Welcome back readers. As you can see, I have been engaged in a little writing. I hope it suits your pleasure.
I've not had regular access to the internet for about two weeks now. I've posted this chapter via my parents' computer, which does have internet access. Don't worry, I'm not writing at a slower rate than before, but being at home has some distractions. Did I mention that? No, I don't think I did. Well, this is the home of my parents and my regular place is … well… my place. Anyway, this isn't a Live Journal, just saying that because I haven't been able to read people's work nor read the reviews people will hopefully be leaving for this chapter. Well, I'm sure I will be able to manage a little time in an evening.
Okay, so, time for the reading after two things:
I do not own the Teen Titans.
This chapter was released on 03/09/2006 (dd/mm/yyyy).
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Chapter 04
"Is it just me, or does it smell a little… strange in here?" Robin moved around the kitchen area, trying to locate the source of the smell with his nose. Cyborg and Beast boy looked anxiously at each other.
"I don't smell anything, do you Cyborg?" Beast boy twitched nervously.
"Yeah… my scanners aren't picking up anything either," he flailed one arm around in the direction of the kitchen. They both beamed at Robin from the couch.
"Hmm…" Something was amiss, but he guessed it did not matter for now. Breakfast was a more pressing concern. As soon as Starfire had finished with the oven, that is.
"Hmm hmm mmm," she hummed gleefully, keeping a close eye on whatever it was she was cooking. Robin guessed from the aftermath on the worktop that it had not been designed with human consumption in mind. Fortunately, there was a comprehensive breakfast selection waiting in the refrigerator which had been expertly designed for that purpose. "I hope you have an appetite this morning, Robin," she chirped happily in his direction.
"Actually, yeah, I was just thinking about cooking something," he leaned back and pictured a mountainous plate of bacon, eggs, perhaps steak…
"Oh well then it is fortunate that I am already preparing something for your breakfast meal." That mountainous plate suddenly seemed very far away.
"Erm, well, I wasn't really planning on…" he started, but her hopeful expression was just too much, "err… having something so elaborate," he managed an almost convincing smile. Was there such a thing as being killed by kindness, he wondered. Still, how many people died as a result of that? Poisoning on the other hand…
"It is almost ready. Please be seated." Robin decided it was a good idea to get a drink first. It may help to wash down any unexpected surprises. He might even be able to slip it to Silkie while Starfire was not looking. Maybe he would live to see tomorrow.
"Sure, just a moment," he said, loading a large glass with orange juice.
"Definitely smells a little strange in here," Cyborg grimaced as he took a lungful of the kitchen air. Nobody was going to notice the bleach smell now.
"Dude, I could so use a drink right about now," Beast boy spoke loudly in Robin's general direction.
"Sorry," Robin shrugged as he sat down at the table, "but I just got sat down."
"Yes," Starfire added, lifting her creation from the oven, "he is not to move until he has finished his food." Robin shot Beast boy a sly smirk.
"No problem dude. Enjoy your breakfast." He smirked right back. A pungent scent reminded Robin that he had won nothing.
Beast boy's relaxed demeanour shattered when he heard the door to the living room open. It could only be one person, unless they were being invaded by half man, half spider zombies. He turned around just to make sure. Yes, it was Raven, and yes, she was cloakless.
"Good morning Raven," Starfire greeted warmly. "Would you like to try…"
"No thanks," Raven had already classed Starfire's experiment as a potential biological hazard.
"Umm.. hey Ray," Beast boy smiled nervously.
"Hmm…" Raven strode over to the couch and leaned on the back rest with her hands, looking it over. Beast boy swallowed hard.
"Looking for something?" he tried to remain composed but failed pretty miserably. Come to think of it, Raven thought, Beast boy and Cyborg were sat on the couch, almost silent, with no TV or Gamestation on. Could it get any more suspicious?
"Okay, where is it?" her empty tone making clear that she was in no mood for their games this morning.
"Where's what?" Cyborg asked with an almost believable tone of innocence, while carefully avoiding eye contact.
"Yeah, we didn't see your… we didn't see anything," Beast boy shrugged and sank into his seat, resting his hands behind his head. If he could appear relaxed, it would surely make him look less guilty. Besides, how could she know what happened? There was no way, he was home and dry. He just needed to keep his cool.
A few moments passed. Starfire was putting the finishing touches to something that was possibly going to be eaten at some stage. Robin was making a mental list of all his worldly possessions and dividing them up should he not make it. Beast boy was not getting his TV. Cyborg was trying to look occupied with a read out on his arm. Fortunately, Raven was paying him little heed. Beast boy was busy trying to shake the niggling feeling that a glare was burning its way into the side of his skull.
He slowly cracked open one eye to try and confirm that it was just paranoia.
'I know you did it,' hissed Raven's icy glare. Beast boy squirmed in his chair, shifting his eyes to Cyborg for support.
His eyes made clear to Beast boy that he was on his own this time. He flicked his gaze over to Starfire, away from the prime suspect. She was busy watching Robin, who was watching his 'meal', which seemed to be watching Raven.
"Fine," Raven huffed. If they knew something, the truth would out soon enough. Beast boy could never keep a secret for long.
"Hey, why don't we see what's on the news?" Robin suggested, making a move to rise from his chair, but stopped by a gentle but firm hand pressing on his shoulder.
"Dude, the news?" Beast boy complained, "major bore fest. I recommend the movie channel's feature on…" the TV flickered to life, "hey!"
"Let's watch the news man, it'll be interesting" Cyborg hinted, having already taken control of the remote. Beast boy looked at him questioning expression. Cyborg enthusiastic about watching the news? "Some might call it a distracting pastime," he nodded knowingly to Beast boy, who looked blank.
"Ohhh…" Beast boy's brain clicked into gear. "The news." He made an exaggerated wink at Cyborg, causing Raven to raise an eyebrow. It did not take a genius to read between the lines of their flimsy innuendos.
Beast boy sat back and bathed in the warm, mothering aura of the television. This might not be so bad, and it would get Raven off their backs for now.
"Welcome back to this election special edition of Eye on Events. Joining me now are Jump City Herald's political commentator, Daniel Holland, and our own political editor, Anna Nichols. Welcome to you both."
"Aww man," Beast boy complained. One thing about the wrath of Raven was that at least it was dished out quickly and decisively. This, on the other hand, would lead to a slow, painful death from boredom.
"Quiet," came a growl from Raven. Beast boy folded his arms in protest.
"First of all to yesterday's events. Daniel, how significant an advantage do you think it afforded Mayor Johnson?"
"Well, of course, having, or appearing to have the Teen Titans on side will bolster his figures which opinion polls suggested only three days ago, were not looking sufficient to win this."
"And now?"
"Things seem to be looking a lot brighter for him."
"Anna, is it not the case that the Teen Titans were always on his side? Why only now are we seeing it affect the votes?"
"Well, if we think of the Teen Titans like an arm of law enforcement."
"A very extended one," interrupted the presenter.
"Yes indeed, but if there were a few, say, police officers who were awarded for particular bravery, we wouldn't necessarily attribute their successes to the mayor. This is a similar situation. He needed to associate himself directly with the Teen Titans to gain a share of their popularity."
"So this was a master stroke by the mayor?"
"It was a wise move."
"What chance do you see for his competitors now, Daniel"
"Well, I wouldn't want to be one myself," he laughed. "But really they just need to keep attacking the mayor's weak points and hope for the best. You never know."
"So you wouldn't hold out much hope for them."
"Never say never." The TV flicked off and there was a moment of silence.
"So… umm," Beast boy started, trying to get his head around the report, "we're like 'with' the mayor now?" he looked over to Robin for an explanation
"It looks that way," Robin said solemnly, his expression making clear his uneasy thoughts on the matter. Starfire took a seat at the table next to him, reflecting his negative visage.
"But… like… they just said he's winning. And that it's thanks to us. Isn't that a good thing?"
"Let me put it this way," Raven explained, "if the mayor of Jump City is decided by who is the greater friends with the Teen Titans and not by who is better for the job, is that not a bad system?" He had to admit that he had not thought of it that way.
"Hmm," he said after a moment's thought, "I guess you're right." Raven raised both her eyebrows in surprise. That was an unusual admission. "But what can we do about it?"
"That's not the only problem here," Robin turned to face Raven, "is it."
"No," she quietly agreed.
"Okay dudes, someone's gonna have to tell me what's going on," Beast boy was clearly concerned, and not just because everyone else was. If they knew of a problem, why were they not jumping into action right now?
"Let me see if I've got this straight," Cyborg got up from his seat and slowly made his way toward the kitchen, clearly deep in thought. "Y'all correct me if I start to get off the point," he shot a glance at Raven and Robin, who both nodded in acceptance. Beast boy was listening. "Okay, so, the mayor was lookin' like he was gonna lose. But now everyone thinks we're on his side, so he's gonna win." The others nodded along, confirming what he had said followed their understanding. "So we're in the middle of this thing. If anyone else want to win… they're gonna have to do something about us." Beast boy gulped. Now he was following too. All too well.
"You mean… like…"
"No," Raven pre-empted his suggestion that they would have to be removed. "I would say we don't stand between the other candidates and their victory. Our popularity does."
"So, can't we just say that we don't support the mayor?" asked a somewhat relieved Beast boy. "We'd be out of the way then."
"Yeah," agreed Cyborg, "why can't we do that?"
"You really want to make an enemy of the mayor?" asked Robin.
"If he loses, it won't matter, will it?" he replied, "he won't be the one with the power any more."
"We should try to not get involved," advised Raven.
"No. We are already involved," Cyborg gave her a challenging look and a serious tone. "Robin, what do you think?" Hopefully he would see sense and agree.
Robin rubbed his chin for a moment. It was not the type of straight forward problem that he liked. No bad guys and no people in danger. Not directly at least. No, this was far more troublesome. "We have two options. Either we leave it as it is or we speak out." Cyborg started to speak, but Robin spoke over him. "If we say nothing, the mayor will probably win, and be grateful to us for it and maybe, just maybe, some people who matter will notice that I specifically said I wanted us to stay outside of politics at that ceremony." Raven shook her head. That latter part was probably not going to happen in her evaluation. "If we say something, then we risk alienating the mayor. He may still be able to get in without us and, either way, could make things difficult if he wanted. We do rely on public money and a good public image to get by. The first seems more sensible I think…"
"Sounds like a no brainer to me, dude," Beast boy cut in.
"I agree," Raven's tone and posture indicated a lack of respect for Beast boy's conclusion. It was in line with her own, but she was sure it was for the wrong reasons.
"I agree also," Starfire ventured her opinion, having been listening intently to the discussion thus far.
"So I'm the only one who thinks us being used is a bad thing then?" griped Cyborg. He took a seat at the table opposite Starfire and folded his arms. "I don't want to cause trouble, but these guys have to learn they can't push us around for their own ends. Besides, Raven," she perked her head, "I thought you said it was a bad way of doing business, with people all trying to get pally with us."
"I did, but…"
"So why aren't you with me?" His voice was raised and bore considerable agitation.
"Dude," Beast boy was serious now too, "calm down. It's about thinking about what's best for us, never mind those guys." Raven shook her head. She knew he had not understood.
"Actually…" Starfire spoke up again, "I believe it is an issue of keeping one's word." Beast boy was puzzled again, but Raven seemed to see where Starfire was going.
"Okay," Cyborg shook his head, "you lost me now."
"I said we'd stay out of it." Robin reminded them.
"You mean politics?" Beast boy clarified. Robin nodded.
"Yeah, a fact they conveniently chose to forget when they wanted our support," argued Cyborg.
"And a fact I'm sure they'd be quick to remember if we started making trouble for them," Raven rebutted. Cyborg fell silent for a moment, as did they all. It was starting to look like the only credible option was to leave things as they were.
"So… we get used then," Cyborg conceded with reticence. The other Titans nodded in a reluctant consensus.
"But wait though," Beast boy remembered something, "aren't we're still in the way of the other guys who want to be mayor? What are we going to do about that?"
"Nothing," Raven said flatly.
"Nothing?" He was surprised and annoyed at the same time. "Are we just supposed to wait for them to come to us?"
"We did bring it up as an issue," Robin confessed, "but it was just to make everyone aware. Besides, who is it that is going to come to us?" Beast boy looked like he was going to speak for a moment, but then realised he had no reply. "And what are they going to do?"
"They may seek to tarnish our reputation," Starfire responded, "and with this election so close now, they would have to make their move soon, whoever they are." Robin could see she, and the others, were concerned by this whole affair. He could worry this out later, perhaps with Raven, but the fact remained that this was all just conjecture.
"Look," he sought to reassure, and chose an earnest tone "these guys are politicians, not criminals. I'll admit I'm concerned about this, but what can we do? If anyone wants to discredit us, they'll do it through the newspapers and TV, not by force. Even then, we can't do anything until they do. If they do. For now, it's going to have to be business as usual."
"Business as usual huh," Cyborg muttered. He was not happy with the arrangement, but he had no other suggestions.
Robin looked at his food. It was not quite true that they could do nothing in this matter, but the question was how real was the threat? Looking into the dealings of public representatives raised many questions, legal and ethical, and with no actual evidence, it would be a dangerous road to take.
"Well," Cyborg took a deep breath, as if to draw a line under the discussion, "I'm guess I'd better be takin' care of my own business as usual."
"A little Gamestation you mean?" Beast boy flicked his eyebrows in a challenging fashion.
"Nah, just some work on the car that I've been puttin' off," he rose from his chair and nodded to Robin and Starfire. "Catch you guys later." Starfire offered a wave, but Robin seemed rather involved in his own thoughts.
"Beast boy…" Raven took the opportunity to edge along the sofa in his direction. "There was something I wanted to ask you, about this whole series of events."
"Oh?" he turned to her with a smug look. He was not sure when she started valuing his opinion on these things, but then he did have that natural charisma that could carry him through a lot of situations.
"Yeah… what did you do with my cloak?" He felt the trap close in.
"Uh… " he thought quickly.
Well, maybe not that quickly.
"…well?" Clearly Beast boy's brain was not working on all cylinders. Okay, time for some slow thinking then. "Beast boy?" Any thinking would do.
Raven leaned a little closer and waved her hand in front of his face. No response. She was just about to ask the others for help when a light seemed to come on behind his eyes. "What was that Cyborg? You want me to help you out?" Masterful.
"Huh?" Cyborg turned around. "Actually, I think I got it. It's just some work on the brakes. Not really a two man job."
"No… I mean… you said something about bleaching the tyres or something?" His emphasis on that particular word gave Raven cause for thought. Especially since Cyborg would now undoubtedly pick up on whatever hint Beast boy was dropping.
"Oh… right," Cyborg nodded slowly. Hint transfer complete. Beast boy flipped up from his seat and gave Raven a mock salute.
"Sorry Raven, duty calls." She leaned back and stretched. It might be an idea to leave them to their own devices for now. If they had destroyed her cloak, she could kill them later. Also they probably would have already left the country. No, it seemed more like they were working on something secretive together. Maybe they had messed up the cloak and were working to fix the damage. Either way, she could still take a little time out to make them feel uncomfortable.
"Cyborg…" she caught him just before he and Beast boy left. After she saw he had acknowledged her call, she continued. "I'm no car expert, but… why would you need to bleach tyres?"
"Aah. Well, that's…" Cyborg looked at Beast boy, who looked back at Cyborg and shrugged. "Well, you know…"
"No, I don't know," Raven tore through the thin attempt to deflect the conversation.
"Well, then, it's good that I'm here to explain it…" he looked as if he were about to start sweating profusely.
"Umm, maybe it wasn't the tyres," Beast boy piped up.
"Maybe…" A seasoned Raven observer might have suspected she was enjoying this.
"Yeah, that was it," Cyborg became somewhat more relaxed as a potential explanation came to him. "The headlights. Gotta' keep 'em bleached."
"To… keep them nice and clean, right?"
"Yeah. Little green man here got it confused. You know how slow he is."
"Hey!" Beast boy protested. Sure they were in on this together, but there was a limit.
"Oh I know," Raven cast a sly smile at Beast boy who returned a scowl.
"Come on then little man," Cyborg turned around to leave, "let's go bleach some tyres."
"Headlights," Beast boy hastily corrected. Cyborg decided the best way to explain that rather obvious error was with his feet.
"Whoa, wait a minute dude," Beast boy called as he scampered after his partner in crime.
"They are acting more strangely than I would expect," observed Starfire.
"I don't think there's a level of strange I would say was unusual for those two," Raven remarked.
Starfire watched Robin. He was not eating, nor was he speaking. Maybe he was concerned about the events of before. He certainly looked to be deep in thought. "Perhaps there is something I can do?" she asked hopefully.
He looked over at her. So concerned for him, yet, to her, he felt he could not tell his thoughts. Maybe that was wrong, but why make her worried too? No, there was no need to get her involved in something that might turn out to be nothing more than a bad feeling. "It's okay," he said, looking back at the table. Although those were his words, even Starfire could tell it was not 'okay'.
"But…"
"Seriously Star, it's fine." She looked down, a clear look of rejection on her face. She did not like seeing him this way, and liked being unable to help even less.
"Well, then," she stood up from the table. Why would he not talk to her about this? Was she so unable to understand? "I shall… go and address to Silkie." She made a half hearted attempt at a smile and then made her exit. Had the others been paying attention, they would have noticed her heavy walk and dejection carriage.
After several minutes of uncomfortable atmosphere, Raven decided to speak to Robin. She too did not believe it was 'fine'. "So…" she started, taking Starfire's seat, "err… what's up?"
He took a deep breath. "I don't know," he cupped his head in his hands and wiped his eyes, "I'm just not sure what to do."
"Okay," that was a start, "you mean about this election thing?"
"Yeah. I know you think we should do nothing about this,"
"Well that's what I told Beast boy."
"So… then…" he looked at her with some relief, "what do you think we should do?"
"There are things we can do and there are things we should do." He nodded attentively, "I didn't necessarily lie to Beast boy before. If you are thinking what I suspect you're thinking…" she trailed off, expecting him to complete her statement with a statement of his own.
"…and what do you suspect I'm thinking?" he was back to his sober tone, making sure they were on the same wavelength.
"If I thought something was going to happen to us as a result all this," she waved a hand loosely, as if to denote the city's political situation, "I might be tempted to look into those who would stand to gain."
"That might be tough," he hypothesised, "those are public officials you're talking about, not criminals."
"As candidates for mayor, they have to expect their details to be examined. There are plenty of journalists out there who do that anyway. Some people may look them up for other reasons, like simple research." She definitely had a point there. These people had to expect that people would go digging around. If he did some light research himself, there would be no harm.
"But if they did want to keep a secret…" he was starting to sound more at ease now. Perhaps this conversation was helping to assuage his uncertainty.
"…then they would keep it well hidden." They shared a knowing nod. Robin even managed the forming of a smile. "We still have to be careful though."
Should there be information they did not want to be found, that would most likely be the information he would be after, and that might mean crossing a line.
"I know," he acknowledged, "but there are a lot of people out there who would like to see us fall. You don't think I'm just being paranoid, do you?"
"Not particularly. It's always going to be the case for people like us that the 'bad guys' will want to take us down. These evil doers are not always so obviously presented as the likes of Cinderblock. I guess we can only deal with things as they come."
"Sucks to be the good guys sometimes huh," he broadened his smile and picked up his fork. Raven looked at the fork and then at the breakfast.
"Not planning on doing anything drastic I hope," a little variety in her tone was enough to let Robin know she was attempting a joke.
"Don't worry," he prodded the offering a couple of times, "I know what I'm doing."
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"Dude, I'm telling you, Raven knows," flapped a flustered Beast boy.
"Sure she knows something is going on, but what exactly is it she knows?" They stopped outside of Beast boy's room.
"I don't know," Beast boy stopped to slide open the door, "but she knows!"
"Aw man," Cyborg flinched at the invasive stench, "don't you ever clean this place?"
"Aaah," Beast boy enjoyed a lungful of the familiar fragrance, "nothing quite like it."
"Yeah, I'll agree with you on that," he said, shielding his nose as they entered. As usual, the floor, as well as the majority of surfaces, was a mosaic of unwashed clothing, uneaten food, life forms inhabiting said uneaten food, and one or two things which defied description.
Beast boy rummaged around in his cupboard for a moment. "It's definitely here somewhere," he called back.
Cyborg decided it would be wise to step outside and keep watch for the others. The bonus to that situation being that the air in the corridor was free from noxious gases.
"Ok, here it is," Beast boy brandished a black sack. "Cy, in here," he gestured. Cyborg took a last breath of fresh air and went back in.
"Definitely the right one?"
"Definitely," Beast boy opened the bag to reveal a pinkish clump of material.
"Okay," Cyborg rubbed his chin, "now we need a plan."
"Hmm…" Beast boy looked around for inspiration. "Aaah," something came to him. "We could replace that one with one of her others."
"She has others? If she has others, why wasn't she wearing one this morning?" He pointed out, "and why was she so worried about losing that one?"
"Well, that's…umm… dunno," Beast boy grinned sheepishly. Cyborg shook his head and wondered if Beast boy's head was screwed on correctly today.
"Couldn't we just re-dye it?" he proposed.
"I guess so," Beast boy shrugged. "Actually, that TV show said that…"
"Oh no," Cyborg interrupted before Beast boy could suggest another plan which would land them in yet more trouble, "that show got us into this mess."
"Yeah, and it might get us out of it." Cyborg was silent for a moment, allowing Beast boy to continue. "Anyway, I was going to say it said we have to be careful about getting the right colour."
"That's it?"
"Yup."
"I could have told you that," Cyborg snorted.
"Yeah well, you don't even know what colour dye we need to get," Beast boy returned defiantly.
"Yeah, well neither do you," he growled.
"I so do. It's a blue… bluish purple…" he tried to remember, "umm… purple?" Cyborg slapped one hand over his eyes in despair.
"So neither of us know?"
"Just go with whatever. She'll never notice dude," Beast boy waved off the problem. If there had been a clean section of wall, Cyborg would have banged his head into it. Or maybe Beast boy's.
"She wears it every day. If there's even a slight change, she's gonna notice and then she's gonna send us into a dimension of eternal pain. With no Gamestation!" Cyborg spelled out sternly.
"Okay, okay dude," Beast boy looked fazed now, at least. "Hmm… so, we need a way of finding out the colour that this used to be," he shook the bag around a little.
"So… any ideas?" Cyborg knew he was in trouble when he was asking that question to Beast boy.
"Well, isn't her leotard the same colour…"
"No!" Cyborg shelved the idea instantly. "Although," he started to look upbeat, for the first time in a while, "what about her shoes?"
Beast boy nodded slowly. That would definitely make more sense. "Okay, that idea is better."
"Now all we need to do is…"
"Wait!" Beast boy cut in, "are her shoes the same colour?" Cyborg rubbed the back of his neck and tried to recall an occasion when he had taken particular notice of Raven's footwear. "She pretty much always wears the cloak over the top," Beast boy tried to help along Cyborg's thinking process.
"You're right," Cyborg acknowledged, "but it's our best shot. All we gotta do is wait for the right moment…" he stopped as a smug looking grin spread widely across Beast boy's face. "What?"
"I totally have a better idea."
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"Oh Silkie, why will he not tell me of his troubles?" Starfire rolled over on her bed to face her pet. It seemed more interested in the bed spread, but he was the only one who she felt had the time to listen to her problems. "I know I am not yet familiar with all the ways of this planet, but if he would take the time to explain these matters to me, I would be eager to listen."
Silkie responded with a hearty belch.
"I have had to deal with political matters on Tamaran in fact, so I am well versed." She laid back and let out a sigh, staring at the ceiling. "It is not even so much the point that he is not telling me of these dealings in particular, but that he will not tell me the things which cause him so much concern. If we are such good friends, should he not share with me? I am worried for his worries and I believe they say here that a problem shared is a problem divided equally by two, do they not?"
She sat up and pulled Silkie onto her lap. "Sometimes I think your life is so much more simple than mine. You are free from these worries and must only be concerned with sleeping, feeding and other such bodily matters." She rubbed his belly area causing appreciative gurgling sounds. "At least you feel free to burden me with your problems," she smiled and brought the beast to her shoulder for a hug.
"Perhaps," she started again, getting up to stroll around the room as she spoke, "it is one of those times where Robin takes it upon himself to solve the problems on his own. Besides," she continued, in a more upbeat mood, "I may not have been as forthcoming as I could have been with making clear my desire for him to share his thoughts." Her self assurance was climbing as she ordered her thoughts. "I shall talk to him more. He will surely open up to me. Yes," she clapped her hands together, "I shall pursue course of action. Thank you for lending me your time, Silkie, it has been most useful."
Silkie was not quite sure what he had done that was so good, but extra treats were always welcome. Maybe he should attempt to ingest the bed fabrics more often.
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Robin was sat taking in a peaceful afternoon and some pleasant weather atop one of Jump City's many high rise buildings. He had happened upon a secluded spot and was enjoying the much needed solitude it provided.
"Aah," he exhaled blissfully, adjusting his position for optimum comfort. The sun heated concrete proving a strangely restful surface, allowing him to leave behind his stresses and just appreciate life's simple pleasures.
Gazing dreamily into the sky, he traced the outlines of the clouds with his mind's eye until they existing as much in his understanding as in out there in the blue.
"The lost children are a spectacular mushroom cloud in the sky," came a young female's voice. Robin smiled inwardly and shifted to a sitting position. A girl not much younger then he was stood close to the edge. Her black hair flitted in the light breeze. Her posture was rigid but somehow relaxed, and the attire she wore reminded Robin of a school uniform of sorts, even the shoes, which she held one in each hand.
Probably just warming her feet, he thought, turning his eyes back to the clouds, which had now quickly grown menacing and dark. They threatened a downpour momentarily, but Robin was completely exposed. Scrambling to his feet, he noted that the girl was no longer stood at the building's edge. In fact she was nowhere to be seen.
Heading to the edge to investigate, Robin found himself caught in a sudden violent gale. Rain started lashing down and darkness quickly surrounded him.
"Robin," a voice caught his mind.
"Uh," he managed a weak reply as a new world came flooding in to replace the last. "What the…" he jolted forward, startled by the sudden change in his surroundings. "Oh…" he sat back and wiped some sweat from his brow as things started to make sense again. He was in one of the beds in the medical bay, although the memory of how he had gotten there seemed to escape him.
To the side of the bed, a concerned Raven was trying to hide a look of relief. "Good to see you back with us," she uttered.
"The food right?" he swallowed hard, recalling his most recent memory. She nodded solemnly.
He looked over at the monitor. "I still feel a little drowsy. Am I okay?"
"You're fine, I think," she turned to assess the readouts herself, "but I would stick to a light diet for now."
"I guess that makes sense," he agreed, easing himself back down into a laying position. "How long was I out?"
"Not quite an hour," she stood from her chair. "I can only guess it had some unintended sedative effect. I recommend resting for a little longer."
"Don't worry," he waved an arm, "I'm not planning on investigating anything until I'm fully recovered. Besides," he smiled at her, "doctor's orders."
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Okay then, how do you like them beans? Did someone say slow burning? I think they did, and I think it was me. I'm going to leave this comment fairly short, but in the past I have enjoyed the little rants of writers, so if you want to see me talk more garbage, just say. Time for a few distractions before I get stuck into chapter five. Muhaha etc.