Chapter 2: Conversations

Ten minutes after Starfire had left the living room, the situation hadn't really changed much. Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin were all staring at each other, wondering what was up with Starfire, because her behavior just then had been strange, even for her!

"I don't think it was just you, Beast Boy," Robin said, in regards to BB's previous comment, leaning against the wall, "I noticed it too. Her behavior just now was definitely weird." He glanced over at him. Beast Boy shrugged his shoulders, and looked over at Cyborg and Raven.

"Anybody got any ideas…?" he asked, his voice trailing off.

"As to what we should do about Starfire?" Cyborg said, completing his sentence. "Well, one of us could go and talk to her or something." He got up off of the couch and walked towards the kitchen, and sat down on one of the stools in front of the counter, next to Beast Boy.

"Yeah, ok," Beast Boy said. "But who?" Everybody thought for a minute.

"What about me?" Robin asked, looking over at them. Raven raised an eyebrow for the second time that morning.

"What about you?" she asked mockingly, crossing her arms.

"Don't you guys think I should go talk to her?" Robin asked uncertainly. Raven shook her head.

"No, Robin," she said quietly, looking at him. "You need to give her time. Like I said before, when Starfire's ready, she'll talk to you." She paused for a minute, and then looked at the others. "Why don't I go talk to her?"

"You sure you want to?" Beast Boy asked. "What if she, I don't know, blasts the door down in your face or something?" Raven glared at him, her fists clenching for a second. She suddenly smiled.

"Well, at least I know to blame you for it if she does, BB," she said, and walked out of the living room. Cyborg looked at Beast Boy and Robin.

"You guys wanna play three-way?" he asked, offering a cordless controller to Robin.

"Yeah, sure, I'm in!" Robin said happily, walking back over to the couch and sitting down. "Beast Boy, are you playing too?" he called over his shoulder.

"I will in a while, dude!" Beast Boy said, getting up from the kitchen counter and rummaging in the fridge again. "I'm hungry again…"

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Meanwhile, in her room, Starfire was rocking Silkie, her pet baby mutant moth, deep in thought. She looked down at him, and saw that he was asleep. She quickly got up, walked over to her left, where her circular purple bed was, and laid Silkie down to sleep. She walked over to where her window was, and looked out at the bay. She sighed.

"Outside, it is such a beautiful day, and all of my friends are happy, but why am I sad?" she wondered to herself. "Ever since 'the Trouble in Tokyo', I have felt differently, both in regards to Robin, and then coming home, now with this business in regards to my sister…" She suddenly heard a knock on her door. She quickly turned around, surprised.

"Who is there?" she called, hoping that whoever-it-was would go away and leave her alone.

"It's me, Raven," Raven said, standing outside her door in the hallway, leaning her weight on one foot, feeling a little bit embarrassed. "Um, can I come in?"

"Zdarthax!" Starfire swore. "I'll be there in just a minute, please!" She quickly walked over to her bedroom door, opened it a teensy bit, and stuck her head around it. "Yes?"

Raven grinned and waved. "Hi, Starfire. Is it ok with you if I come in for a while? The guys are playing video games again." She made a face.

Starfire thought to herself for a minute. What could possibly be the meaning of this? This is the second time today that Raven has shown the concern about me…

"Oh, very well," Starfire said, opening the door all the way. "You can come in." She quickly walked back to her bed, which was to the left of her door, and sat down on the edge next to where Silkie was sleeping. Raven quickly followed behind her.

"Thanks for the hospitality," Raven said sarcastically. She quickly looked around Starfire's room for a second before she sat down. She noticed that the room hadn't changed much since the last time that she was in there, except for a couple of new pictures on the wall by the closet, and a little bed for Silkie next to Starfire's. And, of course, everything in Starfire's room was purple. "Apparently your room hasn't changed much," she noted. "I'm also glad to see that you and the curtains haven't had any more arguments." She sat down on the bed next to Starfire, and noticed that she looked unhappy about something. "Starfire, what's troubling you?"

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked, hastily trying to cover her tracks. "There is nothing that is troubling me!" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Starfire, don't even try to pretend that nothing is troubling you, because I know for a fact that something is. So does everyone else." Starfire looked down at the floor for a minute, and sighed.

"Of course, you are right. There is something that troubles me." She played with her hair for a minute, hoping that Raven wouldn't ask…

"What?"

Starfire hesitated for a minute, and glanced over at her nightstand, where a recent flat touch-screen transmission from her sister Blackfire was sitting. "I…recently received a very unpleasant transmission in regards to a certain member of my family."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "You mean Blackfire?" Starfire nodded.

"Although it does contain good news," she continued, picking it up off of the nightstand and glancing at it for a second before putting it down o the bed beside her. "it has also worried me greatly."

"Why?" Raven asked, looking at her. Starfire jerked her head at the transmission.

"Read it and you shall find out." Raven picked up the transmission, and began reading it…

Dearest Starfire,

Hi, sweetie! How are you? How are things in the big City? You and your little friends having fun dealing with all the bad guys around? I just wanted to let you know my good news: I'm getting married! And to the most interesting man. He says that he happens to know you and your little friends, which was a surprise to me. Of course we are getting married on Tamaran…

Raven looked up, startled, when she got to the end of the message, her violet eyes wide in shock. "Oh, my God, Starfire! You've been keeping this to yourself?!"

"I…did not know how you and the others would react to my news," Starfire said quietly, looking down at the floor again. Raven looked at her, and shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, come on! We have to go tell the others!" she said, leaving the room, carrying the transmission with her. Starfire sighed, and rubbed her cheek with her hand for a second.

"Zilfa protect us all," she said as she got up off of the bed and followed Raven back to the living room…