or Raven's look, she never told me her name I have no right.
"So it was you who brok," Robbin began but was cut off.
"I'm sorry Raven I didn't know that would happen I was just curious I should have known better," Luna said falling to her knees a great rain cloud hovering over the floor. Robbin having of course been trained by the King of Emotion himself was acutely aware of his opportunity. Not being one to squander an opportunity Robbin like the Flash had a set of meta-human restraint cuffs on the girl. He had seen them cancel Jinx's power and knew they could hold Starfire. The other Titans watched unsure how to act as their leader straightened up looking smug.
"Yo, Robbin I'm not sure if that's really necessary." Beast Boy said.
"Yea she was like crying," Terra added,
"And she was asking for forgiveness man that's not right," Beast Boy continued,
"Right or not she is a criminal Beast Boy make no mistake. Now tell me what were you doing in the Tower, are you here to sabotage the defences?"
"Pretty," Luna said looking down at the cuffs her blue slipping deeper and darker. "Do they come in yellow, I'm afraid."
"Of what," Raven asked back in control of her horror at the vision.
"That I'll hurt you," Luna said in a quiet whisper as the room seemed to begin growing in heat as the purple aura began to grow ruddy almost maroon.
"Why,"
"Because, jackass interrupted before you had a chance to answer my apology. Now I'm pissed, you know I have no intension of being incarserated" Luna said looking into Robbin's mask flaring into a cloud of smoke, she appeared a yard to the left, still wearing the manacles. Almost instantly her red eyes switched to a glowing amber colour.
"I would't expect to be able to get out of those cuffs, they were made to resist powers" Robbin said unsure. The cuffs were actually supposed to stop her from even being able to access her power but that part obviously failed. "And you won't be able to break them either, even Star at full power can only crack them."
"Oh, you don't think so," Luna said, smiling at how her rapid shifts had them all off balance, of course at this rate that would also burn her out. Her now orange eyes and aura glinting and with an rush of orange mystical energies to the centre of the cuffs she used the opposing streams to multiply her force and yanked her wrists apart. Small splinters of metal flew around her wrists leaving small cuts and scratches as the cuffs shattered under the force. "Sorry I think I broke your toy," Luna said scratching the back of her head, her mannerism shifting back to blue as her eyes met the violet eyes of Raven.
"I really am sorry,"
"So am I, for what my teammate considers tact. So why are you here." Raven asked.
"Oh, I was just here to get information on my next target. It's Brother Blood, I'm planning on stealing back another book. I also left some information on my other likely target who just moved into town." Luna said frankly.
"You couldn't have those kinds of operations are password protected and my passwords can't be beat," Cyborg said.
"5z82n4b5hk9zwz184253ggvyx,"
"That's my master passcode you broke my master passcode?"
"I actually bypassed it and then looked it up to expedite the process."
"So I've got to increase security there to I never expected a villain who would know a computer better than Gizmo so I never bothered updating that when he couldn't do it." Cyborg said more to himself making some note on some internal processor or something looking off into the distance a little.
"Wait is this some kind of a trick, first why would you hit Blood he's your employer, second why tell us?"
"You sure know how to look a gift horse in the mouth don't you Dick."
"I'll ignore the foul language, but you didn't answer my question only a really stupid thief would clue the authorities into their moves," Robbin said.
"Or someone who know's there's nothing we could do about it," Raven said.
"Smart and pretty I really do like you Raven," Luna said. "Sure it's a dumb thing to do but I guess it's just my way of telling you, catch me if you can, I'm so excited. See you around neighbours," and she was gone in a cloud of orange mystical energy.
"That was strange." Robbin said.
"She's good that's for sure, you think she was being straight with us Rob," Cyborg asked.
"Yes, even if she wasn't we have to act of what ever information she may have given us. We can't ignore it."
"Um, am I the only one who noticed that she called up neighbours?" Terra chimed walking into the kitchen section of the tower.
"No friend Terra I as well noticed, also I thought that was very poor taste of you Robbin shackling her when she was asking for our dear friend Raven's forgiveness for what ever reason." Starfire chided the Super Sleuth who glowed in embarrassment.
"What do you think Raven," Beast Boy said.
"She's dangerous because she has no control over her emotions but, she dosen't seem out right hostile." Raven murmured turning from the room, "Robbin let me know when your ready for your meeting."
"No reading thoughts with out permission,"
"Robbin you always call a meeting I can recognise a pattern, I need to meditate" Raven said.
"Very well give me a couple hours. Cy start working on your security upgrades and send me a copy of both the info she dumped on us I need to make some calls." He said following Raven from the room, but he headed down two floors to his own room where she had gone upstairs to her own. It wasn't until the door clicked closed and latched behind him he collapsed back finally letting his fear show on his face. That girl could cause some serious damage, with that strength and smarts and magics she was more dangerous than all the H.I.V.E. five put together. Robbin hadn't even seen what her blue persona did, nor the red except probably some kind of fire ability, who knew what other powers she might have. He realised it was time with this caliber villain on hand in the city he needed the extra fire power, he pulled off his Robbin suit and quickly crossed to his freshly finished Night Wing suit and put the thicker armoured suit and hi-tech HUD mask on. He would miss being Robbin, but Richard Grayson knew that Bruce wanted the suit back, it didn't belong to Dick after all. One reason Night Wing was sure that pushed this suit to being twice what the Robbin suit was, on the dime of Wayne Industries. Pulling out his communicator her dialed in his private number for the Bat Cave.
Raven was in her room sitting on the bed in the dark hovering a foot or so in the air, but Rachel was deep inside her own mind trying to wrestle the thoughts that the short encounter had left her with. It had been obvious she'd thought that the girl had meant them no harm, but the team reacted like Slade had shown up with an army. Of course Luna could possibly take a Slade army apart at the seems part by part. Still she'd been crying and Robbin had provoked her. What is the point of being a hero when you cause people harm why should she bother, because even if the villains suffer they cause other to suffer more. But Luna had made Raven consider this as after all her twentieth was approaching even if it was still more than a year, maybe every fight wasn't worth fighting. Who had Luna really hurt, well apart from me, but she didn't know our psychic energy would mix like that, and I only experienced what she lived. Raven only just perceived the chirp of the communicator through her trance and slowly pulled herself out of the meditation to answer the call.
"Raven it's time for that meeting," a young man who was unmistakably Richard Grayson but not Robbin it seemed told her his face somewhat grave. Luna hadn't brought good news it seems then. With a sigh Raven confirmed she'd be there and began to stand up. She was in the conference room a few seconds later deciding that shadow phasing was more worth it than walking.
"That was quick good glad to know you're aware of the gravity of the situation."
"I know our leader isn't in hiding anymore." Terra said walking in.
"Hiding from what?" Robb, or not Robbin said.
"The fashion police," the Tall blond girl said.
"Very funny," No one spoke until Starfire then Garfield and finally Cyborg showed up, about ten minutes.
Then Night Wing went on to explain how this Luna, seemed to have given them some solid intel on a new criminal mastermind in the city the leader of some Celestial Family that Luna had once been part of. Then he went into a detailed description of Luna's abilities, and emotional states. "Red is apparently rage, orange seems excitement maybe pride, yellow curiosity though that is only a guess, blue would be sadness or sorrow, and purple seems to be fear. These emotions and powers seem to rule the girl, and they seem vast if unique to her moods. For example that orange form is as strong as superman, or she produced that much force to shred those cuffs." He then dived further into the heist she was apparently planing and what his counter plans were. The meeting lasted nearly all night.
Not far away Luna was yelling down the stairs, "Experiments my ass I've nearly blown up this city three times now, I can't be burned out tomorrow I have to plan a heist. . . Fine I'll meditate before I go to sleep," Luna finished slamming her door looking out the window to the illuminated tower. She wondered what a particular Titan had seen if anything, this followed by her eyes turning violet matching the girl she was worrying for sitting on the edge of her bed she fell backwards. Then sat up crossing her legs to meditate, she wasn't defiantly going to play with her new dog tomorrow.