After that night, Robin found it very hard to think. He no longer played games with Beastboy and Cyborg, Raven could sense an underlying distress, but could never pinpoint it and Starfire often noticed a slightly occupied look in their leader's eyes. (Not that they could see them or ever had)
He sat down on the couch in the main room, simply staring out the window at the city. The circus tent could be seen and the first act was later that day.
"Friend Robin?" Starfire asked. She received no response.
"Yo, Rob?" Cyborg asked impatiently. Robin was either completely ignoring them or he was so intent on his thought, he was virtually deaf to them.
But he certainly wasn't blind, as he recoiled when a bouncy, green puppy jumped into his lap and up into his face.
"Wha-"He stammered as the dog sat in his lap looking up at him, as were the rest of the team.
"Sorry…" He mumbled and tossed the puppy, yelping into a cushion on the couch. He began to get up and walk away. Starfire stopped him.
"Robin, something is not right. You have been avoiding us since we returned the elephant to the circus. Is it not a time to be happy?"
She wanted to make sure he was fine. After he came back to the tower, he hardly responded to any of them. It simply was incomprehensible.
"Guys, I'm just-"He was cut off when a siren wailed through the room.
"Plasmus is going on a rampage through downtown, not far from." Beastboy alerted them.
"Titans, move out!" Robin commanded.
Raven, Beastboy and Cyborg left immediately, but Starfire stayed behind.
"Robin. This conversation is not yet over." She told him with determination.
"I know Star." He said in submission.
"GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH" The large pink blob roared as a bright blue sonic blast carved a hole into its body.
"You guys never learn, do ya?" Cyborg taunted.
"Hyah, Hyah!" Starfire yelled as she launched her starbolts at Plasmus while a green pterodactyl continuously tore into it from the sky. He groaned in pain and moved towards the fairgrounds, right where the animals were being housed. He began devouring flags, signs and equipment wherever he went, frightening the workers away.
Raven projected a shadow of front of the slimy creature to detour him, and she did. Right towards a pair of Circus bears!
The two grizzlies stood up and roared in defiance at the blob. Suddenly, Robin hurled a red and yellow bomb at him from behind.
The thing exploded inside the monster, but it suddenly began tearing at the cage housing the bears. The animals stayed away, but they seemed eager to get some exercise and cause more trouble.
Robin then tossed a freeze bomb at Plasmus and the living goo finally turned into a sleeping human being. The nearby officers carried him away.
"Jeez, I thought that would take forever!" Beastboy yelled. It was true, they been chasing Plasmus for a while.
"Rob, can we PLEASE take a break now?" Beastboy begged, turning into an adorable kitten.
Robin smirked. "Fine," Beastboy pumped his fists in the air in victory. "You guys can go ahead and look around, I'm gonna get these two to the trainers and head back home." He turned towards the bears, who were already exploiting they're freedom and wandering around.
"Oh, but Robin," Starfire pleaded,"Will you not join us?"
"Sorry Star, circuses just aren't my thing."
"You'd think they were with that costume…" Raven said sarcastically.
Robin simply ignored her and sent the Titans further into the fairgrounds.
He walked into an unused tent, whistled and hid. As he expected the bears walked into the tent to see what he was doing. Robin closed the flap.
He turned to the grizzly bears, one was brown and had a black nose, while the other was black and had a pink one. They were sniffing at the ground until his approach stole they're attention.
"Hi Polly, Hi Dolly." He greeted the bears. "Remember me?
The one with the pink nose, whom was Dolly, placed her large paws underneath his arms, exposing her pink paw pads.
As she rose to her full height, she picked him up; sniffing his face and neck, as did Polly. Robin simply closed his eyes, and hoped that they remembered.
Polly suddenly stroked his face with her wet, rough tongue and Dolly gave him a large hug, burying him in her thick, soft fur.
"Okay girls, Okay" Robin laughed as he was put down. He pressed some buttons on his belt and was gifted a civilian outfit.
The tent had been entered by Robin, the boy wonder; but he wasn't the one who exited. Instead, out came a young boy with inky black hair, a black shirt with matching pants and handsome blue eyes. He was followed by a pair of bears who fell into step behind him.
Dick shifted in his outfit, had it really been so long that he wasn't comfortable in a regular shirt and pants?
He pulled at his collar and looked at the bears behind him. Polly and Dolly had known him for three years before he left them behind. At 11, they were relatively young, but he was still surprised they remembered him.
His thoughts were interrupted when a sudden force knocked him off his feet. He looked and saw a young girl in green on her on her side with her back turned.
"Oh, sorry 'bout that." He said as he helped the girl to her feet. But he suddenly stopped.
The girl had long black hair and there was a whip curled at her waist. As she looked at him, her brown eyes flashed with recognition.
"Dick?" She asked.
"Miranda?" He responded.
She did not respond, but simply pulled him into a large hug, which he gladly returned.
As they stood up, Dick could see the intricate designs on her circus costume; Miranda Kane always had a sense of style, even though she was often getting down and dirty as the circus' animal trainer.
"It's been a while…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"You bet it has!" She yelled with enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?"
Dick smiled; Miranda had always been straight to the point.
"You guys were in town, and I had to stop by." He responded.
She pulled him to his feet and saw the bears behind him.
"What are you two doing out here?" She asked as she patted the bears on the nose.
"Uhhhhh…"Dick stuttered.
He could explain, but not here.
"So, how's hero life?"She whispered playfully, laughing at his shocked expression.
I know it's been a while, but I promise you I'm trying!
The chapters are getting a little slow, but they'll get better.
For now, look at the poll on my profile and help me decide what story to juggle along with this one. It will be open for a while.
Also, if each titan had a circus act, what would it be? I'm dying for some output.
"In the next chapter, we get to see if this bird still knows how to fly.