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Let It Begin…
Raven had figured out Jason's process to grief, he was leaping head first into a project that would let him ignore his emotions. And Raven didn't know if that should be bad or good as she stood there in the warehouse after seeing Jason walk by absently, completely unaware of her.
"He's been like that for four days now, anything I should be aware of?" Roy asked as he sat at the table with Lian. Lian was munching on oatmeal happily.
"He lost someone who was important to him," Raven said.
"Who?" Roy asked sipping his orange juice.
"Her name was Zed, she was Constantine's lover and friend, she was very kind to Jason from what I've gathered, and very important to him," Raven said as she took a small bite of her cereal. The crippling pain she felt from Jason was enough to have her losing her appetite, but she forced herself to eat. Constantine was in Chas's care, Raven had found that out yesterday, and Jason was a whirlwind of rage, pain and focus. He was on a dangerous hunt.
"He had a friend named Zed? He never said anything," Roy muttered.
"Jason has many secrets, even from me," Raven softly murmured as she gave up trying to eat and settled on sipping her tea as she closed her eyes.
"Well, we all have secrets, you and he though are taking the lead in the secrets department in my opinion," Roy sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.
"How are you, Roy?" Raven asked.
"I'm good, making my amends, go to a meeting a day, talk to Felicity every other day and Oliver and I have started meeting up. So far he doesn't make me want to go get smashed, but you know… I got his little sister killed," Roy sighed. "Tommy hates me, but I got Thea killed so I guess that fair."
"It takes time," Raven said softly.
"Rae, it's not really something time heals, not this time. I fucked up, I got my best friend killed, and she… I loved her Rae, I loved her and I got her killed. Do you even realized how fucked up that is?" Roy asked.
"I wanted to meet my father and opened a door to extinction for my home world, murdering my mother, mentor and friends," Raven pointed out.
"Well, we suck," Roy muttered.
She said nothing to counter this, and sipped her tea.
"Anything I should look out with the idiot?" Roy asked. "I never seen him like this," Roy admitted.
"I don't know," Raven admitted softly. "This pain, it's just another thing to pile onto his other pains, he won't speak to me about it so I do not know how to help him. I just feel it, and it's killing him."
"Anything I could do to help him out?" Roy asked.
"I think just being here helps, but I don't know. It is difficult to get a read on Jason, he isn't concealing his pain or fury, or hatred, he's focused?, it, and I can't gage how he is doing emotionally other than he is hurting. Which is difficult to endure because I do not like my friends to suffer like this," Raven grumbled.
"You'd really take the pain of the world away wouldn't you?" Roy asked her.
"I don't know," she murmured. "When I was a child I would, I did not mean to, but I could not bear others to be in pain, which is why I would take it. If I had this wonderful gift of empathy then why not use it? It wasn't like I couldn't take the pain. But it is wrong, I was wrong, to rob people of their emotions and will, it did not end the suffering, merely replaced it with a different kind of suffering."
"So you aren't tampering with other's emotions anymore," Roy surmised.
"No, I will heal people, but I do not replace their emotions or pain, it is not the solution even if I were to wish it so."
"When you heal people…" Roy started uncertainly.
"I do not heal them how you think, I take the pain into myself, I take the wound for myself and I feed back the health," Raven said. "It's a loop, a replacement, as I syphon of the pain and wound I return the health and heal them."
"That's gotta suck," he decided.
"It is… painful, but worth it. I can take the pain Roy, I do not like watching the ones I care about suffer. But this pain, this wound, I can't take, it's not one that heals when I take it."
"Alright," he nodded. "I'll look out for him. in the mean time, would you possibly consider setting up a room here?" Roy asked.
"Why?"
"Well, you're here all the time anyway, and I kind of said something stupid to Donna I can't take back, and she might be serious, and if she is, then I'd like for her not to be uncomfortable here," Roy sighed.
"What did you offer her?"
"A place to live, she's here all the time when she's not with the Titans so I don't know, it made sense, but I get it if she's not comfortable living with two guys, a dog and baby," Roy shrugged.
"So you want me to pretend to live here so she won't think she's the only girl here?" Raven chuckled.
"You practically live here, this is what, you're second or third home after the Titans and Sirens."
"True," she conceded. "I will think about it." She offered as she picked up her bowl and put it in the sink.
"Kay, thanks, and I'll watch over Jay keep in touch," Roy said as he got up and gave her a light hug. Raven hugged him back as she picked up her bag and opened a portal to go to school. She walked into the Gotham rain and took a steadying breath.
She couldn't take Jason's pain, that would merely lead to a different kind of pain for him.
She'd just have to be here to watch over him and keep him safe.
This is what friends did for each other.
Duke had landed on a different planet! A Crazy Planet!
Seriously, he thought he knew the Bats; he'd been in the Cave, seen them decompressing, relaxing and unwinding.
But the upstairs life was VERY different from the Cave life.
And the Manor life was VERY different from the Public Personas each Bat had.
Alfred Pennyworth, the butler, and to the public just a butler. Butler his ass though, that man was an angel or a demon or something, but there was no humanly way possible for Alfred to do everything he did.
Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. the Batman, to the public was a wholesome, smooth, charismatic person. Really, Duke had never met a more exhausted, emotionally stunted, exhausted man in his life.
Dick Grayson, a.k.a. the Nightwing, to the public was a suave, genuine, sweetheart person who had girls swooning left and right. In reality, Dick was so whipped for his girl that it was kind of embarrassing and he was the second dad of this family despite being the eldest son.
Tim Drake, Red Robin, he was this child prodigy, brilliant mind set to run WE without aid of anyone. Reality, Tim was so sleep deprived that he didn't seem to know up from down and had the coffee in an IV practically.
Cassandra Cain, Black Bat, was the mysterious, American sweetheart good girl of the Waynes, who was shy. Reality, biggest prank orchestrater ever, and easily the most devious of the Bats; also, a total badass sweetheart.
Damian Wayne, Robin, the biggest brat ever sired, who believed he was a prince. Most awkward, angry little version of his father that it was hard to tell his public persona from his real persona and Robin.
Terry McGinnis was the baby of the family and had no distinction of his brothers being different from the rest of the world. Also ran to the door faithfully whenever it opened looking for Jay.
Helena Wayne, faithfully followed Terry's footsteps in search for Jay. Usually holding onto Titus (the great dane).
Kori Ander, a.k.a. Starfire; someone he hadn't met until four days ago and he saw her fly by in all her fiery glory to kiss Dick Grayson on the mouth and have him all but a puddle of goo before running off. Duke had been furious until he saw Kori slip on some ring and look like the model that Dick was dating, then a lot of things had cleared up.
Stephanie Brown, Spoiler, the public saw her as the sidekick to the Waynes, a hang on for Tim's money. In actuality she was the only reason Tim was functioning, and kept everyone on their toes, instigating legendary prank wars for the Bats; usually with the aid of Cassandra Cain.
And finally, Jason Todd, a.k.a. Red Hood, and Duke had no idea about him as he hadn't really met him outside of the Cave. But he must have been different with how Terry and Helena screamed for him whenever the door opened. Mar'i also seemed to be in on this as she was often times floating and being dragged by the shirt by Terry with them to the door. At least that's what Duke had seen in the last four days.
Then there was the matriarch of this home whom he could not get a true read on, Selina Kyle. Publicly she was charming, endearing, bewitching, privately though, he was pretty sure that she was all that even privately plus a hellcat.
But in the four days since Duke got dumped into this alien life he had had the following happen to him: lost all his shoes, but only the left ones, what was up with that? Nearly lost his head, literally, when Damian had come after Tim, which had led to Dick head locking those two and dragging them off. Tim borrowing just about all his books, and scribbling notes in them. Dick challenging him to Twister and Duke was pretty sure the guy was an invertebrate because that just was not humanly possible. Bruce had called him by every name but his own. Terry had clung to his leg like a lead weight for three hours screaming for Jay. Helena had cried with Terry. Mar'i had almost blasted him when she cried, her mother caught her.
Duke looked up from where he was sitting, in the extensive library (this was about the only reason he hadn't gotten mad at Tim for writing in his already written in books) when she walked in with a baby on her hip and another on her heels.
The dog was following Terry faithfully.
"Heyya kid!" she smiled as she set Helena down. "So how ya doin'?" she asked.
"I um…" Duke stammered as he was pinned by those brilliant green eyes.
"I don't bite, I'm just asking how you're doing."
"This is temporary," he promised.
"Kid, this could be permanent if you want, but that's not what I was asking," Selina said.
"I just…" Duke frowned. "I'm doing okay here."
"Good, the horde treating you alright?" Selina asked.
"Yes?" he managed. Training was more intense now that he was here, and none of the others seemed to even be phased by it.
"You know there's no time clock here, right?"
"My last place was being torn down, I don't want to be in the system and people disappear off the streets," he muttered.
"Kid, that wasn't what I was saying. I'm saying you can stay as long as you want. Or as long as you need, this can be your home too," Selina said.
Duke didn't point out that Bruce was the head of this house and that he might not last long enough to stay. Best to be prepared to leave. He wasn't a charity case, and he refused to be a publicity stunt.
Jason spent the next four days pouring over every possible attack he could do to Roman Sionis, and how to bring down the Black Mask and seize control of his operation. He needed the expansion as Red Hood anyways, and it would make his criminal enterprise the largest in the world if he did it successfully.
Controlling crime was not ideal, but his aggressive style, and micromanaging of his organization had dropped the numbers of kids hooked to drugs, and the murder rates. Bruce might not like his style but there was no arguing his results.
Leaning back, he glared at his plans.
The only problem was Roman's shipment, Jason knew it was from Lex Corp., and it was an under the table deal as it was off of Lex's books. The weakest point of this entire thing would be the transit, which was by train which presented a different set of problems. It would mean going into Gotham to handle this, and Jason wasn't sure he was prepared to have Bruce butting in on what Jason really did. Then again, he was betting Bruce didn't know as there had never been a move against his criminal enterprise.
Rubbing his eyes over he groaned as he tried to think of another way to do this. One that didn't land him intercepting a train to Gotham.
But he had nothing.
Getting to his feet he decided he needed food. Better to get it now than listen to his stomach growl all day. Walking out of his work area he found Roy with Lian.
Roy was stretched out on the floor, tinkering on something and Lian was sitting on his back as she played with an arrow. Jason frowned as he picked the arrow out of her hands, she pouted and whined, he scooped her up. Roy was completely absorbed in whatever he was doing which had Jason scowling. Living with Roy was like living with a mad scientist, it was infuriating. Roy had lit him on fire in the shower once just to see if his fire-retardant chemicals would work!
Roy jolted and looked over at him with large green eyes.
"What the fuck! Don't do that! Could have had us all going up in a glorious explosion," Roy sighed.
"What exactly are you working on?" Jason reluctantly asked. Lian was now smiling and snuggled into him.
"A bomb," Roy answered.
"And you're working on it with Lian on your back!?" Jason sputtered.
"She was perfectly safe."
"What the fuck were you going to do if it blew up!?" Jason demanded.
"It wasn't going to," Roy promised.
"And what the fuck were you going to do with it when you were done with it!?"
"Put it in a box," Roy answered.
"What the hell is a box going to do!?"
"Fuck!" Lian shouted which had whatever Roy was about to counter with muted as they both stared dumbly at the giggling girl in his arms. She was grinning with inane triumph which had Roy glaring at him.
"You did this," Roy growled.
"I wasn't the one building a fucking bomb with the kid on my back!" Jason defended.
"Okay, fine, we're both morons," Roy sighed putting his project down and getting to his feet. "How are you holding up man?"
"I was going for burgers and beer for me," Jason answered.
"Jay you know that isn't what I mean," Roy said dusting himself off.
"I don't think you're an empath demon so don't worry about it," he snapped as Roy put his project out of Lian's possible reach. Jason picked up his favorite leather jacket he pulled it on. Putting Lian on the work table as he grabbed Lian's light little sweat shirt and zipped her up, before picking up her shoes and putting them on her feet. The toddler was smiling as she sat there with his undivided attention.
"Fuck!" she giggled.
"I will pay you not to say that," he said as he looked at her bright green eyes.
"Fuck!"
"I'll give you a car, any car you want for your sixteenth birthday but please stop saying that," he bartered.
"Dada!" she announced as she clapped her hands.
Jason face palmed as Roy was roaring with laughter behind him. He wasn't winning tonight, he could already see that. Roy scooped up Lian, Jason ruffled Ace's ears as they walked out of the warehouse and Jason locked it up out of habit.
"Jason, seriously," Roy said as they walked down the docks.
"What the fuck!? Are you turning into Oprah on me?" Jason demanded.
"You've been holed up in that room for four days, Lian, Ace and I haven't seen hide nor hair of you, so I can be legitimately concerned for my roommate and friend, and Lian's second dad!" Roy defended.
Jason growled as he rubbed his hands over his face then he glared at Roy.
"I'm fine."
"You know what fine stands for?" Roy said.
"What the fuck Roy!?"
"Freaked out. Insecure. Neurotic. Emotional. Come on talk to me," Roy coaxed.
"What the hell are we? Girls all of a sudden!?" Jason demanded.
"No, we're human, and you can't keep all this shit secret," Roy argued.
"Watch me," Jason snapped and stalked for the street.
There was a lot of shit he didn't tell people for a lot of reasons. Mainly because he didn't want to talk about it.
Roy was fine as a friend and roommate; Jason had come to tolerate him, but Jason still expected some level of privacy. Prying into emotions and feelings; not happening. And Jason just didn't give a fuck if that was unhealthy or not. He didn't want to have them pried at. Some shit was left just with him. And losing Zed was fucking hell. He despised that she wouldn't let them save her and he hated her for being willing to die without a fight. The fury he felt for her permission to be angry was all consuming; and the anger was drowning the pain right now.
Okay… Selina accepted these facts as a part of her life:
1. Survival of the fittest.
2. Gravity brought all things down eventually.
3. Thievery paid well so long as one wasn't caught.
4. Bruce Wayne was the love of her life, and right now she wanted to throttle him.
Selina wasn't going to turn the teen out, no, she wasn't a bitch. But she was not pleased with Bruce going behind her back and taking the kid in (not that she would have turned the kid away, Nigma was a dick for all his survival of the smartest campaigns). And it wasn't even about B taking the teen in that upset her. What had her wanting to punch Bruce was the fact he thought she would turn the kid away and didn't bother to consult her!
She had never turned away his kids.
When he had taken in Dick she had thought he was nuts, because what did B know about kids? Also, Bruce was barely twenty-six when he had done that. The wild rumors of Bruce having a teen romance and unknown love child had surfaced, but it was all fine. And Selina had taken to Dick rather quickly, though she wanted to strangle B for letting the kid be Robin. Selina loved Jason, even adopted him last Christmas; despite Jason being a grown ass man, he was her Robin and her baby. She adored Tim, would die for that teen, and scratch the eyes out of anyone who dared to threaten him. Tim was just precious to her, and her baby bird would not be harmed. Cass had been easy to love, and Selina wondered when the little Bat had crept up and into her heart, but Bruce's daughter was a lot like him in the quiet stillness that was Bruce.
And alright, she would admit it right now; it had crippled her knowing that Bruce had loved another woman, loved her enough to marry her when he was younger. When he was discovering himself. When she hadn't been there and hadn't been enough for him. And though she despised Talia al Ghul with a fiery passion, she did not hate Damian al Ghul-Wayne. No, she had, at first, been painfully hurt by his existence, because it was like a slap to her face in her mind. There stood a kid, her lover's (now husband's) child and he had her lover's eyes, he had B's nose, he looked like B did. There were minor traces of Talia in his appearance, his skin tone was hers, his cheek bones were definitely hers, she was also sure that Damian shared his eye brows with her, and his temper.
Looking at Damian had hurt, until she started actually seeing that awkward, angry little Robin for who he was. A mini version of his father which had had her coming to love the kid and happier to take him into the family.
Damian was also proving to be an excellent brother.
Then there was the pain of Terry, but that was more of a pain of violation. God Bruce must have felt violated, he had two kids he hadn't consented to having then, both created because he was the Batman and people wanted to replicate that. Terry though, as much as it hurt to see him, had stolen her heart, and was her kid in every way. She'd gut whatever idiot thought differently and had even been pissed off enough to go after the press who had printed lies about her feelings on Bruce's hoard of kids.
Hell, she even considered Mar'i Grayson her granddaughter! That should speak to what she thought of Bruce's kids!
Helena might be her 'only' child, but Bruce's hoard was hers' in a way. Which was why she was sitting in the library with Terry, and Helena, Mar'i was with Kori who was napping right now, and her head came up when Bruce walked into the library.
"You're mad at me," her husband blurted out.
"Astute observation, detective," she replied, not looking up from the baby book she was reading. Helena was babbling in baby as she stood there wiggling. Terry was playing with blocks and the Alfred the Cat at the moment.
"I… I didn't want you to be angry about Duke living here," Bruce said.
"Oh, I'm not angry about that, trust me. Duke is more than welcomed to stay for as long as he needs, hell, he can even be adopted into this lunacy," Selina said and now she looked up at her lover. His blue eyes were confused, and that angered her as she stood and stepped over their daughter to him. "What I am mad about is that you would dare to think that I would refuse the kid. Have I not proven enough that I care about you and your hoard?"
"Selina…?" he started.
"No! You zip it. I have loved every single one of your kids, not like my own, but they're mine in a way. I wouldn't be upset about you bringing another teen in need to your home. I am upset that you thought so little of me to think that I would dare to turn him away.
"I haven't turned Damian away, and I hate Talia, I despise the fact she dared to have your child, that she did that to you, but I love Damian anyway. He's not mine but he's mine, despite whatever his idiot father and evil bitch mother think.
"I never turned Terry away. Goddamn it Bruce you have no idea how much it hurts! It hurts to know you think so little of me that I would turn away a kid in need, and I never turned away Damian or Terry, and they're more of a slap to my face than Duke. I am furious that you would think so little of me!" Selina snapped.
Helena fell with a hard thud, bursting into tears. Selina ignored Bruce as she scooped up her daughter, gathered up Terry and stalked past Bruce.
For as much of a genius as her husband was, he was a fucking moron when it came to people.
He stood in the warm gardens of his palace in the South, looking over the rare animals of his palace when his father flew towards him, his flaming yellow hair, and radiant amber skin shown in the sun and jungle's light as he landed beside him, his green eyes were serious.
"My son, X'hal smiles on you," his father smiled lightly cupping his cheek before pulling away.
"Father," he smiled as they started walking.
"There is a war coming my son, and if it should ignite then I fear all of Tamaran will perish," Tharras said. The heavy jewels and armor they wore was soundless as they walked.
"And what would you propose father, we follow the guide of a weak King, one who should have never had the chance to rule after selling his daughters to a warlord," he sneered.
"Yes, but now the King is dying, and Tamaran shall follow in the hands of his son," Tharras said.
"And what would you propose?"
"Peace. King Myand'r had two daughters, Komannd'r and Koriand'r, one is lost to us, and the other…" his father trailed off.
"The other?" he asked. He had heard the whispers, and rumors of Koriand'r, heard she had returned briefly to Tamaran to renounce her claim to the throne.
"Koriand'r is on earth, it would be in our peoples' interests if you could… woo her back. She is a might warrior, and a union between you two would prove to be prosperous for all of Tamaran. You are a worthy challenger for a warrior like her."
"I've heard she is infertile."
"That can be sorted out later, for now we must save Tamaran from Myand'r's heir," his father said.
He nodded, not in disagreement or agreement. The truth was far too complicated to worry about for him at this moment. The future too perilous without King Myand'r to contemplate the truths. Tamaran would need a strong ruler, a firm ruler, a warrior again, Kori was the desired ruler and with her many supporters he saw no foreseeable complications to her claim on the throne.
First though he would have to commission a sizeable dowery and an ambassador party to Earth. He could win Koriand'r over, he was sure of it.
"Prince Karras, we leave Tamaran's future to you. May X'hal smile on your success," his father smiled. Karras smiled back as his father touched his cheek and walked off. Tamaran needed sure leadership, he would do this. Peace was needed for Tamaran to thrive, and war was always so imminent. He would do this, for his people.
He closed his eyes as the sun lit a fire in his skin and he could feel the emotions pulsing in him.
She sat in a filthy bar, in man's world and was vastly unimpressed as she took a sip of the alcohol. They would not speak of the Black Mask or his operation. All she had was the information that there was some sort of shipment coming in on a train on Friday. But other than that, no one could say who, what, when, where, or how this was coming to be. Which infuriated her and had disheartened her.
Perhaps this was all a lie, perhaps she was wasting her time.
Then again, the Bow of Ra was not a play thing, and it was in the hands of the Shim'Tar, which was a very bad combination as Akila seemed to be bewitched by that woman or the child. Someone's wizardry had a hold on Akila and Akila had the Bow, which was lethal.
It was her duty to stop the abuse of this power. That sorceress was up to something truly dangerous. She would stop that woman, even if she had to tear the world apart. Which she was coming to think she just might have to do. Frowning she slammed her drink down and heard the outside commotion of the city. This city had vigilantes
She pulled her hood up and walked out of the bar, she could not allow the Bow of Ra to be in the hands of Man. That would destroy them all.
The rain hit her icily, and she just moved forward hating this world.
Lilith sat in her room meditating and reaching her mind outwards in search of that power. That power was a threat to Circe and she needed it. Slowly she tried to stretch her mind to find the taste of that dark power, though she was unsure of what she was seeking this time. The power had been silent, for the last few days. Which confused Lilith greatly.
Power like that did not vanish just because. It was power like that that ruled the world. It wasn't something that just vanished.
She could feel the gods' indifference from here, but she could not feel that power here. It was as if the power had just vanished.
Opening her eyes she bit her lip, she couldn't, she wouldn't let this happen. She could stop Circe, she just… she couldn't do it alone.
Power like that though…
Power like that could stop gods.
"The preparations continue, though there are missing parts," she said standing beside him.
"Everything must be perfect," he said as he looked at the chambers.
"Would it not just be easier to take her?"
"She would fight her place, but she will have to accept her place," he assured her.
"And if she should not?"
"It is her destiny, there is no choice, for her, and she shall feel her calling soon enough and be honored by it, and I," he smiled.
She would have a great honor, and she had yet to come to realize it. But in time, even she would see it.
That's all for now folks.
Enjoy I've Got the Umbrella =)
