Richard was pissed the second the opposing superheroes disappeared. I could smell the anger rolling off him. Before he could even snap towards us Vic stepped in with a weak smile on his face.
"Look dude, it wasn't a no, they just said not now."
"Our first assignment was to recruit them!" Richard growled out and I had to force my answering growl to stay down in my stomach.
"Maybe recruit wasn't the best word," Garth offered from his spot leaning against the building nearest us. "I mean the big guys said they've been doing this for six years, if anything maybe offering help rather than a takeover would be more beneficial."
Richard stared at him for a long time before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You're probably right."
"Well tonight was a bust," Wally whined before pulling his phone out of his spandex pocket. He began clicking away with a frown on his face.
"Let's get back, some of us have an early start tomorrow," Richard ordered. Richard, Vic, and Garth went back in Vic's souped up project car while Wally ran home and I let myself shift into a condor to fly back.
It was easy to follow the car back, allowing my mind to wander as my body used muscle memory to keep me in the air. The animal instinct to fly was almost as natural as breathing.
Which lead my thoughts back to Terra. Breathing had been easy with her too. Maybe not when we fought, but spending time together was natural.
Our kisses might have been clumsy and our first time was a train wreck but eventually….
I forced myself not to think into it too much. I wasn't Beast Boy anymore, I don't have to rely on Terra to keep me grounded.
I can be as free as a bird.
The irony struck me as I landed at the mini-mansion, laughing as I shifted. Wally sent me an odd look as I tried to pick myself off the ground, but I couldn't seem to grasp the use of my legs.
It was too early to be getting dressed after a night of too loud music and failed superheroing. Trying to beat Wally at Need for Speed at three am probably wasn't helping.
"Is this really necessary?" Garth groaned from the couch while playing with his holoring, slipping it on and off to change his appearance in the blink of an eye from a dark haired drama king to a neon green haired drama king with vaguely Native American facial features and watery tribal tats.
"It's not just a cover, one day the world might not need us and we'll need something to fall back on." Richard was busy fixing his shirt in the mirror, waiting for Wally to join the rest of us.
"The world has needed us for hundreds of years, what makes you think they'll suddenly throw us out?" Vic asked, sounding skeptical.
"Lemme guess, The Bat's worried," I moaned from the breakfast bar.
"Always." Dick nodded before turning to face us, a frown etched on his face. "If Wally's not ready we'll leave without him. We don't have time to waste."
"We've got two weeks 'til classes start, do we really have to canvass the whole campus?" Garth asked as he got up from the couch, dusting off his baggy jeans.
"Yes. We need to know every inch of that school, especially if we'll have to leave during classes or while it's busy." Dick's answer was terse as he checked his phone. "How's the early crime alert coming Vic?"
"Working on patching into the police scanners in the area. Then all I have to do is come up with a sturdy design to withstand being crushed or melted."
Dick gave him a blank look until Vic laughed.
"Gimme about a week and they'll be ready."
"That's what I like to hear. Come on, sign up is in an hour."
Dick had us spend four hours studying every nook and cranny of the school, leaving most of the work to Vic's hi-tech sensors and my super smell to case out unusual areas that usually ended up being shag corners or hidden smoking areas. When we were finally cut loose we were handed schedules and a gruff order to be back by sundown.
So much for the freedom of being away from The Bat.
That left me roughly seven hours to snoop around town and do my best to keep myself busy. Hunger brought me to a small coffee shop on the edge of campus near last nights party house.
I wasn't expecting to literally bump into Rachel while she was serving coffee to a rude looking man with a permanent scowl.
"Of course," her low voice mumbled as she managed to save the coffee last minute.
"Lucky meeting you here," I rubbed the back of my neck as she raised an eyebrow. Her deep blue eyes studied me for a long moment before mister grumpy began complaining about how hot his coffee was. Rachel's eye twitched once before someone behind the counter called her name.
"I'll take your order in a moment." She sighed before disappearing into the void behind the counter. I ignored grumpy man's curses as I made my way to the counter and leaned against it, studying the different vegan and vegetarian options, which I was happy to see many.
What felt like hours later Rachel was behind the counter looking about ready to commit murder.
"Wanna blow this popsicle stand and get some pizza?" I asked as she sighed.
"I'm close to taking you up on that offer." She frowned at the screen in front of her before turning back to me. "However, I have rent to pay so what can I get for you?"
"How about the veggie burrito and a large black coffee?"
"Sure thing, it'll be ready in a bit." She tapped some things into her screen before frowning at it again.
"How much do I owe ya?" I dug into my pocket praying I remembered to put the expense card in my wallet. Technically Dick owed me this for taking up my whole morning. I definitely would have preferred sleeping.
"7.25" she tapped her black nails against the counter frowning at her register again before turning her dark eyes towards me. I gave her my best smile as I slid the shiny new card towards her and she rolled her eyes before taking it.
"So when does your shift end?"
"An hour ago," her monotone voice sounded strained as she slid the card and handed it back to me.
"Call out?"
"No show," she leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms.
"That's the worst," I gave her a sympathetic smile that she raised her eyebrow at.
"There have been worse things to happen to me." She stated offhandedly before shaking her head once. "Anyway your order will be ready in a second, I'll take it out to you."
I opened my mouth to continue the conversation but she turned abruptly to return to the void beyond the counter leaving me to wait awkwardly or find a seat. I studied the little shop for a moment before deciding on a window seat next to a quiet guy reading a really thick leather book. He looked a little washed out with pale blonde hair and equally pale skin, but he seemed to be working it if the dark red lipstick stain on his shirt was anything to go off.
The guy even smelled like books. It was a deep, musty paper smell topped of with the tang of old ink, like the type made from iron. He seemed a little odd and out of place, but was the only one in the coffee shop not making obnoxious chewing noises or smelled like a sewer.
I tapped my fingers against the table while I waited, studying the trees and various birds flitting around outside. I could name most of them without trying, and could shift into the rest without difficulty. Sometimes it felt odd, studying animals. At times it would make my skin twitch or my bones ache until I shifted or focused on something else. It had been happening more and more since puberty hit.
Vic thinks it has something to do with most animals mating seasons, but it hasn't been so bad that I can't ignore it.
"One veggie burrito and a large black coffee." Rachel's monotone voice woke me from my thoughts and I gave her my best smile. Her lips twitched up for a moment before her eyes drifted to book guy in the next both.
He too, seemed to take notice of her, and that made my skin crawl for some reason.
"So, you taking classes here this semester?" I asked Rachel before she could find some reason to leave or talk to the creep who was suddenly staring at her.
"Yeah. Mostly finishing my required courses for my associates and then I can move on to the specialized courses in my field."
"Cool! Maybe we'll end up having some together."
"It's always possible," she turned her attention back towards me for a moment while she furrowed her brows. "Know your way around campus yet?"
"Nah," I lied, trying to find an excuse to talk to her while my coffee cooled. Book guy was packing up his things anyway. "Got any tips for transfer students?"
"Don't sleep through Wilson's class if you can help it," she quirked the corner of her mouth up before turning to watch book guy walk to the door. She had an odd look in her eyes, causing the vibrant deep blue to dull a little.
"Maybe later we can compare schedules."
"Maybe. Later Garfield," her tone was dismissive as she slipped her apron over her head as a bouncy blonde with tan skin skipped into the store fashionably late with a crooked apron. Raven glared at the girl as she slipped out the door before it had a chance to close.
The new girls smile dropped about ten degrees, but she slid behind the counter and threw her pigtails over her shoulder before frantically pressing keys on the computer screen.
The coffee shop seemed a lot less interesting with Rachel gone so I drank my lukewarm coffee and munched on the best veggie burrito I've had since my two year anniversary with…
I wrinkled my nose at the thought and scarfed down the rest of the burrito before I lost my appetite.