The stage for my greatest work is set. Let's begun, shall we?
Bleak, empty, void-less, and cluttered. Small specks of twinkling light glittered in the vast distance while a black, crimson outlined orb casted through the terrain an ominous hue. Small platforms of crumbling rock drifted in stasis as cracked bridges connected a single line of them together. No life other then the withered husks of bare trees that rooted themselves vainly to the platforms' faces and a single robed figure levitating over a lone formation of stasis land. If the figure had been on the ground, she would have been sitting with her legs folded over the other and head dipped down with a hood draping towards the gray rocked surface.
Through pursed, ashen lips, the robed figure muttered a chant that echoed through the barren void. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" no one to hear the words other then the dead land, she continued to chant.
For the longest time, she continued to chant to herself until she suddenly caught her voice in mid-utterance and to cast a wordless look to the space before her. What had once been a clear view into the endless void was now obscured by the presence of another being dressed in a similar robe to hers, only in a crimson shade that matched the faded color of the sky. They both said nothing, only staring the other one down. Her eyes met its blood red glowing slits under the hood. Words were not exchanged between the two, but a single thought slipped into her mind: "You need me…"
In a moment, color flickered back to violet eyes. The girl to which the eyes belonged to searched about her surroundings, but saw nothing but her own room. She fixed herself out from the soft of her bed and walked towards her window wall that overlooked the sparkling bay at daybreak. It seemed peaceful to Raven at first; the small chorus of song birds outside, the ebbing waves against the rocks, and the sight of a few guests to the Tower going about through the air and across the field outside. Her time watching the new morning was cut short as a knock came to the steel door of her room.
"Raven? Are you coming down for breakfast today?" the voice was muffled, but Raven had heard Robin's voice enough to tell it was him. "If not, I could have Starfire bring it up here for you."
Honestly, Raven preferred to take any chance to be by herself in her room; it gave her more time to study new forms of her powers as well as dampening any odds that she might lash-out at a dear friend. However, sliding her hood over her head and fixing her robe, she moved to her door and had it slide open. Robin stood in the hallway as Raven met his eyes with a natural calm. "I'll come down…" Raven announced to her friend while taking a light glance back at the window, "it would be a waste not to."
Robin smiled a little and stepped aside to let Raven out from her room. Looking out to her vacant path, Raven hesitated to take the step out. The feeling stuck to the bottom of her feet, which clutched tightly into the carpet of her room. Every fiber of her being yelled 'don't go, don't go'; but against her better judgment she nudged her feet foreword. Her legs fought for a short struggle to keep her from leaving her room, but sure enough gave in and Raven met Robin in the hall with her door sliding close behind her. "Let's not keep everyone waiting," Robin joked.
Raven only nodded and followed her leader down the hall and to the elevator. Robin clicked for the elevator to meet them up on the mid-level of Titans' Tower where they stood. The silence of the empty floor filled the air between the two teens as the waited, so Rabin chose to shake it off. "How've you been doing, Rae? Not to mean anything by it but…"
"I've been in my room more the usual… right?" Raven interjected with a side look at Robin who was trying his best to look nonchalant.
Robin didn't answer it words, but Raven had a mental understanding with Robin to know she had hit the mark. "…I'm sorry…" her leader looked at her confused as the elevator door opened to let the two in.
They both shuffled inside wordlessly and Robin hit the button for the first floor lounge of the Tower. As the steel doors of the elevator closed and they both watched the floor they were just on disappear into a closing slit, Raven felt something twist inside her; she had no longer anywhere to go until they reached the first floor. Not missing a beat, Robin carried on with their conversation. "Why should you be sorry? You haven't done anything wrong."
In this Tower –in the entire Teen Titan organization perhaps- there were very slim numbers of people that Raven felt opening up to as safe. As for anyone outside of the Teen Titans; there were none at all. Out from those few numbers, her leader and trusted ally Robin was near the top –if not the top- person she entrusted her secrets. But more importantly, she trusted him with her worries.
"Robin… Do you have family?" Raven inquired without casting a single look to him.
At first Robin felt insulted and a little hurt by the question when memories of his family came back to him. But quickly the thoughts were lost and he sighed. "I guess you could say that. Batman was always like a father to me after…" his throat caught a moment but he swallowed it down, "well, family is complicated for anyone."
"I never had a father…" Robin could feel the hate in Raven's voice as she said that, but they both knew she had a father; just no father figure, "my mother was so strong from what I can remember. But…" suddenly Raven's voice became stern. "Robin?"
"Yeah?" Robin picked up on the severity of her mood and looked to her with focus.
"It wasn't long ago, was it? My father, Slade, and… you, saving me," her voice started to soften despite the hate she had when she spoke of her father and Slade. Robin didn't respond, he felt there had been no need to with this talk. "The world suffered and was nearly thrown to ruin because of my father… because I let him come. But… that's what I don't understand…"
"He wanted to use you for his own gain like he always has," Robin cursed.
Hood over her head, Raven shook her head with disagreement. "He didn't need me… He always had more options."
"More options? Raven, what're you talking about?"
As Raven spoke, the doors of the elevator slid open to reveal the lit hallway of the first floor. "Cardinal Sins, Robin. And I can feel them all too well…" her words were accompanied by the soft smell freshly cut fruits and a distinct bacon aroma emanating from the living room down the hall.
Flip… Ching… Heads.
"Called it…"
"Do it again, I'll get it this time!"
"Alright, alright. Let's not have a hissy, boy. I'll call heads."
"Good, cus' tales is bound to be next!"
"Now I'm sure it will…"
Flip… Ching… Heads.
"Now don't that just beat all?"
"Come on! Do it again! One more time! Honestly."
"What sort of man would I be to say no? I'll be a gentleman too. I'll take heads. No coin ever lands on the same face forever."
"Hah! Sucker. Let's see tails!"
"Hah, indeed. A 'sucker' am I."
Flip… Ching… Heads.
"Well I'll be. Heads again?"
"What! One more time!"
"Have you got anything more to put up?"
"Yeah. Uh… how about…"
"What about that watch hanging around your neck?"
"This? It was my grandpa's before he died."
"Sentimental; very valuable… in a cosmic way as well as monetary."
"No way! This thing is—"
"If you win, I'll give you all your money and stuff back. Not only that, I'll give you a date with a lovely lady."
"Well…"
"She's beautiful, very curvy in all the right places, and cool to boot."
"Hrmm… Alright. You got a deal."
"Splendid! I'll take heads."
"Hey! Let me flip. Gotta make sure you ain't cheatin'!"
"By all means my good man."
Flip… Thunk… Thud… Ching… Heads.
"Heads again? Well ten flips out of ten? That's just far too lucky, right my good man? Oh right… Can't hear me. Oh well. If it helps you rest in your eternal slumber, I was using a trick coin. Surprised you never choose to pick heads. Honestly, it wasn't too hard to figure out; I could've told you that. But alas, I could not…" reaching down into the crimson pool that now lined the fallen body, fingers snatched up a silver coin that was soon wiped clean on the hem of a black suit, "…For as you may now have realized: greed is taken at all costs," the hand quickly tucked the coin into a small pocket on his black suit, "now let's relieve you of my stuff…"
It was calm really. Beast Boy and Starfire had been chatting away on what Tamaranian dishes were technically vegetarian friendly, Cyborg was frying up a sizzling pan of bacon wrapped sausage with Terra ogling at the sizzling meat with hungry eyes, and finally Raven and Robin sitting off to the side while shifting the plate of eggs they were given on their plates. Normally Raven would've asked why Terra was here since she decided on a transfer to Titans North to be closer to her brother, but her mind was elsewhere. Robin too had his mind lost in deep thought, finding himself unable to eat a single lump of his scrambled eggs that were slowly cooling off.
Though Terra was more then enjoying watching her next meal slide around in Cyborg's pan, she found herself taking a sided glance at Robin and Raven off to the side. "Hey, uh… guys? You gonna eat or what?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah," Beast Boy decided to join in since his talk with Starfire wasn't making much headway, "If you don't eat it, Kid Flash and Jinx'll eat all the eggs when they get here," he pointed out further before turning some attention to Cyborg. "Where are they anyway?"
"They cancelled," Cyborg replied, not taking an eye away from those sizzling coils of meat. "Jinx said she had other plans for Kid Flash today. Whatever, more pork logs for us!"
"Dude! I don't want your pork logs!" Beast Boy protested.
"Then Terra and I'll just eat it. Right Terra?" nudging one of his cybernetic arms to Terra, she nodded and let out a 'woot' of excitement.
With that, an argument had been sprung from Cyborg and Beast Boy who had completely forgot what they were all talking about. It made no difference to Robin and Raven though as they continued to fiddle away with their food. Despite the growing war between Cyborg and Beast Boy –Terra throwing in a small jab at both of them when the chance presented itself- Starfire drifted herself towards her two more crestfallen friends. "Friends Raven and Robin. I am curious as to why you have yet not enjoyed your eggs?" she questioned them while searching both of their faces for some sort of response.
They didn't want to be rude, but they hadn't really felt like answering Starfire at the moment. In spite of her friend's silence, Starfire plastered a smile on her face and continued to pry into the two of them. "You shall both enjoy them after they have become rightfully cold perhaps? That would suet the two of you now that I am thinking about it. In the time-of-mean between the time you consume your eggs and now, let us talk," Starfire noticed small smiles cross both of her friends' faces, which she immediately took as a go ahead, "How wonderful! Tell me friend Raven, what do you have in plans for today?"
Both Raven and Robin looked up across the table at each other before Raven answered with a dismissive tone. "I'm expecting guests…"
"Oh, Overlord-Flinx you tricky boy you; what're you cooking up?" A lot really. But take some guesses. And to you BBxRae fans, rest assured that those two will interact a lot more later. Any questions? Ask away. Either way, see you later.
See you in the big times
-Overlord