"So she's all right?" Beast Boy exclaimed. "That's great!"

Raven nodded. She had a bundle under her arm, and she walked over and tossed it to him. It was a folded up dark brown cloak.

"You can wear this so you don't attract attention," she said. She rubbed her temples. "I've got a really bad headache. All I can hear is that humming. I've got to relax for a while and meditate."

She crawled through the entrance to the secret room and replaced the panel behind her. He noticed there was no seam; it was impossible to tell there was an entrance there at all.

It would have been nice to have talked to her a little more, but it was pointless to try to engage her now. He tried on the cloak, pulling the hood over his head. It fit, but it dragged on the floor a little as he walked around.

He looked like a fool - that was obvious. He walked around to try to find a mirror and see how much of a fool, but there was no mirror anywhere in this house. He took the cloak off and sat down.

The lion was still there on the coffee table. Had it really spoken to him, or had that been a dream? He watched it carefully for any suspicious behavior, but nothing happened. Through the side window, he could see the mist was lifting and a few weak rays of sunlight shone in. He passed the time thumbing though a few more of Raven's books.

After what seemed like an eternity, Raven emerged. She looked much more relaxed.

"Are you ready?" she asked. "I see you didn't comb your hair."

"I look fine," he replied. "Besides I'm going to be wearing this cloak."

She sighed. He patted and adjusted his spiky greenish brown hair a few times to pacify her, then smiled and put the cloak on.

She opened the door and they walked out together. The street was deserted, and they put their hoods on and started walking down it.

"Could you tell me a little more about this Collective Mind thing?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

"The people who live in Azarath all have their minds connected together telepathically, originally all linked to Azar, but now mostly just linked together with the Elders and the High Priest."

"Why?" Beast Boy asked. "To control them?"

"No," she replied. "Although I suppose that might be possible, but its never done. The idea is to form a perfectly peaceful and harmonious society. Then the collective energy can be focused to block Trigon."

He looked at her blankly.

"You know that is the purpose of Azarath, right?" she said. "This dimension is in the center. Trigon can't enter our world without passing through here, and he can't pass through as long as the brothers and sisters of Azarath are blocking him." She paused for a moment and looked down. "Except, of course, through me."

"But I though you destroyed him?"

"I pushed him back, but I can't destroy him. And he will always be trying to return."

The road they were walking on led up a small hill, and they could see a pagoda at the top. When Raven noticed it, she led them down another street to detour around it.

"What was that?" he asked. "It looked interesting."

"I have bad memories of that place," she replied. "I don't go near it. Anyway, we're almost to Arella's house."

"So she sent you that message to come here?"

Raven shrugged. "I guess she must have."

"It seems weird though. What was all that about 'fulfilling your family obligation'? Why didn't she just say, 'Dear Raven, Please come visit me. Love, Mom'"

Raven burst out laughing, startling Beast Boy. She laughed hard.

"I wasn't making a joke," he noted.

"I know - your jokes aren't funny," she said, wiping her eyes. "You just don't know Arella. She would never say anything like that."

"Why not?"

She noticed how serious his expression was, and sighed.

"We're not exactly close," she said.

"Why not?" he repeated. "I'd give anything to see my mom again."

"Arella doesn't exactly approve of my lifestyle… She thinks that I have become undisciplined and have loose morals."

"What?!" Now it was his turn to burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, you're really a loose party girl!"

Raven glared at him and growled under her breath. Why do I tell him these things?

He was still intermittently chuckling when they approached an odd looking house alone at the end of the road. In contrast to the other houses, it had colorful wind chimes hanging from the front porch and plants growing in the yard. The ground was solid rock, but there were wooden boxes filled with dirt and from which grew many types of fruits and vegetables.

Raven knocked on the door. "Arella? We are here."

The door opened to reveal a woman dressed much like Raven with a blue cloak and a dark colored leotard. Her face had many of the same features as Raven's as well, except her eyes were green and she was obviously a bit older. She wore a collection of necklaces made with beads and crystals, and many jangling metal bracelets on her wrists. Her dark hair was long and flowing, although a little unruly, and streaked with strands of grey.

"Come in! Come in!" she cried. "And I see you have brought a guest."

"Yes, this is Beast Boy, my teammate. I told you about him earlier this morning, remember?"

"Oh, yes, yes. Do come in, Mr. Boy. It's so nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs…um…." he paused, realizing he couldn't remember Raven's last name, and wasn't entirely sure that she had one. "It's nice to meet you too, ma'am."

She led them down a hallway and into a large room with a rectangular table. Light streamed in from windows on all sides. Strange paintings hung on all the walls, some hanging crooked, and Beast Boy realized that she had painted them herself when he saw an easel and brushes in one corner of the room.

Raven pulled out a chair for her, and Arella sat down at the head of the table. Then Beast Boy and Raven sat in the two remaining chairs, across from each other. The two Titans removed their hoods and Arella peered at him to get a closer look.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed softly as she noticed his green skin and pointed ears. And his fang. Her face became deathly serious.

"Young man, are you a … demon?" she asked fearfully.

Oh, no ma'am. That is what he was going to say. What he should say. But her question was so ridiculous and her expression was so serious that he just couldn't take it.

"Bwhaaahahahah!" he exclaimed, bursting into a throaty evil laugh that was completely over-the-top.

Arella jolted back, stunned. Raven face palmed in embarrassment. Beast Boy's eyes sparkled.

Arella stared at him in silence for a moment, and then a small smile crept across her face.

"Well, demons don't have a sense of humor," she said. "Daughter, the tea should be ready now. Would you fetch it, please?"