"Now, let's recite this again." Claudius said pointing a stick at Garfield.
"Father, Leon, Muzo, Rock, Rafael, Bato, and Vladimir?" he recited.
"Correct, now we must go to dinner." Claudius said. Garfield nodded and the exited the room. They both wore the same attire. Yet again, they wore a white robe with a hood, except, it had a black lining on the edges. How is this formal? Garfield thought and they walked toward the dining room.
"I've got a question." Garfield said.
"What is your question?" Claudius asked.
"Does Raven always wear that necklace with the raven on it?" Garfield asked.
"Indeed. She practically wears it every day. Sometimes I believe she bathes and sleeps in it. She greatly admires that necklace." Claudius answered.
"I see." Garfield said.
"Are you ready for this?" Claudius asked as they reached the dining room door.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Garfield replied.
"Don't worry, but they don't bite." Claudius said, "Raven may be the one to worry about." Then they entered the dining room. The dining room was the same, with the exception of the six monks and Raven. The monks sat by the fireplace and Raven walked toward Claudius and Garfield.
"Great choice Claudius. It must have been hard to choose an outfit for such an occasion." Raven said.
"Very dreadful." He said.
"Nice to see you once again Garfield." She said to him. "It is quite a difference to see you in elegant clothes."
"You know you liked it when I just walked around in only my boxers around Titans Tower." He said.
"Oh yes, just as much as Vic loves tofu." She said, "But now, when you are here, keep the jokes to a minimum. You can tell me all of your jokes afterwards. The monks don't have a sense of humor."
"I promise." He claimed.
"Just to let you know, there will be no meat served in dinner tonight" she whispered. "And you can just have some more table manners."
"Sounds good to me." He whispered back. Suddenly, the door opened behind them revealing a woman and a small child. The woman was about the height of Raven. She had golden brown hair that she pulled back into a hair tie. The small child next to her had brown hair, but had almost the same facial features like the woman. Garfield assumed it was Odzola and Darren. When she walked in, she greeted Claudius with a hug. Darren ran toward his father and hugged his legs. Claudius picked his son up and smiled.
"How's my son?" He asked.
"I'm good daddy." He said. He looked toward Garfield and asked, "Who is that?"
"This is Mr. Logan. He's on a visit. Why don't you say hello?" Claudius said. Darren said hello and Garfield waved back.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Logan," Odzola greeted.
"Like wise." He said. Suddenly a bell rang that brought the attention to everyone. The waiter earlier was the one who rang the bell.
"Dinner is served. Please sit down." He said and everyone started to converge to the table. The monks sat on one half of the table with Leon at the end. Garfield, Claudius, Odzola, and Darren filled the other half of the table. Raven sat at the other end across Leon. The plates had already been passed out and everything else surrounded it. Garfield began to recognize the order and was very confident. The food was being passed out when Father Leon spoke.
"I apologize Mr. Logan that the monks and I have not formally greeted you." He said, "I wish to welcome you to Azarath."
"Thank you." Garfield said politely.
"Tell me about yourself, Mr. Logan." Father Rock asked.
"Well, you may already know that I am from a different dimension of course. I am part of a super hero team that Raven used to be a part of. Um. I can't think of anything else." Garfield explained.
"I see, and you have supernatural abilities. Tell us what abilities you have." Leon asked.
"I can turn into animals." He said.
"So you are a changeling." Leon said
"You're right! Usually people call me a shape-shifter, but there's a difference." Garfield said.
"To prove you can change, why don't you show us." Vladimir said. Garfield took a gulp, but before he could answer, Raven spoke.
"You know as much as I do, Vlad, that the Azarathian atmosphere makes him unable to shift." Raven said and she started to eat.
"I was just wondering if it were true." He said.
"Wow Vlad and you became an all-knowing monk?" She sarcastically said.
"Dido, I happen to know much and that is why I was appointed as a monk." He said.
"Then you should have known that 'all-knowing monk'" she said.
"Stop arguing you two. This feast is to welcome Mr. Logan and not give them a sample of the daily bickering between you two." Leon stated.
"Yes, Leon." She said and picked up her wine glass. Vlad watched in distaste as she drank her wine.
The dinner went on as usual. Garfield was introduced to the life of the monks and the monastery. He finally remembered all the monks' names but he was not fond of Vladimir. The main course was eaten and everyone had their full. Leon stood up and the other monks repeated. They walked toward Garfield and he stood up.
"It was a great pleasure to meet you Mr. Logan. I hope you have a great time in Azarath." He said and then was whispered, "I can also be sure that you and Raven spend time tomorrow." Garfield couldn't speak. Did he know that he liked Raven? Before he left, he winked and left the room. The monks shook Garfield's hand one by one. Lastly, Vlad was at the end. He looked at Garfield in disgust. The changeling extended his hand for his to shake it, but Vladimir stared at it repulsively and walked away. Garfield looked back at him as he left the room.
"What's his deal?" he said. Raven smiled.
"He's always like that. Don't pay him mind. I give him shit all the time." Raven said.
"Maybe because he deserves it." He said. Odzola had her son snuggled against her and he was sleeping.
"I guess it's my time to go as well." Odzola said, "It was very nice to meet you Mr. Logan."
"Just call me Garfield." He said. Claudius and Odzola left the room leaving Raven and Garfield alone.
"Since when did you give out your real name?" Raven said, "I thought you were too embarrassed to even say your name."
"I kinda get used to it now." He said.
"C'mon, let's go to the living room." She said. He nodded and they descended to the living room. Once they entered the room, Raven sat on the couch and Garfield sat on the love seat across from her.
"I know you have some more scoop for me. Tell me what else has happened since I've been gone." She said.
Hours passed as they talked about the past. They talked about what life was like back then, the different personalities of each Titan and their spoofs. They remembered the good times they had, and even the bad times they had. Soon, Raven was laying on the couch trying to stay awake.
"Miss Raven, I believe you are tired. You should go to bed." Garfield said.
"Ha! I don't take orders from anyone, but I will just take it as a suggestion. But you're right." She said.
"What was that? I was, what?" he asked.
She sighed and reluctantly said, "You were right."
He jumped up and did a dance. "I've been saving this 'Garfield was right' dance for years! Now I get to use this."
"Just don't use it again. No wonder it's been years since you did this dance. You can't dance." She said and stood up.
"I believe I dance quite well Raven." He said.
"All right, it's time for you to go to bed too. You are starting to talk gibberish." She said and tasseled his hair.
"Wow thanks Raven" he said but she had already left the room. "Wait Rae!" He ran to the hallway, but she was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell . . . he though.
"Did I go?" a voice interrupted his thoughts behind me. Garfield was startled and jumped. It turned out that it was Raven. She smiled while he tried to catch his breath.
"How did you do that?" He asked after he caught his breath.
"Well I was behind the door." She said.
"Not that. How did you know what I was thinking?" he asked.
"Oh that. You know I'm an empath. Since I've been here, I have been able to read the minds of everyone." She said.
"Won't you hear everyone's mind? Especially in a crowded room." He said.
"I can just tone into one person if I want to. It's similar to your selective hearing."She explained.
"Similar to what?" he asked.
"I just told you." She said.
"I know Rae, I was kidding." He said.
"Wow, really?" She asked.
"Really." He said
"Really." She said.
"Really" he said blankly.
"Nice, well I'm going to my room." She began to walk toward the end of the hallway.
"Mind if I follow you?" He asked. She gave him a questionable look.
"Wait, I just want to walk you to your room, and stop at the door. Then I will go to my own room." He explained.
"Then you can." She said and they walked together. The walk was silent the whole way and soon they reached her bedroom door.
"Well this is where I enter and you go." She said.
"Okay," he said nervously, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Garfield." She said and then entered the room and closed the door. Garfield sighed and walked toward his bedroom. Once he entered his room, he plopped himself on the bed and closed his eyes. He was able to fall sleep soundly. Over the years, this was the best sleep he had ever experienced.