AN: Thanks to all those who have reviewed, whether it was a one off or every chapter thing. I'd like to remind you again; I don't get paid for this, I'm not in school anymore and I DO have to work for a living. When you're working on minimum wage and you have an approaching college course to pay for (+ rent + transport + medication + everything else) you take all the overtime you can get. When I'm not working, I'm usually killing stuff on video games to de-stress or sleeping. I know there have been some pretty long gaps between my updates but there's nothing I can do about it. Come September those gaps are going to get even bigger. If you do have a problem with that I advise you wait to read the story until it's complete, or just take a hike. Please don't pester me about it in reviews – it won't change anything. To those of you who have an ounce of patience and understanding, thanks again.
I'm not going to lie – I didn't even pretend to proofread this chapter (which I'll probably live to regret) I'm just in one of those moods… but you have been warned!
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Beast Boy asked, ears folding back against his head in a cat-like expression of distress as he looked up at the old building, the mark of Scath still proudly engraved on the front for all to see.
Nothing had changed. Whatever force had been protecting the block from demolition for all those years was still in effect, and everything from exposed sewer-pipe two buildings down, to the rubble from Slade's destruction lay untouched, gathering dust. The Titans couldn't shake the eerie feeling that they were about to repeat a part of history they would rather forget.
"It's just a simple recon mission," Robin assured the changeling.
"And if the shadow thinks otherwise?"
"We get out. Besides, he's interested in Raven, not us."
"Until he realises he could kidnap us to get his attention…" Beast Boy muttered in response.
Cyborg tore his eyes away from the building to look at his leader. They were stalling – they all knew it – but he certainly wasn't going to be the first to object. "You told Rae this is where you think he is?"
"Not yet, although it would surprise me if she hasn't already considered it."
"Yeah, well, let's not tell her. We might still be able to convince her to come back onto the case, but I don't think there's a chance in hell we could convince her to come back here."
"…It is certainly 'the obvious'." Starfire pointed out after a moment of silence.
"Obvious? More like damn poetic if you ask me," Cyborg scowled. "What psycho trying to raise Trigon – who knew Raven's past – wouldn't do it here?"
Beast Boy stepped forward, surprising everyone as he moved up the crumbling stone steps of the old library. "Next stop; gateway to hell. Come on, we might as well get this over with."
"Cyborg, I want you to take the lead. Those tunnels are dark, and we'll need you to light them up for us," Robin ordered as the team moved to follow the green shape-shifter. "Beast Boy behind me, and Starfire I want you to cover our backs. Remember, it's not just the shadow we have to worry about down there. Those… whatever they are… ghosts… might still be there."
"You mean those creepy guys made of fog that could go through walls yet still attack us?" Cyborg asked. "Dunno about you guys but I'm sensing a bit of a trend from this Church of Blood lot."
"I believe Raven called them wraiths," Starfire corrected, and Robin shrugged.
"Whatever they are, just keep an eye out for them."
The team moved through the old library, past the rotting shelves that held more dust than books to the hidden doorway at the back of the room. They found the section of wall, but no door appeared for them. Beast Boy stepped up and ran his hands along the wall.
"All I did last time was lean against it," He grumbled as nothing happened, and Starfire suggested,
"Perhaps there is a hidden switch on the floor?"
"Or maybe was Raven," Robin said quietly, before drawing the attention of his teammates. "The temple beneath the Church of Blood in Gotham City is only accessible to those linked to the Church. The mark of Scath isn't just used or members to recognise one another, it's a key."
"So how'd you get in when Brother Blood had Raven?" Cyborg frowned.
"Batman and I made a doorway with some explosives."
"Then we too shall make our own door," the Tameranean declared as her eyes lit up with a green light, and Cyborg quickly jumped in front of her.
"Hold up there. Let's not get too hasty! I mean do we really wanna blow a hole into this place? Trigon's goons having access is one thing, but allowing anyone to wander down there? An' let's not forget those creepy wraith things – how do we know this secret door aint the only thing keeping them down there?"
"So what do you suggest we do?" Robin asked, and the robotic man shrugged.
"We could call Raven," Beast Boy offered. "I mean she only has to let us in; it's not like we're gonna drag her down there with us."
"It's your funeral," Robin muttered. "If you want to call her, go ahead, but leave me out of it."
"Is there not perhaps another way to get in? A small vent Beast Boy could get through in one of his animal forms, or perhaps a link through the sewer system?" Starfire asked when it became apparent no-one intended to contact their empath.
"The underground parts of this building are old – a lot older than this city. It doubt it was ever connected to the sewers," Cyborg shook his head.
"I know; why don't we just leave this creepy place alone and go home?" Beast Boy spoke up. "We can come back here after we've got Raven back on our side."
Starfire frowned at her teammate. "But I thought you were against the idea of removing the shadow permanently?"
"I'm against killing him, yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't want Raven involved at all! Dude, she's the only one who can touch him! Without her we might as well try to dig our way to the centre of the earth using spoons – we'll have more chance of reaching that before we're dead than we will catching this dude without Raven."
"BB has a point. Until I can create something to contain the shadow, we're sort of useless," Cyborg nodded.
"This is just recon," Robin reminded them. "We're not trying to catch him. We don't even know he's here. Cyborg, are there any blueprints of the building beneath the library that you can access?"
"Not unless something's changed since the last time we were here. That place was built a long time before the city ever was. If it had blueprints they're long gone."
The leader of the Titan's scowled. "Then we'll scout the outside. Nearby buildings, sewer grates, air vents… there must be another way inside."
The team wasn't happy with the plan but they searched anyway, and two long hours passed before they gave up.
"I know he's here," Robin muttered, determined as they went back to the T-Car, their shadows like giants in the late afternoon sun.
"Well it does make sense. I mean if you can only certain people can get the doors to open, no one will accidently stumble across the hostages," Cyborg pointed out as he watched his leader pace back and forth in front of the car. "We could still call Raven."
"She was pretty irritated when I called her earlier," The masked boy warned.
"She's taking this dating thing pretty seriously, huh?" Cyborg commented.
Beast Boy stared at his best friend for a moment before saying, "DUH. Raven takes everything seriously."
Cyborg grinned. "Everything except you."
"Not cool dude."
"She has been dating for quite a while now. Although she has not mentioned an exact date I believe it may have started before the Shadow began killing these women," Starfire told them, and Cyborg looked at her in surprise, doing a quick bit of maths.
"That's gotta be…. Two months? Longer? So when do you think we're gonna meet her?"
"Wait. Her?" Beast Boy's head whipped round at his team mates, taking in Cyborg's sheepish look in the face of Starfire's glare, Robin's expression as neutral as ever. "All you guys knew and you didn't think to tell me?"
"It was not our place to say," Starfire quickly said. She stopped scowling at Cyborg to tell the changing, "I believe she thought you wouldn't understand her choice in partners, or ridicule her for it. I did not understand, but Tameraneans are raised to follow one's heart first and their head second. She did explain things aren't the same here on earth."
"But she told the rest of you?"
"Nope," Cyborg grinned. "I caught her out during a conversation a few days ago."
"But you two?" Beast Boy asked, looking at Starfire and Robin.
The pair shrugged, not sure what to say in response. Robin eventually smiled. "I suppose she judged that our reactions would be more… mature."
"DUDE no one could be more chill with it than me. I mean hello, have you seen the animal kingdom. Over 400 hundred species of animals display homosexual behaviour." He looked at Robin, grinning. "Male bats having one of the highest percentages."
"You did not just go there," Cyborg laughed, while Robin scowled at him.
"That right there is exactly why she didn't tell you."
"I do not understand the fascination you have with Raven's choice in partners," Starfire frowned. "Why does it make such a difference?"
"It doesn't," Cyborg replied and he stopped laughing.
"…Adonis will be heartbroken," Beast Boy commented seriously, the three boys looking at each other before falling apart with laughter as they recalled every comment, suggestion and look the villain had given Raven during their encounters, and her various and usually violent responses. It was something they had vowed to never let the empath forget.
Robin's laughter died into a smile after a minute. "Let's get back to the tower. Unless Cy's actually going to call Raven there's nothing else we can do here."
"This really isn't my kind of thing," Raven muttered as she stared at the building.
The summer's sun was beginning to set, but Raven could still see the place in detail. It was designed to look old, like something out of the English countryside or a medieval fantasy, with smoke stained lattice windows and dark, wooden support beams. It looked out of place in the modern city. She could just hear the music – not quite as loud as some of the clubs she passed by on her night patrols, but loud enough.
"You'll never know until you've tried. I think you'll like it. The lights are dim, the toilets are hidden behind a fucking bookcase and people mind their own business. The music's not even half bad."
"Someone will notice us," Raven shook her head and Jinx sighed impatiently before looking around them.
Seeing the street was empty but for them, the thief said, "This place kinda doubles as a safe house. They won't turn away a customer because they're a known thief or a member of a gang or even a killer. All they ask is everyone inside respects teach other. No fighting, stealing, gossiping and whatever happens in the Tap and Tumbler stays in the Tap and Tumbler. You understand?"
Raven stared at Jinx, her face a mix of disbelief and disgust. "I understand. You plan to drag me into an establishment of criminals! And you think one of them would hesitate to sell this information to the police? The media?"
"Thieves do have some honour," the hex-caster muttered, her voice light but her eyes hard with irritation. "Trust me – no one in there will say anything, and if not out of respect then out of fear. I've earned myself a fair reputation over the years. As have you." She read the empath's reluctant stare and offered, "A few drinks then we'll leave. I've been doing the things you wanted to do – it's only fair."
"You know I don't drink."
"A few months ago you didn't date girls either."
Raven frowned at her. "You sure you're still not trying to… get me into trouble with the law or something?"
Jinx grinned, "You're of legal drinking age, aren't you?"
"I am."
"Then you're not doing anything illegal."
"…One drink," the Titan scowled, and Jinx nodded.
"One drink." She took hold of Raven's hand and moved towards the door. "A word of warning. They might be a little hostile at first, depending on who's in tonight. Just ignore it. Once they figure out you're with me – as my date – they'll back off. You are a titan after all, and you've probably put half of them in jail at some point."
Jinx's words weren't exactly comforting and she wanted to ask again if it was a good idea, but before she could Jinx had dragged her inside. No-one paid attention to them at first, busy with their drinks and conversations, but it didn't take long for people to begin to recognise Jinx and call out greetings. Raven stuck so close to the young woman's side that she risked tripping her up.
"Jinx! Aint seen you in ages girl. We were startin' to think you'd skipped town. Where you been hiding?"
"Aint been hiding nowhere," Jinx replied as she continued to make her way towards the bar, and Raven was careful to avoid making eye contact with anyone. "The boys got themselves thrown behind bars again so I've been havin' some me time."
"Well, if you're lookin' for work, my mate Jack has a need for someone with your skill set."
"Can't talk work tonight. The other half don' appreciate it. Might catch up with you later in the week though, yeah?"
"Heard you were seein' some chick. Is this…" The man fell silent, and Raven cringed moments before the voice yelped, "That's one of them titans!"
The place fell silent but for the music as the two girls gained everyone's attention. Jinx acted as though nothing had changed. "Her name's Raven, and don't shit your pants. She's off duty." Reaching the bar, she asked the titan, "So what do you fancy tryin'? I'm a Pepsi and rum kinda girl myself, but you don't really like sweet things do you? Me excluded, of course."
"You can't bring a titan in here!" It was a different voice this time, and Raven felt the feeling of the room shift as several people stood up.
"Just get me whatever you think I'll like," Raven said into the silence of the room. She wanted to disappear into the floor, to blend in with the darkest shadows of the room, but instead she made herself look towards the direction the voice had come from and say in her best bored voice, "You heard Jinx. Do you see a uniform?"
Her hand holding onto Jinx's tightened as she found the eyes of the last man who had spoken, the tension in the room so thick it could have been cut with a knife
Another voice broke it, this one light and younger sounded as it called out, "Yo Angus! Didn't see you sat there. How's your wife doin'? Approaching the due date now, isn't she?"
The two girls waited, breaths held, but the 'Angus' replied. "I'd say she's doin' fine if she weren't bein' such a fucking pain in my ass. Baby's due next month."
It was as if the entire room suddenly took a break. Conversations began to pick up again as people turned their back on the couple, though not being as loud as before, and Raven knew they were all still watching them, even if only with one eye.
"I told you," Jinx muttered under her breath. "Completely fine."
"We apparently have very different definitions of the word 'fine'," Raven replied, and Jinx grinned at her before turning to the bartender, a woman in her forties with dyed, blood red hair tied back rockabilly style with a black scarf.
"The usual and a gin 'n tonic, thanks Barbara."
The woman, coming in at around six feet tall and covered in tattoos, nodded and went about making the drinks, keeping one heavily kohl lined eye on the titan. When she spoke her voice held the deep affliction of a heavy smoker. "How you holdin' up, Lucky?"
"Not bad. I'll be happier once the idiots have broken out'a jail though. Getting bored of sitting on my ass all day."
Barbara grinned slightly as she placed Jinx's drink down on the bar before starting on Raven's. "We're still lookin' for someone to help run the bar."
"No thanks. Trust me, I aint good staff. You'll have fired me within a fortnight."
"Someone needs to take the job. I don't wanna hire some random shit, and everyone else will be happier for it."
"Try Todd." Jinx suggested.
The woman put down a glass of clear, sparkling liquid in front of Raven before studying her, not bothering to be discreet. "Do I even wanna ask how this happened?"
The thief grinned and leaned on the bar. "That depends. Are you interested in stories of hidden agendas, betrayal, death, shadows and forbidden romances?"
"I'm sorry I asked. That'll be $7." As Jinx handed over the cash, Barbara warned, "Find a corner and stick to it. I don't want any trouble from some Titan – your girlfriend or not."
"Hey – Angus brings his missus in and she's a cop, for fuck sake," Jinx scowled.
"And you remember how that went down the first couple of times? Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you one of the first people to kick off?"
Jinx grinned, the smile lighting up her entire face with amusement. "Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that. I'm alright with her now though."
"And they'll be alright with Raven once she's proven she can keep her mouth shut. But for now, find a corner and stick to it."
Jinx just saluted the woman and dropped Raven's hand so she could pick up her drink, the empath following suit. She led Raven over to a table tucked away right at the back, the Titan still able to feel Barbara's hazel eyes on her back.
As they slipped into the small booth, Raven allowed herself to take in the place's décor as she tried to relax. The interior matched the outside of the building, if not with an added touch of B-movie gothic horror. The walls were mostly rough brick and sandstone with the occasional panel painted black, decorated with gargoyles and chains and elegant arched mirrors. The table they sat at was fairly simple – stained wood, maybe even oak, scuffed and marked with age. The wrap around seat was covered in buttoned red leather and the back came well above the girl's head, narrowing to a point against the wall. It was comfortable enough, but as she looked around Raven spotted more elegant seating. A table with a glass display cut into the centre, showcasing what looked like a faux human skull and tarnished crucifixes. A group of people sat around it on grand but mismatching throne-like chairs. Another table was half hidden behind an iron fence that looked as though it'd been stolen from a graveyard, offering the pretence of privacy. It was almost too cheesy, but the patrons saved it. Ranging from women in velvet and lace to behemoth bikers and thugs in coloured tracksuits, it would have been one of the most mixed group of people she had ever seen, if it weren't for that one thing they all had in common.
"So, what do you think?" Jinx grinned as she scooted round to the back of the booth, pulling Raven round to her side before sliding her left hand around Raven's waist, her other hand grabbing her drink and lifting it to her lips.
"I've never seen anything like it," Raven admitted, before cautiously sipping at her own drink. The bitter tang of the tonic water hit her tongue almost instantly and she pulled a face. Her second careful sip sat better, and Jinx watched Raven contemplate the drink with a smile.
"Yes? No? Not sure?"
"…yes," Raven answered, sounding as though she'd surprised herself. "I expected alcohol to have a rather heavy taste but this is actually refreshing."
"Just don't drink it too fast – not until we know how well you handle it," Jinx told her. "All this nonsense about you 'don't drink'… Told you you'd like it, and look who was right. Again."
"Don't sound so pleased with yourself," Raven muttered.
"But then what's the point in boasting?"
"You're more modest than you give yourself credit for," the empath replied. "I still haven't seen any of your drawings and yes – I still remember coming across your sketchpad the first time I saw your room."
The thief's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink. "That shit's private. Besides, you still haven't shown me your room."
"That involves getting you past not only my teammates, but the security system," Raven replied. "In other words, not happening. Besides, it hasn't changed all that much since you broke into the tower all those years ago."
Jinx shrugged, smiling. "You can see my art when I see your room."
"It honestly hasn't changed; and don't say you didn't go in there because I know someone snooped through my room – they left my cloaks out."
"Guilty. But Starfire's room was so pink and boring!"
"…Yours is pink," Raven deadpanned.
"And grey, and black. She didn't have any books, or trinkets or… nothin' but clothes."
"What do you expect? She came to earth from Tameran after being captured – she didn't have anything with her."
"You said you were a runaway, yet your room is full of stuff," Jinx pointed out.
"So I snuck back into Azarath a few times and acquired a few things after arriving here. I can teleport – it takes Starfire a lot longer to fly back to Tameran."
"Acquired?" Jinx frowned, before her jaw dropped in shock. "No! You did not just admit to stealing!" Raven didn't reply, taking another sip of her drink. "You know that's illegal, right?"
"Some artefacts – some books – are too dangerous to be left lying around for just anyone to find. I was simply doing everyone a favour."
"Call it what you will, it's still stealing," The thief grinned. "I should know."
"Well I couldn't exactly buy it off people – when I first got here I didn't even have so much as a penny to my name. I hadn't even seen money before."
"Do the titans know?"
"Of course not. For a while I thought Robin suspected but nothing has been said."
Jinx leaned into the girl as she pried, "Go on then; what did you take? What do these things do?"Raven pursed her lips as she decided whether or not she should tell her before shrugging. "My first find, here in Jump City, was a book that contained ancient summoning rites. It's written in a dead language, but better safe than sorry."
"A book?" Jinx teased, but Raven ignored her.
"A lot of books. A Necromancer's journal, demon rites, books with instructions on opening dimensional rifts, dark magics and secrets on the demonic no-one should ever read."
"The most expensive thing you've stolen?" Jinx asked.
"A certain fist-sized crystal from a Natural History museum."
"…Why?"
"It contains a fragment of a demon lord, and a local group of mages had begun paying it a little too much attention."
"What demon lord?"
Raven frowned, "I won't speak his name. He's ancient, and was particularly popular with the Sumerians. You can blame him for the zombie myth. His idea of fun is possessing corpses. Luckily, no one's tried summoning him since the dark ages."
Jinx stared at Raven in disgust. "He's a powerful demon lord and he gets his rocks off by riding dead bodies?"
She shrugged. "Older demons tend to take more pleasure out of the… smaller things in life. I suppose after a few million years world dominations lose their charm."
"I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not. So why won't you say him name?"
Raven looked at Jinx incredulity. "Names hold power."
The thief laughed. "That's a wives tale."
"Is it? We're talking about immortal beings old enough to recall the first civilisations steeped in magic with so many senses it makes the strongest of human mediums look like fakes. Trust me, when someone says your name, you can feel it, and I do not what his attention on me."
"So you 'feel' every time someone says the word Raven?" Jinx teased.
"No. That's my given birth name, yes, but it is from the human tongue."
"You mean you have a demon name?" Jinx asked, her voice a whisper but forced, like she'd wanted to shout it. When Raven nodded slightly she asked, "What?"
The titan just smiled and shook her head slightly.
"Come on! Please? It'd be easier than trying to get hold of you on your communicator."
"I've done an extremely good job at keeping it quiet for this long – I don't intend to share it with people now."
Jinx pouted, but moved on. "Alright fine, why did those mages want the crystal?"
"Part of the summoning. Every summoning ritual has objects of importance – that are needed, or it won't work. According to texts you need the bone of a saint to summon an Angel."
"That… doesn't sound very holy."
"No old magic is."
Jinx nodded. "Alright. The most noteworthy thing you've stolen."
"A blade. It was brought to Jump City for the Ancient History Expedition a few years back. It doesn't look like much – a degraded, distorted strip of gold coloured metal."
"Sounds boring. What does it do?"
"According to the museum it's from Babylon. The style fits the period of history – specifically from the period of the Akkadian Empire – but the material it's made from can't be found in this dimension. I've had a few acquaintances look at it over the years and the general consensus is that it's the blade of an Angel. Perhaps from a Seraphim. They're a high court – don't usually have much to do with Earth within history. To drop its blade it must have died, which makes sense. The Sumerians, the priests of Babylon and other civilisations that occupied the area had always had a deep connection with magic and were more than famous for their pacts with demons. Most of their 'gods' were demons. If a few were sent down to 'cleanse' the area…"
"Last time we had the 'demon' talk you told me if angels were real, you'd never seen one."
"I haven't," Raven nodded. "Maybe you noticed; I only have one scar."
Jinx frowned, before saying, "Your left arm, just below your elbow."
"In all my years of crime fighting, the longest I've ever held a scar for is two months. I've had that scar for three, perhaps even four years. We wanted to do a test, to help confirm our suspicions about the blade."
"…What the actual fuck?" Jinx asked. "Wait, so if angels are real, what happened? Did they all die? I mean why haven't they sorted out this shithole of a world?"
"Angels aren't gentle, caring creatures. Supposedly they're worse than a lot of demons – they'd have to be, especially the archangels, if they're expected to fight us."
Jinx shook her head, disturbed. "I am so done with this conversation. You can keep your messed up items to yourself. I don't wanna hear it no more."
Raven smiled, before asking, "Alright – your turn. What's your… least mundane hobby? I know you draw but surely you must do other things to past the time."
"Steal?" Jinx grinned, before shifting in her seat. "Well… I collect a few things of my own. Nothin' stolen and no weapons of heaven. Can't believe I'm tellin' you this, though I suppose you just admitted to thievery. No laughing, okay? Or cringing. It kinda started while I was practicing witchcraft under H.I.V.E Academy. Supplies aren't exactly cheap – though I don't need to tell you that – so-"
"She collects dead things for their bones. She's part of the vulture culture."
Both girls jumped, turning to look at the young man who sat himself down at their table. Raven recognised his voice – the one who had called out for Angus – but as she studied him she couldn't shake the feeling she should know him from somewhere else.
"Has anyone ever told you you're a real cunt?" Jinx scowled.
The boy grinned, pushing his mop of flame red hair away from his face. "Awh, how sweet. You like me!"
Jinx reached out to shove him, jolting Raven, but she was too busy staring at the stranger to care. The small section of white hair that streaked his fringe was distinctive enough Raven could say she'd never seen him before but…
"What's up sunshine? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Raven's eyes widened in shock. "What did you just call me?"
The young man looked back at Jinx. "What you done to her? She aint usually this slow. If you have to drug someone to date them, it don't count."
"Piss off," The thief retorted, seconds before Raven's epitome.
"Red X!"
"There we go!" He leaned forward and offered Raven his hand. "You may call me Jason. It's gotta be said, that cloak really doesn't do you any justice. If you ever get bored of women, you know where to find me."
"No one will be able to find you if you keep this up," Jinx growled, knocking his hand out of Raven's. "There's a nice hole in the desert with your name on it."
"Relax, Lucky," Jason grinned.
Raven's mind was still stuck on the 'Red X' part. "Why..? I mean you…"
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
"You just told me your name… let me see your face."
"And I saw you holding hands and snuggled up to your girlfriend." The antihero replied happily. "I'd wager your friends don't know about that, but they will if they find out who I am." He smiled, Raven only noticing the pint glass in his hand when he raised it to his lips.
"There are reason you're party crashing?" Jinx asked with a scowl, and the boy shook his head.
"Nope. Just thought I'd say hello but while I'm here, you're welcome. Defusing all that tension was hard work, but buy me a drink and we'll call it even."
"Buy your own drink," the hex caster replied, and Red X looked at Raven.
"So, how's the team? Haven't seen you in ages – work's dragged me out of town." Raven didn't reply, but the young man wasn't fazed. "We really need to catch up. I've got a local job – maybe I'll see you there."
"Count on it," Raven eventually replied.
Jason took another drink as he studied the pair. "So how does it work?"
"Oh, very fucking funny. Like we'd give up details that easily. I don't kiss and tell."
"Sunshine might," he replied before smiling. "I was actually asking about the whole hero-villian thing. I've watched enough porn to get the lesbian bit."
Raven blushed, her expression shocked while the man's forwardness didn't make Jinx so much as blink. "How does it work? It works by my team breaking the law and her team trying to apprehend us."
"So you're telling me that you two fight each other exactly like you did before. No distractions, no feelings to get in the way, no pulling punches short?"
The two girls looked at each other, neither of them responding. The last time they'd opposed each other had been when they'd found that woman's body in the alleyway. They hadn't even tried fighting each other. They'd argued instead.
Jason smiled knowingly and told Raven, "Wonder Boy's gonna notice."
"Your point being?" Raven snapped back in reply.
"I'm just saying."
"Don't you have any friends you can go bother?" Jinx asked before answering herself. "Oh, right. I forgot. You would, but you don't have any."
"It's a wonder you do with that attitude. I get the hint – I'll leave you two lovely ladies alone. I have an appointment to make anyway."
"If you get my date called away because you couldn't rob someone quietly you'll have hell to pay!" Jinx called after him as he got up and walked away, the man simply waving over his shoulder in reply.
"Great. Now I could be charged for obstruction of justice regarding withheld information on two people," Raven muttered.
"Don't worry about it. Both Red X and Jason are ghosts in this city. Even if you did share the name it wouldn't help anyone."
Raven nodded, before commenting, "You two seem friendly."
She shrugged. "We dated for a while, but it was like sleeping with a less attractive version of myself. Apparently I don't like me, so we called it off." Jinx watched as Raven tried to keep a neutral expression and laughed. "Relax; we can't spend more than two minutes in each other's company without cussing each other off."
Raven didn't reply, changing the subject instead. "Vulture Culture? Exactly what is that?"
"I collect dead stuff," Jinx muttered quickly, sobering up. "Look, you know ingredients are expensive and sometimes hard to get a hold of so I used to scavenge my own."
"You said you don't practice witchcraft anymore," the Titan noted.
"I don't. Bones just… fascinate me," she admitted.
"How come I've never seen a collection?"
"You aint been in the right room. The base is big. Mammoth has his area, Gizmo has his workshop and I have mine." Knowing what Raven was going to ask next she added, "No. You can't see it. Not until I've seen your room. A lot of my art is in that room."
"…It'd be nice if we all had our own areas outside our rooms at Titans Tower," Raven mused, and Jinx frowned at her.
"You don't? But the Tower's huge."
"The common room takes up most of a floor, the garage another, and the evidence room. After expanding the team world-wide we had to move the conference room onto its own floor. The gym shares a floor with the containment room and shared bathroom and all the bedrooms are on the same floor, then there's two floors for storage and another for the generator and fuse boxes."
"Nine floors. Just for that?" Jinx shook her head, before asking, "What's the containment room for?"
Raven hesitated a moment before deciding to answer the meta human truthfully. "It was built for me."
"So you do have your own space," she teased.
"It's not exactly somewhere I'd go unless it was absolutely necessary. It cuts me off from all by my five basic senses, keeps me confined within this body. It makes me experience what it feels like to be everyone else but it's like… an amputation. Like I've lost my arm or leg. It hurts."
"Was it built for, you know? In case you get a little too demonic?"
"Not exactly, though the reason is very similar and it would certainly do the job."
"You helped build it?"
"No, so they did a surprisingly good job. A little too good, perhaps."
"Sounds horrible…" Jinx muttered before finishing her drink. Her voice perked up as se asked, "So you want another drink here or are we heading back? Assuming you aren't going straight back to Titan's Tower, that is."
Raven studied her glass as she considered her options. Robin had sounded pretty annoyed when she'd hung up on him. She knew if she was away for much longer it would only anger her leader more until he felt it fit to reprimand her. But as she looked at Jinx something grew inside her. An smouldering heat that clouded reason and left her feeling… good. She wanted to return with Jinx, to indulge in the possibilities of 'what if' and it was a hunger she didn't want to refuse.
"One more drink won't hurt," She eventually answered, returning the smile Jinx shot at her.
Raven woke up to darkness, thick and complete thanks to Jinx's lack of windows and the location of the H.I.V.E base, but she could see, the usually pink and black room laid out before her in shades of grey. Jinx lay curled up beside her, naked and still asleep, her face hidden behind her arm and one pale leg raised over and entwined with one of Raven's.
The empath wasn't sure what time they'd gotten back last night, but 'one more drink' had turned into two, and two into four. They'd certainly sat there long enough for Red X – or Jason – to get back from whatever appointment he'd had to keep, the thief joining them once more at the table. She didn't even know what time it was now, but she didn't care to check. Something had woken her up, and she wanted to know what.
Sitting up, she tilted her head to one side as she stared at the bedroom door, listening hard. After a few minutes of silence she heard footsteps, and quickly tried to wake Jinx. The thief resisted, rolling away from the empath and then towards her as she tried to hide herself against the girl before giving up and moving onto her back, rubbing at her eyes with one hand.
"What?"
Raven noted, with some amusement, that a lot of the novels she'd read had lied to her. No-one looked good upon first waking up – and least not like the descriptions in the books – and Jinx was no exception. The short hair of her fringe stood up, defying gravity, the rest a tangled mess, her face trying to twist into an expression of confusion as she struggled to stay awake.
"Someone's in the base."
"Wha'?" Jinx asked again as she yawned.
"There's someone in the building."
A light appeared under the bottom of the door, bright enough to see by after the thick darkness, and the change grabbed Jinx's attention. She sat up, suddenly fully awake.
"Gizmo and Mammoth," Jinx told her, before cursing. "Fuck. I didn't lock the bedroom door."
Raven looked at the door, then Jinx as she asked, bewildered, "You mean they'd just walk straight in?"
"Mammoth wouldn't but Gizmo has no respect for anyone's personal space but his own."
"It's late – maybe they're just going to their rooms,"
"And miss out on the chance to gloat about their escape? Besides, their bedrooms aren't even on this corridor," Jinx informed her as she turned on the bedside lamp and shot out from under the covers, searching the floor for something to throw on.
Raven went for a different approach, waving her hand towards the door and coating it in dark energy, keeping it from opening. A high-pitched yell reached them no seconds after the dark energy had manifested, followed by Gizmo's panicked voice.
"Jinx?! What the hell?!"
"Just… two seconds, 'kay?" She returned as she straightened out the tank top she'd thrown on and stepped into last night's underwear before going back to the bed and sitting down, pulling the covers up to her waist. Raven wasn't far behind, though took the time to pull on yesterday's jeans.
Raven could feel someone pounding on the other side of the door just as well as they could both hear it.
"Jinx, what the crud is covering the fucking door?!" Gizmo shouted, this time his voice followed by Mammoth's.
"You okay?"
"I'd be a hell of a lot beter if you'd waited until morning to let me know you were back!" Jinx snapped back before looking at Raven beside her on the bed. "Might as well let 'em in."
Raven didn't drop the shield. She felt caught out and anxious as she tried to guess what the boys reactions would be, and Jinx noticed, taking one of the girl's hands in her own and giving it a comforting squeeze before holding it on her lap.
"Don't worry – it's okay."
The door slid open the instant the shield dropped, Gizmo and Mammoth both rushing into the room looking ready to fight. They both froze when they saw the titan, and Mammoth had started to mutter an apology when the small genius found his voice.
"What the hell is this snot-muncher doing here?!"
Jinx coldly stared at him until he looked away. "We were sleeping. You know, that thing people usually do durin' the night?"
"But… she…" It was obvious Gizmo was torn on what he wanted to say, and Raven recalled Jinx mentioning that the boys still thought Jinx's 'plan' was in action. Finally he spluttered, "but… I can't tell you how we escaped with a Titan here!"
"Good. Don't tell me."
Mammoth had already left the room and was standing awkwardly in the hallway outside. He caught Raven's gaze and offered her a small smile that she returned after a moment's hesitation.
"You can't just bring a Titan in here! Who knows what she's tellin' her stupid teammates!"
"Can't I? Last I checked I lead this team. Not you," the hex caster replied. "She hasn't told anyone shit – her friends don't even know she's seein' me. You've only just got out of jail so don't get here and assume you know exactly what's goin' off."
"Just 'cause you're…" His eyes darted to Raven as once again he caught himself. "dating her doesn't mean you can bring her 'round here."
"Where else we supposed to go? Titans Tower?" Jinx scowled before reaching back and grabbing her pillow, throwing it at Gizmo. "You here. Great. Now get out already."
The short boy growled something under his breath but turned and left, not before throwing the pillow back at Jinx, the door sliding shut behind him.
"Well, that was awkward," Raven mumbled as she looked at Jinx.
The girl smiled in response and pulled her top off before laying down. "Something tells me not as awkward as when you tell your teammates."
Raven stood up and stepped out of the jeans she'd pulled on. "Technically, you didn't tell them anything. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you say you'd inform them of your change of heart the moment they got out of jail?"
Jinx scowled at her. "It didn't exactly seem like the ideal moment."
The empath shrugged, smiling. "The way you said it you didn't make it sound like there was a bad time."
"Shut up," Jinx replied, but held her hand out, inviting the Titan back into the bed to cuddle. "I'll tell them in the morning."
"Considering how late we were out last night, it probably is the early hours of the morning," Raven teased as she climbed under the covers and moved over until she was beside the girl, letting Jinx's arm go round her shoulders as she rested her head on the thief's shoulder.
"Just when I start to think I'm seeing some part of you that aint the smart arsed, cold hearted Titan everyone else sees, you ruin it."
"I do have a reputation to keep."
"No you don't – you're just a smart mouthed, cold hearted bitch."
Raven tilted her head back so she could look at her lover. "And you have a problem with that?"
Jinx grinned, disturbing the empath as she rolled over and leant on one arm so she could look down at Raven. She lowered herself, her lips inches away from the Titan's as she murmured, "No."
Raven's hands threaded through Jinx's hair as they kissed, softly combing out the tangled mass of pink while threatening to hold the thief in place if she tried to pull back. Jinx slowly smoothed her hands down the side of Raven's body, and with a flick of the titan's hand the bed covers flew back, out of the way. Moments later Raven had rolled them over so she sat on top, looking down at the thief as she studied her with dark eyes.
"For someone who was really reluctant not twenty-four hours ago you sure are eager now," Jinx grinned, and when Raven didn't respond she asked, "What are you thinking?"
Raven slowly dragged her eyes up the girl's body until she was looking at those pink kitten eyes. "Where I should start first."
I didn't know what price to put the drinks at, but in England you'd be looking at roughly £5-7 for two drinks. Unless you ordered doubles. In Australia it'd cost you say... $7 for ONE drink. And yes, the Tap and Tumbler is based off two pubs I visit regularly. One for the name, and the second for the design. Yes, I am a regular at a pub that has the toilets hidden behind a bookcase. Let me tell you, the entertainment for the night is watching newbies and drunken idiots trying to find the part of the bookshelf they're meant to push (it isn't sign-posted. Unless someone shows you, you'd have no chance). Occasionally you'll see one face plant when the door swings open. And all from the comfort of your throne like chair. If you're ever in England the Pit & Pendulum is a place you MUST visit.
This chapter has been a lot of dialogue, I know, but don't worry - next chapter has plenty of action and fights planned!