"Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion Zinthos..." Raven chanted, a distant voice suddenly calling out her name. Visibly annoyed, the girl left her mind and returned to the real world revealing the ops center as the voice from before called out her name again.
"Please forgive my interruption, but have you seen Robin?" Starfire asked.
"No."
"Oh," she turned to leave but stopped. "Perhaps you have seen Cyborg?"
"No," she answered, the Tamaranian turning again but then stopped, again.
"Beast Boy?"
"My eyes are closed, Starfire. I haven't seen anyone," she answered plainly so she wouldn't ask again.
"They must be doing the hanging out someplace," she said turning to leave, again, but then stopped, again. "Perhaps we should do the hanging out. We only did so once prior, but it was only a short while before your date with Ventus," Star noted, a light blush coating the mage's cheeks at the memory. "Maybe we should go again, in case Ventus asks you out on another date."
Another date does sound nice, Raven thought to herself before shaking it off. "Starfire, can you just leave me alone right now?"
"Oh, my apologies," Star said heading off, Raven returning to her chanting as she medita-
"MAIL CALL!" Cy suddenly cried out, Raven letting out a long shocked yell as she flailed about trying to restablish herself, winding up in a heap before the four boys as they entered the room, a large crate in Cyborg's hands.
"Robin! Cyborg! Beast Boy! Ventus! You are back! It was... quiet while you were gone," Starfire stated.
"Not that quiet," Raven returned.
"Check it out. This was sitting by the front door," Beast Boy said as Cy set the crate down on the table. "Fanmail- Probably a gift from one of my many admirers," the changeling said wriggling his eyebrows, the mage simply rolling her eyes.
"Actually, it doesn't say who it's from," Robin said reading the side, which read To: Teen Titans – Titans Tower.
"Well, only one way to find out," Cy said as he tore the lid off the crate before looking inside. "Woah!"
"Cool!" Robin awed while Star giggled.
"Honesty, I was hoping for chocolate," Beast Boy voiced his thoughts as Cy reached into the crate and pulled out its contents.
"Aww, isn't that cute? Puppet Cy has a light-up eye," Cyborg said as he pulled out a white, grey, and blue foot-tall puppet version of himself, pressing the panel on the chest and causing its left eye to light up.
"Yeah. They got all the details just right," Robin said with a smile pulling a grappling hook from his puppet's belt buckle.
"Speak for yourself. I'm way better looking than this," Beast Boy said holding up his puppet. "And taller."
"Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands," Raven said pulling her puppet's hood back, revealing that her hairline had also been recreated, Starfire giggling as she looked her own yarn-haired puppet over.
"I have never seen such a whimsical device," Starfire cooed as she looked her tiny wooden replica over. At the same time Vent was looking over his puppet, similar in build to Robin's but between Puppet Rob and Puppet Cy's height, wearing a tiny replica version of what he'd been wearing when he first arrived at Jump City; complete with adjustable goggles, tiny hand-knit scarf, and open toed puppet sandals.
"Am I the only one who finds this the least bit suspicious?" Vent asked Raven as she examined her marionette. By now he was well familiar with how things were shipped to Titans Tower since they didn't have an official dock of sorts, as to disuade people from actively venturing to their island. Whenever anything was to be delivered to the Tower, it was first dropped off at the mayor's office where a cleared government official with knowledge of the undersea tunnel would deliver it, and would leave a message at the tower a half-hour prior upon arriving at the garage. However since the crate in question was on their doorstep, someone must've hand-delivered it, otherwise it would've been in the garage for pickup.
"No. You're second behind me," Raven said looking hers over. "Still, I don't sense any magic on this thing, so maybe it is just fanmail."
"Hmmm... Think you could put a charm on it or something?" Vent asked out of nowhere. "It doesn't have to be too fancy if you do, but something that'll weaken any magic that may involve this... thing," he said holding the puppet out to her. Looking up to see the look on his face, the unease in his eyes that seemed unnatural to such a free spirit, and the blue-garbed mage could only think back to the times he tried to reach out to her, as well as when he frollicked with her Joy, comforted her Sadness, and... flirted with her Courage.
"Oh alright," Raven said pulling the marionette's sleeveless hoodie up with her left thumb, a small chant leaving her lips as the end of her right index finger lit up with black flame, carving a small runic charm into the thing's chest in the form of a stylized R, the smell of burning wood rising into the air before she finished. "There. That should do it," she said handing the puppet back to him, a tiny bit embarrassed that she had indirectly grouped his chest.
"Maybe now I can rest easy with this thing in the house," Vent said looking his puppet over. "Thanks Rae, this means a lot," he said placing a hand on her shoulder before smirking towards the others. "Don't think you can have all the fun without me. DYNAMIC ENTRY!" he whooped as he had Puppet Vent nail Puppet BB's face with a flying kung fu kick, sending him spinning into Puppet Rob and almost tangling up the strings before in a show of control, he began using his aerokinesis to move Puppet Vent more fluidly around Puppet Cy's attacks.
"Shall my tiny replica do battle with your tiny replica?" Starfire asked coming up to the mage.
"Knock yourself out," Raven said tossing her puppet lazily to star, a puzzled look on her face as the mage left.
Several hours later, the group getting to play with their tiny wooden replicas of themselves without interruption since it was a slow day, it was now night time in the tower, the same crate from before left where it was. Suddenly, a tiny hand broke out of a hidden compartment in the bottom of the crate, a few shafts of straw flying through the air before the shadowed figure, almost child-like in appearance, made its way through the tower. While the Titans slept, the thing visited Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Ventus' rooms, each time causing their bodies to glow and their puppet replicas to jump up before heading for its next destination. Currently the thing was now in Starfire's room, the girl and her puppet sleeping on their own beds with their feet on the pillows and their heads handing off the foot, the door whooshing open causing the girl to jump up.
"Who is there?" she asked gasping in fright as the figure disappeared from the room. Opening the door, she stepped out into the hall just missing the shadowed figure darting around the corner. "Hello? Hello?" she called out as she wandered the halls. "Is someone there? If this is a joke, it is not-" she said being cut off as the door to her side opened. Whirling around, she and Raven looked at one another before the two screamed in sheer terror, the two's hair standing up briefly with Raven's resembling the bird she was named after. "Raven! You have also heard the strange noises?"
"The strange noises of you talking outside my door?" Raven asked. "Hard to miss."
"Oh. Forgive me," Star said blushing in embarrassment. "I thought there was someone else-" she said before Cy's sonic cannon suddenly went off between them. Whirling around, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Ventus could be seen charging down the hall, Robin leaping for a kick as Beast Boy transformed into a velociraptor and charged ahead. The former nearly took Starfire's head off with the sole of his boot, while the latter tried to get at Raven, the mage creating energy barriers to slow him down.
"Beast Boy, it's me! Don't make me hurt you!" Raven growled. Even though it actually sounds kind of fun, she added to herself before he broke through her shield and snapped at her. Flying over Robin's head, Starfire shot down two of the three discs that Robin shot at her, the third exploding and sending her downward into Cyborg's arms. The next moment, Beast Boy swung his tail at Raven and knocking her down the hall, Ventus wrapping his arms around her tightly as he stood beside Cy, who had Starfire pinned beneath his arms.
"Vent! Let me go!" Raven shouted as she struggled against his grip, Robin and Beast Boy approaching with the latter returning to human form. It was then that she noticed the group's eyes were glowing light blue, and that they all had blank looks on their faces. For Beast Boy, it was an even blanker look than usual.
"Friends! Why do you attack us?" Star asked trying to struggle against Cy's grip.
"Oh, they're not your friends anymore," the figure from before said stepping up. He appeared to be nothing more than a puppet with a large head and, a hinged mouth, and slick black hair parted in the middle. His attire consisted of black boots, grey pants, a red jacket with gold epaulettes and a sash with badges across his chest. "They are my puppets. These are your friends," he said pulling Rob, BB, Cy, and Vent's puppets from behind his back as he clutched at their strings.
"Starfire!" Puppet Rob spoke in a muffled and very strained-sounding voice.
"Raven!" Puppet Cy cried in a likewise tone.
"Help!" Puppet BB cried out.
"Damn it... can't... move..." Puppet Vent grunted as he tried to get his puppet to move.
"Release Ven- I mean them this instant!" Raven ordered while Star gasped.
"Sorry, but you're not in charge here," the puppet said putting the puppets behind his back. "You don't command me. I command you," he said holding up a silver crosspiece with his left hand, the six slots lit in red, green, white, and orange, with the remaining two slots lighting up in yellow and blue and Starfire and Raven groaning when their bodies were wreathed in the matching colors to the last two slots. "And with the Puppet King pulling the strings, the Teen Titans will command the entire city," the now-known Puppet King said as Raven and Starfire' souls were wrenched from their bodies, the mage muttering out her signature incantation before passing out, a black spinning flare being released from her forehead and knocking everyone down, the Puppet King's control skidding across the floor. "My control!" he cried out as the blue and yellow souls in Puppet Rae and Puppet Star's bodies suddenly flew back into the nearest reciprocals, the two pulling themselves up before sprinting down the hall. "After them!" the Puppet King ordered as the two escaped, the boys half-standing half-floating to their feet in response to his command.
Elsewhere, a rate in the basement was pulled up, Raven and Starfire dropping down into it and shutting it silently as their pursuers ran overhead passed them.
"The boys!" Starfire gasped softly. "Raven! What are we going to-" she asked as Starfire's hand reached up and switched on the overhanging light bulb, the two getting a good look at eachother, their faces showing the expression that normally the other would.
"Starfire?" Raven asked from the Tamaranian's body.
"Raven?" Starfire asked from the mage's body. "*Gasp* You are me! *GASP* And I am you!" she cried as black energy crackled from her forehead, shattering the lightbulb and putting them in near-total darkness again.
To say that things weren't going well for Starfire and Raven, I mean Raven and Starfire, I mean- Oh you get it Raven in Star's body and Starfire in Rae's body, would be an understatement. After escaping the tower through a hidden tunnel system that Raven had come across while looking for a quiet spot the others didn't know about, the two made their way down the darkened and empty city street at the edge of the city in the slums. As they came to term with what happened, Star's constant use of emotion caused several parking meters, newspaper dispensers, a mailbox, and a car to either rend, melt, burst, or blow up. After being chased around by the boys and narrowly escaping capture, they were able to overhear the Puppet King's plot; to destroy Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Ventus' souls, leaving their bodies under his command. Obviously neither liked that, with Starfire wanting to mount a rescue mission for the four, only for Raven to point out that they'd end up getting captured too with either Star's powers being useless or the runoff from Rae's emotions blowing them to Kingdom Come. After a brief argument, the two were finally able to reconcile, exchanging partially-abridged versions of their life's stories, as well as how to use their borrowed body's respective powers.
It was after they were able to get a grasp of one another's powers that they followed the boy's body's paths, leading them to a decrepit old theatre in a run-down area of Jump City; the Bijou. The courtyard to the place had an inactive fountain, from which the two hid behind as they kept an eye on the front entrance. Beast Boy was pacing around the front steps as a Doberman pinsher, whereas Ventus' body was flying in a circle around the three-story building two stories above the ground. To Raven, the brunette's flying was rather choppy and he looked like he could drop out of the sky at any minute like a fly nearing its 24th hour, making the mage wonder if his powers were dictated by emotion as well, and whether or not Zombie Vent could use his full range of ability. Thankfully his Navy Zippo was still in the Tower under lock and key, otherwise they might've been thoroughly screwed if he was able to exert a greater degree of control since putting the lighter down.
Waiting for Ventus' body to round the corner, Raven hauled Starfire through the air, clearing the ground and slowly but surely ascending to the roof without being seen by either below, the zombified changeling's ears only perking up and turning in their direction after they had left his line of sight, whereas the zombified aerokinetic was in no real position to see them at all. Then, after finding her center and closing Rae's eyes, Starfire chanted Raven's mantra and causing the lock to snap. With a compliment from the Tamaranian mage, the magical alien whooped at her success, only for her powers to flare up from the outburst and snap open the trap doors, sending echoes through the theatre.
"Nice work," Raven groaned sarcastically as she grabbed her... shoulder, and dragged Star into the theatre, looking over her shoulder once more for Vent's body and hoping he wasn't able to reach them as he was. If the brunette's body was driven by his human emotion, then maybe they would actually stand a chance with the bad hand dealt to them. Walking down onto the catwalk, the two were able to spot the Puppet King giving Zombie Robin and Zombie Cyborg a "Search and destroy" order, most likely because the echo of the trapdoor had made the two's presence known.
"Well Titans..." the Puppet King said turning his attention back to the four puppets, though was slightly disappointed in Ventus' body over the others. "Time for your grand finale," he said uncorking the test tube in his other hand into the bowl, which had a white and blue magically-affiliated fire within, said fire blazing up as smarks floated from it. "It's going to be a real showstopper," he said holding the four puppets over the flame.
"No," Raven gasped, horrified at what was about to transpire.
"Stop!" Puppet Rob shouted.
"Don't!" Puppet Cy cried.
"Please!" Puppet BB yelped.
"Listen up you Muppet reject! You better hope I don't get my body back, because if I do, I'll turn your scrawny ass into woodchips!" Puppet Vent threatened angrily. Having his body snatched did that to a guy. Either that or the residual tofu.
"An idle threat from one who cannot even move, and nothing more" the Puppet Master countered. "Oh but don't worry. I'll take good care of your bodies. After all, they'll be mine forever," he said dropping the puppets into their flaming oblivion. Before they could land in the bowl however, a black sphere surrounded them before pulling them up to the catwalk, the four figures being swept into a crushing hug into the chest of the magical alien.
"My friends! You are unharmed!" she laughed.
"Starfire? Why are you in Raven's body?" Puppet Vent asked in shock.
"It's a long story," the Tamaranian mage answered, not understanding the burning sensation she got at seeing Starfire hugging Vent... rather, his puppet, even though it was her body doing the hugging, just not her behind it... You know what I mean.
"Go my puppets! Capture them!" the Puppet King ordered in anger, the four victims stepping towards them, Zombie Beast Boy returning to human form while Zombie Ventus hovered choppily across from hem, surrounding them from four sides. Given, that could likely change at any moment with how sloppy Zombie Ventus' hovering was.
"Move!" Raven shouted yanking her body as it held onto the others along, only to scream as Beast Boy brought them up short. Zombie Robin leapt onto the scaffolding and crouched behind them, while Zombie Cyborg leapt onto the railing and fired his sonic cannon, the blast sending the girl in opposite directions while the puppets were sent tumbling in a heap.
"Dude, get your butt outta my face!" Puppet BB cried.
"Can't... move... Deal with it," Puppet Rob returned.
"Think like a ninja puppet, think like a ninja puppet, think like a ninja puppet," Vent repeated to himself attempting to make his soul's wooden medium move, the wood clacking against itself slightly like a wooden wind chime, only for no real semblance of movement to be gained. "Damn."
Elsewhere, the girls had done a little short-range skydiving of their own, Starfire grabbing a curtain cord to stop herself while Raven tried her best at flying the hopefully-temporary Tamaranian body. Going their separate ways, Raven ended up facing Cyborg and Ventus from the railing, while Starfire had to contend with Robin and Beast Boy in gorilla form.
"Robin, I do not wish to fight you," Starfire said avoiding a punch, only for him to grab her coat and throw her towards the railing. "But I will if I must!" she said exerting some of Rae's power onto the sandbag and dropped it over the side, the rope around Robin's foot looping around his ankle and dragging him upwards.
"Okay Raven. Starbolts. Just let go of your emotions, feel the righteous fury and..." Raven attempted, quickly ducking down as Cy blew out a few dozen bricks. Running around his form, Vent suddenly ran towards her with a normal punch, Raven whirling around it and driving Starfire's purple-booted foot into his face, sending him rolling across the boardwalk and coming to a stop flat on his back. "Sorry Ventus," she apologized before dodging another rush from Cyborg, the Tamaranian mage throwing him over her shoulder sending his massive girth against the railing. Attempting to get up, the rusted-out railing suddenly gave out before he began falling towards the four puppets below. "Starfire!"
"*GASP* Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Starfire called out as she exerted her power over Cy's body and diverted his course away from the four, accidentally using his body as a battering ram against Robin. At the same time however, the Puppet King was able to grab the four and made his way towards the fire.
"C'mon guys! Show some fighting spirit!" Vent said as their wooden bodies were carried towards the magical fire, somehow had raised a clenched fist and narrowed its eyes. "Fight the shackles of oppression! Strip your inhibitions away and run free!"
"Can't... even move..." the others groaned out.
"Well fine! If you guys aren't going to try and break out, I'll do it on my own and take some pressure off of the girls," Vent's puppet said as it suddenly began vibrating, the wood clattering as Puppetmaster's eyes widened as he suddenly stopped. "Nnhh... Nnnnghhhhh..." he growled as the puppet continued to vibrate, the charm that Raven placed on the puppet earlier seemingly triggering as he tried to break free. "Nnghhhhhoooh!" he growled as a white shell of magic began to appear around the brown-haired puppet, cracks slowly spreading across it. "NNNNGHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" he growled as Vent's puppet began bouncing around on its strongs. "KIAI BOKOU!" he shouted as the magic around the puppet shattering like glass and the soul within escaped.
"What? Impossible! How did you overcome my spell?" the Puppet King demanded angrily as the orange button on his controller went out, the orange soul flying through the air... and attaching itself to Cyborg in an orange flash.
"With unending willpower and manliness!" Vent said with Cy's mouth suddenly getting up and throwing Zombie Robin into the air off his shoulder, flexing his muscles and doing various poses like Alexander Louise Armstrong, sans the rose-filled backdrop. "Boo-yah! Check out these guns!" he said flexing his arms before transforming them into sonic cannons, firing both of them at reduced power and sending Beast Boy flying.
"Hey! Watch the merchandise!" Beast Boy cried as his gorilla body slammed into a wall.
"But you don't even possess any magical power! You should never have been able to break out of that spell!" Puppetmaster cried out, finding that even with Robin, Beast Boy, and Ventus' bodies under his control, that with Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg's bodies against him his plans might come with more difficulty than he thought.
"Foolish puppet! With enough guts one can break the heavens, earth, and even tomorrow!" Vent said assuming a dynamic pose, pointing to the heavens as an exploding volcano backdrop went off behind him. "For I am the epitome of masculinity!" he continued flexing his arms beneath his chest, causing the volcano backdrop to erupt even further, the roiling hot magma bursting through the top and causing all who saw it to drop their jaws in awe. "Jack Rakan!" he then said totally killing the moment. "Alright forget the manga references and let's just kick some ASS!" he said pointing Cy's right foot at Robin's body, launching a rocket that sent the spiky-haired teen flying. "Shoe-mounted rocket launcher attack: Success!" he whooped.
"Hey, don't go messin' around with my weapon settings!" Puppet Cy cried out.
"Oh you're such a spoilsport," Vent returned before his body came flying towards him like a slow rocket. In response however, Vent aimed Cyborg's dual sonic cannons at the rafter and launched himself into the air off the ends of their blasts, Cy's puppet jaw almost dropping off entirely as his massive body flew through the air before he dove down and wrapped his arms around his original frame's chest and arms. As they careened towards the ground, Cy's body began to spin via arm-mounted thrusters to the side before he shouted- "Omote Renge!" –the two spinning as their bodies broke through the stage floor in a shower of dust and wood. When the dust clearing, it revealed Cy's body holding Zombie Vent by the ankle, which was currently unconscious and hanging limp. "Heheh. Did I give him to much?" he asked rubbing the back of Cy's head in embarrassment, the brunette's body scuffed up a bit but otherwise unharmed.
"No! The Puppet King is still in command!" the Puppet King cried as he ran towards the torch. "I will not be denied!" he cried out as he got ready to dunk the three puppets into the flames.
"Joo wanna play rough? Okay! Shay ello to my lil frien!" Vent growled in Scarface's accent before firing off Cy's sonic cannon right in front of the puppet, knocking him backwards and scattering the puppets into the air while his crosspiece flew through the air and bounced off a sandbag before landing in the magical blue flames, causing it to flare up brilliantly at the sudden added fuel. "Uh! My control!" he cried as the blaze shaped itself into the likeness of his face, the puppet twitching and jittering in his prone position. "NOOOOOOO!" he cried as light poured out of his eyes and mouth, the souls of Robin, Best Boy, and Cyborg flying out towards their own bodies. At the same time, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg's eyes and mouths flared blue, yellow, and orange as their souls burst out too, the swapping pair's life forces intertwining briefly before returning to their proper homes.
"I am me!" Starfire cheered towards Raven as the looked herself over. "And you are you!"
"And we're us!" Cy cheered as he accidentally let go of Vent's body. "Oops," he said as the brunette landed in a heap, a few pieces of wood sticking out of his clothing.
"Raven, we have done it!" Starfire cheered pulling Raven into a hug.
"You're hugging me..." Raven said, the enthusiastic hug nowhere close to her liking.
"NOOOOOOO!" the Puppet King cried in agony as he tried to crawl toward the magical flame, light still pouring out of his eyes and mouth. "The magic! Without it, I'm just a..." he cried out before the luminosity faded away, the puppet collapsing slack-jawed and googly-eyed.
"Puppet," Vent groaned as he righted himself, walking towards the former puppet king as he picked bits and pieces of wood out of his clothing, thankful he didn't have any king-sized splinters. Guess the shock was what knocked my body out, and considering the difference in height, Cy's body probably hit the ground first, he thought as he grabbed the puppet's leg and began dragging the limp body along.
"Hey uh, Vent, you okay man?" Beast Boy asked.
"Fine," Vent flinched. "Now... Since all of this is over, I'm going to *flinch* see about finding a sure-fire way to destroy this thing *flinch* before it can be resurrected or anything," he said heading out the door, not even five minutes after the battle and already he was carrying out on his promise to turn the little bastard into wood chips. Also, he seemed to be zig-zagging across the room, both out of aching body and banging the puppet's head on whatever he could find as he made his way towards the door.
"Do you not think we should stop him?" Starfire asked as everyone headed for the exit.
"Why? The thing tried to turn our bodies into his zombie minions,"Raven stated evenly as she followed the brunette out. "As far as I can tell, he's in the right," she said before turning his attention to him. "Vent, sorry about kicking you earlier. Even though it was Star's body, it was still me behind it," she apologized.
"You only did what you had to," he said rubbing his sore cheek, hoping the boot print would only be temporary. "Besides, I'm just glad everyone's back in their own bodies..."
"Is something wrong?" Raven asked, noticing his voice had trailed off.
"Well... This may sound stupid, but even though it was your body hugging me at the time, it still felt like one of Star's hugs," he admitted as he scratched his cheek, only to flinch slightly since it was the one he got power-kicked in. "I know, stupid right?"
"No... Not really," Raven flushed holding up Vent's puppet, brushing some of its hair back while Beast Boy ran back to grab the other puppets for whatever he was going to use them for. "I suppose I should be thankful for your paranoia earlier, but... This wasn't a real magical seal I carved into your puppet. Just something to ease your worried mind," she admitted, earning a confused look from the brunette.
"So then... I broke free by my own power?" he asked, earning a nervous nod in return even though she had told him she put an anti-magic charm on his puppet. "Heheh! Sweet! Guess manliness really can conquer all obstacles," he chuckled with a wide grin and lacing his fingers behind his head, only to flinch and hold his sides. "Man. I really should've thought that last move through. Now I know how Gaara's suna bunshin felt," he groaned as he picked the last of the splinters out of his clothing, Raven simply shaking her head at the brunette's antics while she began to remove the soreness from his body.
The next morning at the Tower after everyone got a few hours of sleep in, everyone fell back into their own routine from the previous day. It of course went without saying that when anything was delivered to the tower from then-on, that whatever it was would be screened, both through the science and if applicable the arcane, before they opened anything as to not have a repeat of what had transpired the previous evening. At the moment, Raven was now meditating, floating in front of the windows with eyes closed.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."
"Raven, forgive my interruption, but..."
"I haven't seen Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, or Ventus," she answered simply.
"Truthfully," she said as she hesitantly rubbed her arm. "I am wishing to join you in meditation."
"Really?" Raven asked turning around. "Well, all right," she said as Starfire joined her cross-legged, bobbing up and down at the same height above the ground as she was. "Find your center, focus your energies, and..." she said as the two faced the windows. "Azarath Metiron Zinthos... Azarath Metrion... Starfire?" Raven suddenly found herself asking with an opened eye.
"Yes?" Starfire returned with one eye open.
"After this... would you like to go to the mall?" she asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Starfire returned, the two returning to their chanting.
After a half-hour or so of meditating, Raven eventually decided to cut things off for the day and head to the mall. The two flew, as was at their convenience, above the city towards the multi-purpose shopping center. Halfway there however, they spotted a certain brunette combing the cities from the skies, almost as though he were looking for something, a bag slung across his shoulder as he scanned the ground. Then, after seemingly finding what he was looking for, he allowed himself to fall out of the sky, Raven and Starfire flying around the building obstructing their view to see the brunette flying towards a construction site, large equipment blaring loudly as at the moment, the brunette was walking towards one of the workers on break.
"Raven, what do you think Ventus is doing?" Starfire asked.
"Well he did say something about finding a sure-fire way to destroy that thing," Raven returned, assuming by the size of it that the Puppet King's body was in that sack. "I guess he's been looking for the biggest, most destructive toys he could find, and now he's found them," she returned, the two of them descending toward the construction site. It wasn't like either of them were actually going to try and stop him, but if anything they might as well watch.
Meanwhile down at the construction site, satchel over his shoulder and pulling his aviator goggles up, Ventus walked towards a pile of steel girders, a trio of construction workers on break all carrying mailbox-like metal lunchboxes. As they exchanged sandwiches amongst themselves, one of them noticed the brunette heading towards them and got up from his seat.
"Hey kid, I'm not sure how you got here, but this is a closed site," the man getting off his seat. Obviously no one had seen the brunette drop down, but then again construction work wasn't something to be done at half-attention.
"Teen Titans business," he said pulling out the T-Comm. and presenting it like it were a badge. "I need to speak to your supervisor."
"How 'bout a bit more proof than just that, huh?" the man asked. "For all we know that could be a new walkie talkie or something." In response, the brunette in front of him pocketed the yellow black-trimmed communication device, leveling his right arm towards him and holding his index finger back by his thumb.
"Aeroblast," he said plainly with eyes glowing silver and a thin shell of off-silver energy around the end of his index finger, which he released sending a compacted ball of air smaller than a paintball towards the man's hard hat, sending it flying off his head and into the air, tumbling for a few seconds before landing askew on the man's head. "Need any more proof?" he asked clenching a fist, off-silver energy rolling off of it more visibly now.
"Uh..." he said as the others gawked, having mistaken the Teen Titan Ventus for just any other teenager with brown hair and a sleeveless hoodie. "You're lookin' for Mac. He's the short one across the way over there," he said pointing to a stocky man in a hard hat barking orders at the other workers, who at the moment were working on the foundation for a new office building's foundation.
"Thank you," Vent said walking away, leaving the three to shake their heads at the sight while the man straightened his hard hat. A moment later a grey-skinned girl in a black cloak dropped down in front of them, accompanied by an orange-skinned red-head with orange eyes and purple clothing.
"Do we need to show some proof also?" Raven asked raising an eyebrow at the three.
"N-No. Go ahead," the two eating lunch said waving them towards where the brunette was heading.
"Thank you," Raven returned heading off after the brunette with Starfire following, leaving the three to shudder at what might happen if they had asked the two to prove they were Titans.
"Excuse me," Vent said getting Mac's attention, the man looking around at him from barking orders. Looking him over a few seconds, the man quickly whirled around to face the workers.
"Take five!" he ordered, the man finishing up what they were doing before the man turned around to face him. "I take it you've got business here, Teen Titan," the man stated, causing Vent to raise an eyebrow at actually being recognized. "I saw you fly in a minute ago out the corner of my eye, and the only other people in this city who can fly by their own power are girls. Plus I'm not half-blind like those cludge-heads over there," he said jabbing a finger at the three, the brunette having yet to notice Raven and Starfire heading towards him.
"Thank you for taking the time to hear... Wait, did you just say cludge-head?" he asked.
"Yeah I did. What's it to ya?" the man asked, Ventus taking note that the guy resembled a taller, wider, and more muscular version of Gizmo.
Guess the little snot had to come from somewhere, the brunette thought to himself, seeing as how he was probably looking at the little snot-monkey's dad. "It isn't important. Anyway, I need to dispose of what's in this bag after damaging it considerably, and I was wondering if I could borrow that pile driver over there," he said holding the bag with the Puppet King's body inside, then motioning to the device to the side, meant to pound large stakes into the ground. "Let me warn you, what's in this bag is a liiittle frightening."
"Kid, I grew up in Gotham 'til I moved here, so anything in there you have to show me won't scare me in the lea- KILL IT WITH FIRE!" the man suddenly shouted as Vent pulled the Puppet King's body out of the bag by its ankle, its goggly-eyes rolling around in its wooden skull. "Um. Ahem. I assume there's a reason you want to get rid of this... puppet," he asked as he composed himself, the thing reminding him of The Ventriloquist's puppet, Scarface.
Ironic that Vent use a famous line from a movie gangster by the same name before the little puppet's "life" was ended.
"Long story short, I don't want to have to deal with this thing if it resurrects itself or someone else resurrects it, so I'm going to destroy its body so that it can't be revived, or if it is, then I only have to get one good hit in to kill the damn thing," he stated as he rolled his shoulders, the puppet limply bouncing around. "You wouldn't want this thing running around Jump again, would you?" he asked bringing the puppet closer to the man's face.
"Long as I don't have to look at the thing again, you can smash it up as much as ya want. Just get that thing outta my face," Mac said as he adjusted his hat. "Yo Charlie! Start up the pile driver! Got a Titan here on business!" he said shouting to one of the guys as he was about to bite into his sandwich.
"Vent, I see you were serious about destroying the thing," Raven said from behind him.
"Raven? Starfire? What're you guys doing here?" Vent asked turning around to face the two, a few of the workers watching the three Titans interact.
"We were on our way to the Mall of Shopping when we spotted you," Starfire answered.
"Oh, well, don't let me keep you up," Vent said waving his hand. "I just need to make sure this little nightmare doesn't bug us again, and then I'll probably head home."
"Actually, I had once heard that it is Earth custom for girls to enslave one of their male companions to do their bidding as they shop. Tell me, do you wish to become our indentured servant?" Starfire stated, earning a confused/worried look from Ventus and a raised eyebrow from Mac.
"I think what she meant to ask was if you wanted to hang out with us," Raven stated, trying to clear up the potential misunderstanding between them.
"Oh, well, sure. Just have to get rid of this little terror and the rest of my day will be free. At least until something happens," Vent said bringing the Puppet King's body over to the pile driver.
"Alright kid! Pile driver's set up! Just put what you want smashed on the plate and say when!" Charlie said from the controls of the pile driver. With a nod, Raven used her powers to place the puppet evenly on the plate, Mac handing the three some safety goggles before the hammer came down and smashed the puppet, only its head remaining partially intact. After rising up again, the hammer came down a second time, the body flattened while the head had been smashed further. Third time's the charm, and the thing was completely smashed in a hail of splinters, leaving a mess of crushed wood on the plate.
"That's good!" Vent said as the hammer came out, Charlie nodding as he shut the machine down, Vent brushing the remains of the puppet into the satchel with his wind powers so he wouldn't have to touch it, then taking a length of cord he found on the ground and bound it shut. "Now that it's been thoroughly smashed, all I have to do is find a place where no one will be able to get to it. Either that or a place where it would take some time to get to it. I know!" he said snapping his fingers before turning to Mac. "Yo Mac. Mind if I put this on a bed of gravel before the concrete is set?"
"Don't see why not, but you'll have to press all the air outta that thing first," Mac said, the brunette nodding as he pulled as much of the air as he could out of the satchel, leaving only a few flat bulges from the wood sticking out. "Oh... Well... Okay then," he said scratching his head. "I'll just take that and... there," he said after tossing it onto a bed of gravel before the last of the concrete was poured over it. "All done. Anything else?"
"No, I'm good. Thanks for helping me get rid of that thing," Vent returned.
"As long as I don't have to look at that fart-sniffer's face again, we're even," Mac returned. "Hey you lazy bums! Get back to work! Five minutes is over!" he then barked, the men snapping out of what they were doing before going back to work, leaving Vent on his own with Raven and Starfire.
"So then he's really gone then? The Puppet King I mean?" Raven asked looking at the slough of concrete that had been placed over the satchel filled with crushed wood. Because of him she almost lost everything she had gained, so her loathing the little demon puppet was understandable.
"Yeah. It was a little gruesome, but it had to be done," Vent said shrugging his shoulders.
"Most joyous! Let us now go to the Mall of Shopping!" Starfire cheered as she grabbed Raven and Ventus' wrists before taking to the air.
"Hey Rae. What happened to the other's puppets anyway?" Vent asked flying a bit on his own so his arm wouldn't be pulled from his socket.
"Well, I picked up yours for... the sentimental value," Raven stated as she grabbed Star's wrist so her arm wouldn't be pulled from its socket. "As for the other five, I think Beast Boy ran off with them."
"What do you thing he wants with them?" Vent asked, finding it kind of sweet that Raven would keep his puppet for the sentimental value of it.
"Probably doing the one thing he can't in real life," the mage stated.
"Making you laugh at his jokes?"
"Bingo."
"HA! I knew it!" Vent stated loudly. "Um, Star, think you could let go of Rae's hand? I think you're hurting her wrist."
"Oh, my apologies," she said letting the mage go as the three stopped, Raven rubbing her sore wrist.
"Here Rae. Let me help you out," Vent said extending his loeft hand to her, which she took, the brunette holding her to his side with his right hand as the three took off once again, the mage thankful to have such good friends, and wishing that it would last forever.
Disclaimer:
Do not own Negima (Willpower Defense). Do not own Naruto (Front Lotus). Ventus' use of Lugia's (signature) Aeroblast off his finger was a concept seen in the FanFiction To Be A Master by Tactition101.
Author's Note:
When I saw that Puppetmaster's controller had 6 slots on it (five of which were lit), I just then realized how perfectly Vent fit into it, since before that empty slot remained unused. There was a slot for Robin (Red), Beast Boy (Green), Cyborg (White), Starfire (Yellow), and Raven (Blue), but the sixth slot across from Starfire and Raven's wasn't lit up, so I'm to assume Puppet Master's magic is bound to the controller itself and not one of the controller's slots. In the one scene where there were two green slots lit up on the controller, that was an "animation goof".