I do NOT own Teen Titans
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Alpine Swift: A bird that can stay in the air for over 200 days without landing. The young don't land until their 2nd or 3rd year when they start looking for a nesting site.
Here we find Starfire while often confused about earth is not as naive as she appears.
I make a poor attempt in this chapter to fix the fact I didn't have Aqualad rush to the ocean to save the fish. Sorry for that oversight.
Beast Boy's Nevermore isn't like Raven's, but it's mainly used as a way to explain how he can make things like his clothes and armor disappear and appear. There will be more on what Raven sensed there.
Slade didn't get into Beast Boy's Nevermore, but remember he wouldn't have just jumped blindly into a whole different dimension. He would've tried to probe it first with magic and technology.
Time: Night time, the same day.
The Party,... A Late Night Talk,... Morning Practice,... The Next Plot Starts,... Realization,... The Next Plot Revealed,... A Thinking Girl,...
The eyes of the violet-haired girl were half closed as she flipped through the pages of an old tome. Curled up in a large chair, lost in thought, she was comfortable and warm. Around her was the sometimes shrill sounds of laughter and talking that not too long ago she would've found intensely annoying. Now though it was pleasant. The people creating the ruckus was her family, and she was welcomed. With a small, barely noticable sigh, she closed the book and let it rest on her lap.
We should be planning how to handle the Joker's next attack. She mused, watching as Beast Boy and Cyborg argued over a video game. Across the room Starfire sat in another chair beside Robin who was flipping through some documents Batman had sent him. Contrary to his usual habit of pushing the girl away, Boy Wonder seemed only too happy to have her sitting close to him.
For a second her gaze returned to the shape shifter, causing Rage's words to echo in her mind again. 'Think about fish boy's hands on you, and then think about Beast Boy's hands on you.' There was no doubt in her mind that she would prefer the hands of the shape shifter. With a sigh she let her eyes fully close.
The noise in the room grew as Mas y Menos arrived with a huge stack of pizzas held between them.
"Thanks." Robin told the two boys as they all rose to hunt through the boxes for something they liked.
Beast Boy found a piece loaded with vegetables, while both Robin and Cyborg grabbed slices covered in bacon and ham. Raven decided she was feeling too lazy to move and just closed her eyes again. Above the racket she heard the fridge door open and close. That's Starfire getting the mustard. She mused with a slight smile, deciding that maybe the others were right. That maybe after the brutal day they'd had some downtime was necessary.
"You have any with sardines and anchovies?" Aqualad asked from the doorway.
"Probably." Robin replied, gesturing at the pile of boxes. "Eat before it's all gone."
"How did it go?" Beast Boy asked.
"I created a whirlpool." The Atlantean replied. It mixed the toxin with the seawater. There's no danger now."
"Sorry." Robin interjected. "If I'd allowed you to do that when Beast Boy released it..." He shrugged with a small apologetic frown.
"Not your fault." Came the reply as the dark-haired boy sorted through the pizza boxes. "Having me pull water from the ocean up through the sewers to the towers in case things went wrong was a good idea. There would still have been a lot of dead people, but it would've saved some of them. I'm just glad it wasn't necessary."
Raven sighed, and looked at the pile of boxes. If she didn't get up soon it would be all gone.
Beast Boy looked at the violet-haired girl and noticed her hungry eyes staring at the boxes. Standing, he grabbed the one with dark olives along with several different types of cheese. It had a regular amount of meat on it. "Here." He handed the box to the girl whose gaze had yet to leave it.
"Thanks." She intoned as she pulled out a slice and started to eat. For some reason she couldn't help but blush and gaze at his hands. Think about fish boy's hands on you, and then think about Beast Boy's hands on you.' The words echoed in her mind again. What would it be like? She mused, and felt her face become warm.
"You okay?" The green-skinned Titan asked, noticing her bright-red complexion.
"I am." She intoned impassively.
Bumblebee entered and headed straight for the pizza. With a piece of the meat-lovers special in her hand she grabbed a seat beside Cyborg. Speedy arrived soon after.
Nibbling at her pizza, the violet-eyed girl silently watched the crowd.
"Almost like a party."
Raven looked up to see Speedy standing beside her.
"I guess." She replied, sounding apathetic.
"You don't like parties?"
"Not usually." She replied.
"Next time you're in Steel City I'm sure I can change your mind. There's every kind of place you can imagine."
"Really?" The girl replied, wondering if there were many spooky cafes there. "Want to play a game of chess?" She asked, deciding the game, along with talking about Steel City, might distract her from Beast Boy and his hands. The talking ceased as she became immerse in the game. In less than fifteen minutes it ended with a brutal defeat for the boy from Titans East. She returned to her chair and resumed watching the crowd. The half demon frowned when she saw Beast Boy was gone. Searching with her empathic senses she found no signs of him within the tower. Within her mind she could almost hear Rage screaming, 'Idiot... Idiot... Idiot... Idiot...' at her.
Beast Boy let his eyes roam over the crowd. Mas y Menos were busy with a video game. Robin and Starfire were talking to each other. That the redheaded girl was happy was obvious. Cyborg seemed to be enjoying his talk with Bumblebee. Occasionally the two would look at each other, and the shape shifter could practically see the sparks fly between them. And... He sighed. Even Raven seems to be having a good time with Speedy. He watched the two for a minute, and realized the boy was hitting on her. She seems to like him. The shape shifter frowned, as he saw them talk while playing chess. Rising, he left the room.
Knowing he should get some rest, yet unable to stay still, the shape shifter became an Alpine Swift and took to the air. Within him his emotions raged, and he desired nothing more than to immerse himself in battle. It's just a crush, and it'll fade. The green-skinned Titan told himself, trying to squash the need to rip and tear at a certain orange-haired boy..
Soaring above the landscape, he desperately searched for an enemy. Finding none, he shrieked in fury.
With a tired sigh Raven knocked on Starfire's door.
"Friend Raven." The redheaded girl exclaimed in happy surprise upon opening the door. "What brings you here?"
"I'm probably going to have nightmares tonight so ..." She looked at the floor. Pink again. The violet-haired girl mused, seeing her friend was wearing fluffy pink slippers.
"Sleepover!" The girl shrieked in a perfect imitation of Happy. Reaching out, she grabbed Raven and pulled her inside.
"You don't mind?" She knew it was a silly question. Obviously the orange-skinned girl had just become supercharged on excitement.
"I will build the wall." Was the only response as Starfire began rearranging the pillows on her bed.
Raven moved to help, remaining quiet.
"Are you okay?" The question was delivered in a more serious tone. "The Joker did almost kill you today. Is that what will give you nightmares?"
"That and other things." The violet-eyed girl intoned in reply. "Some of the things Beast Boy can change into are scary." She shuddered.
"Really?" There was curiosity in the girl's voice.
"Trust me. Really." Raven intoned with just the slightest hint of sarcasm. Of course. She mused. Since I didn't look I don't exactly know what it was that was so scary.
"Why did you find it so funny when I suggested you and friend Beast Boy date?" The girl changed topics.
"Me and Beast Boy dating would be a joke Starfire. Surely you weren't serious. You can't just take two people and stick them together so you and Robin can double date."
"You actually laughed. I have never seen you do that before." Starfire replied. "I am sure friend Beast Boy was hurt." She no longer sounded quite so happy.
"I'm sure he thought of it as a joke too." Raven replied, pretty sure she was right.
"He did not. There was pain on face when you laughed." The redhead admonished her friend. "Of all the times to laugh, it was to hurt him."
"I'm sure ..." She didn't know what to say in reply. "Are you sure?"
"Many things about your world confuses me, but Beast Boy is not one of them." The orange-skinned alien replied. "He may laugh when he is sad, but it is still a true laugh that says the sadness will not ruin his day. He is very much like a Tamaranean."
"Oh." Raven tried to recall how Beast Boy had looked when she'd laughed, but the memory was overshadowed by the news of the Joker. Something inside her twisted and made her sick at the thought she might've hurt him.
Starfire sighed. "The wall is built." She needlessly pointed out, looking at the row of fluffy, pink cushions.
"I see." The violet-eyed girl replied, lost in thought with a frown on her face. She settled down beneath the blankets. Despite her weariness she stared at the ceiling. "Was he really hurt?" She asked worriedly.
"He was." Came the reply from the other side of the pink wall. The tone contained no doubt.
"Oh. But why?"
"You are a cute girl, and he is a boy. Why would he not be upset you thought him unworthy."
"Unworthy?" She wondered what that meant.
"Why else would you have laughed. It could only be that he is so beneath you that you find the idea amusing."
"No." Raven lifted her head to glare over the pillows. "Never. He's my friend, a part of my family." She adamantly stated, firmly denying she would think such a thing. Her voice contained a hint of anger that her friend would even suggest it.
"I wanted to play the game of spinning of the bottle to get to kiss Robin." Starfire admitted. "I read about it on the computer, and thought it would get him to notice me. Do you know why Beast Boy played the game?"
"Hrm." Recalling the emotional outburst she'd sensed from him at that time Raven frowned. "No. I only know something about it upset him." She admitted.
"He wanted to play so he could kiss you."
"What." The violet-eyed girl sat up in shock. "Starfire, you're kidding right."
"No. I am serious."
Raven gulped. "That's silly. I know he doesn't want to kiss me." She stated, sure of herself.
"Oh?" Came the curious reply.
"I sensed he was upset and ..." She stopped before she blurted out that Beast Boy had tried to pick up a hooker. "I offered him a peck on the cheek to finish the game."
Starfire sat up. "You did? What was his reaction?" She asked, sounding curious.
"He was angry and refused."
"What did friend Beast Boy say though?" The orange-skinned Titan questioned her friend with intense interest.
"That he didn't want my pity. Still, he refused so if he wanted ..." The violet-eyed girl stopped to gulp at the way Starfire was staring at her.
"You offered him a kiss, or rather a peck on the cheek, out of pity?" The girl asked, wide-eyed with fury in her voice. "He deserves better."
"I thought it might cheer him up?" Raven gulped again, not liking the look on the redhead's face. "Seeing him in pain hurts." She declared. "I had to try something."
Starfire laid back down. "I am very angry at you." She spoke the obvious, though her voice had calmed down. "Earth customs often confuse me, but even I know that was wrong. Since when has friend Beast Boy asked for pity from any of us?"
"He was feeling down and I thought ..." The half-demon didn't know what to say.
"He wanted your affection, not your pity." Starfire explained, sure of herself. "Just as I want Robin's affection."
"That can't be the case." Raven insisted with her mind awash in confusion and disbelief.
"It is." The orange-skinned Titan replied. "Do you recall the tricks he played on Cyborg and Robin that were very unlike him?"
"I do. He drank Cyborg's blood, and got you to feed Robin a ton of dinosaur drool."
"He did that out of anger and jealousy." Starfire explained. "When we practice tomorrow morning I predict Speedy is in for a very hard time."
"What? Why?" A tired and confused Raven asked.
"I have, thanks to friend Beast Boy, found that humans and Tamaraneans are not so different when it comes to love." The orange-skinned alien replied. "Robin puzzled me because he suppressed his emotions while showing interest, which is not something a Tamaranean would do. Beast Boy is much like a Tamaranean. Have you never noticed the way he looks at you? It's different from the way he looks at me and the others."
"But why would he want to fight Speedy. Robin and Cyborg were gloating so I can see why he would be angry with them. But Speedy?
"Watch and see." Starfire replied with absolute certainty in her voice. "We should sleep. Tomorrow we must be ready for if the Joker tries to play another joke."
Feeling bewildered, Raven let her mind reach out to search for the green-skinned Titan. Frowning, she realized he was still nowhere in the tower.
"Where's Beast Boy?" Robin demanded, looking around.
"He said he would be a minute or so late." Cyborg replied. "He didn't return to the tower last night so I called him. He'll be here."
"Where was he?" Boy Wonder asked sounding curious.
"Not sure. When he replied his voice sounded like it does when he's a parrot, so I guess he was flying."
"Okay then." Robin announced. "Everyone from Titans West pair up with someone from Titans East. It's not often we get to spar with each other so I want to make the most of it."
Raven frowned as Speedy made a straight line for her. Looking around she noted Bumblebee was paired with Cyborg while Robin was preparing to fight Aqualad. Mas y Menos were drooling as they stared at Starfire. Seems she was wrong. The girl though with relief. He might not even show up for practice. The thought caused her to pause. That's very unlike him. She realized, and the relief vanished. Then, with a fluttering of its green wings, a falcon descended between her and the orange-haired boy.
"Ready and present, sir." Beast Boy announced to Robin before turning to face Speedy with his face void of expression. "Let's fight."
"Actually I was ..."
The shape shifter reclaimed his armor and bo staff from the beast where he'd stashed it, and returned to his human form. What the boy from Titans East was going to say he never knew as he charged.
Face pale, Raven watched the savage way the shape shifter raced at his startled opponent.
"Let's see how well you do face-to-face." Speedy meet the attack with swift sure movements as he parried with his bow, radiating confidence. "Not that I expect much." The teen taunted. "If I recall correctly even Wildebeest can beat you."
Never let anger cloud your mind. The shape shifter recalled Slade saying, and he focused solely on fighting.
"And I can do with some payback after that venom you used on me." The orange-haired boy spat.
Raven watched, frowning as bow met bo staff in a flurry of blows with both almost evenly matched. From the shape shifter came a flicker of dark magic as he used the one spell he knew to enhance his speed and strength. The battle turned in his favor. Why is he in his human form. She wondered. The Beast is stronger and faster.
I could use the blades of the staff to cut that bow to pieces. Beast Boy though, seriously tempted. But the others might see that as going to far. Brutally he marched forward, using the superior strength and speed the spell of rage gave him. His foe stumbled backwards, clearly struggling, and the changeling felt the joy of battle take him much as it would Ghostling.
The other members of the two teams paused their own sparring to watch the fight.
Speedy managed to jump back, putting some distance between him and the shape shifter. With inhuman speed he readied his bow and fired. There was a look of shock on his face as the punching-glove arrow, fired at point-blank range, missed. He launched another and then another, only to have the boy who stood less than a dozen feet from him dodge each one as if amused.
"Wow." Bumblebee said, staring. "How the heck is he doing that?"
"Wish I knew." Boy Wonder replied. "Last time we sparred I didn't land a single blow."
An arrow was just like any other weapon and, even if only slightly, it displaced the air as it moved. Watching his opponent with half-closed eyes, the shape shifter flickered back and forth between his human form and that of an amoeba. "How many arrows do you have?" He asked mockingly as the twelfth one missed him.
"Let's see you dodge this." The angry teen fumed, readying an arrow that looked different from the others. The heat-seeking missile zoomed down on the shape shifter. As before he evaded it, though it wavered slightly in the air as it lost track of him and sought to find him again.
Bumblebee frowned. "You might want to save some of those for the Joker." She warned her teammate.
"Agreed." Robin added. "This is supposed to be just a mild workout. Don't either of you wear yourselves out." He ordered.
Speedy scowled, clearly not liking the order. Wielding his bow like a staff he charged.
Beast Boy grinned sadistically, and with a flick of his wrist synthetic-diamond blades extended from his bo staff.
"Stop. No weapons that might hurt someone." Robin yelled, clearly angry.
The shape shifter turned to stare coldly at the leader before retracting the blades. Turning, he met his foe head on, lashing out with blows that sent the boy flying. Without hesitation he marched on the orange-haired teen, pitilessly raining forth one merciless attack after the other.
"Something tells me B isn't in a good mood this morning." Cyborg said, watching the savage beating Speedy was taking.
"Agreed." Robin muttered. "Stop. Cease fighting." He yelled.
Damn. The shape shifter silently cursed. It's not over yet. However, he backed off to let his foe rise.
"Stupid dog." Speedy muttered furiously and the red-faced boy, who hated to lose as much as Robin did, couldn't resist one last attack. His bow lashed out to land a solid blow against the leg of the green-skinned Titan. The weapon, no match for synthetic diamond, smashed to pieces.
The anger broke free within him, and unable to allow his foe the last attack, Beast Boy turned on him with a zealous savagery. The bo staff in his hands hummed as he whirled it, and the weapon wrecked havoc on his stunned opponent.
Gulping, Raven reached out with her dark magic to place a barrier between the two.
"Bladed weapons?" Robin yelled, marching on the shape shifter.
"Attacking when the fight is over?" Bumblebee screamed, storming towards her teammate.
Raven looked towards Starfire.
"Speedy hates to lose." The redhead replied. "And Beast Boy was jealous."
"Oh." The half demon replied, watching as the two boys took a tongue-lashing. Neither of them was seriously hurt, but the sheer intensity of the fight had been frightening.
"Calling a fellow Titan a dog? What are you? An animal?" Bumblebee raged with intense furor at Speedy.
"Attacking someone who's already defeated? What the heck were you thinking?" Robin yelled angrily at Beast Boy with fierce disapproval.
"When we have time, I'll talk to him." Raven decided. "We'll clear this up. But I know Starfire is wrong." Within her mind Rage stirred again. 'Would it be so bad if she's right?' The red-clad emoticlone asked, sounding hopeful.
An hour later they sat in the commons room trying to decide what to do about the Joker. Basically it came down to nothing other than search until he hatched his next plot. That didn't sit well with either of the Titans who knew the master criminal would be nearly impossible to track down. During the entire meeting Speedy and Beast Boy had sat on opposite sides of the room, staring at each other with open hostility.
"Will he be ready so soon for another plot?" The shape shifter asked. "It was only yesterday he tried something major huge."
"The Joker always has several cards up his sleeves." Robin stated, eyes staring into space. "He might strike today, or he might wait a month. But if he's set his sights on Jump City then he will strike, and we must be prepared."
"How do we prepare?" Raven intoned, repeating the question they'd spent the last hour discussing, or in some cases arguing over.
Boy Wonder stared down at his hands. "Wish I knew. Back when the Titans formed I would've said we practice, but I've learned not to overwork you all." He gave them a small smile. "And in the case of the Joker it would be meaningless anyway. If we find him we got more than enough people to take him down. As for foiling his plots, fighting isn't always the solution there." He turned his eyes towards Beast Boy. "Good work yesterday by the way."
"Thanks." Replied the green-skinned Titan who was still smarting from a severe tongue-lashing.
Minutes later, when checked, the mail contained another CD from the deranged serial killer.
On the screen the green-haired villain frowned. 'My friend Robin, why do resist the smiles I wish to bring to the people of your fair city. Think of the children who are sad. Surely my precious friend you would like to see their frowns turned upside down. What sort of monster are you to refuse the little ones an end to their days of sadness." A determined look appeared of the face of the lunatic. 'No. I will not stand for it. Even if I must oppose you I will end the sorrow that dwells within the heart of this place. I, the Joker, do declare that soon no child shall awake to tears. This I promise them, this I swear, for every tiny face there shall be the most joyous of smiles for them and their friends.'
"Nutcase." Bumblebee frowned with a visible shudder.
"Tiny faces." Robin said as he glowered at the blank screen of the DVD player.
"Children." Beast Boy growled. "He's going to kill children."
"The Joker is as bad a Gordanian." Starfire said, staring in horror.
Their visibly shaken leader took deep breath, and focused himself. "Jump City has two million people, with over four hundred thousand children." He stated. "There're hundred of schools along with thousands of places where large groups of them might gather. Where do we start?"
Silence met the question.
"Damn." Raven finally intoned. "We can't cover thousands of places."
"We don't know how much time we got." Beast Boy said, almost growling. "And there're too many places to check, but ..." He looked around. "He's not going to be happy striking just one place and killing just a few kids. He's going to do something that hits a lot of places, and kills a lot of kids. Which means if we check out a few places odds are we might at least find out what he's up to."
"Cyborg draw up a list fifty schools and plot the shortest route between them." Robin ordered as he turned to look at Mas y Menos. "You two will follow the route and see if you can spot anything."
The two boys nodded, looking pale.
"Anyone who can fly will select five schools and scout them." Their leader ordered. "Those of us who can't will take a module from the T-ship and check a few locations. We'll meet back here in three hours."
Beast Boy flew through several schools as a gnat, not wanting to draw attention. In empty classrooms, hidden from view, he made a few quick transitions to the form of bear, using its ultra-sensitive nose to check for anything that might smell like poison. Checking the time he quickly scouted one last school in addition to the five he'd been assigned before returning empty-handed to the tower.
Raven levitated and flew to the five schools she'd been ordered to check. Her empathic senses detected nothing out of the ordinary. Some students were happy, some where sad, with most somewhere in-between. Pulling up her hood she walked through the halls and corridors, hating the whole experience as she was stared at. So far as she could tell, she was the most unusual thing present.
"Nothing." She intoned back at the tower where she found Beast Boy alone.
"Me either." He replied, not looking her way.
Silently she studied the green form of the shape shifter, noting he was growing taller. He's not going to be short and scrawny forever. The violet-eyed girl mused, feeling nervous, yet certain her friend didn't like her. At least not in that way. Any chance she had to talk about it vanished as the others slowly trickled in.
"Whatever he's planning isn't going to be that easy to spot it seems." Robin fumed, pacing the room. He tossed frequent glances at the time.
"I'll scout from the air again." Beast Boy said, rising to leave.
Watching him from the corner of her eyes, Raven noticed she was the last thing he looked at as he left, and that quick glance triggered something within her; some knowledge she'd always suppressed. That's always been the case. She suddenly realized. I've always been the one he looked out for first, and I've always taken it for granted. He was always there from the start, making sure the group included me in activities. The knocks on my bedroom door when I started to spend too much time alone. Refusing to leave me alone when I was sad or angry. The jokes that were so stupid were always meant for me. Even the pizza yesterday. He saw I was tired, and got it for me without my having to ask. Startled, she blinked, wondering why she'd never seen it before. His actions could be mistaken for those of an older brother, but not those of the younger, immature one she'd always assumed him to be. The look however said he didn't think of her as a sister. It left her feeling bewildered, yet breathless.
"Raven?"
The voice brought the girl out of her trance. "Yes?" She asked.
"I don't suppose you know any way you can track him using magic?" Robin asked, clearing repeating himself.
"Track Beast Boy using magic? Why?" Watching as everyone stared at her in confusion, she blushed, realizing her mistake. She gulped. "Ah. No. I can't track the Joker using magic. If I could I would've done so by now." She quickly pulled up her hood.
"Oh. Okay." Boy Wonder barely blinked at her blunder before moving on. "We'll have Mas y Menos check a number of schools again in the evening. Maybe it is something we can spot but he hasn't set it up yet."
Raven peered out from under her hood, and saw Starfire smiling at her. 'We're the one Beastie likes. Ya Ya Ya...' Both Happy and Rage sang in union within her mind.
"So?" The orange-skinned alien asked her ten minutes later while heading out to scout the city.
"So?" The violet-haired girl intoned, playing innocent.
"You know now? How do you feel?" The girl peered at her, demanding an answer.
"Strange. Confused. But good." The half demon admitted. "I always knew he had my back, but I didn't know how far it went. Why didn't he say anything?"
"Because while he likes you, you never showed any signs that you liked him back. He did not want to ruin your friendship by making it awkward. However I have noticed something when we fight."
"What's that?"
"Though I was confused about our relationship, friend Robin protects me first and I him. That is just the way it is. And it is the same with you and friend Beast Boy. He protects you first, and you protects him first. You are much like friend Robin and I."
"Oh." She'd never realized that either.
"So, you do like friend Beast Boy?" Starfire smiled at her.
"I'm not sure. I'm ... honored ... by the way he feels." Raven struggled to express how she felt. "But I'm not sure if what I feel for him is the same. I might still be seeing him as a younger brother. As I said. I'm confused."
"It is not the feelings one would have for a brother." The orange-skinned alien smiled as if she had a secret.
"How would you know?"
"Because in ones sleep one does not dream about their brother like you do about friend Beast Boy."
"Wha..." The half-demon gulped, blushing. "I've never had those sort of dreams. Not that I can recall."
"You did last night. You must have forgotten it when you woke up. I have heard humans do not always recall their dreams."
Blushing a bright red, Raven didn't know what to say. The annoying chant Happy and Rage were still singing in her head changed. 'Ya Ya Ya. Raven and Beastie sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G.'
"And you didn't tell me?"
"Would you have believed me?" The orange-skinned Titan replied innocently.
"Heck no." Raven admitted, dropping her facade for a second. "At least not until I saw the way he just looked at me... And the way I felt in return."
The green falcon soared more than a mile above the city, carefully scrutinizing the landscape below. From his birds-eye view he paid particular attention to the schools. Able to see to the ends of horizon, there were more a hundred within range of his all-seeing eyes.
Funny. The changeling mused. As Ghostling I saw this city as mine to do with as I please. Even destroy. Now I would die to keep it safe. He tilted his wings, and his perspective changed with more schools caming into view while other vanished from his sight. Even at a range of several miles he could clearly see the windows, and even the names, of the various places he was studying. Should he so choose, he could focus on one and count the people entering and leaving it.
For hours he floated above the landscape, doing nothing but watch with his attention flittering from one school to the next, focusing on none of them for more than a second. Able to see the whole picture, he noticed it change slightly. There was a solitary delivery van approaching the place he was studying. Looking at the next he saw another vehicle clearly marked with 'Jay's Delivery Service' approaching it. To rule out a coincidence he continued to shift his view from one school to the next. He saw more and more being approached by vehicles marked with the names of various delivery services. Sensing something out of the ordinary, Beast Boy folded his wings close to his body and plummeted towards the ground.
It could be nothing more than delivery day for chalk. The green-skinned Titan told himself, not believing it for a second, as he hurled towards the closest van. Unfurling his wings, he glided above it for a second before landing. Utilizing his various shapes, it took seconds for him to enter the back which was filled with various boxes.
"What does 'Clara in urbem, mittit ad amicum risus' mean?" The shape shifter asked, speaking into his communicator.
"It's latin for 'Brighten up your city, send a smile to a friend.'" Raven immediately replied.
"Why?" Robin asked.
"There's a van with boxes of candles with that written on them going to each school right now. They're shaped like children with really strange grins on their faces. Hold on a second." The shape shifter became a bear and sniffed the candles with his sensitive nose. Immediately he backed away, growling in fear with his paw raised to strike.
"The candles contain the same neurotoxin as the CDs." The frightened boy gulped into his communicator a second later. "It's harmless now, but if someone lights one they're dead along with everyone near by."
It took Cyborg less than a minute to call a school and find out the candles were part of an outreach program. The students were being urged to buy them at a dollar each with the money going to help the schools situated in less well-off areas. While Jump City was profitable and provided funds to all institutions of learning, some were better off than others. The money would go to meal programs and would mean the difference between cheap, unhealthy food, and slightly more expensive fruits and vegetables.
Accessing the database at one of the schools, the cybernetic teen downloaded the email address for every worker at every school from the janitors to the principals. For good measure he included those of the students. It took the tower's computers less than a minute to send out the nearly half-a-million messages that read:
'Warning. Neurotoxins have been detected in the candles for your outreach program. This is an attempt by the villain known as the Joker to kill the children of Jump City. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE THEM... DO NOT LIGHT THEM... HAVE SCHOOL SECURITY GUARD ALL CANDLES... Wait for the proper authorities to notify you and follow their instructions.'
Typing with inhuman speed the Titan then sent a similar message to all the police stations in the city. He followed this by repeating the process, but with text-messages sent to every number he could find associate with the schools and the police.
"The tiny faces were the candles." Robin stated with his face twisted up in horror. "The friends were the children who would've bought them and the people around them."
Relieved that the latest plot by the crazed lunatic was safely handled, Raven retreated to her room, needing to get away from the crowd for a bit. Lighting one of her many scented candles she sat down to meditate and think.
What to do about Beast Boy and me? She pondered, actually glad to be thinking about such mundane matters rather than the life-or-death situations the Joker's lunacy came up with. She inhaled deeply as the strawberry scent of the candle fill the room.
To be more precise how do I get him to give me a massage? Perhaps Starfire can help there since it seems she had no problem getting one from him. Besides, there's no need to rush into things. I'm sure he'll understand that. The violet-eyed girl smiled, knowing the shape shifter would indeed understand. Still, I know the situation now and I'm not letting him wait in limbo. I do like him. I just need a way to express it.
Raven opened her violet eyes to peer at the brightly burning candle. Deciding it reminded her of the Joker's latest plot, she reached out and extinguished it. A second later the blue-clad girl collapsed from the neurotoxin she'd been breathing in. Immediately it attacked her nervous system, swiftly bringing her to the brink of death.
End of Chapter.
Raven's view of Beast Boy changed pretty fast. But then the feelings would've already been there, she just needed to realize it and accept them.
A cliffhanger. Sorry, but it just felt like the right place to end the chapter.
Many thanks to those that read and review.