Chp. 3: Elina the Stranger

"Are you okay?" Robin asked.

Elina simply stared at him, not believing that the Boy Wonder was right before her very eyes. After she did not respond right away, Robin loudly cleared his throat, which brought her out of her trance.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," she said quickly, the last part more to herself to convince herself that she was fine. She silently cursed herself for acting so stupid. The last thing she wanted Robin to think was that she was an idiot. To her relief, Robin didn't seem affected by her lack of response. She thought he would be much more impatient since he had worked with the famous Batman, who was very serious and down-to-business.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked. She noticed the bitterness in his voice at the mention of the metallic man.

"No, he didn't." she said, still trying to recover from her state of shock. It didn't help that the Boy Wonder was asking questions; she felt as though she was the criminal being interrogated, and it made her nervous, wondering if Robin believed her to be up to no good as well, or worse, if he found out about her past.

Robin sensed her discomfort, and wondered if she was new to Jump City or not, or if she even knew who he was.

"Are you from here?" he asked.

Elina suddenly remembered her reflection in the mirror. Oh great, he thinks I'm an alien, she thought.

"Yes, I'm from here. And why are you asking me all these questions?" she snapped.

Robin stood his ground, un-phased by her reaction. He knew people were defensive like she was being when they were scared or alone, in fact, he too had been one of those people until he had met up with the Titans. He remembered the kind of person he was when he had shut people out, and because of it, he wouldn't let her get away that easily.

"Do you have a home?" he asked, ignoring her previous remark.

The girl's eyes seem to soften, and he could see the sadness swimming in them. "Not anymore," she said.

Robin didn't understand what that meant and was curious to find out more, but since she refused to elaborate, he felt it was best not to push her anymore. Instead, he authoritatively stuck his hands on his hips while a small smirk spread across his face.

"Guess you'll have to stay with us," he said matter-of-factly.

Elina's heart skipped a beat as she processed what Robin was saying. She would be staying with THE Batman and Robin, at their home, without any reason whatsoever.

"Who's us?" she asked, just to make sure she had heard him correctly.

"The Titans and me," Robin said, as if it was a trivial thing.

Elina did recall hearing about the Titans in the newspaper; how they had fought different villains that had threatened the well being of Jump City. But it had never occurred to her that Robin was actually a part of the Titans.

"Aren't you still working with Batman?" she asked, slightly confused.

To her surprise, Robin chuckled slightly.

"No, I have my own team now."

"Oh," Elina said, feeling a bit clueless, which made her feel uneasy. She had always been so sure of herself. He really must have thought she was dense.

"What's your name?" Robin asked.

"Oh, my name is Elina," Elina replied. She stuck out her hand for him to shake it, as she knew it was the courteous thing to do, as well as her wanting to salvage what dignity she had left.

He respectively shook her hand, then turned and motioned for her to follow.

"Alright," he said. "Let's get to the Tower."