I must say that I was surprised at how many people wanted me to keep the scenes I threw out. I feel kind of bad for letting you all down, so I've come up with a compromise. While some of the scenes would conflict with earlier chapters, and others are quite obviously filler, there are a few that wouldn't be that hard to adapt to my shorter plan for the story. In fact, you get to see one of them now.

Celestia GF of the Void: That's actually not a bad idea; the Vegas challenge does have a lot of potential, but you're right in that it's never really done well. I'll certainly consider it, but since I'm trying to cut my writing down to two fics at a time (three is just exhausting!), it'll probably have to wait until Faery Heroes is nearly done.

Ex10: The Eldritch Enclave is entirely of my own creation.

Thanks to kishinokurobi, I have a poll on my profile I would very much appreciate all of you voting in. Satisfy my curiosity!

Disclaimer: Did Beast Boy need to get a minimum-wage job to pay for a moped when the Titans, considering their rather extravagant lifestyle, clearly received compensation for the daily dangers they encountered? If so, I don't own the Teen Titans franchise; it belongs to DC Entertainment, Glen Murakami, and Warner Bros.


Chapter 9
Little Black Dress, Muddy Sneakers

Dear Cyborg and Lisa,

It was recently brought to my attention that I may have… distressed you somewhat with the threats I levied against your team a few days ago. We really should take some time to "clear the air", so to speak, before any misunderstandings take root and cause unnecessary difficulties. Therefore, Jinx and I would love for both of you to join us for dinner tonight at the Three Queens restaurant; our treat, of course. I promise there will be no combat, no ultimata, just four people eating together and politely discussing a few things.

It should not need to be said, but this invitation is strictly for the two of you. Our – mutual acquaintances, shall we say? – are obviously not welcome.

I hope to see you at half past seven. The reservation is under the name "Roth".

Raven


"You're sure Raven's email said the Three Queens?" Lisa asked for the tenth or twelfth time since they got in the vehicle. She did not expect the answer to have changed any, but a girl could hope.

Cyborg sighed as he pulled the T-Car in front of the restaurant. "For the last time, yes. Can you stop with the panicking now? We're late as it is." He exited with electronic grace and moved over to open her door. Swallowing her anxiety down, she accepted his help in getting out; the tight black dress sheathed about her was something she had worn only twice since buying it, and that made moving as she was used to a tad difficult. Cy's got it easy. One holo-ring and he's dressed in a picture-perfect tux that won't get in his way if we have to fight; I, on the other hand, have to take tiny steps to keep from falling flat on my face. That's definitely a defensible position.

The mechanical vigilante passed his keys to a waiting valet. "If there's even one ding in her when we come back out, I'm goin' to break you in half, understand?" A loud gulp preceded the young man's spastic nodding, and the pair walked arm-in-arm into what was without a doubt Jump City's fanciest restaurant.

The maitre d' gave them a quick once-over as they approached; had she not been a full-time hero, she probably would have missed it completely. "Your reservation, sir?"

"We're with the Roth party."

"Ah," the elderly man replied, glancing at a list on his podium. "Yes, Ms. Roth did mention that she was expecting two additional companions this evening. Right this way, please."

Following him through the spacious room, Lisa could not help but compare her outfit to those worn by the women of high society they passed. Dammit, Raven, couldn't you have sent us that invitation a couple of days ago? I got this dress for undercover work, not black tie affairs! She cut off her mental complaints as they approached a table situated in the far corner of the room; strangely, the light seemed kind of… not dimmer, exactly, but almost like it had somehow twisted on its way from the lamp to her eyes. Goosebumps appeared as an electric tingle brushed against her bare skin.

Creepy…

"There you are; we were beginning to wonder if you would ever show. And unless I'm very much mistaken, this must be the friendlier reincarnation of Terra I spoke to so briefly a week or so ago," commented the pale-skinned woman on the left, her wide grin reminding Lisa of a cat just before it pounced on some unsuspecting mouse. As if her short pink hair and eyes didn't give her identity away, she added, "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Persephone. I'm Jinx."

Trying to think of something appropriate to reply with since Jinx had gone and stolen her half of the introduction, she opened her mouth and said, "Didn't the old guy have a problem letting you in with your hair and Raven's tats?" Her cheeks immediately started burning, and she seriously considered opening a chasm in the ground and letting it swallow her up.

Thankfully, neither former heroine took offense to her faux pas. "He likely would have had we given him the chance," Raven answered with a soft smile, "so we did not. Two people teleporting into his restaurant shook him up a little, and a small application of magic reassured him that we would not stand out overmuch."

"Magic? Really?" Lisa asked, fighting hard to keep any skepticism out of her voice. The other Titans had told her that Raven was a self-described sorceress before, but they had only seen it in action once or twice, and she personally was never sure just how seriously to take their claims. The idea of people running around with non-metahuman and non-gadget powers, powers that genetics and science could not even begin to explain, just sat wrong with her. She could have asked Raven herself during their five years of email conversations, she supposed, but it never crossed her mind while typing her messages; even if it had, she probably would have kept her curiosity to herself anyway.

Magic or no magic, the half-demon was one of the last people she wanted to offend for more than a few reasons.

"Indeed. Allow me to demonstrate. Cohito vi annolug pauv." A ripple washed over Raven's skin. Where before there had been a half-demon whose sense of style would only be considered normal at a goth rock concert, Lisa now saw a young woman of vaguely Mediterranean descent. The grey skin, the tattoos, the long black nails, the gem on her forehead; all of these were gone. She looked… normal.

Okay, maybe those claims of magic weren't that unbelievable, after all.

The metal man whistled lightly. "Different enough that no one would recognize you with just a brief glance, but for anyone who knows you, it's obvious that you're you. Not bad."

"Thank you, but I must confess that I took the general idea from your infiltration mission into the H.I.V.E. The hologram you created was how you looked before your accident, without your, for lack of a better word, powers; I simply did the same thing. Considering Arella's general coloration, this is how I expect I would have appeared were it not for my infernal heritage."

"Yeah, she looks good enough to eat. Me she turned into a soulless ginger." Jinx waved at the two empty chairs at the table. "Well, sit down. We're not gonna force you to stand up the whole time."

Raven let her illusion fade. "Indeed, my apologies for not offering immediately."

Cyborg, again being a perfect gentleman, pulled Lisa's chair out for her and got her situated. While he was taking his own seat, she pointed to the ornate black-and-gold cube that looked very much out of place on the white tablecloth. "So what's that?"

"Rather than leave the glamours up for the entirety of our time together, I procured this handy device. It will maintain the spell to deceive anyone who stays outside its range, perhaps five feet or so? Far enough that only the waitstaff will know the difference."

"How would you even go about gettin' somethin' like that?" Cyborg wondered aloud. "I'll admit I've never looked for one, but I don't think you'd find that in your local supermarket."

Raven smirked slightly, and her voice took on a mild New Yorker accent. "I know a guy who knows a guy, you know?" She chuckled lightly, and her voice resumed its normal near-monotone. "An associate of mine loaned it to me for the evening. Now, I suppose we may as well begin our conversation with an explanation for my threats against your persons."

"I've got a pretty good idea, already." The cybernetic crime-fighter leaned forwards slightly so as to look their former teammate square in the eye. "You were tryin' to scare us off, make us so worried about what you'd do to us that we stayed out of your way while you completed whatever objectives you're here for."

"There's the Stone I knew. Always seemed to pull the right answer out his ass at the very last second," Jinx commented with a snicker. The geokinetic laughed, too – though the sound was closer to a relieved sigh – as the last lingering doubts about her former teammate's intentions faded away, much to her delight. Facing off against Raven on the battlefield was not her idea of a fun time.

"Thanks, I think. What's really been botherin' me, though, is just what you're doin' and why you've been tryin' to stay under the radar this whole time. If you just told us, we could probably work it out so your crew and the Titans aren't constantly buttin' heads."

The pinkette's mirth suffered a swift death, and she turned to her lover. The pair held an entire conversation with a single shared glance before Raven sighed heavily. "As I told you before, that information is classified. I may have ignored the spirit of our orders by warning you that we were in town in the first place, but I dare not violate the letter. I take it you still will not stand aside?"

Lisa glumly looked down at the pristine tablecloth. "If it was up to me, I'd let you run around doing whatever. I trust you, and so does Cy. Unfortunately, I don't know if a complete itinerary and a copy of those orders would calm Nightwing or Beast Boy down. Starfire definitely not; she's got this idea in her head that you're here to summon demons and destroy the planet or some nonsense like that."

That news seemed surprising to the purple-haired woman, and not in a good way, either. She pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand. "And just how did she come to that conclusion?"

"Partly it's because of an old legend about how one of Trigon's children tried to take over Tamaran and—"

Raven's raised hand cut her off, eyes scrunched closed as she seemingly tried hard to remember something. "This demon, was his name Vithon?"

"Yeah," Cyborg answered. "How'd you know?"

"Vithon may not be the most dangerous of my many siblings, but I do keep track of all of them, or at least the most heinous of their transgressions. I did not know the world he almost conquered was Starfire's, though it certainly explains a few things. What was the other reason she is so certain I have evil plots brewing?"

The mechanical man waved the blonde to hold off, but she continued undaunted, "According to a vision we were told about, a Demon Lord is going to rise in Jump, but the city will be better afterwards. You were in there as well, but no one knows what you were doing or which side you were on. Obviously, Star believes you are going to be the one to summon him."

"Precognition is a tricky discipline, and visions even more so. There are only a few people I would trust to accurately interpret such a thing."

"According to Batman, it was Doctor Fate who saw this," Cyborg said with a mild glare at the earth-shifter, one she deftly ignored. His plan involved not telling Raven about any of this and instead trying to handle it without her so she could stay far away from the other Titans; Lisa, on the other hand, felt that if there was going to be an extremely powerful demon appearing in their city, they needed to clue in the only person they knew to have ever killed one as soon as possible.

Raven stared at her male friend for a moment before slumping dejectedly in her chair. "And he is one of them. I find it strange that he could not determine my role in this, however; wearing the Helmet of Nabu, his portents should be extraordinarily detailed." She paused then, a slight frown appearing as she stared at nothing. "Unless…"

"Unless?"

"It is nothing," the former heroine said with a shake of her head. "Foresight is not my area of expertise."

The pinkette turned to her. "Tell us anyway. Pretty please?"

"…I thought you were supposed to be on my side." The three eager faces wore away Raven's resolve, though Lisa suspected it was her fiancee's fluttering eyelashes more than anything. "There is a possibility – only a possibility, mind you – that the good Doctor did not reveal his entire vision, though for what reason he would do that I cannot determine from these meager facts. Nevertheless, I doubt it is anything to worry about; while he may keep his own counsel, he does have Earth's best interests at heart."

Lisa's eyebrows rose as she noted Raven's respectful tone. "You sound like you know him well."

"Not well, precisely. We are both in… I suppose you could call it a professional organization for sorcerers. I have dealt with him on a few occasions, and he has always treated me with courtesy and fairness."

"So you'll help us when this demon comes knocking?"

"Of course," Raven answered Cyborg, her tone expressing confusion at even needing to be asked. "It will not be the first of my father's race I have tangled with since I left the team, nor the second or third. I may not require your assistance to deal with him at all; were it not for my human blood, my personal power would put me in a good position for claiming the title of Demon Lord myself, and that is without taking into account what I gained with Trigon's demise."

Jinx's hand on Raven's arm drew her attention back to the world outside their table, and Lisa noticed a waiter moving towards them to finally pass out menus. Only magic could have caused this kind of delay in such a posh place as this one. "I suppose we will have to resume this conversation later; my betrothed has a rather firm policy concerning not partaking in 'shop talk' during meals. Please, order whatever you like."

She glanced over the options briefly, and her eyes widened at the absurd prices. She knew they would be high, but not this high. "How the hell can you afford to eat in this place? We'd have to put a mortgage out on the Tower if we wanted to come here." Though she was mostly joking, the other women were clearly better-paid if they could afford to throw away money dining at restaurants like this. Maybe I should quit the Titans and work with them if their salary's that good.

"Well…" The two maybe-spies shared another glance along with secretive smiles. "Let me just say that while our work does not necessarily pay quite that well, our superiors make a habit of looking the other way when it comes to, shall we say, side jobs."

The former, or possibly not-so-former, thief shrugged. "What can I say? Stealing isn't an action; it's a frame of mind."


Nightwing huffed in irritation as he gently pushed Starfire away and straightened his outfit. Marching over to the console of the command center, he slammed his hand on the button to ignore whoever was calling. With Beast Boy patrolling the city and Cyborg and Persephone out on their date – much to the polymorph's disgust – the interspecies couple had been blessed with a rare period of alone time that he was loath to give up. If there was an actual emergency, the alarm would be going off; as it wasn't, he could only assume that at the other end of the line sat some reporter wanting yet another interview about his girlfriend's recent fiasco.

As soon as he removed his hand, the trill resumed.

Growling now, he jabbed the Accept key and glared at the keyboard to avoid scaring the hapless journalist. "We have already given all the interviews on Starfire's actions that we are going to, and we have no further comments."

"It's a good thing I'm not a writing an article, then, isn't it?"

Nightwing's eyes shot up to find Batman scowling at him from the console's small screen. This was the second time in a week his former mentor had called, and in his opinion, that was two times too many. Still, he could keep things professional for five minutes despite his decade-old antipathy towards the man. "Anything new on Doctor Fate's prophecy?"

"No, nor is that why I called. Where is Starfire?"

"We have already dealt with her behavior internally," the acrobat tried his best not to snarl. "There is no reason for the Justice League to involve themselves."

"I'm glad to hear you are handling discipline yourself. Nevertheless, put her on."

Starfire drifted over to him and peered sheepishly over shoulder. "Master Batman, I understand that my—"

"Empress Koriand'r," the Caped Crusader interrupted with a sterner-than-normal scowl, "would you care to explain why there are three Tamaranean battlecruisers waiting outside Sol's heliosphere, supposedly having come in response to your orders?"

His mouth hanging open, Nightwing turned to his teammate. Please, please tell me this is all just a misunderstanding. This had the potential to turn into an interstellar incident of terrible proportions.

"Well, they are under my command, yes." The alien fiddled with her bracers nervously, carefully not looking at either male. "Or they will be once they arrive in Earth's orbit or I go out to meet them. I was concerned that we would not have sufficient numbers when we challenge the Demon Lord Doctor Fate predicted."

"You mean when you challenge Raven. I heard all the details about that debacle from various media sources. And from the Department of Justice. And the State Department, the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and the leaders of the Armed Forces. I do not think you truly understand the consequences of an alien warrior who is also her planet's head of state attacking unarmed civilians."

"Raven has innate powers that are just as much weapons as my starbolts or Beast Boy's shapeshifting!"

"Irrelevant," Batman snapped back. "She made no aggressive actions until you had already made your move; therefore she was, for the sake of this conversation, unarmed. Moreover, I distinctly remember telling you not to engage her at all. If that were not enough, I also noticed that this encounter was not reported to the Watchtower as would have been appropriate."

Nightwing bristled at that. "We aren't subordinate to the Justice League, Bruce. We don't have to tell you anything."

"And perhaps it is time that arrangement was reevaluated, especially if situations like this are going to be the new norm. Starfire, order the ships back to Tamaran."

"Master Batman, please. My people can help!"

"Allow me to speak more clearly, then. If even one of those ships or a member of their crew enters this system, it will be treated as an declaration of war between our planets. Superman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Doctor Fate are already prepared to move out and destroy them if necessary. In addition, if they have not left within the next twenty-four hours, you will be forcibly deported to your homeworld and forever barred from returning."

Starfire blanched, and the joy keeping her aloft disappeared in an instant. She fell heavily, and only Nightwing's arms catching her kept her from crumpling to the ground entirely.

"I see you now understand." The cowled hero leaned closer to the camera on his end, his eyes narrowed ominously. "No matter how much you meant to 'help', you do not have the authority to command a foreign military force to enter our space. It is time you made an important choice: are you a hero of Earth or the ruler of Tamaran? Clearly you are incapable of being both.

"As I doubt you used the Tower's command center to contact your planet when you 'invited' these warriors here, clear the room. I need to speak with Nightwing privately."

The Tamaranean staggered out, her shoulders slumped and her head hanging. Once the door hissed shut, Nightwing turned back to the screen. "She made a mistake, but you know damn well that she only had good intentions."

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. That doesn't mean I want to walk down it," Batman retorted sharply. He sighed then and said more gently, "Dick, regardless of the issues between us, I need you to be honest with me right now. Are you capable of commanding Starfire effectively while simultaneously maintaining a romantic relationship with her?"

"After dating Catwoman on and off for years, you have the gall to imply that I am emotionally compromised?!" Nightwing whispered in a harsh tone.

"It is because of that experience that I know what a bad idea mixing business and pleasure is in our line of work. I cannot describe how much I would prefer leaving the situation in your hands, but you have to acknowledge just how badly this situation could have turned out."

"It was a one-time occurrence."

"I hope so. Still, the League is officially requesting a report after any altercation with Raven or those you have reason to believe she is affiliated with."

Nightwing sighed and reluctantly nodded. As the de facto leader of masked vigilantes the world over, the Justice League had every right to make that demand, especially in regards to their former member. Much as he wished he could deny it, they were too close to the problem at hand to analyze it objectively. "Very well. I'll have Cyborg write them; he's been advising caution and non-interference ever since she showed up. If any of us can be at all unbiased, it would be him."

"Thank you. And Nightwing?" The younger hero looked squarely at his mentor. "Be careful should you encounter Raven again. She is far too powerful for you to casually make an enemy of her; her strength makes even some of us wary."


"Come on, girl. You've got to tell us how your night went!"

Lisa sighed as she peeled off the too-tight dress her dark-skinned friend had insisted she try on. "How did this rumor even start in the first place? Cy and I were meeting someone about work, that's all."

"Oh, please," Maeve said from the other side of the thin wall separating the changing rooms. "You expect us to believe you had a business meeting… just the two of you… during dinner… in the Three Queens? Pull the other leg; it's got bells on it."

"It's okay if you're going out with him now, you know. Who wouldn't want a piece of a hunk like that?"

"Seriously, Jaz, it was not a date." She cracked the door open to toss the garment onto the rejected pile. Her meal with Raven and Jinx the previous night had convinced her that she really needed a new cocktail dress, preferably one that fit properly. And with my luck, I'll find one I like and never have a reason to wear it.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say." The redhead stuck her hand out as well, and Jazmyn passed them each yet another selection before continuing, "But if things don't go well between you two, just point him my way, okay?"

The blonde rolled her eyes as she slithered into the dress; Jazmyn had gone boy-crazy the second she started her senior year of high school, and it had not gotten any better in the four years since. "You want him, go after him. No skin off my nose." She tested the dress, appreciating that this one didn't feel like she had let Beast Boy wrap her up in cellophane like the last one had. Removing it, she hung it next to the only other one that she had deemed a possibility.

Thirty minutes later, she exited the store with her best friends and a white bag hanging from one hand, just enjoying the mindless chatter washing over her. Spending time with the two girls had become a luxury recently, and the gulf that she could feel gradually forming between them was most distressing. Saving the city just kept eating up more and more of her time to the point that a lazy Saturday afternoon out on the town was now a special event.

And to think that I'm the most social of the Titans. At least I have friends outside the crime-fighting community.

Jazmyn hurried in front of them and turned around, walking backwards as she spoke. "I don't know if you two heard, but there's supposed to be this awesome store opening here in about a week. Either of you want—"

The girl was cut off as a massive crash sounded up the street, followed by a cacophony of screams. Lisa shoved her purchase into the redhead's arms. "Both of you get out of here. I'll meet back up with you once I'm through dealing with this."

"We aren't helpless, you know. We can take care of ourselves."

She squeezed her eyes tight for a second; could Maeve have possibly chosen a less opportune time to be her belligerent self? "I know you can, but I'm not asking for your sakes. I will fight better knowing you're not going to get caught in the crossfire." Her fiery friend obviously saw through the half-truth if her scowl was any indication, but she eventually nodded and waved the blonde away. Ripping a huge chunk of asphalt and dirt from beneath her, the geokinetic sped towards the cloud of smoke.

Upon her arrival, she immediately had to dodge a large stream of smelly green liquid. The dust cleared, revealing the oozing form of Plasmus. She flipped off her ride and sent it through the villain's face, though, as she expected, it had little effect. Pooling back together, he swung one fist, his semi-liquid flesh allowing his arm to stretch long enough to reach her. A stone wall stopped that blow, but not the following one that bent around her barrier and sent her sprawling onto the ground.

Lisa, still laying flat on her back, pulled her communicator out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Guys, Plasmus just arrived and started wrecking the mall. I could really use a hand out here."

"That… might be a problem."


The names Maeve and Jazmyn come from Concolor44's story "Not Really All That Subtle". Just so you know, I didn't do that simply so I could return the shout-out. Nope, not at all.

Silently Watches out.