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In the previous chapter Brave's adventure's were all in her mind. The gnolls and hobbits and such didn't really exist. I doubt Timid would stay in her labyrinth if she though there were hobbits beneath her. Raven was being sarcastic when she mentioned fire golems burning the cloak.
Awakening to Kishar,... The Borrower of Nevermore,... Meditating,...
He snuggled down beneath the single thin sheet that covered him, needing nothing more in the warmth of his native country. "A few more minutes." Beast Boy groaned when something prodded him. Slowly awareness returned, causing him to wonder who would be in his room. Opening his eyes, he looked around, ready to complain if the trespasser didn't have a good explanation for disturbing his restful slumber. Blinking, he saw Kishar watching him from a nearby chair.
"Morning." She said, greeting him with a smile. She pointed to a small tray. "It's been a while since I made breakfast for you, but if I recall correctly, you used to love porridge."
His nose twitched as the smell reached him, causing his stomach to rumble loudly. "The girl?" He simply asked. Noting that his wounds were gone, he prepared to fight if need be.
The woman waved her hand, dismissing the matter. "The whole problem with sacrifices." She said. "Is that the rush you get from them is so fleeting."
"Where is she? Why was she here if you didn't plan to kill her?" His fingers flexed as he thought of battle strategies.
With a sigh, realizing she would have to explain, Kishar sat back in her chair. "Why was she here? For some reason the villagers seem to think sending their children blindfolded up the path to the crazy old woman on the hill is a nifty idea." She shrugged. "It's a ritual all the girls go through. It was just a coincidence she was here when you arrived. I didn't harm her, and made sure she got back to her village safely. You know her scent, and can easily make sure she's safe."
"She was tied up." Beast Boy stated coldly.
"Just her hands." Kishar explained. "She could walk, still it's dangerous. I've had shrubs grow along the sides of the trail, so even with the blindfold they know they're on the edge when they brush against them."
"Oh." He gulped. "How would you know that ..."
"That the rush from a sacrifice is fleeting?" The woman frowned. "Though I don't approve of it, and have always discouraged it, a few such were made to me in the past. But I have never encourage it, and have at times even punished those who made them."
"Oh." The shape shifter gulped again, frowning.
"I won't lie." Kishar told him gently. "I have blood on my hands, but not that of innocents. I have never killed a child, and the crimes of those I have killed in the past would be at least that of murder." She shrugged. "They are those who would've killed again, so each life I took was balanced by those saved."
"How could you know?"
"The thoughts of others are clear to me when I choose to see them."
"Oh." He looked down. "Why not a jail or prison?"
"In times past there were few places worthy of the name. Those who live hand-to-hand, barely able to survive, do not waste time with the idea of such luxuries." Seeing he was still not pleased, she continued. "I took no power from them. I would not taint my soul with their darkness, and merely did what was necessary."
"Oh." The boy said again, still frowning. "There was no other way?"
"I could've placed them in some place void of people, but that would've been cruel. In a strange land they would've slowly starved or died from disease. A swift death was merciful."
"Oh." He repeated for the fifth time. His meeting with Kishar had not gone as expected.
"Do you wonder why I provoked the fight?" She tried to change the subject.
"No." Beast Boy shook his head. "That's understandable. For some reason I know you wish to teach me, but believe that it will lead to my being miserable. You were trying to protect me." He paused, thinking. "Also learning what you know would make me more powerful, and just handing power to someone isn't always wise. It was a test as well."
"I see." The woman sighed again. "You're right. Learning will cause you pain that I would rather you not have to face. As for the rest, be assured, even if your skills as a shape shifter are lacking, your spirit more than compensates. You are truly worthy of the color you bear."
He looked down at his skin, flexing his green hand. "What do you mean by color?"
"What does green mean to you?" Kishar asked. "Or perhaps I should ask, what does green means to the one you love so much?"
"To Raven... Hrm..." Realization struck him. "It's the color of Brave." He wondered if the woman knew about the emoticlones.
"The aspect of her bravery and courage." Kishar said smiling. "It's also her sense of nobility, which is a two-edge sword."
"How so?"
"Nobility taken too far is arrogance, otherwise known as pride, and has led to more death and destruction than I can ever be held accountable for." She peered at him closely, meeting his gaze with serious eyes that seemed to pierce his soul. "Rest assured, while you are courageous and noble, I have yet to see any hint of arrogance in you. I pray it remains that way."
"Oh." He looked at his green fingers again. "But I'm not a half-demon like her, so why would it affect me? I got this color from a disease."
"We'll talk about that later. For now eat before it gets cold."
Beast Boy took the bowl along with the spoon she offered. The flavor was for some reason strangely familiar. With his stomach rumbling he dug in, only to pause as he looked around. The porridge, flavored with fruits and nuts, spoke to his taste buds, and worked its way into his nostril until something in his brain lit up. "I've been here before." He said, looking at the room. "I've slept here before." He pointed at the door. "Across from here is your room." He blinked, blushing. "I've slept there too."
"You have." Kishar told him with a fond smile. "As a child the lightning always frightened you, so you would end up sneaking into my room."
"One room down is the washroom, then there's the place where I was never allowed." The faint memory caused him to smile. "It was your library."
"It still is, and it's still off limits. If you can get into trouble with what Raven has in her room, then there's no way I'm allowing you in there." The tone was firm, though it held a hint of humor.
"When was I here?"
"Your parents passed through here a few years before you were born. They were geneticists studying the wildlife, and I helped them on the condition they not bring others here. That even if they did discover something of importance, they not announce the location to the world. I value my privacy."
"Oh." Beast Boy repeated again. "So you knew them? My parent?" Curiosity filled his voice.
"We talked often, and when you were born they would have me look after you when they ventured into the more dangerous parts of Africa. You stayed here many time." She held out her hand and closed her eyes; a small box appeared. "Here." She handed it to the boy who blinked at the simple trick.
Beast Boy opened it. On top there was a single sheet of paper. Reading it he saw it was a contract offering aid in studying the area around the house of Kishar in exchange for privacy. It listed all the details of the simple agreement, while at the bottom there were three signatures; those of his mother and father, along with that of Kishar herself.
"I tend to like having a written contract." Kishar shrugged. "I find human memory tends to be lacking at times."
"You speak as if you're not human." He peered at the woman, studying her. She looked and smelled human.
"I'm not." She waved at the small box, obviously not willing to say more.
There were pictures, a lot of them. In glee the boy dug through them, seeing his parents as they'd been before he was born. Always they had smiles on their faces, and he noticed how in many of the photos the two were often gazing at each other with fondness. Clearly, they'd been deeply in love. Something tugged at his heart, and tears filled his eyes.
"Look a little deeper." Kishar said, with a hint of tears in her own eyes.
He did so, quickly flipping through picture after picture in a rush to explore this new treasure as if it would disappear. There were also a few pictures of Kishar, and despite what had to have been eighteen to twenty years, not a single hair had changed. He held up one photo that was of her alone and compared it with the woman; they were identical.
"Deeper." She urged him with a wave of her hand.
The shape shifter returned to the box, and finally came to a place where the pictures changed. Every photo now held as the main focus a baby with a hint of blonde hair and bright blue eyes. They were of him.
"That one is of the first time they brought you here." Kishar suddenly said excitedly, almost squealing as she sat down beside him. "You were so adorable. I mean all kids are cute, but you were so precious..."
For someone who claims not to be human. Beast Boy mused as he listened to every word. She sure sounds a lot like one.
'He finally called for another date.' Raven intoned, talking to Knowledge.
'You could've phoned him.' The yellow-clad girl said. 'It would've been quicker.'.
'I just couldn't bring myself to do it.' The blue-clad girl shrugged. 'Bad enough I need to continue this charade.' She frowned. 'The way he talked to that waitress was ... it was the sort of think Rude would do or Rage.'
'He was certainly rude.' A certain orange-clad girl spoke up. 'I could almost like him if he wasn't so fishy.'
'Tomorrow pay close attention to what you eat and drink. Be careful.' Knowledge warned. She was sitting on the ground, holding her book tightly in both hands. Her glasses was nearly falling off, but she made no move to push them up.
'I will.' Raven sighed, having a feeling she was going to regret her next question. 'Any sign of Brave's missing cloak yet?"
Knowledge echoed her sigh. 'No, but the thief struck again.' There was intense anger in the emoticlone's voice.
'What?' The blue-clad girl asked, knowing her premonition had been right. 'What was stolen this time?'
The emoticlone, who was clearly upset, held up her book. 'It was stolen while I was sleeping. I looked and looked for it and couldn't find it.' The trembling girl paused to take a breath. 'Then I heard a shout and went to investigate. The book was there. It wasn't damaged, but it was missing for a few hours.'
'So long as I don't have to replace it. Any idea what the thief, or rather the borrower, wanted with it?'
'No, but they erased all my bookmarks.' The girl was now crying. 'All one hundred and eighty-seven thousand, two hundred, and ninety-six of them.'
'Oh.' Raven gulped, wondering why Knowledge had had those many bookmarks, and how she could've ever made sense of them. Her book worked much like a web-browser, only it allowed her to view aspects of Raven's life. With it she could do searches, as well as set bookmarks, and keep a history of what she visited.
'And no clues about the thief?'
'No. It's puzzling. I can think of reasons why one of us would take Brave's cloak, and even reasons why they might steal my book, but not why they would want both.' The girl held the book tightly in one hand while she wiped at her tears with the other. 'I can't live without my book.' She sobbed, sounding terrified.
'Which is why they would've given it back to you that way rather than waiting for you to sleep again.' Raven explained as comfortingly as she could. 'They would've seen you were ... upset ... and hurried to get it back to you. Besides, you know if need be, I would replace it so you would only be without it for a day at the most.'
The girl nodded, sniffing as she wiped away more tears. 'But I was so afraid.' She said, still trembling. 'I'm not going to rest until that thief is caught. Then I want her kicked out of Nevermore for good.' There wasn't the slightest hint of mercy or compassion in her voice.
Raven gulped. 'That would hardly work.' She pointed out. 'I'm sure she would've had a reason, and we'll figure out what to do when she's caught.'
'We could put her in with Trigon.' The emoticlone suggested hopefully.
'I don't think stealing warrants something so ... extreme.' The violet-eyed girl gulped again, wondering how having one of her emoticlones lynched would affect her. 'Keep searching.' She ordered. 'But don't do anything without my permission. Understood?'
'Okay.' Clearly the furious, yellow-clad girl didn't approve. Her eyes spoke of a vengeance that would've made Trigon himself pause and smile in approval.
"Meditation!" Yelped the green-skinned boy. "I got to meditate?"
"Yes." Kishar told him. "And just think. Rather than making fun of Raven for doing just that, you could've spent time with her, and developed your powers."
"Teasing her was more fun." Beast Boy admitted. "Why do I need to meditate though? She needs to keep her emotions in control. I don't."
"No. You're very skilled at separating the two." The woman admitted with some respect. "You can be as silly as you want one moment, and yet focus enough for shifting the next. But to look inside, and touch the source of your power, you need to focus for more than a brief instant."
"Okay." He sighed, sitting in a lotus position.
Kishar smiled in wonder at the boy who hadn't cried foul once at nearly being torn to pieces the day before, yet now whined at mere meditation. "Not only will being able to touch that power allow you to better transform, but there are other benefits as well."
"Such as?" Beast Boy asked, eyes closed.
"You'll be able to heal any wound instantaneously."
"Useful." The boy admitted, opening his eyes. "Very useful."
"You'll have access to other powers like telepathy. Maybe more."
"Cool."
The woman smiled. "And the green you're now is a sign that your power is uncontrolled. Control it, and you'll much more resemble your human self."
Beast Boy gulped. "No more being green? I won't be stared at if I go for something as simple as walk?" He gulped again, barely able to swallow.
"Some would still remain." The woman pointed to her hair. "But not to the extend that anyone would call you an alien, and try to capture you. Or think you're a mutated monkey and put you in a zoo."
"That would be nice." The shape shifter replied with a smile. "But the zoo wasn't too bad. Plenty of food, and a nice cool pool to play beside. Too bad they sold me to a laboratory for research."
End of Chapter.
And now a book temporarily went messing.
Many thanks to those who read and review.
