...is this the third chapter already? grin

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An Unwanted Interview
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I never understood Robin's acceptance of an interview with a predetermined, credible, and relatively harmless magazine once a year. Each year he comes in and tells us to clear our calender for a certain day in whatever month he deems the least hectic this time around so all of us current, active members of the Teen Titans would be available for 'interrogation'.

Our fearless leader always frowns at me whenever I use that word for this inane exercise which was done only to get the public to recognize us as 'regular' folk who do something extraordinary for the good of the world. Every time we have this pre-interrogation meeting Richard recites his speech about how the citizens we save all the time support us and will continue to do so if they get to know us a bit better; even if they will only ever know the superficial things.

I cannot help but be darkly amused by Robin's words.

The only reason the public puts up with us is because no amount of military or scientific might would be able to stand up to the sheer variety of meta-humans, aliens, and other supernatural beings that would rather smear humans against the pavement as opposed to looking at them. Regular humans with no connection to our world need us and they know it. The very moment those we protect turn their backs on us and try to destroy us, they will find themselves eradicated and it will be due to their own ignorant arrogance.

Robin knows how I feel about this pretense but we have had this discussion many times and it is only because he is the leader of our team that I agree to be part of the group interview. I flat out refuse to participate otherwise after that fiasco with individual interviews. Robin understood that and never attempted that particular venture again.

So here we all are, sitting in a semicircle on the enormous crescent couch like a jury panel before the prosecutor who shot off rapid fire questions, one after another once the initial introductions were politely slogged through. The magazine (I had never learned which one, nor do I care to) had sent a young woman who did not look much older than us to record the Q and A marathon session Richard kept insisting was good for team image and morale.

I'm half tempted to mention the sudden, but intense, homicidal urges that pop up during these things when the girl gets to me. That ought to shut Richard up about 'team morale'.

I just thank the gods that Garfield is sitting next to Victor on the other side of the couch from me. He is positively ecstatic at the attention he is garnering and is behaving even more like a clown than usual. It might have something to do with the girl being a captive audience of sorts. Every time he changes shape, the young blonde cannot help but falter in her questioning and watch his performance.

If he doesn't quit soon, he will find himself restrained by the cushions he is bouncing off of...maybe smothered would be a better word to use.

Richard is doing his best to keep Garfield under control while still maintaining his 'leader' guise. His answers are short and to the point; a direct opposite from our green member's long, drawn-out responses.

Donna struck a happy medium between the two; sticking to short and sweet when necessary but willing to elaborate once in a while. Victor is his usual robust self and answers with confidence, treading that middle ground with Donna. Wally had longer answers but was rapid in his delivery causing our visitor to ask him to slow down at points so that she could record his answers to the questions. He did.

Out of all of them, Jericho is the calmest. His hands and fingers moved a bit slower than I am used to reading but the towheaded young man had compensated for the reporter; she knows sign language but wants to make sure she really understood his responses and had asked him to be patient with her.

For that consideration alone, despite my serious dislike of being interrogated, I would give this girl a bit more than monosyllables and will not pass on as many questions.

Now it was Koriand'r's turn. Sitting next to me, she is being her usual blunt but kind self. She has never felt the need to hide who she is so her answers are always the most honest out of all of ours. It is funny when I think about it, but no matter how many times I've heard her answer the same basic questions over and over with the same answers, her words are always fascinating to me. I tend to tune the others out as the interview progresses to center myself in preparation for those ridiculous probing questions that are sure to be thrown my way as soon as the reporter gets to me. But I can never tune out her.

Ah. Koriand'r just finished answering what her favorite pasttime is: sunbathing naked, preferably on a beach.

I could have told the young woman that since the alien girl was always inviting me along. Sadly, my answer is usually 'no'...I have to preserve my sanity. Donna goes with her most of the time and Garfield continually asks to accompany them but is shot down every time. He tries to sneak in anyway but I ensure he cannot.

The blonde reporter stares for a moment at my teammate, eyes glazed as much as Garfield's are at this moment, before she minutely shakes her head and scribbles down Koriand'r's answer.

Taking a deep steadying breath and pasting on a shaky smile, the human girl turns to me and I can feel everyone's attention shift my way.

"And now, a few questions for you, Raven."

I sighed softly but waited for the slew of intrusive, childish and tasteless queries the public asks me every year. Despite my non-responsiveness, she forged ahead and began.

"Ok, first one comes from the online survey of questions our readers would like to know the answers to: 'where are you from'?"

I took a moment, pondering as to if I should bother to answer that actually complicated question, but Robin's hard gaze and a flash of Joseph's smile reminded me that I promised the team, as well as myself, that I would be somewhat cooperative. My voice was a bit muffled by the fabric of my hood but it was heard clearly.

"I'm from a dimensional world named Azarath."

Richard had tried to persuade me to at least leave the hood of my cloak down but I had countered with his mask and basically mentioned something about him leading by example. That shut him up pretty quickly and I was not very popular with Robin after that one for awhile. I was alright with that.

Bringing my wandering thoughts back to the present just in time to catch the next question, I was taken aback.

"Do you have a boyfriend..."

The girl flushed and looked as if she had been handed a detonator and told to press the button as soon as she came to that question.

About to answer with a very firm 'no', I was brought up short by the question's continuation.

"...or a g-girlfriend?"

No one made a sound.

It was like they all froze in the aftermath of those ground-zero words, struck by a possibility none of them had ever thought of before. I was just completely stunned by the guts of whoever approved that question in the initial selection phase of the interview preparation in the magazine boardroom. If I find out who...

Still, it was a harmless question because I had neither gender as a significant other...the only one who I even came close to feeling such emotions for had already been in a committed relationship when I first found they held a special place in my affections. It was only recently that this person had returned to the dating scene and I wasn't sure they were ready to enter into another relationship so soon. ...I know I wasn't exactly ready either.

My voice never wavered as I answered, "No."

That probably should have relaxed the reporter but it seemed as if the following question was no better than that last one. In fact, she seemed as if she was about to faint. Catching hold of herself, the blond quickly scanned the rest of the page of questions printed out for each Titan that was geared specifically for me before she sighed and sat up straighter.

"I'm sorry to have to ask but it is part of my job and you already know that you don't have to answer if you don't wish to, so..."

My eyebrows shot up as I picked up her surface emotions, guessing as to the next question considering the previous one.

"If you had an equally appealing choice, which gender would you rather date?"

Ouch!

I was right, and this is making me wince.

If I don't answer, people will assume a lot of unflattering things about me...or at least more so than usual. On the other hand, if I answer either way I will be setting myself up for a lot of grief anyway.

I was not happy being put in this position.

My teammates are still holding their breath with wide eyes and some were actually anticipating real gossip-worthy information to spread throughout the cape community. Garfield, especially, seems to be trying to read my mind for the answer to that question with the way he was staring at me.

Scratch that previous observation, I am pissed at being put on the spot like this, and I react accordingly.

The air around me shivers from the ice infused with my words, reminding everyone I am not willing to play such games.

"You are right, I do not have to answer, but I would appreciate a cessation of such questions during these interviews. If need be I will file a personal complaint to the head of your magazine."

"R-right! O-ok, next one then."

Relief in her psyche warred with intent to injure someone, a tall male figure...most likely her boss. I do hope she goes through with chewing him out, because if she doesn't I most certainly will if these types of questions show up again in my page of queries.

Time passes and the interview winds down until there is only one question left for me to answer.

"We actually got this question via the postal service from a young lady with the pen-name Thorn."

Miss Reporter shuffles through her briefcase and pulls out an opened envelope with the letter folded inside. I noticed that this journalist keeps her nails short but well maintained as I reached for the letter held in her outstretched hand.

'Not a bad shade of blue polish either.'

Refocusing, I unfolded the letter and began to silently read it.

The other occupants of the room are positively squirming in their seats; one awaiting my response, the rest wanting to know what the letter said. Their emotions and surface thoughts kept distracting me slightly, but I'm used to it by now and forge ahead through the fairly neat handwriting.

Little caricatures and doodles lined the margins with ravens, roses, stars, hero symbols, and a cute replica of Titans Tower on its island. The letter ended with Thorn's signature and a 'thank you'. A postscript note at the very bottom stated that no matter what I answered, she (Thorn) would be rooting for me.

It was hard for anyone to tell but I smiled a bit. This young high school girl is a good writer and a clever observer. She noticed who it is that I feel most...fond of just by watching us on T.V. or in newspaper photos. She was asking me to confirm her suspicions by telling the world my favorite color. She believes this will be the eye color of the one I 'like' above all others. Wally is now vibrating in his seat and Garfield was hanging from the back of my section of the sofa as a little Rhesus monkey, trying to read over my shoulder. Victor, Donna, and Koriand'r were visibly restraining themselves from leaning over and crowding or asking about the letter's content. Richard was covering any physical curiosity well but his thoughts swirled with deduced possibilities as to what could possibly have been written. Surprisingly, though, our leader was the one to actually speak up.

"So, what does the letter say Raven?"

I was trying to find the easiest way to put the question while keeping its true nature hidden as the writer intended, when our interviewer answered first. I was a little peeved that she intercepted the question aimed at me, but she did explain it better than I probably could have.

"This was written by a young student who just wants to know Raven's favorite color...though, I think it's also a piece of fanmail because most of it is addressed directly to Raven."

Done with her explanation to my teammates, she turned back to me and smiled.

"Since it is mostly addressed to you, the higher ups decided that you can keep it if you want to."

Nodding, I refolded the paper and gently slid it back into its envelope, then focused on the last question. Again I had two choices before me, but this time I knew which one I was going to take.

"Green...lime peel green is my favorite color."

The interview was over as far as I was concerned so I got up and went to leave the living room letter in hand, letting Robin and the others handle the goodbyes and closing statements.

A warm hand caught my fingers and I turned back to look into Koriand'r's eyes. The beautiful female smiled and reminded me that the big T-Connection, where all the Titans gather for a week of vacation, starts tomorrow.

Sigh. I thank her and assure her that I will be prepared. Stepping away from her and towards the hallway door leading to my room, I shiver as our fingers trail along the skin of each other. She is so warm...

Meditation is going to be the only way to erase the presence of those lime peel green eyes from my mind enough that I can sleep tonight. I better get started.

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Yes! Another one churned out!

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