Chapter 4
Raven hummed as she poured hot water into her favorite mug and looked for a tea to steep.
"Hmm…chamomile? No, maybe jasmine. Yeah, I'm in the mood for jasmine."
Cyborg chuckled silently to himself as he quietly sat at the kitchen bar and watched Raven's jovial mood of the day. There was clearly a change in her attitude that he hadn't seen since she had found Malchior. "Someone had a good night."
She turned around and grinned wide. "Good morning, Cyborg. How's that hangover?" She placed a spoonful of honey in her mug.
Cyborg rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Terrible. How you're fully awake with a smile on your face after three full cups of Monster Punch and ten shots of Seagram's Gin is a mystery to me." He stared closely at her. "What happened to you last night? You just…took off in the middle of the party."
Raven looked up to his face and gave him a very mixed expression. "I just needed to leave. That was all. I ran into a friend of mine downtown." Cyborg's face lit up, shaking his finger at her.
"Ohhh, you've gotta boyfriend. You got some last night." Raven blushed heavily. Why did meeting a friend have to mean meeting a boyfriend?
"No I don't! And no I didn't get some. My friend is a girl. We released Chinese lanterns with some college students." Cyborg squinted his eyes, attempting to recall a memory.
"Oh yeah…I remember seeing these orange things in the sky. It had Beast Boy going nuts! He thought they were aliens!" He cackled loudly. "But seriously though. Hanging with college kids? That's never been your thing."
Raven raised the mug of tea to her lips, testing the steam. "Well, they were just there when we got to the beach." He stared at her with calculating eyes. Cyborg knew her well and could sometimes be a bit over-protective. After a long silence, he stood up.
"Alright, I believe you. But watch out for those folks that appear to be too friendly, Rae." He walked over to the freezer to grab a package of bacon for breakfast and patted Raven on her back. "I mean it."
She smiled slightly. "Food for thought." As if on cue, the other missing Titans entered the kitchen quoting the events of the previous evening.
"Good morning, friends! We delighted in such a wonderful celebration of the day of birth for friend Raven, was it not?" Starfire beamed in her direction. Raven nodded, sipping her tea, and promptly left the domain.
Beast Boy watched as she glided through the doorway and he sat next to Cyborg's seat at the kitchen bar. "Dude, what's her problem? And where'd she go last night?" Cyborg shook his head, his temperament a bit steely. He leaned forward, his fingers thrumming on the counter, and spoke as if he were thinking to himself at the same time.
"She left the tower. And I have a feeling I know why." His eyes held fast to the neighborhood birdboy as he whispered something incomprehensible into Starfire's ear, bringing a flirtatious giggle out from her lips. He noticed Cyborg's glare and sat up straight on his stool.
"I didn't see her leave. When was this?"
"I'm sure you didn't."
With his last words, he walked away angrily.
Raven stood in front of her window, watching the seagulls saunter through the bright blue summer sky. It happened to be a rather peaceful Sunday afternoon; one that allowed her to reflect on all of the subjects of issue that had been troubling her for the past month. She had been feeling much more comfortable in her skin lately, now that she was sufficiently cutting Robin from her life outside being a Titan.
She had enjoyed the conclusion of her birthday, as it also became a well needed distraction from the images of Robin making out with Star at the party. Her mind went back to her and Cyborg's conversation earlier that morning, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt in her conscious. Could he possibly be right about Sheila? What if she really was a big phony? But if she was lying to her, Raven would have sensed her untrustworthy aura by now. Ever since the debacle with the late Terra, she knew to always trust her judgment.
As if knowing the topic on her mind, the phone rang. She answered it reluctantly, as her mind was still caught on the edges of deep contemplation.
"Hello..?"
"Raven! Why'd you answer like that? Ohh, you were thinking about me, weren't you?"
Shit. She swallowed her gasp of surprise. "N-no, don't flatter yourself." She chuckled, albeit nervously. Why was she being so obvious?
"So, what's going on?" She heard Sheila shift a bit, but the silence of her background indicated that she was most likely at home. "Well I wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight…There's this really laidback underground jazz club I know and I was wondering…if you would like to go…they've got a live band and artists and photographers and all that jazz. Heh. No pun intended." Her antics forced a wide grin from the depths of Raven's gut.
"I wish I heard that more but unfortunately, everybody around here intends on making a pun."
Sheila's laughter floated through the phone's receiver. "Even you?" Raven shrugged. "Eh, sometimes even me." She fiddled with her cloak, trying to imagine what she would wear for the evening. "Sure, I'll go."
"Great, pick you up at 9."
Raven tossed the phone near the middle of her bed and walked towards her closet. This game again. She was in desperate need of a new wardrobe if she was going to keep going anywhere with Sheila after hours.
"I had a choice between this and an Audi, and I really hate Audis. So, I chose the McLaren…and they didn't come in green so I had to change that," Sheila spoke loudly over the roar of the wind blowing in the topless car. Raven had grown fond of her luxurious car in a very short time. She wondered briefly what she did to afford such a chic speeding dream.
"It's really nice." She ran her fingers across the smooth leather interior. "You look nice too." Raven slightly blushed and gawked at her. Sheila's smoky-eyed makeup complemented her long leather jacket and dark pants. She smiled, keeping her eyes on the road. "We're here."
They parked in a quiet parking deck on the east end of the downtown business district. The duo stepped out of the car and Raven noticed a few people walking towards an elevator dressed in evening wear.
"Yeah, this is actually a common parking deck for a few nightclubs in the area," Sheila noted, as if the read Raven's thoughts. "So now, you get to see my outfit for the evening in its entirety." She walked around the car to meet Raven and spun around in a circle. "So…you like?"
Sheila wore a hunter green bandeaux and black thigh-high boots, both of which were emphasizing the beauty of her womanly curves. Her stomach was cut with rippling, yet feminine, abs that fit her thin waistline and her voluptuous hips.
Raven suddenly felt small and childlike.
"You look…lovely." Sheila smirked. "Thank you. Now let's go before some nutcase pops out from behind a car clawing at us like Freddie Krueger." Raven bit back a laugh.
"Trust me; we've got nothing to worry about."
Raven could hear the loud instruments from two levels above before the elevator approached the floor. When the doors slid open, cool air conditioning and a saxophone melody blew into her senses. The dimly lit room was small but welcoming and full of life and excitement. The tables were lit with a lonely candle on a black lace tablecloth.
"Interesting décor," Raven commented as they sat down at a center table that had a safe distance from the pulsating stage.
"Heh, well, I like jazz. In my opinion, this club gets the best jazz performances in town. Not to mention the sexy drinks." She flagged a waitress down and a tall auburn-haired woman approached their table and requested a list of the signature alcoholic beverages of the night.
"Black Pansy and Death's Breath. They're going like hotcakes tonight," She smiled, her large teeth glowing from the soft light of the candle.
"I'll take a Death's Breath. Sounds interesting, don't you think, Raven?" She nodded. "I'll take one as well." The waitress nodded and walked away towards the bar.
The songstress on stage had taken Raven's attention as she sang, a soft alto with a wide range with a subtle ethereal sound, and swayed her black dress to the rhythms of the saxophone and trumpet as well as the beat of the ever-present percussion.
There was something calming about the place that made her feel…at home.
"I see you're enjoying yourself." She looked over at Sheila, who was already sipping on her drink. Apparently, the waitress had brought their orders during Raven's musical trance.
"Try yours, it's pretty good. Kinda reminds me of licorice, or whatever that tastes like. I've never eaten it. It always smelled too terrible to taste, honestly." Raven laughed from her humor, something she was doing a lot more lately, and sipped the dark-toned drink.
"Yeah…it's got a little licorice and mint liqueur in it. Interesting combination for a drink." She leaned forward to be heard clearer. "So…do you always drive in luxury?"
Sheila's eyebrow rose as she smirked, as if she anticipated the loaded question. "Well, it's clear that I love the finer things in life. That's why I love my job—it allows me to afford those things. I work for various clients that need help with scientific…experiments, most of which are classified. You wouldn't believe the demand in the field." She stirred her drink and twisted her lips, looking for a distraction in the glass.
"My last client kept me in the same damn place for several years and I just needed to get away from there. I had to travel a lot for him so I've been on the west coast plenty of times. I always promised myself to come here and stay for once. So I did…a year ago. So far I've enjoyed life here." She looked up and smiled, but oddly it did not reach her eyes.
Raven sucked the sweet liquid, taking in Sheila's story. "Well, I wouldn't consider Jump to be the best place in the States to live but…it sure the hell is better than Gotham. That's a mean world in itself." Sheila chuckled to herself. "So I've heard."
The two looked up and noticed the musical change, and a slightly slower, more melancholy tune echoed throughout the space, forcing Raven to close her eyes and soak in the emotional song. When the song changed to a more upbeat melody, she realized she had finished her drink and the vodka was somehow giving the music an extra sound wave that caused hypnotism.
"But enough about me, sweetie!" Sheila said, continuing the conversation as if it was never interrupted. "What about you? How's life as a Teen Titan? I've always admired you the most. You're so…enigmatic. Like a puzzle…what I really want to ask is…" She nibbled her nail, attempting to stifle her excitement. "What's up with your powers..? I mean, are you just a telekinetic, or what..?"
Raven squinted at Sheila and attempted to read her emotions. She was genuinely interested, and she didn't sense any negative intentions. "Well, first of all, I don't like pet names. But…since you've shown me the best cocktail drink of my life, you can call me whatever makes your heart content." Sheila giggled, realizing where she was getting at.
Raven closed her eyes, expecting the unexpected from a reaction to her next statement. "And…I'm half-demon."
Sheila stared blankly back at her, showing the least bit of fear. Raven opened her eyes and looked at her closely.
"You're not...scared or any…thing?"
She shook her head and her eyebrows furrowed. "No, why should I? I mean, you're not gonna attempt to send me to hell or anything, right?" Raven glowered at her.
"No, that's horror movie bullshit. I was just fathered by an interdimentional demon, that's all. He's the crazy one, not me. Trust me, I've even had to fight him before." She sighed. "Anyway, yes, I'm a telekinetic, but I'm also a telepath, among other various gifts, some of which turn out to be more of a curse rather than a blessing."
Sheila cocked her head to the side in wonder. "Like what?"
"I'm also an empath. I can sense other people's emotions. It's a helpful gift, but sometimes I struggle with it…especially when I have a sensory overload, like at funerals or nightclubs. It gets to be too much for me, and sometimes my powers can get out of control…" She breathed heavily from the excessive talking. She hadn't spoken about herself this much to anyone else outside of the Titans before.
"It's hard being who I am. It's not all glamour and butt-kicking. I'm literally powerful beyond measure."
Sheila wore an expressionless face, but suddenly donned sympathetic eyes for her. "Ohh, Raven! I didn't know…well I get how you feel, being misunderstood and all. But then again, heh, I don't care what anyone thinks. But what you have are gifts, you'll get to a point in your life when you'll figure out how to gain full control over them. I bet you know more about yourself today than you did five years ago. Right?"
She had a point. There was a time when Raven couldn't risk feeling anything, lest she cause an Armageddon everywhere she went. Now, the amount of times she lost control by the slightest bit had decreased to at least two to three times per week, compared to a 10-20 times a day, as it was when she first met the Titans.
She nodded in agreement.
"So…what do you do when you….have sex?" Raven blushed deeply, biting her lip at the thought of what she had grown accustomed to. She grinned.
"Well…it is a sensory overload, especially when it's really good." Sheila burst in laughter.
"I just…channel the excessive strong emotions into my partner. It actually feels a lot better when I do that." Sheila leaned in closely. "So, do they feel it?"
"Of course they do. It just makes their climax better." Her mouth dropped in astonishment, but quickly closed into a grin and raised her glass to Raven.
"Now that is a gift. Seriously. God bless anyone who gets to feel that."
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