Chapter Three: Jubilation
"Dude, Starfire's going to be so surprised when she sees all this!"
"Less talking Beast Boy and more hurrying, Robin said he could only keep her busy at dinner for a few more minutes."
"Raven's right. Go get the stuff out of the fridge and then keep an eye out for them on the roof."
"That'd be a little easier if you'd turn on a freaking light Cyborg!"
"If we turned on the lights now and they were on their way back they'd see us. That sort of defeats the purpose of a surprise."
"Well he could at least turn on that flashlight of his for a moment?"
"I'll just open the fridge for you," Raven sighed before the fridge door swung open and the light from within flooded the living room. It wasn't much, but at least there was enough light for them to see ahead of them. Balloons were scattered across the entire room and a giant banner with the words 'Happy 18th Birthday Starfire' written across it in large, bold, sparkled letters was hung across the living room window. Cyborg was busy organizing the entertainment with stacks of various music CDs and movies – all favourites of Starfire. Raven worked quickly to get the remainder of the helium balloons filled before their guest of honour returned home while Beast Boy searched the fridge to find the cake they had specially prepared for Star.
"Where do we keep the candles?" Beast Boy asked as he set the vanilla, twin-layered cake down upon the counter.
"Cyborg will handle the candles. Last time you handled fire you reduced the couch to ashes," Raven remarked, fitting another balloon on their helium tank. Beast Boy merely grumbled under his breath as he left the cake on the counter and headed on his way to the rooftop to keep an eye out for Robin and Starfire. "Do you think we have enough balloons?" Raven asked once Beast Boy was out of the room. She released the balloon she had just tied, letting it drift up to the ceiling to join the rainbow cluster of its kin.
"Maybe a couple more, that spot over there by the door is looking a little bare." Cyborg headed over to the kitchen and started searching through the kitchen drawers to find the birthday candles. "Did we get any word back from our other special guest?"
"She last called this morning to confirm the date. She said she'd be here – also said she'd bring some gifts as well. Maybe she'll make some more rothulk," Raven answered, promptly remembering the strong Tamaranean drink that she shared with her friends six months ago. The boys might not have been able to find a taste for it, but the girls took a liking to it, though Raven did somewhat regret it the next morning. Hopefully, this night would not result in similar regrets.
"And hopefully we won't end up with another disaster," Cyborg chuckled lightly, though only briefly as a harsh glare from Raven silenced him. Cyborg had momentarily forgotten that Raven had lost a very important person in her life. "Uh…sorry about that. I shouldn't have mentioned that."
"It's…okay," Raven said softly, quickly calming down. "I'd prefer if you didn't make a joke out of that incident."
"I won't, though I can't really say the same about Beast Boy."
"Don't worry, he knows," Raven said as she tethered a handful of balloons together with some red ribbons before positioning them carefully next to the main doors.
Before the conversation could continue, Cyborg's phone buzzed for his attention. Considering the circumstances, both of them knew that the call was one of two possibilities: one of their special guests was on their way and it likely wasn't going to be the late one. "This is Eagle Eye calling Tinman. Tinman, do you read me? Over." Both Raven and Cyborg simply sighed lightly at the sound of Beast Boy's voice.
"Knock that off BB or I'll revoke your communicator privileges again. Now what is it?" Cyborg finally answered, suppressing his annoyed tone.
"Fine. They're on their way. I give you about five minutes to get everything ready."
"We're almost set, get back here quickly," Cyborg sent his last message before hurrying back to put the final touches to the cake. "Everything set on your end Raven?"
"I'm finished over here. Close the fridge door, we don't want them seeing the light." A few moments later, the fridge door was slammed shut and darkness returned to the living room. They both hurried to take cover behind the couches – all that was left was to wait. The sound of scuffing little feet and the distinctive noise of a morphing Beast Boy told the others that they were now all in position. Patiently they waited; the minutes ticked by slowly, painfully slow in fact.
"What's taking them so long?" Cyborg finally muttered.
"Last I saw, they were chatting by the front door," a familiar fourth voice suddenly spoke up in the dark. The three Titans let out a startled yelp before recognizing the voice.
"Blackfire? When'd you get here?" Cyborg remarked in disbelief.
"About five minutes ago. I saw that the lights were off so I figured that you were all out doing your super hero stuff. I figured I would get things set up here but I guess I was wrong."
"Would you two keep quiet?" Raven hushed them both just in time as footsteps began to echo through the Tower. The indistinctive chatter grew louder and clearer as Starfire was unsuspectingly led down the hall. Starfire's characteristic giggle could be heard between pauses in the footsteps. It wasn't until they were on the other side of the door that their words could finally be made out.
"Uh, Starfire…I'm not sure if this is a good idea at the moment…" Robin sounded as though he was protesting something. Whatever it was, the Titans in wait were at least relieved to hear that Robin still remembered his mission.
"Come on Robin. Our friends have not called yet informing us of their victory," Starfire replied, apparently still believing the cover story that the other Titans had to go into town to handle a small bank robbery. "You have treated me so wonderfully tonight Robin. Please allow me an opportunity to repay your kindness."
"It's your birthday Star, it's supposed to be about what you want – not what you think I deserve."
"Alright, then this is what I want." There wasn't any further conversation, leaving the other Titans a little puzzled as to what was going on. However, there wasn't time to ponder as the door slid open and the lights flicked on in the room. Upon their cue, the Titans sprang out from their hidings spots.
"Surprise!" They all shouted in unison, though all of them trailed off at the end upon seeing Starfire and Robin. The couple was entwined in a tight embrace with Starfire's arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist…and a couple of articles of clothing laying on the floor behind them – namely Robin's cape and Starfire's gloves since the surprise halted their actions. Their lips, once joined together, had parted upon the jubilant voices of their comrades with Starfire's face now a bright red.
"I'm not going to lie - this is exactly what it looks like," Robin finally broke the silence as the couple quickly relaxed their postures. Starfire was still extremely embarrassed and quickly gathered her things off the ground.
"Normally this would've been the point where I tell you two to get a room but I'm afraid of the possibility that this might just be that room," Raven added.
"Is…this what I think it is?" Starfire spoke up, managing to suppress her embarrassment. Her eyes looked hopeful as she looked about the room, seeing the banners and balloons and the luscious cake upon the kitchen counter. "Oh my friends! I knew you would not forget the anniversary of my birth!"
"Neither did I," Blackfire added as she made her appearance by springing over and leaning against the back of the couch. "Happy Birthday little sister."
"Sister!" Starfire exclaimed as she raced over and hugged her sister tightly.
"Gah…not so tight! I'm still tender," Blackfire squeaked before wriggling free of her sister's embrace.
"Tender? What are you talking a…what has happened to you?" Starfire had taken a step back to look at Blackfire more thoroughly, seeing the bandaged hands and forehead. She didn't even see the array of bruises and bandages that were beneath Blackfire's armor.
"Just some rough training, that's all," Blackfire said as she downplayed her injuries. "Brought you a present…and this time it's not stolen." She reached into a bag that lay on the ground next to her and pulled out a small velvet box. Opening the box up, she revealed the small green sparkling gemstone necklace that resided within it. "It's called an emerald, I heard it was a fancy gem so I figured I could get you one…you know, to make up for the last time I got you a green gem." Starfire's eyes lit up at the sight of the emerald, reminding her much of the Centauri Moon Diamond that Blackfire had once presented her years ago.
"Oh sister, it is beautiful!" Starfire exclaimed as her sister carefully hung the gemstone around Starfire's neck.
"Okay everybody, it's time for the cake!" Cyborg called out as he set the eloquent cake upon the kitchen table. Eighteen blue candles decorated the surface of the baked delight, each one tipped with a red flame. Everyone aside from Robin and Blackfire hurried over to the cake to watch the birthday girl blow out the candles.
"I take it your training went okay?" Robin asked casually as he leaned against the couch next to Blackfire.
"Pretty good eye-opener," Blackfire replied. "Learned more about myself than fighting. Um…thanks for telling me about the True Master. Now I assume you did something very nice for my sister earlier today…she always was a shy one growing up. Just try and keep things…you know, clean between you and her. If you take things too quickly you'll…risk hurting her."
"Trust me, she's the one going faster than I was planning on taking things," Robin answered before they both headed over to join the others for cake.
Though it was a hefty sized cake, the six teenagers made short work of the baked good with large slices handed around the table. There was plenty of laughter and joking around the entire table as the Titans reminisced on past events and Blackfire shared stories of embarrassing moments for Starfire. The Titans peppered Blackfire a number of questions pertaining to her trip across the globe – where she's been, who she's met, and what she did. Of course, Blackfire spared no details in her stories, exaggerating some points in her usual boastful manner and keeping the Titans enthralled with her tales. The conversations eventually carried on as they relaxed with a few movies on the big screen. Though most of the film was missed because of the talking, they all still enjoyed the flicks. Oddly enough, Blackfire was really enjoying her time with the Titans. Despite having spent six months traveling around the world, she only ever really made acquaintances with people and reunited briefly with old friends from six months ago – she never really made any new friends and more importantly she never got a real chance to party with friends.
It was hard to believe but Blackfire did consider the Titans her friends now. She never really did hold any grudges against them to begin with. The most she had was some mild disdain and that had stemmed from their association with her sister. Since the conflict between the sisters had been resolved, Blackfire was able to learn to appreciate their company and why Starfire seemed to like being with them so much. Blackfire still felt more like a guest than a friend to them though but that was to be expected – her relationship to the Titans likely wouldn't exist if it weren't for her sister. Blackfire was basically piggybacking her sister's social circles. Eventually, she'd need to find her own circle of friends. However, that could wait for another day.
"Hey Starfire, you still have that old bottle of Rifilian wine in your room?" Blackfire asked, changing the focus of the conversation.
"Uh…I think so. I haven't seen that bottle in a long time. I was planning on saving that for a special occasion."
"Well what's more special than today? You go and fetch it – I've brought some more local spirits with me," Blackfire reached back for her duffle bag and pulled out a pair of large bottles. "One's called vodka…and I forget the name of the other one. I've been carrying these things around since I visited Russia but I haven't really had somebody to share it with." Starfire was a little reluctant at first but eventually headed off to fetch the bottle of Tamaranean liquor from her room – another piece of home that she had brought with her since her last visit. The other Titans recalled the last time that they had sampled Tamaranean liquors and the only one who had actually enjoyed it was Raven. Still, since it was Starfire's birthday they were willing to give it another shot.
"Let's not get carried away this time, okay? There's still a city out there," Robin reminded the others. The last thing they needed was an emergency popping up in the middle of the night and they were all too hung-over to deal with it.
"You take life way too seriously Robin. Prognosis: you need to take the first shot," Blackfire smirked as she put an arm around Robin's shoulder and held up one of the bottles to him.
"It'll loosen you right up," Cyborg agreed as he returned form the kitchen with a handful of glasses and set them down on the coffee table. Robin watched speechlessly as Blackfire poured him out a shot. The other Titans watched with smiles plastered across their face as the glass was shoved into Robin's face and they all waited for him to take it. Starfire was just coming back with her bottle of Tamaranean liquor when Robin finally succumbed to the peer pressure and downed the contents of the glass. A clearly strained expression covered his face as he forced the bitter liquor down his throat, which ended with a slight gasp.
"Pass the bottle sis, I haven't had a good drink of Rifilian in a long time," Blackfire hurried for her sister to join them on the couch. Starfire sat next to Robin, forcing him to sit between the two Tamaranean sisters, before handing Blackfire the bottle of purplish liquor.
"Pour me a glass as well," Raven asked politely, sliding her glass over to Blackfire. Three glasses were filled with the alien liquor while the other Titans helped themselves to the other liquors that Blackfire brought. Blackfire motioned for everybody's attention and raised her glass in preparation for a toast.
"I don't really need to remind you guys why we're all here tonight. Eighteen years ago I went from being the center of contempt and disdain from my entire population to sitting in the shadow of the wailing little princess named Koriand'r. I won't lie when I tell you all that I cursed that day…I figured I was going to sit in the background forever but instead when I got older I was charged with the task of making sure my little sister was taken care of so she would see days like today. From wild animals, bad weather, her first combat lessons, and the first time she experienced a Gordanian invasion I was always there to make sure our little princess didn't get in over her head. It was tiring, tough, and thankless…but to be honest, I wouldn't trade those few years for the world. It wasn't until our unexpected trip to Daluram that I realized that back then…I had needed her as much as she had needed me. Of course those days are gone now and she doesn't have a need for a guardian angel…or at least that's what I assumed until I heard the stories of the fun you've had here on Earth. I'm pretty sure you guys can attest to how much of a handful she can be." There was a round of chuckles and nods from the others before she continued. "Even still, your unbridled optimism, never-ending energy, unconditional compassion, and childish naivety have always helped to keep our spirits up day in and day out. Here's to your Starfire…ya big pain in the butt." There were chuckles all around the table before they clanked their glasses together and downed their drinks.
The festivities had continued long into the night with a marathon of movies and more stories from each of them. There was a fair bit of drinking all around and everybody got a little drunk that night, though some were drunker than others. Beast Boy, being somewhat of a lightweight, was the first to succumb to the liquor's effects and passed out on the couch shortly after midnight. The others had gathered around the coffee table to watch a sort of duel between the two heavy drinkers of the night – Cyborg and Blackfire. Both were hutched over the coffee table with a number of empty shot glasses in front of them, staring and smirking at one another.
"What's the matter Cyborg? You're three shots behind. Don't tell me the big ol' drinking machine is starting to run out of steam," Blackfire teased as she picked a full shot glass and drank it down. "Four shots behind."
"Just because you're drinking faster than me doesn't mean you're going to end up drinking more than me. I just need to outlast you and that I know I can do," Cyborg replied, pouring out his next shot and drinking it down quickly, which was followed by cheers from his teammates.
"Pretty confident in yourself, aren't ya?" Blackfire chuckled softly while filling her shot glass again. "I'll take the moment to remind you that drinking on Tamaran is very common even from a young age. I was drinking things like rothulk and Rifilian wine when you were still all meat."
"Yeah, well I have a cybernetically-enhanced liver."
"And I've got nine stomachs, so the alcohol seeps into my system slower than for you humans."
"Yeah, well now I'm two shots behind," Cyborg quickly drank his next shot.
"You only get to brag when you're actually ahead of me," Blackfire raised her glass in front of Cyborg teasingly. "And this will put me back to three over you." Blackfire downed the glass with the same speed as the previous dozen shots. Time trekked on as the two tanks continued taking shots with fatigue and intoxication slowing their drinking rate. By three in the morning, Cyborg and Blackfire were the only two still awake…and still drinking, though there was barely anything left in their bottles. Both of them were having trouble keeping upright in their seats, though Blackfire was showing more signs of her intoxication.
"We're neck and neck now Blackfire," Cyborg taunted though a few of his words were slurred together.
"Shaddup," Blackfire snapped back. "I'm nut through wisshhh you yet…" When Blackfire tried to point her finger at Cyborg to reinforce her point, she accidentally hit the table with enough force that she tipped back in her chair and fell to the floor. "Okie, may…maybe I am done wishhh you."
"You alright der Black?"
"Could you do me a favor and carry me to za bashroom…I shink I'm gunna toss za cookies."
"Only cause I'm a nice guy," Cyborg answered as he swaggered up from his seat. It took him a few moments to keep himself on two feet with coming close to losing his balance. Once he was able to stand for more than five seconds without swaying, Cyborg picked up Blackfire and carried her over to the bathroom so that she may empty her nine stomachs.
Hunched over the porcelain shrine, Blackfire groaned uncomfortably after empty a portion of her first stomach. "Shouldn't haf eaten sho much," she grumbled softly.
"Shouldn't have drank so much," Cyborg added as he stood behind Blackfire with her hair in one hand.
"Oo…here comes anudder," she moaned before sticking her head into the toilet again to spill her contents. It took longer than the previous time before she pulled her head out of the porcelain throne and flopped onto her back below Cyborg. "Thanks…that really helped."
"Always glad to help."
"You know…it's a real shame yer not a Tamaranean…if you were I'd probably go out with you in a heartbeat."
"Hey! What's wrong with being human?"
"They're weak…physically I mean. You're frail – meager strength, earthbound, and virtually no means of defending themselves without weapons. Most humans wouldn't last more than a few hours on my world…well, you would but you're not totally human."
"Only just noticed?" he sarcastically replied as he sat down on the ground next to Blackfire. "I'm flattered you think so highly of me…though I doubt you'd be very interested even if I was your race, not looking like this at least."
"Don't sell yourself so short. I know it seems…a little hopeless what with your uh…circumstances. Trust me though - on my planet you'd be a prime catch…with or without the armor coating. You just gotta believe in yourself and…uh, um…I lost my train of thought…"
"You are so drunk right now," Cyborg chuckled lightly. There wasn't a reply though, as Blackfire had fallen asleep seconds ago. He gently rolled her over onto her side so she wouldn't choke if she vomited again while she slept before heading back to his room so he could rest and recharge.
Ringing…why was there ringing at this hour of the day? Raven was the first one to be stirred from her sleep at the sound of a ringing from the computer. Her eyes slowly fluttered up, though quickly shut tight from the sunlight glistening through the windows. Several minutes passed before Raven finally managed to regain her senses and keep her eyes open indefinitely. Her head was pounding but her mind was focusing on what she was leaning against, for it wasn't a couch cushion – it was too firm for that.
Her eyes drifted over to discover that she had fallen asleep leaning up against Robin; in fact, Robin had been turned into the pillow for Raven and Starfire. She quickly straightened herself and got off the couch, thankfully without waking up anybody else. Raven didn't have much time to think about it as the computer's beeping caught her attention again – it was an incoming communication. Staggering over to the computer, she sat down before answering the incoming call.
A familiar face appeared on the screen: the shorthaired French brunette – Jacqueline L'Armor. The Titans had kept in touch with the honourary Titan after she assisted the Titans in escaping Daluram and defeating Kronos six months ago. Though originally from France, she remained in Jump City to start her own solo hero career, which had been progressing slowly but steadily. Normally, Jacqueline's presence meant that something was up and that she was looking for help in handling an above-average crime that was a little over her head but the concerned expression told Raven that something worse was up.
"Oh zank God you people have finally answered!"
"Not so loud Jacq," Raven groaned, rubbing the side of her pounding head tenderly.
"Oh…sorry. Listen, I'm sorry about calling so early but I have just gotten word from some of my friends back home – zere was a huge disaster in my homeland!"
"Listen…I don't know how muc help we can be right now, we're sort of…incapacitated at the moment."
"Ze Adamantine Prison was attacked two nights ago." The words struck Raven like a flurry of pointed rocks, leaving her unable to say anything in response. "I'm forwarding you ze coordinates now. Please hurry."