4
"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." -Oscar Wilde
To Catch a Raven
By Lynx Klaw
Chapter 4: Step 11
Step 11: Teach It Tricks
Kamala awoke instantly, as usual. However, she allowed herself to linger indolently for several minutes. The weight of an arm draped across her and tucked snugly around her waist was cozying. Small, warm puffs of breath brushed over her neck and merged with the comforting heat of the body behind her. The covers were soft--and light, but she didn't need them for warmth. The mattress cushioned her body and she still wasn't comfortable with the way it seemed to want to devour her. Raven's presence made up for it, though.
'I could get used to this...'
Raven was still asleep. She could understand; they were up rather late last night and today was a designated rest period for the Titans--no training, no scheduled meetings. They were always 'on call' for the odd emergency. Reluctantly extricating herself from her girlfriend, she quietly slipped out and back to her room. Gauging the time by her internal clock, which was often more reliable than most digital or analog pieces, she had half an hour until sunrise. The five hours of rest she had gotten were adequate for her Metahuman body.
A shower and change of clothes later, she found herself wandering up to the computer in the common room. After logging on to her e-mail provider, she found that she had six messages. Kamala had applied for 12 jobs. The feeling of foreboding was already there and it was not with high hopes that the hex-caster opened the first message.
She scanned the short reply.
Blah blah blah...position you have requested no longer available...blah blah blah
Huffing, she hit the reply button. They had to give her points for trying. She didn't want to sound desperate, but there was no reason why she couldn't ask for a follow-up position. Kammie spent the next ten minutes composing a professional, courteous, optimistic reply requesting information on any other open positions they might have.
When she hit the send button, the mail program responded almost immediately. Blinking, the sorceress looked at the newest e-mail sitting at the top of her in-box.
"Mailer-daemon?" she muttered.
Opening the new message, she once more scanned the contents. What she read had her bristling.
"We're sorry, but the message you have sent cannot be delivered. The recipient is not currently accepting messages from this address-... They blocked me. They fucking blocked me!"
Growling irately, she deleted the message. The cheery, chirping confirmation sound did not match her mood. The Hive Five member jammed her finger onto the mouse pad to click on the next message.
Blah blah blah...No positions available for your skill set...blah blah blah
Growling, Kamala moved to the third message.
Blah blah blah...However, we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding ex-offenders...blah blah blah
"This is bullshit!"
A confused, female voice behind her startled the pink-haired girl nearly out of her boots.
"Where is this bovine excrement you speak of?"
Turning around, she found Koriand'r floating from the kitchen with some Super Frosted Sugar Bombs cereal. The extraterrestrial princess was wearing a celadon morning robe that complimented her eyes. Kori floated over to the side of the semi-circular couch and sat on its edge. Kamala hadn't spoken much with the alien--or anyone else, for that matter. This wasn't exactly a social visit and, barring Stone, she didn't know the other Titans' feelings about her.
"Not-... Never mind. I need to find a job. I don't want to disappoint Raven. I know I can find something. If only these stupid... fucking... grrr!" she said, repeatedly punching the mouse pad with her index finger while the cursor hovered over the delete button.
The emerald-eyed alien smiled gently at the other woman's slight frustration and tried to soothe the tension, "You should not worry, friend Jinx. Raven will be proud and cherish you regardless of your status or unemployment. I wish you both the best. I, too, know how difficult it is to fight against the customs of one's society for the one you love. You must persist to find happiness."
"So you're not-" Kammie held her hands up and wiggled her fingers, "-all weirded out over me 'n' Raven?"
"Should I be? Are you not happy?"
The pink-haired girl floundered, "Of course, but... but there's always that homophobic thing. I mean, you're straight, right?"
"I have been upright since I learned to walk, friend Jinx, but I am not familiar with the term 'ho-mo-foe-bic.' Is it a disease of some form?"
"You could say that... Relationships of same-sex couples aren't always tolerated," Kamala explained, "'Straight' is a term we use for heterosexual people."
She was bisexual--but she wasn't about to complicate the matters any further by trying to explain this. From what she had seen so far, that was a job for their resident bird-boy. He could have it, Kamala wasn't about to be someone's information resource to the world. Hell, even she didn't understand this crazy planet half the time.
"On Tamaran, love occurs wherever it will, between whomever it will. Our females have bonded with as many males as they have females. Why should I not feel joy for those who have found love? It does not matter to me if you are straight or crooked."
The hex-caster chuckled somewhat wistfully, but didn't correct the Tamaranean princess, "I wish it were that way here. People on Earth excel at finding reasons to hate."
Kori seemed to sober slightly at this, "Sadly, that is not something exclusive to Earth. I know others are not as... open and accepting as the people of Tamaran. I do not understand why they hate as they do... and I do not wish to know."
Kamala could detect something there--something dark. Whatever it was, it wasn't a pleasant memory for Koriand'r. Respectfully, she did not pry or ask for clarification.
"Don't blame ya," she muttered, then refocused on the issue at hand, "I still need a job, though. It's part of my agreement for probation. I don't wanna look incompetent... How'm I supposed to become a merc if I can't even find regular work?"
Raven awoke to find Kamala missing. The sun was already up, but she forgave herself this laziness; it was their rest period, after all. The bed was cool where the shape of her girlfriend remained. Yawning, the demi-Demon meandered out of bed and began preparing for the day ahead.
When she neared the end of the hallway to the common room, she phased through the door--and stopped. Kamala was talking with Koriand'r. She quietly ghosted over to the kitchen to make some tea.
Kamala's awareness twitched when Raven turned on the stove. She smiled gently at the sorceress and went about putting her water on the pad. It wasn't long before she approached her girlfriend with two softly steaming cups of tea in hand. She held out one.
"Here, try this--it's supposed to promote tranquility."
"Thanks," Kammie said, and then casually eyed Kori and Raven, 'Note to self: People that fly keep sneaking up on me; must buy some collars with bells.' After a sip from the tea, she sighed. It was like balm to her frustration. The pink-haired girl raised a brow, "This is good, what is it?"
"Recipe from Azarath. It uses common herbs, but they act as a relaxant when prepared in the right proportions."
"Mm," the sorceress noised.
"Kamala, are you having trouble with this job thing? I hadn't realized until yesterday just how difficult it would be. If you want, I can have Judge Rendalton sign an order-"
"No!" she said a little too hastily, "I mean... no. I need to show them I can do this. I need to do this myself... I just have to try harder."
Raven sat back next to Kori, "How many places have you visited during the past week?"
"About forty," Kamala muttered petulantly--none of them had been willing to hire her.
"And the online applications; how many of those did you fill out?"
"Twelve."
The demi-Demon nodded, "You're trying harder than most people would. That you haven't given up is a testament to your perseverance. I won't call in for any help... but accepting help isn't showing a weakness--you know that. You have to use any resources at your fingers."
The hex-caster just nodded and sipped from her tea.
"If you can't find a job by next week... we'll try calling Judge Rendalton. For today, why don't you just relax? Take a break from it all and come back to it tomorrow. It will do wonders for your mood--and that's important in interviews. Good attitude sells."
Jinx lounged about. It was an odd sight; the pink-haired ex-villainess was usually busy or hyper. Usually so goal-oriented, to see her do absolutely nothing was almost amusing--because she didn't know what to do with herself. Around noon, it reached fever pitch. She couldn't sit around, play videogames and watch TV, and spend dazed minutes staring out the windows any longer.
A short meandering through the Tower later found her standing in front of her doorway. The ex-villainess let her mind go--and this was where she wound up. Some answer. Instead of complaining, she attempted to center herself and calm the hyperactivity welling up inside her. Kamala sat down in front of her mediation table and lit her incense. Her murti sat atop the table, now... resplendent yet humble in its little 'shrine.' Now was as good as any time for devotion.
From there, she began reciting the thousand names of Vishnu. She hadn't done it for a very long time, but it was drilled into her head and it flowed back to her like a river of tranquility. She went through a few mantras--to make up for lost time, maybe. She wasn't sure, but it helped calm her. Once finished with these and already in a light trance, she began true meditation. She searched for the answer within herself, trying to divine the world and her place within it.
In this, the sorceress could be far more successful than most. Her powers over chance and fate allowed her a modicum of choice in her ultimate path. During her meditation, she could almost see the threads of fate composing the string of life that was Kamala. It was times like that the she felt most in control, safe in the knowledge of herself and her choices.
When in combat, she automatically took the 'best' thread to yield an outcome. It was instinct, but also a skill honed by practice. Between instinct and skill, there was little she couldn't accomplish when Kammie set her mind to it. The plans she made were based as much upon intel and reconnaissance as they were 'gut feelings' and those little nudges she felt by fate during meditation.
Wherever it guided her, she had faith that her God would see her along the true path. Those such as Brother Blood had attempted to divert her from her true path. In the end, however, Kamala had emerged from that trial more aware if not stronger. Samsara would probably be good for her, she figured; it wasn't moksha--that was likely a long way off...
Still, what paths she could see said that what she was doing was having a positive effect on her life. It would be good for her and she would be happy. If that was the case, then that was the path she was taking. If something felt wrong, the hex-caster would just avoid it as best she could in the same way she dodged attacks during fights.
By three o' clock, Kammie had just about exhausted all activities that would be safe--for her and for the other occupants of the tower, at least. She was sure she could always raise Hell in one form or another, but she was here on Robin's sufferance. Well, that ruled out antagonizing the various Titans to no purpose. Maybe she could raise just a little bit of Hell; feed Starfire some lascivious ideas and send her off to Robin for an explanation or something...
This and other ideas rapidly ran through her head--she was good at that sort of thing. In summary, she abandoned all ideas in favor of seeking out Raven. A completely insane plan had entered her mind and it was so stupid and crazy that it had to work! First, however, she needed to find the resident cloaked teen. She was filled with equal parts anxiousness and anticipation. If the HIVE Five member got her way, it would be a day to remember, yet!
A quick search of the common room, kitchen, training room, and the roof showed nothing. Finally trying the violet-haired girl's room, she found the door closed. When the pink-haired girl arrived earlier that week, the other Titans had quickly explained the rules of Raven's room.
Despite her recent presence there a number of times, and now it seemed every night, she continued to respect these rules as best they applied to her. She knocked on the door--lightly lest she disturb Raven--in a one, two-three rap. The hex-caster waited for some kind of response. She heard the door's lock click open... The door shrouded over with black energy and slid slowly to the right until it hung open halfway. No greeting, but she could hear some soft chanting from inside.
Taking this as permission, she pushed the door open fully, entered, and closed the door behind her. The demi-Demon had drawn her window's curtains closed and the room held a very subdued, yellow-orange glow from the four, asymmetrical lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Here she found Raven on her bed; the mystic Titan was sitting in lotus position chanting her usual phrase, 'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.'
The sorceress crawled up onto the bed in front of Raven and sat in front of her. Deciding that a little more centering wouldn't do her any harm--and it would calm her jittery nerves--she assumed her own meditative position. Just as she reached a light trance through the mental repetition of her mantra, she felt another mind touch hers.
A wave of warmth and tranquility slowly infiltrated her senses along with the feeling of empowerment. She could feel the pleasure this brought to Raven and it was like a feed-back loop. Her focus increased Raven's focus, which increased her focus. It was a delightful sensation, this amazing clarity.
'This is how the people of Azarath held group meditation. I was never allowed to do it, save with the mystic, Azar. We merge our minds and focus upon one goal.'
The words sat in her mind like something she had remembered or imagined, but more real... more solid. Kamala sighed and let the feelings wash over her. She could feel Raven's echoing response until they had found the quintessential balance they both sought.
Almost twenty minutes later, the meditation slowly ended. Kamala opened her eyes and grinned back at the composed and stoic face of Raven.
"That was amazing. I've never felt so centered..."
Raven nodded a small, peaceful smile twitched across her lips, "It is. I haven't been able to do it since I left Azarath. If--if you don't mind, I'd like to do it more often..."
The sorceress nodded enthusiastically.
The demi-Demon was silently impressed. Kamala's aura was very large, a testimony to her vivacity; it pulsed and surged and crackled like liquid fire, washing over her body in waves and pervading the atmosphere. She could understand how the girl's powers would cause trouble even if she simply idled.
When the hex-caster meditated with her, she saw the fog of her aura slowly pull in and condense within her. It was amazingly versatile, like Kamala herself. That was to say nothing of the zany girl's mental discipline. For all her random nature, the pink-haired girl really knew how to focus herself. It was a pleasant surprise and only endeared Raven to her more.
"So what was it that you wanted?"
The energy from Kamala skyrocketed and blanketed the immediate area. Raven quickly put up her barriers to prevent it from seeping into her and affecting her newly acquired calm.
"I was just wondering... can I go clubbing?"
Raven blinked and assumed her bland nonchalance, "Just stay out of trouble."
"..."
At the other girl's insistent stare, she gave in, "What?"
"It's no fun going alone."
It took all of half a second for the mystic Titan to understand the inference. She went to her slanted bookshelf to retrieve a tome.
"...No."
"But you're the one that said to take the day off an' relax! C'mon... Please?" she implored piteously, drawing her last word with a long whine.
"No."
"You'd get to wear that hot spaghetti strap I saw in your closet."
The demi-Demon jerked her eyes up from the cover, "When did you-... No."
"It'll be dark and gothic," the hex-caster tried.
"No."
"You'll like the music..."
Raven went over to her bed and sat down. She opened the book to some predetermined page and replied without missing a beat.
"No."
Kammie leaned in close, "I'll give you a lap dance."
Raven's right brow crept toward the ceiling. No one had ever propositioned her with something like that. She began to read, but none of the words on the page reached her mind, falling off somewhere along the broken tracks of her derailed train of thought.
"... ... No."
The ex-villainess heaved a sigh, and then decisively stated, "Fine, if you won't go with me, I'll just stay here... And I'll just have to find some entertainment around the Tower."
The violet-haired heroine didn't respond, still trying to make the words on the page sink in. Normally, she would have thrown out the offending person breaking her concentration. If she wanted to be honest with herself, she enjoyed the pointless banter. As a proclaimed hater of all things pointless, she felt stumped on how to deal with someone as prone to tangents as her girlfriend.
It was quiet now, though, and she began at the first paragraph of the heading in her tome of rituals. The quiet didn't last long enough for her to get two sentences into the book. Damnit.
"Did you know Robin has every Sports Illustrated magazine ever?"
Raven couldn't help but snort.
"It's true, even the Swimsuit Editions!"
Rolling her eyes, the Titan decided to see where Kamala was going with this, "...And?"
"Wouldn't it be cool if we... if we snagged one and ran with it 'til he chased us?" the sorceress giggled madly.
"No," she replied, staring strangely at the pink insanity, "Why would you even consider it, Jinx?"
The demi-Demon knew she had fallen into a trap the moment Kammie's grin became manic. She mentally groaned.
"You're not looking at the big picture! We could run around until we were all out of breath... Then we'd head for his room! All we'd have to do then is throw it to him. He'd be standing in his room, all red-faced and winded, holding a Swimsuit Edition of SI. One of us could have a camera handy and snap a picture of 'im! I bet I could sell 'em to National Enquirer for $500 per snapshot! ...It may not be respectable money, but it's still honest money. After all, I do need a job..."
"No!" Raven stood and exclaimed in horror at the prospect.
With another sigh, the hex-caster appeared downtrodden, "Okay..."
A second later, the heroine sense another spark of creativity fill the air. She didn't doubt that Kamala could do this all night. While interesting, the mystic Titan wasn't sure she could remain sane through it all.
"Ooo! Or we could-"
Raven interrupted, "Okay, okay. I'll go with you--just let that thought in your head go."
Excitedly, Kamala bounded over and snatched the violet-haired girl up in a hug. She spun the demi-Demon around and set the other girl back on her feet. She smiled at the dazed look on Raven's face. After planting a thorough kiss on her girlfriend, she all but skipped to the door.
"Great! We'll eat out. We can grab a meal at 8 and hit the club at 9; so be ready by 7:30. See you then!"
Then she was gone, leaving Raven stunned in the center of a maelstrom of confusion. The mystic Titan sat heavily on her bed, then fell back and shook her head. Jinx had just manipulated her, but somehow she couldn't seem to care.
With the time slowly approaching, Kamala was rummaging around in the Titans' old undercover wardrobe set. She had to wonder about some of the things she saw, but the pink-haired girl was happily pulling out several pieces of clothing. With what she had in her backpack, she should be able to come up with something workable.
It took some time, but she found a few things in the aisle marked 'Argent.' Whoever this Argent girl was, she had good taste. There was a mid-calf length skirt in black and pink! It had two decorative, black leather belts looping around from the sides crisscrossing each other where they dangled... they connected to the skirt via small rings on either side of the waistband. The skirt was uniform with small pleats until the ends, which diverged into a myriad of spiky tips. If she spun, they fanned out slightly. It brought a grin to the hex-caster's face.
Between her boots, the skirt, and the top, she would rock the club! The velvet halter corset was carmine with deep pink patterns of meandering spider web trails. The top came down to just above her navel, leaving a hint of pale tummy before the skirt began. It was a delightfully gothic ensemble. A bit of pitch and pink mayhem never hurt anybody.
All that needed doing was her hair; she wanted to style it into something a bit different from her average, functional horns. Nothing as elaborate or easily disturbed as the ribbons she wore at Karasu's... It wasn't until after she had spent nearly an hour toying with it that a novel idea hit her. She knew her hair was always wild; it was one of her Metahuman traits. She quickly washed her hair and gently blow-dried it until it had a wind-swept appearance. Still in its nigh-permanent horn style, the hair splayed a bit at the ends and formed wide, curving waves above her head.
After noting she only had about ten minutes before they had to leave, Kamala went to Raven's room and knocked. A vague affirmation came into her mind, leaving her to wonder if she had imagined it or if the mystic Titan had really sent to her. Before she could decide which it had been, the door opened. Then Kammie found her jaw dropping and her thoughts falling into the gutter.
A pair of black boots looked similar to what the violet-haired girl usually wore, except they came up to mid-calf and had latches. The shoes disappeared under some oddly designed pants. They looked loose fitting, but not baggy; possibly made of cotton or some material like it. This was what she could see through the panels. There were four broad strips of cloth sewn to the bottom of the waistband, below a series of cloth loops for a belt. The front and back panels were the largest; each of the side strips only about four inches wide. At first, the pants looked black like the shoes, but the light from the hallway caught a bit of one of the panels and showed it to be a very dark navy blue.
The demi-Demon had taken her suggestion and worn the silk, spaghetti strap tank top she had seen in the closet. The straps were navy like the pants, the rest of it a solid black down to her waist. It was more modest than what most teenagers their age were wearing today, but infinitely more flattering. The top put her neck on display and this effect was even more pronounced by her hair, which she had been loosely pulled back from her neck and bound about two inches above the ends with a violet, satin ribbon. The usual two locks of hair framed her face; their new length had them resting against her clavicle.
'I'd just love to crawl into those pants of hers and-' Kamala tried to cut the thought off, her face going red as her eyes perused Raven hungrily, 'Oh yeah.'
"Thank you," Raven said quietly, a slight blush to her features as well.
"I-I didn't say anything," the ex-villainess said with a start.
The heroine tapped her temple and smiled a bit, "You didn't have to. ...You look good, too. You're... you're gorgeous..."
It was slightly awkward. Neither was used to compliments and too many shared within the same space of time would become progressively more embarrassing. By mutual consent, the teens moved over this and onto new lines of conversation. They left the hallway and proceeded to the common room's elevator.
The other Titans watched the two girls cross the room until the elevator doors closed. Richard raised his eyebrows, but he said nothing. Gar paused mid-sentence and promptly forgot what he was going to say. An appreciative whistle sounded from Vic, quickly followed by a giggle from Kori.
Raven flew them across the bay, taking them to street level. As they made their way from the boardwalk, Kamala turned to move down the street. It was then that they hit a snag.
"Don't suppose you know any Indian restaurants around here, do ya?"
Raven blinked and thought about it, "Sorry, no."
There was a sudden lull.
"Well, that blows that idea," the hex-caster grumbled, then queried, "Chinese?"
"I'm partial to Japanese."
"Hn... what about Italian again?"
"Make it Greek and we're good," the demi-Demon offered.
"Ooo, I've never had Greek!"
Raven smiled and tugged on Kamala's hand, "You'll like it. Come on, I'll take you there."
She let out a little laugh as she trailed behind the violet-haired girl, "Wait a sec, aren't I supposed to be taking you out? I mean, it was my idea..."
Slowing down enough to glance back at Kamala without bowling over any pedestrians, Raven raised a brow, "Can you even afford to take me out?"
With the reminder that she was pockets-out broke, she ran her free hand through her hair and grinned compulsively.
"Er... heh, um... no?"
Rolling her eyes, the mystical Titan tugged the ex-villainess onward, "Come on."
The Elysion Banquet was a quiet, Greek cuisine restaurant. It had a few outside tables for those that wanted to enjoy the outside atmosphere rather than the subdued interior of chandeliers and candles. They sat down at one of the outside tables and a waiter quickly provided them with menus.
Kamala ordered a Greek frappé and Raven requested the chamomile. After their waiter served the drinks, he checked to see if they had decided on meals. Kammie let her girlfriend order for them, since she knew the food better. The heroine chose the family-sized platter of souvlaki; a dish consisting of small pieces of meat and vegetables grilled on a skewer. It came with a choice of meats: pork, chicken, beef, or lamb. Raven was quick to assure her that she had ordered lamb, not beef.
When the large plate arrived with fifteen skewers, six slices fried garlic bread, and two halved lemons, the hex-caster's jaw dropped. There was enough meat here to satisfy even Victor's cravings! She discreetly waited until the waiter had left before leaning forward.
"Raven, I can't eat all this!"
The violet-haired girl nodded as if she expected that, "I know. I got the family size because I was hungry. Just eat however much you're comfortable with. I'll finish the rest."
"Are... are you sure?" Kamala asked, eyeing the large platter.
"You've probably noticed I don't typically eat large portions of food. I'll have about one small meal a day... and drink tea," she lifted her chamomile, "the rest of the time. About once a month, I refuel myself with large meals of meat. ...It's a Demon thing."
In the end, Kammie managed to down three of the skewers and one of the garlic breads. Somehow, Raven managed to politely and tactfully devour three skewers for every one of hers and still keep up with their light conversation about their various teammates. As the hex-caster slowly finished her frappé, she watched Raven quietly consume the remaining three skewers and two more garlic breads.
"-found Baran holding Mikron by the ankle. I can't leave those two alone for three minutes. It's ridiculous!"
"The sound a lot like Gar and Vic."
She nodded and tried to find the right words to describe the relation, "Even though we get on each others nerves to no end, it's like..."
"You couldn't stand not having them there?"
The pink-haired girl nodded enthusiastically, thankful for the enunciation on her train of thought. Raven really understood her--understood her circumstances and way of life. The mystic Titan probably knew more about her than anyone outside the three HIVE graduates. It was comforting that she had someone she could confide in with these things.
Somehow, during this Raven had emptied the rest of the platter. Kamala blinked and tried to remember the violet-haired heroine doing so. It was hard to notice, but she eventually caught on to how the plate would be liberated of a couple skewers whenever Raven replied. It was sly--diverting her attention away from the plate via conversation. It was probably something her girlfriend did unconsciously, so as not to draw attention to the fact that she was eating the lion's share of the food.
After paying for the meal, they left The Elysion Banquet and the ex-villainess convinced her to fly them closer to the docks. It was a few miles before the docks would merge into skid row, placing the club they wanted to attend somewhere between the middle-class apartments and the slums.
It was here Kamala led Raven; to this club that already had a lengthy line at 9 PM. The neon sign on a renovated warehouse-turned-nightclub proclaimed itself The Radiant Eclipse. She could hear the beats ebb and flow in rapid beats alternately blurred and sharp, and sometimes a mix of the two. As they approached, the pink-haired girl waved to the bouncer. He nodded to her as they came to a stop in front of him.
"Hey, Brant."
Standing six-foot-badass, the man was built like a tank and wore all black--boots, jeans, tee shirt, and a jacket with the club logo on the left breast. He was either bald or shaved his head religiously. His piercing, silvery eyes held a glint of dangerous humor.
Brant's voice was the baritone Raven expected, "Hey there, Fortune Cookie. Haven't seen you around in a while."
"Yeah, I'm changing things up a bit."
He nodded and grinned at mischievously--which looked menacing if one didn't know him, "Got yourself a hot date, huh?"
An arm snaked across her stomach and another slid over her left shoulder. A chin rested on her right shoulder, "Yes, I do."
The sorceress flushed darkly. Since when was Raven outgoing?
Brant laughed and waved them on, "Well, then, don't let me keep you! Enjoy your night, Jinx."
As they passed, he snagged Kamala's arm lightly, "Oh, I almost forgot--Marie wants to see you again. Give me a call and we'll get together sometime?"
The ex-villainess smiled and nodded. Once they were inside, it was far too loud to speak without shouting. The music throbbed suggestively and already there was a large crowd enthralled by its hypnotic rhythm. In light of this, Raven sent to Kamala instead of trying to talk over the music.
'Who is Marie?'
The beautiful bad luck charm waited until she had pulled Raven to the edge of the crowd to reply. It was almost pitch black near the edge, but both the feline-eyed girl and the demi-Demon could see fine. The splashes of colored lights and strobes briefly highlighted the pair, but they were otherwise anonymous in the murky darkness. She could tell the mystic Titan was not used to dancing in this setting--if any setting at all. She rested her hands on Raven's hips and slowly guided them into a trance-like sway.
'His sister, she's about... 14, now. A couple years ago, I was going to the store for groceries when I saw some junkie climbing out a window. Brant came running out after the guy an' I decided to hex the junkie.
'Marie has a heart condition. She needs to take medication to keep her heart from beating too fast. She'll pass out and have a heart attack without the medicine. Brant gave me a free pass into the Eclipse to thank me.'
Raven slowly began to relax, feeling out the beat and letting Kamala guide her movements. Once she got the hang of it, it wasn't so hard. In fact, it was rather invigorating. By the second mix, she was moving with her girlfriend as fluidly as though she had been doing it forever.
The pink-haired girl let her eyes roam the heroine again, 'I've never seen pants like yours. Where did you get them?'
The violet-haired girl blushed a bit and replied, 'They're actually part of a set from my graduation. I wore them for the initiation ceremony as an acolyte of Azar when I was 12.'
Sensing the question bubbling up from the incongruity of the situation, Raven preempted her, 'They're mystical garments, they grow with me. It's the same with my cloak--it was part of my graduation set, as well.'
'They're still sexy as Hell,' Kamala thought back.
Raven smiled and silently fell into the motions of the club. The ambient beats began to pick up into a techno-tribal sort of cadence with grungy, industrial undertones. She felt the sorceress' smooth shift to match it. This beat was far more intimate and it drew them closer. Kammie was resplendent in this pounding rhythm, completely giving herself over to the music. Even without the link she had established, the violet-haired girl could feel the hex-caster's pure elation and freedom washing over her in euphoric waves.
'Do you like the music?'
A mental affirmation waved into Kamala's mind.
'Isn't it dark and gothic?'
It was, and Raven found it strangely pleasing, 'Yes.'
'Told ya. Now there's only one thing missing,' the pink girl's thoughts were tinged with a felid, sensual growl, '...the lap dance!'
The mystic Titan jerked and pushed back slightly with her hands on the other girl's arms. Thinking quickly, she sent, 'You can't do that here! Besides, I'd have to be sitting--and I'm not going to sit down just so you can give me a-... one of those!'
"Hmm," the ex-villainess purred into her ear, "Then I guess I'll have to improvise."
She pulled Raven even closer, her hips grinding against her girlfriend. The skirt, front panel, and pants were of little use as barriers when it came to the seductive motions that pressed the two together. Flush against the violet-haired girl, Kamala continued to sway back and forth, putting delicious pressure into the pelvic undulations, practically making love to Raven by the rhythmic pulse of the music.
Raven froze in place, hands gripping her girlfriend's upper arms. Desperately, she tried to reign in the haywire emotions that all but leapt from her skull when Kamala began grinding. For almost a minute, she simply stood there with her eyes clenched shut and her face bright red. The hands on her hips urged her to move in tandem.
More than a little embarrassed, the demi-Demon allowed the hex-caster to move her again. It was hard to concentrate on dancing at all with the licentious presence repeatedly working against her hips! This went on for several minutes and Raven could feel the heat building up inside her. She shivered a bit and, despite the heat of the club, her skin broke out in gooseflesh.
Just as she had nearly regained her wits, Raven felt Kamala's leg slide past the panel and between her legs... It was as if the girl was trying to step into her and occupy the same space! This completely changed the sensations coursing through her.
The sudden friction between her legs threatened to buckle her knees. She was losing control! The Titan's arms quickly wrapped around the sorceress' neck, holding tightly lest her legs give out on her. When Kamala rocked into her during a crescendo in the music, her eyes snapped open--all four of them.
"Oh, Azar," she moaned.
The pink-haired girl kissed the side of the demi-Demon's neck, eliciting a short, wordless groan.
In the corner of the Eclipse, two couples sat in a booth while they took a short break from the high-energy dancing. They had been one of the first inside and it was going on 10:30, they'd rest for a bit and dance some more, but a breather was required by all. They had some drinks, none alcoholic--not yet. That would come later, as well.
Their first hint that something was amiss was when their drinks were at eye-level. The four glanced at the levitating table encased in a dark energy.
"Um..."
One young man cautiously lifted his drink from the table, took a sip, and sat it back. Nothing happened. He looked under the table. He saw dancing feet of those at the edges of the crowd... but nothing supporting the table. Sitting back, the young man shook his head.
"Okay, that's just fuckin' weird."
"Look!" one of the girls exclaimed, pointing at the edge of the dancing crowd, "I saw eyes; they were all red and--there!"
All four looked beyond the oddity of their seemingly magical table and to the crowd. Sure enough, four gleaming eyes blazed a deep, bloody hue. The lights and strobes highlighted a girl about their age dancing with another young woman with bright pink hair sticking up in two broad, curving triangles. It wasn't shocking to find various colors of hair in various styles at the Eclipse, but it was a first that they had seen someone with more than one set of eyes--much less glowing ones.
The two dancing girls were really going at it on the floor. Again, this wasn't something unheard of for the Eclipse, but they still couldn't get over the quadruple eyes. The head of this twin-set eyed girl tilted back slightly, mouth open in a gasp before the face buried itself against the neck of the pink-haired girl. The two couples weren't close enough to see the fangs, but they were there.
One of the young men finally mustered his senses and pulled out his cell. It was equipped with all the bells and whistles one would expect of a teenager in the age of cell phone multimedia. He slid out from the table and got a quick shot of it simply hanging in the air. Then he swung the view over to the dancing girls. They were still there. He had enough space left on his phone for up to two minutes of recording. Every remaining second was spent on the beautiful girls dancing obliviously. Several times, he zoomed in on the back of the pink-haired head and the four-eyed face.
Raven nipped at Kamala's neck gently, mindful of the fangs she knew had emerged, gaining her girlfriend's attention. Finally pulling back slightly, the demi-Demon panted lightly for several seconds. Her face was flushed and her entire body tingled... and zinged.
"Jinx," she gasped, and Kamala thought the sound of her name like that on Raven's lips was undeniably sexy, "I-... have to stop. ...R-really, I'm-"
She was cut off with a kiss. Raven sighed into it. Thankfully, the hex-caster did not press the issue--literally or metaphorically... she wasn't entirely certain she could have denied her girlfriend a second time. When the shameless, pink nymph pulled away, she found herself being led through the crush of dancing bodies.
"Holy Hell..." said the boy.
His only regret was that his phone had stopped recording 13 seconds prior.
Kamala found a stool at the bar and promptly hopped into it. She pulled a blushing Raven into her lap and murmured into her ear just loud enough to be audible over the music.
"Told ya it's more fun to go clubbing with someone!"
Raven let out a slightly flustered chuckle. She was still picking up her scattered marbles. After a moment, she became aware of the tender hovering near them and glanced in his direction. When the man finally made eye contact with her, he started, and then blatantly stared for several seconds.
Kammie waved him over. Almost hesitantly, he approached. The tender couldn't help but keep glancing at the angular, ruby eyes. The eyes blinked at him, making him start again. The pink-haired girl waved her hand in front of his face and his eyes jerked over to her.
"I'll have a coke..."
A poke in the ribs prompted Raven, who was slowly coming out of her daze, "Um... j-just ice water, please..."
Something to cool her down inside was necessary right about now...
"Bicardi on the rocks... and a napkin, please."
Kamala glanced to the recently vacated--and immediately filled--seat beside her. A single, fleeting look was all it took to make her go completely rigid. Raven felt her 'seat' stiffen and turned her head to look at the man as well. He was in his very early twenties, perhaps just old enough to drink.
This mysterious person familiar to the hex-caster had ash-blonde hair bordering on grey. It was just long enough to spike up in an unruly mess with a vague, forward-pointing order; a few spikes touched his eyebrows but were not long enough to get in his eyes. His hazel eyes--closer to amber, really--gazed at them with some amusement, as though there was an inside joke that only he (and maybe Jinx) understood.
He was dressed in a tiger-stripe camouflage, long-sleeve shirt in urban grayscale. His pants were black, like so many others, and cargo style with more pockets than Raven felt was necessary. The pants had zippers about the knees that could turn them into shorts. His belt was dark grey and housed a buckle with a skull design similar to the Punisher comics. His shoes were sporty in design--built with traction in mind, probably--with black with red stripes.
Perhaps the oddest thing about him was the gloves he wore. They were thin, black, leather gloves that didn't appear to serve much function beyond giving him a slightly better grip. Raven took all this in within seconds and then focused back on his eyes. Without pupils, it was hard to tell that she had been sizing him up. To her assessment, the young man was average and no threat to either of them. She wondered what threw Kamala into a panic...
The tender came back with his drink and napkin. The napkin he picked up and folded meticulously, making sure the corners were even. He folded it over a second time, repeating the process, creasing the napkin sharply to ensure it held form. The white fabric, placed with its sides parallel to the bar, sat starkly against the black bar top.
The glass he held between his thumb and first two digits, keeping it at eye level for inspection; the amber-eyed man scrutinized it for several seconds. Finally deeming it fit to his standards, he took a sip and savored the drink for a few moments. When he set the glass down, it was dead center on the napkin--the part of the rim that he had sipped from pointed straight down at him, perpendicular to the bar top. Raven watched this obsessive ritual with mild interest. The young man was either oblivious to the four, Demonic eyes staring at him... or he didn't care.
"Having fun, Pinky?" he said, his voice playful but unremarkable.
Kamala's tension raised a level, Raven noticed, but her body relaxed. It was too late to hide, though. Her girlfriend's thoughts stilled and focused themselves on the conversation as though it were a game of chess.
"Brain, what're you doin' here?"
He looked at them and grinned impishly, "I can't enjoy the company of two beautiful women?"
"So you're in our company, now?" she retorted with a raised brow.
'Brain' waved the rebuttal away with a light gesture, "I tend to use the term loosely."
"Liberally is more like it."
Raven decided it was time to enter the conversation, "How is it that he got the name of 'Brain?'"
He recited part of a song, "Because they're Pinky, they're Pinky, they're Pinky and the Brain, Brai-"
"Sebastian," Kamala interrupted.
He took another sip from his drink, setting it down in the same spot in the middle of the napkin. This he seemed to do as compulsively and unconsciously as anything else. Sebastian was persuasive and confident--that much Raven could sense, but little else. His mind was very guarded...
"Right. I'm Sebastian Crawford. Nice to meet you, Miss..." he trailed, holding out his gloved right hand.
The demi-Demon shook his hand smoothly but firmly. She received a quick flicker of images and feelings from the contact with his aura. The images flickered in her mind's eye--vaguely and too quickly to analyze completely.
Running, feeling the wind break about him/her and the pounding of his/her feet against the roof... A leap! Weightless for but a moment... Freedom. Gravity took hold and the street below beckoned... Descent began-
Blinking once, she mentally shook away the emotions and images that were not hers... she had no idea what they meant, and more importantly it wasn't her place to question them.
"Rachel Roth. ...Charmed."
Sebastian's smile grew fractionally, "Well, that's a relief! I was worried I might be slipping if you weren't charmed by my sophisticated and charismatic nature."
"Sebastian," the pink-haired girl cut in with a slight glare.
One would have to be blind not to recognize the violet-haired girl. The fact that she currently had four eyes only reinforced his need to speak with Jinx. Something was definitely not right about any of this. He had first seen them when they sat down; Raven looked under control, but intel said four eyes was a bad omen. An omen of what, however, was conveniently vague. The files of Raven had been lacking in the 'comprehensive' department and he didn't have the extra cash to shell out for a complete run-down on her from his inside source at the JL Watchtower.
News of Jinx's trial had reached him and he needed to know if something had happened. There was no pulse on her from his underground contacts. He didn't trust the legal reports he had seen. He had been meaning to ask her about it, but she was always in the company of the Titans and he didn't want to jeopardize her position--whatever that position may be--by interfering.
It was just by chance that he found her here. And now was as good a time as any; all he had to do was keep Raven out of the loop long enough to get the lowdown from Jinx's mouth. The hard part would be separating her from the devilish Titan...
"Okay, okay. How've you been, Jinx? Haven't seen you around."
"Just getting myself turned around and settled in," Kamala responded lightly, trying to politely shorten the conversation and end it as quickly as possible.
"That's good to hear. So... how did you meet Jinx, Rachel?" he asked, ever so courteously including Raven in their conversation.
"We met at a jewelry shop. We had the same tastes," said Raven, smirking at the ambiguous understatement.
"What a coincidence, I sometimes dabble in precious jewels and metals."
'Sebastian, shut up!' Jinx mentally growled, unaware that she was projecting to Raven.
"Oh? What's your favorite jewel?" Raven said, playing the game with him.
"Hm, that's a good question." Another sip, another careful placement of the glass, and Sebastian replied, "I like pure rhodochrosite. It's hard to catch, but when you find one, it's so... red."
"Sounds like a real catch. I'll look into it."
"Oh, it is... By the way, Rachel, could I steal this pink gem away from a moment?" he asked holding out his hand in formal request.
She was aware of the smoldering ire from Kamala as she jumped at the offer, snatched Sebastian's hand. The mystic Titan noticed the quick twinge of pain that crossed his face as her girlfriend's grip tightened. The sorceress carefully slid out from under Raven and all but yanked Sebastian off his seat.
"Excuse us for a moment..."
Once they had cleared a distance of several yards, Jinx rounded on him.
"What are you doing? Raven will tear you apart if you keep baiting her! I don't want a fight!"
"What's happening, Jinx? Are they blackmailing you? ...Do you need to disappear for a while? I know some people that could have an ID and a ticket out of the country in 12 hours, no questions asked."
"No! I'm fine. I'm just... out with her. I was serious, I'm getting my life turned around. I've been trying to find a job--a real job--and it's been hard. So tonight we're just trying to relax.
"So... Don't. Fuck. It up!" she growled.
For a second, Sebastian believed her. Unfortunately, his concern and his scrutinizing nature led him to believe she was hiding something. Whatever it was, it concerned him. What was so bad that she couldn't tell him? She knew he always kept things in the strictest confidence. Hell, he was better than a priest at keeping secrets! ...Not that a Catholic priest was of any use to the Vaishnavite.
"Kamala, are you sure-"
"Sebastian. Drop it, already."
Raven was not ready for the flash of jealousy that sparked across her mind at seeing the two walk away. Logically, she knew that this couldn't be a good thing for Sebastian since Kamala was angry, but it didn't stop her from feeling that way regardless. She could see and feel her girlfriend's agitation growing slowly. It wasn't as angry as it was before, but now held large amounts of exasperation. Even that didn't make the demi-Demon feel any better.
Finally, she decided to do something about it and stood up. Moving over to the ex-villainess, the heroine slid her arms around Kamala's waist and put her head over a shoulder. The violet-haired girl's eyes narrowed until they were mere slivers and her voice informed him that he should exercise caution.
"Are you antagonizing my girlfriend?"
Kamala blushed as Sebastian glanced to Raven and then riveted his attention on her. An eyebrow, almost invisible in its paleness against his skin, slowly rose.
"Your girlfriend?"
The pink-haired girl nodded slowly, "I was trying to tell you, Sebastian..."
"This isn't some-... you're serious about this? You're sure about this?"
"Yes," the hex-caster said with a single, decisive nod, "For once, I'm completely sure."
That seemed to satisfy Sebastian and his drilling stare softened as he grinned at the two, "Then good luck, Jinx. And if there's ever any trouble--of any kind--you can depend on me. I'll be there, okay?"
Kamala nodded again.
"Then I'll see you around--places to go, things to do and all that..."
"See ya, Brain."
As Sebastian moved past them to go back to his drink, he paused by the violet-haired teen's ear, sibilating forceful words to her, "You treat her right, Raven..."
Then he was gone, leaving the demi-Demon to smirk lightly. It was good to know her girlfriend had someone else looking out for her; that she wasn't alone in caring for the zany, pink-haired girl. Raven turned her face into Kamala's neck placed a feather-light kiss there.
'Dance with me again,' she sent.
The girls finally had their fill of dancing around midnight. Kamala had managed to keep their eurhythmics relatively modest, with more energy and less... frottage. The breathless teens emerged from the busy club and, once out of the sight, levitated up. On the way to the tower, Raven dropped the bombshell Kammie was hoping wouldn't come.
"So who's Sebastian, really?"
"Wha-huh?" she said in slight panic, and then tried to cover it her poorly disguised shock, "What, uh, what do you mean? Sebastian's just Sebastian..."
"Kamala... I'm just curious. Don't worry about it--consider me off duty or whatever."
The hex-caster stared at her strangely, "Off-... but heroes don't go off duty... ... Do they? Besides, you'd be angry and--and I don't want you to be angry at me."
The demi-Demon shook her head and sat down with her girlfriend on the disc of dark energy. Putting her arms around the girl, she pulled Kamala closer. Raven hugged her and spoke softly.
"I promise I won't be angry--you wouldn't be friends with someone who was a truly horrible person. I didn't feel much from Sebastian, but what I did feel was positive. ...Well, maybe he's a bit too arrogant for his own good, but I've experience dealing with big egos."
Her girlfriend was silent for several minutes and they simply floated along toward the ever-approaching Titans Tower. After a quiet internal debate that Raven was careful to neglect--she wouldn't eavesdrop on something so personal. If Kamala wanted to tell her, she would. If not... that was okay, too.
"X."
Four eyes blinked at her.
"What?"
"He's Red-X."
The disc's motion halted so quickly that only Raven's arms around her kept the sorceress from pitching off it. Her girlfriend's head whipped around to face the way she came, jaws dropping to reveal the smaller, lower fangs.
"Rae... Raven, you promised you wouldn't do anything," she said worriedly.
There was a disquieting lull before the violet-haired girl responded.
"I'm-I'm not... it's just..."
When the sentence didn't continue, the ex-villainess prodded, "...What?"
As the disc slowly accelerated once more, the mystic Titan slowly shook her head in dismay and appalling disbelief.
"Azar enlightened... Red-X is actually more handsome than Garth."
"Garth?"
"...Aqualad," she muttered abashedly.
Kamala stared at Raven for a full three seconds before bursting out into a fit of giggles. Before long, Raven joined with her own soft chuckles... neither stopped until halfway up the elevator. The four-eyed girl could have teleported them directly inside, but she wanted to savor the time they had alone as long as possible.
She didn't know how it happened, but by the time the doors opened they were in each other's arms and making out like there was no tomorrow. It was odd--one moment they were laughing lightly... and then their eyes met, the laughter trailed off, and here they were. There was nothing romantic about this frenzy of emotion and sensations... but it was certainly zing-y--and that was fine by Raven.
They stumbled along the common room--the ex-villainess guiding the Titan backward; it was dark, the Tower had gone lights out two hours ago. Almost tripping down the steps, they blindly made their way toward the couch. Miraculously, they made it onto the cushions of the curved furniture without injury. There Kamala pinned her girlfriend to the cushions and began ravishing her lips and neck with nips and kisses and licks that had Raven squirming delectably.
One hand rested on her shoulder, the other on her hip, holding her in place while the pink bundle of hormones led the Titan down a path she had never dared traverse. There was a slight rumbling sound as Kamala purred against her collarbone. A tiny nip made her gasp, and then the soothing warmth of a tongue made her sigh.
Raven felt the hand at her hip move, tracing up her flank. This time, Robin was nowhere in sight. The hex-caster, too impatient to undress her prize, pushed the black bra up and out of the way. The warm fingers that rested upon the uncovered flesh did not remain idle, and their maddening manipulations made her spine arch.
Their appreciative sounds had been quiet and contained for the most part. It wasn't as if they had planned this, so the element of spontaneity was a thrill for the heroine... almost as much a thrill as the ex-villainess' heady, intoxicating kisses. The soft utterances and throaty noises were quickly eclipsed when Kamala's hand focused on a nipple.
"Jinx!" she squeaked.
When the pink-haired girl nuzzled Raven's jaw, the hair-horns tickled her... the feeling was strangely erotic under the arousing circumstances. Her back slumped back into the cushions as her girlfriend took her lips again. The violet-haired teen's hands repeated gripped and released the spongy couch material. Moments later, Raven's back bowed again under Kamala's wickedly wonderful touch.
It was intense, almost unnaturally so... she was vaguely aware of bleed-over from Kamala's own feverish emotions. While she understood that it was probably the cause, she really wasn't of any mind to fix such a delightful problem. It heightened every sensation twice over! The demi-Demon's eyes flashed with vivacity as she let it all saturate her. Busy meshing lips with her, the sorceress didn't notice.
Something wrapped about her right forearm and pulled it from beneath Raven's shirt; she felt frustrated and disheartened. Kamala wanted her so bad! It was almost driving her crazy! Why wouldn't Raven let her? What was wrong about them doing this? When her knees and her left bicep were likewise grasped, her eyes flicked open. Okay, something about this was breaking logic--Raven only had two arms...
Her eyes met with four, almond-shaped rubies backlit by crimson Hellfire. In the moments afterward, she found herself lifted up several yards above the couch. The dark clothing Raven wore appeared to have blended into a singular, liquid mass of umbral energy. Her girlfriend's shape had become more serpentine and shadowy, the only features not ensconced in the blackness was her neck and head.
The murky creepers leisurely but inexorably bore the ex-villainess across the room and against the large windows. The energy holding her pulled at her limbs, leaving her prone to the lengthy figure that slithered through the air and over to her. Raven's... body--if it could be called that--stretched out from the couch and slinked its way from below her until it was level with her face again. The face grinned at her with those four sharp fangs.
Kamala felt the tendrils of energy at her knees slowly envelope her legs. Having encased her from knee to toe, the curious creepers now glided over her bare legs. The pink-haired girl's mouth opened to gasp in shock--and maybe something else. The wisps of mystical power flicked at her inner thigh, causing her breath to hitch. Raven wouldn't...
"Rae, what the-"
She was silenced by a near feral kiss. The hex-caster could feel the points of the mystic Titan's fangs pressing against her lips, but just so. The pressure never increased to the point where skin broke. The insistent lipping finally won her over and her mouth opened. Cautiously, her tongue slid against the tips of those incisors. A deep, twin- timbre growl of pleasure emitted and Kamala could feel it hum through her, straight into her soul.
A tendril of dark magic slid up and hooked through one side of her panties. Her pupils dilated further and she could feel her heart pound. The sorceress had never really given any thought to Raven's power... she was quickly finding new avenues to explore with her girlfriend. Speaking of exploring, the other feeler was mirroring the movements.
'Okay, maybe there's something to this...'
Hers. Finally, all hers! The self-imposed delay was frustrating and she knew exactly what she wanted. She always waited; waited for permission... waited to be given what she could just as easily take! The demi-Demon sent another limb out and behind her girlfriend, quickly and efficiently snagging the hidden zipper at the back of the halter corset.
As she slid it down, her mouth abandoned Kamala's lips for the pale, slender neck... and enjoyed the lustful whimper that resulted. Raven could feel the pulse of her girlfriend--so fast! She could sympathize... Everything about this was so new! She wanted to take her time to explore it all and she wanted to rush straight to what she was sure was an incredible zenith. It was so hard to decide, but in the meantime, rapid breaths created a captivating distraction with her girlfriend's top.
The door to the common room opened. That officious, ill-timed, prying, little interloper! She turned to snarl at him portentously. If the mortal valued his life, he would beg forgiveness and leave their presence. ...Or just leave and beg forgiveness later. At the moment, she truly and honestly didn't care. She would have her magenta-themed lover.
"Jesus... Raven!" the masked young man exclaimed.
From Kamala, a sudden, terrifying mortification pierced her mind through their link. The sharp gasp and subsequent struggle to curl up from her lover drew her out of the swirling mist of wild desire... but yielded only the barest of sliver of Human reason; and even that was tinged with an edgy impatience.
The effect, however, was instantaneous. Both heroine and ex-villainess gently slid down from the elevated position at the window. The shadowy essence of Raven's Soul Self slowly receded, leaving the panting and growling, red-eyed Titan with her arms wrapped around Kamala.
Her girlfriend pressed her face to the side of her head, whispering fervently, "Bedroom... the bedroom, now!"
With one last parting snarl from Raven, the two sank into a pool darker than the shadows in the faintly moonlit room.
Kamala fell against the soft surface of the bed and was summarily caged there by Raven's arms. The body was once more familiar, with limbs and an actual form that wasn't... malleable. Their pale skin was stark against the dark sheets around them. This is where the hex-caster's mind called a halt to examinations.
"Um... Rae... where are our clothes?"
A vague gesture from her girlfriend opened a portal the foot of the bed and dropped their clothes in a heap with an audible 'fwump.' The pink-haired ex-villainess didn't have time to ponder this occurrence before the mystic Titan was upon her again.
Kamala sighed as the kisses wound her up again, and groaned at the wandering hands. Though inexpert, Raven was thorough and lacked for nothing in curiosity. Her violet-haired Demoness pursued everything that made her shiver or squirm, mewl or moan. Raven sat astride other girl, bent over to taste and nip at whatever seemed to hold her attention at the time.
However, she was not about to take this lying down. Well, so to speak. Years on the other side of the law had granted the sorceress certain liberties that would otherwise have been forbidden. When Kammie first got into relationships, she noticed that the other girls were all looking at the boys. During her hunts, she found girls to be just as favorable quarry as boys. This led her to questions... questions the internet readily answered--and then some.
Therefore, while the hex-caster had no practical experience, she was far more knowledgeable than her girlfriend was. It wasn't like her to sit back and be dominated, and she finally had a chance to put all the creative fantasies inside her demented little skull to use!
"Mine," Raven rumbled gently, nipping at her neck again.
Kamala smiled, "If I'm yours, then you're mine, too..."
This made the demi-Demon pause; she hadn't considered that.
During this distraction, the hex-caster took initiative. Her left hand trailing from Raven's shoulder, she again began pleasurably tormenting one of those soft mounds of flesh. The opposite hand went to tease at the soft, short, violet fuzz. She felt the heroine seize above her and grinned. Taking further advantage, the hand crept over its prize and began plundering without remorse.
"Oh-... Oh, Azar... Kam-Kamala..."
From there, the pink-haired girl knew she had wrested control of this encounter--at least for now. As Kamala continued to explore Raven both inside and out, she leaned up and sought out the beautiful demi-Demon's lips. Her girlfriend went limp above her like a puppet with its strings cut. The mystical Titan shuddered under Kammie's frenetic attentions.
Tiny, muffled sounds made their way from the violet-haired girl as the intensity built and the coil inside her wound tighter. Something resembling sense dawned upon the heroine at that point as she freed her lips.
It was hard to concentrate, but she had to try...
"Jinx... Nn... I--you have to stop. I'm losing control!"
She felt the shell of her ear slowly licked by her lover and her breath hitched.
"Go ahead," Kamala whispered, "Lose control for me..."
High, binary pitches sounded in a whimper as her girlfriend's efforts redoubled and she found herself pushed to the edge. She teetered perilously, afraid of that unknown. She gripped the covers, fisting them and trying to anchor herself somehow against the onslaught of ecstasy.
"I-I can't! It's too dangerous... What if-" she faltered as a delicious wave of heat quivered across her flesh. It took her a moment to remember what she has been saying, "What if I hurt you? I don't know what will happen--I don't-"
"Shh... it's okay. I trust you. Just let go."
Crack.
That was the distinctive sound that came from his mug. As the coffee fell out of the glass container that had neatly split into halves, Robin quickly stood up. The Boy Wonder knew he shouldn't be that angry about it. After all, he'd only been resting his head in his hands, elbows on the table while he gazed into the surface of the black liquid as if it held the answer to the life, the universe, and everything.
While he went for a towel, he heard a crackling noise and turned back to see the halves of the mug now further decimated into tiny bits. With a sigh of martyrs, he soaked up the coffee with the towel and carefully began picking up the pieces. This wasn't how he envisioned spending his night.
"39... 40... 41... and... 42."
She panted harshly, finally prodded--in just the right places--until she fell over the edge. Raven let out a single, continuous moan as she felt her body tremble and burn, clench and liquefy. It was too much, beyond anything she had ever anticipated or hoped she could ever feel. Kamala held her all the while, carefully stoking the flames and keeping the inferno inside her going until she spent herself.
There had been a change... she knew it. The demi-Demon wasn't sure what the change had been yet, but she felt so empowered! They were far from done--she could feel it. Slowly rising up, she could see her girlfriend appraising her new form. That was it! That was the change; Raven had felt herself shift.
Her skin had bled to a brick red, hardening to inhuman levels. Nails had lengthened and become claws; each one black as onyx. Her height had increased by a small margin of two inches and her bust had increased. The latter was barely noticeable, but she knew her body and could easily see the change. Her muscles seemed largely unchanged, but she could feel the strength that hadn't been there before. In all, she felt all her worries were greatly exaggerated--the obsessive worrying of a now greatly suppressed Human side.
Kamala pushed herself up by her elbows and tilted her head up. Soft lips met the Titan's forehead, on the chakra in the center of the four eyes.
"You're so beautiful..."
"As are you... and I am going to show you how much," the red-skinned girl said.
There had been fretful concerns and a--a timidity that was now missing. With this newfound confidence, she took hold of the back of the hex-caster's neck and kissed her until the pink-haired girl was putty in her hands. Then it was a blazing trail of kissing and licks between the valley of those pale peaks.
The muscles of Kamala's stomach twitched as her mouth slowly meandered south, her tongue devilishly swirling around her navel. The pink-haired sorceress giggled, and then moaned when Raven descended between her legs. Hands on Kamala's knees, the demi-Demon pressed them apart, baring her lover to her completely. Memories of that impenitent close-up during the adult movie flitted through her mind...
"Um-"
Four eyes flicked up to her girlfriend's face.
"You don't have to do... that... if--if you're don't want to..."
Her head dipped, "Try to stop me."
By the time they finished, it was very late... or very early, depending on one's perception. However, neither could have been happier. Things had progressed quickly, but the result was far from disagreeable with the teens. There was no telling what the future held in store for them, but they would face it together.
And that... is how you catch a raven.
--END CHAPTER--
And the finale! Things got a little hot here and I tried not to be too graphic. I don't write material like that for simple stroke-material. With a plot-oriented mind like mine, I kinda find that offensive. Even so, I hope you enjoyed it, and hope you... enjoyed it. Heh.
This chapter was alternately an onslaught of foreshadowing for that possible sequel and a culmination of the goals of previous chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed writing these parts because they're my personal take on how I would have done the Raven/Jinx pairing. I read a lot of fan fiction and it inspires me. Afterward, I always find myself wanting to tell my own story. And here it is. I feel all accomplished!
Now that this one's done, check out the epilogue--it will tidy up a few things I couldn't fit in this chapter (I've already exceeded 20 pages!). It also sets up things for future events. Yes, I've already got some plot points for the sequel. Will I write it? Well, that all depends on the reviews with demands for one!
-Lynx Klaw