"Care to explain?"
Raven raised an eyebrow as she stepped into one of the computer rooms that Robin often utilized while he was working on a case. He wasted no time in his questioning, not bothering to acknowledge her with even the most basic of greetings. He was standing with his back to her, his hands rapidly pressing keys to a laptop while the large wall screen showed the progression of Cyborgs decoding device. Her empathy had immedietly picked up on the tension and anger that centered around him, along with the sharp twitch of annoyance at the seventy-five percent completion of the disc. Robin was at a volatile state of agitation towards her, but Raven was not intimidated in the slightest. Quite the contrary, the Titan was amused, and she did not hold back her smirk.
Robin's shoulders tensed and his hands curled into fists as he spun around to face her.
"Raven?"
Confusion momentarily ebbed the anger in his chest as he stared at the empty space in front of him. He took a step forward, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the closed door in front of him, where she had just entered.
"What am I explaining?" Raven asked.
Robin turned around again and felt his eyes widen at the sight of Raven leaning against the wall he had originally been facing. Her arms were folded loosely over her chest and one foot was crossed over her other ankle. Her expression was unreadable as she lifted one eyebrow at him. She was wearing the leather pants that Cyborg and Beastboy still teased her about, and she was without her cloak. His eyes flicked down to the black helmet that rested by her feet.
"Where were you tonight?" he asked.
Raven frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing as she glared into the white visors of his mask.
"Don't ask questions you already know the answers too." She said.
Robin's brow twitched slightly but the rest of his featured betrayed nothing as to his thoughts.
"Okay, fine. Have you been stealing the R-Cycle?" he asked.
Raven felt a pang of guilt in her chest. There were those that would argue that she merely 'borrowed' the R-Cycle, but he was never one for self delusions, even those that eased the conscience, and she knew that her outings on the bike were not honest. She had always tried to be respectful towards the machine, never failing to replenish the fuel she used, as well as returning it to the garage unharmed after every use. Despite these gestures of respect, it did not change the fact that she was 'stealing'.
"Yes." Raven admitted with a sigh.
A rush of emotion slapped against her empathy, causing her to stiffen against the wall. Robin took a step toward her, one hand slightly elevated as if to reach for her, but he did not. His eyes boring angrily into hers, and when he spoke, his voice echoed emtions of anger and disappointment that he was feeling.
"Why?" he demanded
Raven's body went rigid at the way that Robins attitude toward her was making her feel, as if she were a child that needed to explain herself before she was scolded. Even in her youngest years, she was never made to feel in such a way, her special upbringing being one of strict control and discipline that was carried out with a level headed maturity. On the rare occasion that she had done something wrong, she would be treated as an adult, meditate on her mistake, and move on.
At the moment, Robin was exuding the domineering aura of an angry parent, as if he had to make her feel overly ashamed for her actions in order to learn from them. The thought made her bristle with irritation.
"Well?" he said.
Robin curled his fists and Raven clenched her teeth. An uncomfortable tension was building and the pressure could be felt in the atmosphere around them.
"You weren't using it." She retorted.
The sarcastic answer threw Robin off guard, causing his eyes to widen and his mind went blank for an instant. With the momentary break in his anger he felt more receptive to her, and through the bond he could feel the seething anger beneath her cool exterior. With the slight opening, he was able to force a glimpse into her mind, and he caught the overwhelming sense of freedom with a flashing image of the R-Cycle. He felt a sort of joyful release pulse through him before other pictures and sensations raced in his thoughts.
Bright lights of a city. Familiar vibrations of an engine. A flash of something gray and black and the desire to misbehave. The unpleasant taste of coffee filled his mouth before warmth spread through his limbs.
He tried to focus on the images in front of him, but a cold, almost savage clenching in his mind brought them all to an abrupt stop. Robin swayed on his feet slightly and shook his head to bring an end to the dizzy sensations in his brain. When he looked up, he was met with the level gaze of his teammate.
"Raven. I," Robin began.
"Enough, Robin." She said.
The leader of the Titans was at a loss for words. Through the brief glimpse into her thoughts he had found his answer to why she had taken his bike. Despite their years of friendship, he had had only the vaguest idea as to her life before the team, and only the barest of understandings behind her powers. He knew they were powerd by emotion, and that to keep everything around her in one peace, she had to keep a tight hold on herself. Through the momentary lapse in her defenses, he had come to realize how freeing for her it was to know that the world would not end if she gave in to her own impulses.
Raven could feel his sympathy and pity filling the space between them and her chest clenched with annoyance. She despised being pitied, more than she detested his treating her as a child. The hold that she had on her center was growing thinner with the level of her anger and her powers were threatening to spill over and break something.
"I need to meditate." She said.
Dark energy levitated the helmet from the floor into her waiting hand before she silently walked toward the door. Robin had meant to let her leave in peace, but the fading taste in his mouth made his brows furrow and he now had more questions that needed answered. He turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, but she had already disappeard into the shadows.
*.*.*
Through meditation, Raven could more often than not find solace and peace of mind, but at the moment she was thoroughly aggrivated after her latest confrontation with Robin and could not grasp her center. After the uncomfortable exchange, she had retreated to her room, as was her custom, and wasted no time in attempting to calm herself. After an hour of pure frustration she gave up and paced the length of her bookshelf, hoping to find a volume that could work as a distraction.
It was to no avail.
Her energy level was too high to remain stationary, whether it be for reading or meditation, and her mind betrayed her with thoughts that only bothered her more. A vivid memory of a firm thrust against her pelvis caused her breath to catch and heat gather in her loins. That small bit of arousal was enough to cause the already unstable hold on her powers to falter, causing a row of books to fly off of their shelf and collide with whatever lay in their paths. There was the sound of pages tearing and something breaking before she clenched her fists and willed herself to feel calm again.
"I am acting like a child." She grumbled.
Taking a deep breath, she focused on her breath, and decided what needed to be done. For now, Robin was leaving her alone, having gotten his answer through her clumsy lapse in control. Raven was not entirely sure what he had caught sight of, but she did not think it was anything too detailed, and even if he had, she had no intentions of revealing her actions with Red-X.
*.*.*
The training grounds of the Teen Titans was not on the island itself. It was atop a canyon face miles from the city, away from prying eyes and possible casualties. It offered little in the way of shelter from the weather, and the cold temperatures always seemed more intense than inside of Jump City. The smell of clay and dirt were strong there, along with a visual of any stars in the sky.
Raven ran a hand through her sweat dampened hair as she surveyed the constelations above her. She had a working knowlede of Astronomy, as well as Astrology, and could name the different significances behind each star and formation. As her eyes swept across the sky, she could feel the return of her center, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her thoughts were once again under control, as well as her emotions, and she felt as though she could properly sort out the events of the evening. She had had to use her training in Azerathian Martial Arts to relax her body, and in doing so, had succeeded in meditation through movement.
Her time at the training grounds had lasted for almost two hours, making it close to midnight before she had reached a desired level of control. During that time, she had worked out her anger towards Robin and herself. He for treating her as a child in sending out Starfire to find her, and herself for allowing him to reach inside of her mind.
Then there was the encounter with the thief.
That had been the most forefront in her thoughts and found that her movements became more forceful and intense because of them. Her body ignited with the memory of his pressed against her, and she still tasted him on her tongue.
Raven was not naive. She knew that she was working out her physical arousal that had built up earlier that evening. She could not deny that she had enjoyed every moment of their heated exchange in the park. The very nature of it had fed into her desire to satiate her darker side. There was a sense of satisfaction in her actions, a sense of victory that she could not place. Then there was the nagging voice in the back of her head that reminded her that she was a Titan and he was an enemy. Her eyes narrowed on that thought and she felt a sudden weight in her chest.
*.*.*
Beastboy sprawled across the couch in the main room, his eyes glued to the television screen in front of him. He was watching in suspense as a two ninja's fought eachother with different weapons and styles. His mouth was opened and a single drop of drool had dribbled down the corner of his mouth as he eagerly awaited the outcome. Cyborg and Starfire had long sinced left him alone, deciding that there was nothing for them to do to pull him from the movie.
The fight scene was just about to reach its pinnacle when an odd smell caught his attention. He recognised the scent of sandlewood and herbal tea as Raven, combined with her own sweat, but there was something else, something that was not her. He pulled himself into a sitting position and looked over the edge of the couch. Raven was filling a glass with water from the sink, her hair slightly damp and a sheen of sweat on her face.
His ears pricked up as he caught another whiff of the unfamiliar scent. It was faint, almost unnoticable but it was still there. Something bittersweet and masculine.
"What?"
Beastboy squeeked when he realized that Raven had caught him staring at her. He grinned widely and scratched the back of his head, scrambling for something to say. His eyes flicked to the screen behind him before he chuckled lightly.
"Heh heh. Ninja's. You never know what they're going to do next. 'Cause they're sneaky. Get it?" He laughed.
Raven raised an eyebrow before rolling her eyes at him.
"You're a comedy genious." She deadpanned.
Beastboy smiled and sat up a little straighter, puffing out his chest as he did so.
"I know, right? Hey, wait a minute!" he said, realizing that she was, once again, being sarcastic.
Raven shook her head before walking out of the room with her water, leaving Beastboy alone with his movie.
The changling glared at the door for a few minutes before turning back to the television, the odd scent now forgotten.
"I am a comedic genious." He grumbled.