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)))) A wOrD bEtWeEn YoU aNd Me… ((((
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Morning… or afternoon… or evening ! (delete whichever doesn't apply)
First of all, massive massive thanks to the reviewers :
IcyKixz236 : Your constant support decidedly warms my heart, and I'm way delighted that you're enjoying each chappy ! If you have any constructive feedback to help me improve, please let me know what I can change, remove or add. I'll do my best to please ya. Same goes for all reviewers : any feedback is constructive… as long as it's made politely ! So yeah, thank you so very very much, Icy ! :DDD
I'm a Lover not a Hater : I am really grateful to you for reviewing, and for drawing my attention on those Author's Notes I scatter inside each chapter. In all honesty, I've done that for almost all (if not ALL) of my stories up to now, and nobody ever confessed to me that this commenting habit of mine annoyed them. But there's a first for everything, eh ! ;) So, no problem about that, I understand how ya feel and I will change this, just for ya ! :D I'm gonna henceforth put digits between parentheses after the sentence to comment about, (like that : (1), you see) relating to footnotes I'll put in the afterword and comment on.
As for the fact that Jinx is OoC in my story… sorry, but I wanted the story that way, with a more fragile Jinx (did I mention how I like to use OoC in my story ? I did ? Ok, shutting it… XD) and now that I've begun like that, I can hardly back-pedal. BUT I can tell ya this, that hopefully will satisfy ya : once Jinx & Raven will be an item, I plan to make Jinx return to her self-confident nature, and be somewhat cocky again, every now and then. That would be because, once she feels secure again – i.e. when she is fully happy with Rae, both being a couple -, her natural behaviour will slowly re-emerge and make her the one she was, ironic, self-confident… but in a nice way now, no longer in a negative one !
Extraordinary banana : Buddy, I think I've never received an odder review than yours ! What were ya on when ya wrote it : LSD ? Amphetamine ? Marijuana ? Sincerely had to laugh out loud at your peculiar words ! Oh, and I saw that ya too didn't like the overfamous RaeXBB pairing ! I'm relieved to see there does exist people on FF who don't appreciate that pairing. I respect those who do, but hell, these two are so different that I can't imagine them as a couple… ever ! Opposites attract ? Sure they do, but NOT always… and if the opposites are TOO different from each other, little chance they will attract ! Which is pretty much why I think RaeXBB most unlikely (her being irritated by him often enough throughout the whole show), and therefore never will support it. Although I do respect those who ship that pairing…
And my thanxxxx also go to the favoriter (Jragon65) and follower (Awesomegirl6485), which make my day as well. Far less fav' / foll' this past week, but I guess that's coz either ppl didn't want to read my fic', didn't see it or didn't hv enough time to surf on FF. Blame it on studies ? Yeah, perhaps…
Just forgot to tell ya that the wise speech of Raven in previous chapter, about how we all are different as humans, actually reflects my own opinions about differences : no matter how much we differ from each other, each one should actually be respected as he/she is. There's no good reason to hate someone ONLY because of his/her being distinct from us. Don't forget this : "UNITED WE STAND". And homophobes and racists can just go fuck themselves !
Oh, and a funny thing here : in this fic', I made both Raven & Jinx vegetarians. Yet in the story I'm currently reading, called simply BEAST BOY AND RAVEN (by Writerzero), it's written that Raven needs has to eat meat because her demon half absolutely needs meat ! (kind of assuming that demon are carnivorous…). If Writerzero ever reads previous chappy, where I mention Rae being veggie… he/she will have a heart attack ! XD
So much for that.
And now, Ladies & Gentlemen, all that's left to say is…
ENJOY !
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The railings opened and the tired bodies emerged, walking slowly in single file, under the watchful eyes of the wardens.
Soon enough, the mass of ex-convicts arrived in the refectory and sat where they wanted, with who they wanted.
Naturally, those who happened to know each other sat together, in groups.
That was the case with a foursome, at the end of a table : a huge hybrid /half-animal, half-human), a thin African-American wearing an helmet, a tall red-clad guy wearing a black mask and a small bald boy with green and black goggles on top of his head.
"Man, I just hate this place !" grumbled Billy Numerous.
"Labouring the point, Dude !" sarcastically dropped See-More.
"We're in a difficult situation, so we shouldn't fight. It's already hard enough to be here, so if we start quarreling with each other… we're never gonna see the end of it !" wisely observed Mammoth.
"What we need to do is focus on a plan to escape. Work together, instead of complaining individually. I have started taking a look at the premises, the jailors' presence, their patrol patterns, and I think I can find some useful items in here, that could help us out of here…" explained Gizmo.
The food was always that average, but when one is hungry and can't choose his food, he will eat anything in the end. Because otherwise, there's no living on : starvation opens the way to the ultimate goodbye…
The four baddies ate in silence for a while, the only sound being the noise made by the cutlery against the plates.
After a while, when they were almost finished, the mastermind smiled as he chew monotonously, and in his eyes, an evil glint appeared.
"I'm dying to be outside, really…"
The other three turned to him.
"To start robbing again ?" asked Billy.
He shook his head, still smirking evilly.
"To get our revenge against the Titans ?" suggested See-More.
"Yes, amongst other things. I'll be happy to crush them. But I'm mostly looking forward to punishing someone else…"
Mammoth imperceptibly stiffened on the bench, his gaze suddenly becoming more alert.
He had been listening to the conversation but without feeling the need to actually add something of his own. It was one of those talks one listens to absent-mindedly, until…
Until a certain info suddenly strikes the ear and triggers the interest… or triggers a certain emotion !
In Mammoth's case, the emotion was fear. Not one of those fears that paralyze, rather one that slightly worries. A discrete, lurking fear, but one that nonetheless was well present… and nibbled at both mind and heart !
He knew what the leader had on his mind. And just couldn't tolerate it.
"You still want to punish Jinx, don't you, Gizmo ?" he said on a harsh tone, frowning.
The brainy boy stared hard at his massive teammate.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I STILL DO ! After all, she attacked me, didn't she ?" he coldly replied.
"She may have had a good reason for doing so. Why would she turn against a teammate ?"
"A former teammate, in fact. She had already left the gang, at the time. Was she perhaps trying to help the Titans or what ?"
Mammoth seemed outraged by such an hypothesis.
"Jinx would never do that ! She wouldn't get closer to any of the Titans !"
"Yeah, well that still doesn't explain why she attacked Gizmo !" groaned Billy Numerous. "He never did anything to her !"
"Maybe he never, but he recently was willing to cast her out of the group, without giving her a second chance…"
The mastermind glared at him.
"Are we supposed to keep useless elements in the team ?" he yelled.
"You could at least have given her some time off, instead of just kicking her out !" the huge hybrid yelled back.
"Eh guys, come on !" whispered See-More. "Calm down, or else the wardens…"
He left his sentence unfinished as he saw a jailor slowly walk towards their gang. The guard's pace had a clearly threatening look, which implied that the man was ready to use strength if needed…
He stopped behind Gizmo and Billy Numerous.
"What was that row for ?" the warden asked, slowly crossing his arms.
"Nothing, Sir, nothing !" quickly replied See-More. "Our friends were just arguing about stuff from the past, that's all ! Really nothing of importance !"
The jailor silently stared at him from behind his dark glasses, motionless as a statue.
Nobody spoke.
See-More, somewhat nervous, escaped the official's stare by looking at each of his teammates in turn, looking for support. They were merely staring at him as well, showing no particular emotion, waiting for what was next.
"Stay quiet now !" the guard ordered on an authoritarian voice.
Then he uncrossed his arms and walked away in the same self-confident, slightly menacing pace.
"You're a fucking jerk !" whispered Gizmo, glaring at Mammoth.
The latter glared back, then finally had to look elsewhere, allowing wrath to possibly decrease gradually as the one triggering it was out of sight.
A while after, all prisoners were allowed outside for the morning walk.
The members of the now H.I.V.E. Four team didn't walk all together : Gizmo and Billy were first, both having a pretty lively discussion, then came See-More, and finally Mammoth.
The large hybrid was lost in deep thoughts.
Where is she ? How is she ? What is she doing ? Jinx… Jinx, I miss you. You were like a little sister to me, and now I'm all alone. If only I could get out of here and find you… Damn, I hope you're good !
His drifting-off gaze suddenly regained attention as he noticed that the "Eyeball Boy" had stopped and was visibly waiting for him.
"Hey Mammoth ! I wanted to tell you that… you're right, after all ! Gizmo should have given Jinx some time off and have a serious discussion, instead of planning to kick her out of the gang. I wasn't that close to her, not like you, and rarely ever talked to her, but… I don't know… somehow, without her, there's something missing. Someone missing ! It's not the same without her."
The muscular being cast him a grateful look and sighed.
"Thanks, See-More ! I appreciate. You're the only one actually trying to sympathize with me about this. The other two just don't give a damn about Jinx. Billy always agrees to Gizmo's opinions, and Gizmo clearly wants to punish Jinx. If we ever get out, I'll have to make sure she is safe and that none of the two harms her. I really doubt I can reason with them, but I can still try. But again, thanks for your words !"
The African-American smiled.
"Hey, no prob', Man ! I start to think I've not been fair with Jinx, and kind of ignored her. It was stupid from me. I didn't know what to talk about with her, yet I could have tried. I should have ! I hope she's okay."
"So do I, See-More, so do I… More than anything else I could hope for !"
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How is he ?
She was staring absent-mindedly in front of her.
What is he feeling ?
She hardly ever blinked as she drifted off.
How does he get along with the other three ?
Her eyes slightly narrowed as she remembered how Gizmo had behaved to her, merciless with a former "stainless" partner in crime who had proved her value time and time again.
What does he think of me now, after my leave and my unexpected attack in the park ?
She suddenly came back to reality and lowered her pink eyes to the grass of the park.
Oh Mam', how much I miss you ! I wish you were here with me…
She rose and began slowly walking, lost in thought.
If there was one thing that she presently hated, aside from not having a decent place to stay in, it was to have lost Mammoth's friendship. He had always been there for her, no matter what. And now… now she wasn't here for him !
Jinx was sad, but not to the point of crying. She already had lately, which was pretty strange for someone who had wept so rarely in her existence.
She used to be self-confident, cocky, ironic… and suddenly, all of this had disappeared and had been replaced by love, tenderness, unease, fragility, sadness… to the point she'd shed tears.
What was happening to her ?
There really was so much unexpected in the air, lately.
Anything could now happen out of the blue, just like that. One moment you're safe and calm, and the next one you-
"Stop thief !"
The scream pierced the quietness of the park, in her back.
Turning, she saw a young adult running away, handbag in fist.
She hesitated.
Then raised her hands and, swiftly calculating speed and itinerary, released several pink waves, and moved her hands to the right to launch more : in case she would miss him with the first attack, following ones might get the thief.
And indeed, the first attack missed him, as did the second one… but the third one hit him square, making him yell and collapse.
He hadn't had time to get back up when the robbed lady, having run after him, reached him and, grabbing her bag, screamed at him and turned to walk… in Jinx's direction ?
The "Pink Sorceress" raised a brow.
"Well done, superheroine !" a voiced said behind her.
She instantly identified the speaker and, turning around, she greeted her with a smile.
"Hi, Raven ! I… I didn't hear you coming !"
The addressee smiled back.
"It's Rae, not Raven. And if you didn't hear me come, that's because I only just landed behind you. That's far more silent than footsteps. Good job for the thief !"
"Thanks… Rae ! But I'm no superheroine, you know. YOU are !"
The "Violet Sorceress" shrugged. (1)
"You could be as well…"
"Hi, excuse me, are you part of the Titans ?"
Both grey-skinned teens directed their gazes at the lady who had just avoided being robbed, courtesy of Jinx's intervention.
She was looking at Jinx, whom she had seen casting pink waves at the thief as she pursued him.
The horned magician was surprised to be mistaken for a Titan, and didn't answer immediately.
But a reply nevertheless came.
"Yes, she is."
Jinx's jerked her head towards Raven, who glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, smiling.
"She IS indeed part of the Teen Titans !" insisted the Azarathian.
Jinx's eyes were still goggling at her fellow wizard.
But… why does she…
"I knew it !" exclaimed the lady. "And I really wanted to thank you for your help ! I was almost certain he could get away with my bag. Thanks for stopping him ! You Teen Titans are the best !" (2)
Jinx had turned back to the woman as the latter spoke, but she was still round-eyed and her mind actually still was on Raven's quite surprising claim.
"Y-Yeah… well… you… you're welcome… it's… nothing, really…" the bad luck girl stuttered.
Once the lady was gone, Jinx turned to Raven, no longer goggling but still sporting a puzzled expression.
"Why did you say that I was a Teen Titan, Rae ?"
The meditation adept shrugged.
"Because I knew that if that woman thought you were a Titan, she would show you gratitude, and probably more gratitude than she would have for a random helper. And in your situation, receiving warm thanks certainly helps feeling better and proud of yourself !"
Jinx felt a heat wave hit her face.
"You… you said it to have her be nice and grateful to me ? In order to help me feel better ?"
She got a nod and smile in response.
"Rae, that's… that's really sweet of you ! I…I don't know what to say… thank you so much !"
"My pleasure. If I can help my friends feeling better, especially when they're in a not-so-good situation, I will gladly do it. And my friends' happiness is a real gift !"
The girls sat down on the nearest bench.
"Sorry for not being able to come yesterday evening, but it had been a long day, and I honestly was way tired. I hope you weren't too upset about it…"
Jinx's eyes instantly widened as she energetically shook her head.
"Oh no, no it was okay ! Really ! No problem ! I understand. You can't always do what you want, as a Titan : you have a lot to handle, with all criminals on the loose. It's perfectly understandable and acceptable !"
"Yes, and I also need to regularly meditate, on a daily basis. That also takes time."
Jinx's face gave away her surprise.
"You're in meditation ? As in yoga and such ?"
"It's different from yoga. I sit with legs crossed and let my body levitate, then I must focus on my center and repeat a mantra that helps me remaining in check of my emotions. Because meditation is here to help me keeping my emotions under control."
The ex-H.I.V.E. student felt more confused than before.
"There is an issue with your emotions ? Or did I misunderstand anything ?"
The chakra girl nodded.
"Look, Jinx, I suggest we take a moment to ourselves, in a café or tea room, for me to explain you more in detail."
"Okay, Rae. I have spotted a close-by café, on South Avenue. Shall we go there ?"
"We shall." concluded the Goth, slightly smiling.
Eight minutes later, the two female wizards were sitting in said café, both with an herbal tea in front of them, the pink-eyed one willing to taste the violet-eyed's favourite tea.
The girl in the black dress looked at the one clad in the blue cloak, leaving her all the time to think things over and choose her words to express herself.
"My mother, Arella, was a human, while my father, Trigon, was a demon. A really powerful one. After he got her pregnant, he left and she was alone to raise me. I soon learned that I was a half-demon, and that my emotions were unstable, because such were the demonic emotions inherited from my father. Human ones already can lack stability, so demonic ones… they are far worse !"
She paused and sipped her tea.
Jinx repressed her will to ask something and instead kept staring at Raven, waiting for her to say more.
"In order to keep my emotions under control, I had to learn meditation. That was taught to me by monks from the temple of Azarath, my homeland. I learned my mantra and many other incantations and spells from them, and if I'm able to keep my feelings in check, but only because of daily meditation, it's thanks to them."
There was another silence during which Jinx took the first sip of her herbal tea.
"Mmmmh, it's good !" she exclaimed, smiling.
"Isn't it ?" uttered the Goth. "I don't drink only this, but if you ask me about a daily drink of mine, I'll tell you : herbal tea. Definitely. I somehow find it… soothing !"
Jinx nodded and sipped some more.
Then she decided to expose what was on her mind.
"So… you must meditate every day to have a control over your emotions, right ?"
"Exactly."
"That's… really restrictive !" Jinx's voice sounded disappointed.
"It is. But I have no other choice. If I don't meditate, there's a great risk that my emotions will cause trouble. And depending on the emotion involved… it can ever threaten life itself !"
The eyes of the Pink Sorceress were opened wide.
"R…Really ?"
Rae gave a deep sigh.
"Really."
Jinx felt like she would stutter if she started a sentence. She dearly wanted to comfort her new friend, yet wasn't sure about the words fitting best.
"Rae… I'm… I'm so sorry for you…" she ended up whispering. "I…well… if there is anything I can do for you… to help you… please don't hesitate !"
The bad luck girl bit her lip, not knowing immediately what else she could add.
"Thank you, Jinx. Thank you very much. Your concern and solidarity are really touching. I appreciate. But I'm afraid there is nothing you can do about the control of my emotions. It's my own and only responsibility to make sure I'm not a menace to my friends. My teammates know exactly what burden I have to deal with, day after day, but they accept me the way I am."
She paused.
Although she had befriended Jinx only short ago, and didn't know much about her, she curiously felt comfortable around her, and secure too. She had that mysterious impression one gets when they almost immediately feel like trusting a new person, although having known that person for only little time. And which makes one unexpectedly start to confide to that person.
One of those things that can hardly be explained, let alone understood.
"You know, Jinx…" Raven went on "…at first, when the Teen Titans all met, and Robin proposed me to join the team… I refused. I said that if they knew what I was – that is, a half-demon – they wouldn't want me around. But Robin merely said that he "knew enough", implying he was aware I could definitely be part of the squad and bring a lot in it. I was really moved by their tolerance. It's difficult for one who feels outcast to fit in somewhere, and when people show complete acceptance, it's such a relief, and makes one so grateful…"
She gave a quick smile and lifted the hot mug to her grey lips again.
"I'm so glad you were accepted the way you are. You are lucky to have such great friends…"
And after uttering this, Jinx's look suddenly lost focus and, her stare in the vague, she felt a pang of sadness overwhelm her.
She may have that emotional burden to deal with daily, but at least, she still has friends, and pretty tolerant ones…
"Are you sad about losing your friends ?"
The hex girl's head quickly turned to Raven's face.
"How… How do you know ?"
"Don't worry, I didn't use my powers to read your mind. I wouldn't do that, unless you naturally allowed me to do so. In fact, I deduced it from your sadness after mentioning how great my friends were. I guessed that you were probably thinking about your friends, and how you missed them… am I right ?"
The former H.I.V.E. student nodded.
"In fact, it's Mammoth I am missing. Gizmo was an authoritarian, merciless little brat, Billy Numerous was thick as thieves with him (3), and See-More… It's not that he was behaving that bad with me, but he barely ever spoke to me. I don't know if he didn't want to, or didn't dare to for some personal reason, but he sure ignored me. But with Mammoth, I had a real, authentic friendship bond. We were off to a rough start, as I initially found him somewhat awkward, clumsy and lacking subtlety, but he made efforts, and we started to appreciate each other's company, respect each other and finally became best friends. I could tell him everything, and so could he. We were both confidents for the other. And now, I can't see him anymore… and I miss him…"
She saw a grey hand resting on her arm, gently squeezing it.
Feeling a heat wave wrap her face, she looked up, certain of being blushing, and looked the empath straight in her violet yes.
"My turn to be sorry for you, Jinx ! I do hope that you two will eventually come across each other someday and make sure that your friendly bonds remain strong. I would be sad myself if that didn't happen..."
Jinx forced herself to smile, ignoring the lump in her throat.
"Thanks, Rae !"
Her voice was slightly shaky, but she was determined not to cry. Because she was right in front of Raven, and because Raven was comforting her.
"No problem. I will always be there for my friends. And so, I will always be there for you."
The Dark Titan, who "didn't do smiles", was actually grinning, as she kept her squeeze on Jinx's arm.
She will always be there for me… Raven will always be there for me… I can't believe my luck !
Those were most likely the sweetest, nicest words the former criminal had heard in months.
"Raven… I… I don't know what to say… I'm lost for words… but I can at least say : thank you ! From the bottom of my heart ! Thank you so much for your kindness !"
She thought that, given the heat her face was imprisoned in, she probably was reddening, and thus kept her face down. The pink irises remained stuck to the grey hand that was still clutching her arm.
The Azarathian smiled on.
"My pleasure, Jinx !"
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Evening had slowly crept in and Raven had been forced to say goodbye to Jinx. And, curiously enough, she had been a tad sad to do so. She really felt at ease with the pink-haired teenager, which had to be surprising if one came to think that the two were enemies in a not-so-distant past.
While she was floating in direction of the Tower, remembering how that day's moments with Jinx had been interesting, she suddenly got aware that the wind had redoubled in violence… and this in turn made her perceive how actually cold it now was !
It's getting fairly cold these days… Autumn will soon be there.
And she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to tell Jinx that, given the recent weather cooling, it was high time for her to look for a place to stay, like a guest house / boarding house, as she couldn't allow herself to remain out in a colder environment.
Once she was back into her room, Raven started meditating and only came out later for dinner.
Cyborg exposed one of his ideas for a new tracking device, Robin mentioned the need to make a general verification of their criminal files sometime in winter, and Starfire started to ask questions about Christmas, wondering what the team could do together.
Raven, being lost in thought, neither breathed out a word nor really paid attention to the various topics broached during that evening.
At one point, raising her eyes to look at her friends, the first gaze she met was Beast Boy's. The changeling had been staring at her, and when their looks met, he quickly took his eyes off her and pretended to look intently at Starfire, while she happily babbled on.
But the morpher wasn't exactly the most subtle and discrete of the team, and she later caught him twice more in the same attitude, observing her… and diverting his gaze to another teammate as she looked at him !
After the third of these caught-in-the-act moments, she decided enough was enough.
She took advantage of a silent pause in the discussions to make her move.
"Anything you want to ask me, Beast Boy ?" she deadpanned.
He swallowed with difficulty, coughing immediately afterwards.
"Well… uh… yeah… I was just wondering… you usually hardly ever leave your room, and lately, you've been going out to the city a few times… that's so unusual… I was wondering where you went…"
Raven remained stone-faced, stifling any emotion, but deep inside, she was slightly peeved : she had at first hoped that no one would be nosy enough to ask her about her sudden leaves, but she then had realized that there were at least two of her friends who might still try to find out. She had actually thought that Starfire would innocently ask about it… but it turned out to be BB "inquiring" about the Goth's absences !
I so knew he or Star would ask… now, should I really lie ? I can say part of the truth. That's not lacking my friends respect.
"I went to see a friend of mine…" she calmly replied to him, informing the rest of the team at the same time.
"A friend ? You mean, a new friend ? Who is it ? Do we know that person ?" exclaimed the green teenager, not taking the time to breath as he added question after question.
Rae paused for a moment.
She didn't feel like disclosing Jinx's name for the time being.
"I may introduce her to you someday. I don't feel now's the time yet. I befriended her short ago and want to get to know her better before I actually bring her here."
The last part of the sentence didn't actually reflect Raven's intention, for the half-demon wasn't completely sure she would bring Jinx to the Tower. It depended if her friends would be okay to know that she had befriended a former enemy. She could always try to probe them about that, asking things in an indirect manner, not naming Jinx.
"Oh yes, please, friend Raven, introduce us your new friend !" squealed the Tamaranean.
The cloaked teen briefly smiled.
"A bit of patience won't hurt, will it ?" she teased her alien buddy.
"Guys, I think we should give Rae some space and respect her will. She will bring her friend once she's ready for it !"
Robin was the only one saying nothing. He was pondering about Raven's new friend… and notably about the fact that it was a female friend ! Like the others, he wondered about that mysterious girl's identity. And it turned out that the only girl he could think about was the one which had recently been unexpectedly positive to the Dark Titan : Jinx !
Perhaps I'm just imagining things. Perhaps it's somebody else.
And yet…
…yet…
…he couldn't think of anybody else.
It could have just been a random person, sure. But, strangely enough, his thoughts always came back to Jinx eventually.
After all, would it be that far-fetched for two once foes to later become friends ? It WAS unusual, and certainly unlikely… but impossible ?
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Raven was back in her room.
She was reflecting on the evening's events, and about her claim that she once would introduce her new friend to them.
Could she really do that ?
Could she thus let them know that her former adversary was now… her friend ?
As a matter of fact, yes. She could. But under certain conditions.
In fact, under at least ONE condition : that she could be definitely certain that her teammates would accept the friendship now existing between Jinx and herself.
Which didn't exactly went without saying…
She then imagined Jinx lying under the bridge in the park, and shivering from cold as the wind blew.
An idea slowly surfaced in her mind.
Perhaps…
Perhaps she could find a way to solve two problems simultaneously : find a shelter for Jinx AND introduce her to her teammates as her new friend.
And the simplest way to do that would be…
Her mind focused intensely.
In the end, she recalled what she had told the lady in the park, when the latter had asked Jinx if she was part of the Teen Titans.
Should I…should I do that ?
She closed her eyes and lay absolutely motionless on her bed, pondering deeply.
It lasted that way for minutes.
But Raven eventually reopened her eyes, a determined look haunting her violet orbs.
She slowly rose from the bed and walked to her door.
She pricked up her ears while silently walking in the corridor.
Not a single noise.
Silence ruled the Tower.
The empath came to a halt in front of one of her friends' door and raised her fist.
Will he be inside ? Or could he still be up, in the common room or in the technic room ?
Only one way to find out.
And she did it.
She waited patiently after knocking.
The door finally opened and he looked at her.
"Can we have a conversation ? It's important and can't wait." she quickly phrased on the most serious tone.
He silently nodded and let her in, closing the door on the secret talk ensuing …
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Author's Notes :
"Pink Sorceress" / "Violet Sorceress" : Well, why not use the girls' signature colours to nickname them that way ? Personally, I find it original. Hope ya like it.
"The Teen Titans are the best" : Well… aren't they, really ? Just thought I'd pay some of my fav's superheroes a modest tribute ! :D
"Billy Numerous was thick as thieves with him" : for those of ya who wouldn't know this expression, it means that Billy & Gizmo were getting along particularly well. And I naturally chose it as a lil' pun… given that Billy & Gizmo are… THIEVES !
Okay, that chappy is less long than the two previous ones. But hey, I can't always write 6'000 words or more, can I ? I've been writing a chapter of more than 10'000 words this year, for my first sTTory "8", but I can't do that many times a year… (Not sure I'll ever write that much for a chappy again, actually…)
The title refers to the crucial narrative process of this chapter : conversations. They are absolutely central to the chapter, and are extremely important as per their content. Even the elliptic dialog implied by the very end of the chappy is absolutely fundamental ! Words and their power, eh… they are dead powerful indeed, and need to be respected for that and handled with much care, as they can cause so much harm… as well as happiness !
Right, well I was able to publish this the following week after all, eh ! I feared I wouldn't but no, I eventually could ! So up to now, I still can manage the one-chapter-a-week thing. But "don't get used to it", as Rae said in THE END III, as one never knows when that regularity can briskly stop. I'll still do my best to try and maintain the pace. But my goal is to have a chappy out in at least a fortnight, so…
Many, many thanxxxx to all of ya readers, REVIEWERS, favoriters, followers. Yes, in THAT order ! Ya guys all make me a happy man, and my gratefulness is all yours !
I hope you're all doing fine, and till we next hear of each other, I wish ya all good, in all that ya undertake, in your health and mindset.
Bye for now, Folks ! Be fine ! :D
)))))))))))))))))))) The Valaisan ((((((((((((((((((((
