Kismet

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own the show Teen Titans, nor the various DC comics on which this fanfiction is based.

As soon as they're away from the alley, Jinx's attention moves away from potential assailants following them out of the bar to her lover.

Raven's eyes are narrowed as she stalks down the empty road, the red flecks in her eyes almost overpowering the purple.

"Came off a little strong, Rae," she muses, her gaze looking for any reaction.

"Yes, I did. Something is wrong. I do not yet know what."

"You gonna' be okay to go to this other place? Because we can't go around pissing so many people off if we want info."

"I know. We need to find where this Lux club is, anyway. Hopefully meditation in the meantime will correct whatever is throwing me off."

For a moment, Jinx remains silent as she keeps a steady gaze on the demonling.

How bright the red specks in Raven's eyes are is what sends her mind to a possible explanation.

"It could be from killing Wrath," she finally states.

"I already stated-"

"That you don't feel bad about killing someone on Trigon's side. I get it," Jinx interrupts with a huff of annoyance that silences the empath. "But you didn't just kill your brother, Raven. You also killed someone with demon in them."

"Were that not the case… never mind," Raven cuts herself off with a blush. "I apologize. You don't deserve ire. You were saying?"

"You killed Trigon, and then you got his powers, right?"

"Not… exactly. I did gain some foresight, and my abilities in general became stronger, but there are things he could do that I can't. Not that I would if I were able, mind you, but-"

"And you just killed Jared. Who was embodied anger, which fueled his powers, right?"

Raven frowns in thought, a slight hum sounding at the back of her throat.

"That is certainly true…"

"It'd be one thing if he was just some berserk, angry guy. But if his powers were actually connected to anger, and the mojo shifted to you when you killed him-"

"Then in a sense, I would be absorbing his personality itself. At least, the elements that fueled his strength and empathic ability," Raven concludes.

"Which means quick to anger and a little short on thinking things through, maybe?" Jinx muses.

"Certainly a fair assumption given how well that went."

Nodding, Jinx presses into Raven's side.

"Give us a jump to the house. You'll meditate, and I'll have Giz look up this club."

Her statement brokers no argument, and with a sigh, Raven lets her soul-self wrap around them.

When they're in the bedroom, Raven takes a seat in the air, her eyes slipping closed immediately.

As she quietly chants her mantra, Jinx moves out of the room and impatiently waits for Gizmo to answer her call.

"How're things goin' on your end?" Gizmo says in greeting.

"Hey to you, too. We found a ton of stuff out. The Church of Blood's drowning in this. Need you to look up someplace for me."

"I'll send that around. Coordinating all these people's a serious pain in my ass, so maybe they'll be able to pick their noses on their own if I give them a hard target," he grouses. "And what's the place?"

"Some place called the Lux. It's a bar in LA."

Clicking sounds in the background, Gizmo hmming in reply.

"This a dinner date or a lead?" he asks after a few seconds of silence.

"The second one. Maybe the first if the place doesn't suck and Rae doesn't end up getting us blown up."

"Whoa, what? How would that happen?"

"Long story. Let's just say that if I can keep Raven from getting any more like her family, it'll probably mean a happy Jinx."

Gizmo whistles, causing a sigh of irritation to slip from the meta.

"How many'd she kill?"

"Just one. The one that attacked before."

"Not seein' the problem, but I'm smart enough to guess there is one somewhere in there."

"Anger and Raven don't mix well," Jinx sighs. "We almost had a damn bar fight started in the Oblivion."

"Yeah, that'd be bad. Though bad's relative, right now, what with Hell on Earth an' all. Get 'er under control before you go to this place. The legal fees would bury you."

"You found it?" Jinx asks with much less irritation.

"Yeah, I found it. Really swanky, private club. Looks like the kinda' place you're gonna' hate. Hope one of your dresses survived," he adds with a snicker.

"Great. Well, maybe that'll mean there'll be less people likely to set her off."

"Here's hopin'. Though pissin' off some posh-ass club owner probably can't make Steel any more pissed at you guys."

"So it doesn't set off your freaky radar?" Jinx ponders with a frown.

"Not really, but their site's pretty sparse. Where'd you hear about the place?"

"Constantine. Bit of an ass, but if he thinks we'll find something there, he probably ain't wrong."

"Well, good luck with that. If it comes down to it, I'm sure you can figure out somethin' that'll calm Raven down. Never failed before."

"Yeah… Send me their address. I'll text you the info we've got to send on to everyone else."

"Sounds good," he replies before a click sounds.

By the time Jinx gets back into the bedroom, the messages are sent.

She finds Raven floating where she left her, grey skin replaced by brilliant scarlet.

In a bubble around her, red markings glow and pulsate through the air.

Disturbingly, Raven's top two eyes lock on her as soon as she enters while her other eyes remain closed, something the meta hadn't seen before.

The sensation of their gaze on her is unpleasant, and despite their lack of pupils, she feels them following her as she moves further into the room until she sits on the bed.

The sensation quickly fades, however, as the symbols abruptly vanish.

The red cast of her skin dims and slowly turns back to her natural color, and as they do, the eyes seem to melt out of existence.

Finally, Raven's body lowers to the floor, and her eyes open when she releases a sigh of relief.

Jinx feels concern forming when she meets red lenses, but the color bleeds away to leave pure indigo eyes in their place, not a trace of red to be found.

"R-Raven?"

"What you thought is correct. It seems I siphoned his power," Raven responds as though nothing is amiss.

"But…?"

"No buts. I've taken on his abilities, and the weaknesses that come with them. However, knowing they're there has given me what I needed to correct for the problem."

"Meaning?" Jinx grouses.

"Meaning I've simply assimilated it. When I get angry, I will likely get stronger from now on. I may also be able to make people quick to anger or vengeful, were I any more inclined to toy with his ability than I am my own. But I won't be driven by it, so I should be under control now."

"Great. And about that part with your own ability-"

"You noticed it as well, surely. It would seem that he called me Pride not just out of sticking to a theme. Now that I've figured out what it is I've been doing, and where it is inside me, there won't be any more accidental manipulations."

Jinx nods in agreement, quickly kneeling in front of her lover.

"I don't want you taking the others on unprepared, Raven."

"I won't. Now I'm aware that it's something that can happen. It was poor luck to find it out with Wrath and not something I'm used to dealing with, but I'm using it for a number of lessons."

Jinx smirks in response, her head coming to rest in the crook of the psychic's neck.

"Never been a slow learner. So, you've got it under control?"

"No starting a bar fight in Los Angeles," Raven swears.

"Damn right…"
*******************

Raven and Jinx step through the doors to the club.

As soon as they pass through the entrance, a mysterious sensation rakes across them, seeming to analyze their entire beings.

"The hell's that?" Jinx mutters.

Raven is distracted from her reply by the rise of a long, smooth piano melody in the club's space.

The sound draws their attentions to the side of the large room, and the grand piano resting there.

Sitting on the edge of the piano is a tall woman wearing a white mask over half her face.

Her black cocktail dress is the same shade as her curtain of hair, reaching nearly to her hips.

The same time they take her in, the women feel her attention on them as well, though she makes no move towards them.

The melody picks up in pace, drawing Raven's senses to the piano's player.

By all appearances, the man is simply a very well dressed, reasonably attractive piano player.

Raven's senses, however, tell her far more about the man and the club they've walked into.

Her skin pales and sweat breaks free on her forehead, the gem in her chakra turning noticeably darker.

The shift happens in the same span of time it takes for Jinx to notice the bar is disturbingly empty for someplace so posh-seeming in the night.

Raven's groan brings the meta's attention to her, and then to the piano player.

The man has a strange shadow around his body to Jinx's gaze, the shape constantly shifting to cause her a headache.

She moves her senses away from the shape and finds that the man is decidedly not human, though the feeling running through her is nowhere near unpleasant enough to cause her to be ill.

The man abruptly looks up from his piano as the melody slows to a smooth stop.

"Hello, ladies. You're twenty-three seconds later than expected," he muses in a rhythmic voice.

The sound seems to hit Raven like a physical blow, and Jinx's eyes widen when the psychic hunches in on herself.

"Raven!?"

"Your girlfriend doesn't seem to be reacting well," the man muses as he moves away from the instrument.

Jinx turns to glare at him, her hands releasing pink sparks.

Seeing them, Raven quickly clamps a hand down on the meta's wrist, her eyes wide in panic.

"Do not repeat my earlier mistake, Jinx. This is not the place for it," she says in a strained, nearly whimpering, voice.

Jinx releases her hold on her power, turning worried eyes to her lover.

"You have good control. Also more than expected… My name's Sam, and I'll tell you now that you'll be disappointed with what answers I'm going to give you."

Raven's eyes flash black, but instead of the attack Jinx expects given her reaction, soul-self flashes into existence like a second skin to cover the empath.

As soon as the layer of magic is erected, the sensations flowing through Raven vanish with a relieved sigh.

"Convenient ability, to so easily reject reality's grasp and rules. Even if it's in a self-imposed prison," Sam muses.

Amusement flows from the man, raising Jinx's hackles.

"It's not as convenient as one would think, given what taint acts as its source," Raven responds in a monotone that sets Jinx even further on edge.

"You seem to have worse father issues than I do, if how much you hate him is any indication," he responds without missing a beat.

Raven's eyes narrow to slits, a hint of red appearing in them.

"Even I have limits, but I would say it's not an unfair comparison."

"You really should make a plan for that. He's not dead. Well, not really, but then, can you ever really kill immortals? Though you certainly siphoned enough power from him to beat him that it's unlikely he'll be coming back for at least a few centuries. Assuming the universe has that timeframe."

"Who the hell are you!?" Jinx demands, the amount of information Sam knows greatly disturbing the meta.

Raven opens her mouth, but finds that no sound can come when Sam locks eyes with her.

He raises a finger to his lips and shakes his head, a light shushing sound escaping.

"Nicole wouldn't relish the manner of entities that would stir on that utterance in a place like this."

Raven's mouth clamps shut, the warning sending a spike of ice through her veins.

"Where are the keys?" she finally asks.

"It's rude for mortals to ask questions they already know the answers to. Ask Dream, if you find him. It's dangerous to discuss such matters in a mortal plane where anything can be listening, even were it not redundant rehashing of what you know."

"Are you one of those things? The Endless?" Jinx demands with a huff.

Sam's gaze slides to the meta, who immediately feels her pulse racing.

"Mazikeen, would you kindly get Miss Diaz a complimentary drink while I have a discussion with Raven?"

"Oh, I don't… think… so…"

Raven looks over at the meta to find her attention transfixed on the masked woman, evidently "Mazikeen."

The blush on her skin causes Raven's eyes to narrow, though there's no red in her gaze, and when she looks towards Mazikeen, she finds a thick, ethereal ribbon of light flowing from her to coil around Jinx.

"Um… Mudslide, if you've got it," Jinx says while she's led away.

"Using magic on my mate is enough reason for me to cause an… incident," Raven states once her lover disappears from sight.

He chuckles in response, taking a drink from a goblet that seems to materialize from thin air.

"I expected better than for you to entertain starting a fight like that over petty jealousy."

"It seems you aren't able to see as much as I'd expected," Raven retorts. "When it comes to those I love, I embrace the darker side of my nature. As she would tell you, I tend to be very… possessive of her."

Another chuckle sounds, though no amusement seems to reach Sam's eyes.

"An interesting choice of term. As it stands, you can hardly attack Mazikeen anymore than you would let others blame you for things randomly exploding when you're off-balance."

"It takes effort to enchant her," Raven argues.

"I'm sure. For the most part. But Mazikeen is a Lilim, a… succubus… and she's enacting no such effort on your… mate," he retorts. "You'd be just as susceptible to her natural charms as the meta, as any mortal, were you not wrapped in your self-possession."

She casts a gaze towards the women, staring at Mazikeen's aura.

She frowns at realizing the ribbon, whatever it is, is not a spell of any kind.

"Don't be jealous. It's unseemly, and Mazikeen's hardly the type to entertain Nicole as anything more than a moment's distraction so she doesn't ask any questions that you don't want answered."

Raven's gaze returns to him, a pinkish cast forming and vanishing from her orbs in an instant.

"I'm not worried. Even if something like that existed, you'd be just as likely to feed her lines that would satisfy her curiosity. I mean, you are the lying prince, aren't you?"

His lips press into a hard line, Raven shivering at the hard cast to his gaze despite her soul-self barrier.

"I never lie, Raven, and that's a somewhat irksome mistake to make for someone so learned, mortal though you may be."

"You lied about your name," she retorts.

He instantly relaxes, a brow quirking at her and a smile edged with condescension directed at her.

"Not at all. Sam is shorthand for a number of names, including Samael. Another aspect, given to me countless ages ago, to be positive, but still relevant, and less likely to bring undesired attentions my, and your, way. So no, I did not lie when introducing myself as such."

He takes another drink from his goblet, a faint glow shining against his chin from within.

"I really do loathe such dated concepts, though. I've always had the principle of absolute honesty. I know word being bond is nigh-meaningless to mortals these days, but it remains just as much part of my personality now as the dawn."

Raven shrugs at that, finding "Sam" a strange person to have a conversation with.

"It's part of the reason so many see me as evil, you know. Ugly truths are very unpleasant to hear, and I've found humans in particular to be overly prone to such negative responses. You're likely going to leave here thinking me cruel, as well," he adds.

"I can deal with bad news just fine," she retorts with a slight narrowing to her eyes.

"That remains to be seen."

Suddenly the goblet disappears, and he moves in a circle around her as though stalking prey.

"I must say, as mortals go, you certainly are an interesting concept. A Tool of Fate who doesn't seem to share my despair of predestination, due only to thinking that you've somehow beaten your fate. A demon with a mate you can't physically mate with. A hero embedded firmly on the side of Order, born from incarnated darkness and evil. Yes, I've always wondered what a meeting with you would be like, once I saw that we would be meeting."

Raven shudders, his statements seeming both admiring and condescending at the same time without any reason for either to be true.

"Well, I'm here now. Despite Fate," she mutters.

"Indeed, you are. It seems my assumption on your views of Fate disagreeing with mine weren't entirely correct, then."

Raven shrugs it off, refusing to turn to face him while he stops at her back.

"I came to see it as malleable. Fate is certainly something that governs the universe, but it can be worked around. If anything, it's just an unfortunate side-effect of a flawed system. An incomplete surrogate made in laziness."

"Don't let Him hear you say that," Sam muses with a chuckle. "Either of them, actually."

"I somehow don't feel I have much choice in that matter," she mutters. "But seeing as how my questions coming here are apparently going to be given no satisfactory answer, I'll shelve those for a bit. I'm curious, too, though I loathe admitting it."

A peal of laughter sounds nearby, and Raven feels blood leaking from where her nails pierce her palms.

She briefly ponders the consequences of punching a succubus working under such a powerful force, but he speaks in a way suggesting he realizes her thoughts.

"Go on," he responds while walking back to her front.

"How does one just leave Hell?"

"By walking through the gate, obviously," he deadpans without missing a beat.

"I suppose for you, it really could be that simple."

"You mortals would have noticed long ago if Hell was entirely sealed off from new souls to be punished. When I took my leave, I made sure to leave the way in open, and promptly spited Dream by putting the keys in his care. A tad petty, but amusing nonetheless."

"So visiting… Morpheus… really was the only choice I had from the start, then," she sighs, entirely uncomfortable using the true name of a being so powerful.

Something occurs to her then, a hard frown forming.

"Wait. If you're not inside the Gate, who are they trying to unleash?"

"There are still authorities down there, even without me present. I imagine that my predecessor would gladly act on the chance to subject Earth to the torment he could unleash when the door is opened."

"So it's true, then. You're really different from The First?"

"The Fallen followed after my departure. I'm often confused with the First, to both of our irritations. And the First will relish free reign."

"Couldn't you stop them?"

"Were I so inclined," Sam agrees. "I'm not. As long as the Gate stands, they will not threaten reality itself for long. I'll act, if they decide to attempt that instead of just a temporary release."

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to make sure it doesn't come to that, then."

"You're very confident for one with such limited foresight. Do take care, though. You may end up becoming exactly what you loathe, if you don't act with caution to avoid assimilating them as you did your sibling."

"I'll work on it," she huffs. "I do not repeat mistakes often."

"Your near-excommunication from that Titans group would suggest otherwise," he retorts with a chuckle.

"I was not the only one making mistakes there. And that matter is irrelevant, though I find it… creepy… that you know that much. As it stands, I will learn from what happened with Jared."

"Perhaps you will, perhaps not. As you say, it's irrelevant to me, though not as much to yourself as you'd like to think. All the same, you almost certainly do not have the resolve to have nearly as much confidence as you do."

"I like to think of it as determination, not confidence. Hell can not rise to Earth so long as it occurs in the same reality that myself and my loved ones exist in. I will therefore use everything in my power, up to and, if necessary, including my life, to make sure that they can avoid living in such a reality."

"Really. Mortals are such ultimately petty creatures," he mutters with a derisive snort. "You plan on staying a battle on the scale of Creation itself, based solely on desiring to keep your mate happy."

"Mortals and otherwise aren't so dissimilar in that regard," she argues with a glare. "Had you not decided to leave the keys in the hands of others, this wouldn't even be an issue in the first place."

The response she's expecting isn't the amused laugh that leaves him, the sound coiling around her mind even through her barrier.

"Certainly true, though assigning blame will not solve the problems you face. Truly a meaningless comfort, if ever there was one."

"I never said I wasn't petty," she quips. "Just that you shouldn't take such a stance if you're not much better. Is there a countermeasure to the keys? Something to keep the Sons of Trigon from functioning in the event that I can't stop them from getting them?"

His eyes gain a faraway look, his attention clearly on something other than Raven.

Before she moves to gain his focus back, though, the mist clears from his orbs and he sends her an amused smirk.

"If there is, I don't know of it. You'd best ask the questions you want answered, before you lose your patience and make a regrettable decision."

The way he says it makes her wonder what he'd been looking at.

She does not, however, make the mistake of inquiring about it.

He speaks as she opens her mouth, seeming to have waited specifically for it, if the growth of his smirk at her darkened glare is any indication.

"You're too afraid to ask them, regardless."

"I am not so weak," she argues.

"Perhaps, but you won't ask, all the same. Ironically, to attempt to use my foresight due to it being significantly stronger than your own would be the same as seeking help from Fate, would it not?"

"If it's so much stronger, I would think you wouldn't have had expectations that went unmet with our meeting."

He grins, taking a step that puts him nearly against her.

She tenses, waiting for a blow to come, and briefly wonders if her soul-self could stop the impact from such a strong physical blow.

It doesn't come, however, his eyes merely narrowing in amusement.

"You debated just now. In another place, you acted, throwing a fist with your soul around it at my carotid artery. I avoided, got behind you, and snapped your neck. In this reality, you thought better of it."

Her eyes widen, her hand unconsciously raising up to cup her throat.

"My sight is nearly omnipotent. But even omniscience is imperfect in this reality with so many overlapping existences and dimensions. I see possibilities more often than events. Most times it pertains to this reality, but not always. Even if you did ask, I would not be able to give you a definitive answer. That you buck Fate's grasp where you can, even in minor ways, makes it even more clouded."

"Fair enough. Then a concrete question with a concrete answer. Where are the Sons of Trigon?" she demands undeterred.

"Ever on the move. They're clearer, to be certain, but even if I tell you where they are now, or where they're going in time, you will not be able to catch them without constant input from me to match their constant shifting. I could provide such a service, for a price that you would never willingly pay, much to your credit, I think. I told you when we started that you would not like my answers, Raven. Was I lying?"

She releases an irritated huff, refusing to meet his eyes.

"I should have expected as much. Worth a try, nonetheless. This leaves me with one course, then."

"So it does. I can't say I'm not interested to see how this will end. If you do happen to succeed, feel free to come back. We'll throw a celebration on the house, for doing something that a fatalistic person would think impossible for a two-person group. And your nuptials, of course," he adds with a smirk.

Somehow, Raven finds herself chuckling despite the situation, a smirk curving her lips.

"The idea of you facilitating a marriage must mean a far more acute sense of humour than you've displayed thus far."

"Anything is possible," he agrees. "And I believe our meeting's adjourned, if that will be all."

Raven turns her attention to the approaching women, once again feeling her pulse rise at the blush on Jinx's face.

A frown wars greatly with the coloring, however, the meta's eyes seeming far clearer than expected.

As soon as the meta reaches her side, Mazikeen walks back to the bar, and Jinx's expression darkens significantly.

Her gaze moves to Raven, and even with her empathy so tightly locked away from the same reality her lover stands in, the empath can practically feel the guilt.

Raven's hand comes to rest on the meta's shoulder, and soul-self immediately expands to surround her as well.

"It's alright. Nothing to be guilty about," she soothes as soon as she does feel the waves of the emotion rolling against her.

Jinx says nothing, turning a harsh glare on Sam.

"Tell your waitress that if I ever meet her again, I'm going to pay her back for getting in my head," she commands.

"I suspect she'd find that an interesting prospect," Sam laughs. "Though, as Raven will tell you, she deserves no hatred."

"Much as I'd like to, I cannot wholly disagree," Raven sighs. "It is not your fault, nor really hers. I'd say it's your fault, actually, were I so suicidal," she adds in Sam's direction.

"I'm not as reactionary as all that. You can certainly blame me, if you wish. You wouldn't be nearly the first."

"At any rate, I believe I'll be declining your offer. When I'm victorious, I do not think it would be a wise decision to come to a place with so many chances of a bad deal, were I to become more than simply an interesting concept."

"When. So presumptuous. Though if you do succeed, your fear would not be entirely unfounded," he responds with a laugh.

With a nod, Raven turns and heads for the doors with Jinx almost clinging to her side.

"I look forward to seeing what outcome becomes reality," he says with another laugh in way of goodbye.

Raven refuses to respond as they make their way out of the Lux, the soul-self shield not dissipating for several teleportations…
**********************

Author's Notes:

Having just re-read a number of Vertigo Comics titles, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Even more than I was expecting when I was coming up with the concept for this meeting. Writing that conversation was a blast from beginning to end, and I hope you all enjoy as much as I did.

Quick note here, with this chapter, I've finished my backlog. I'm hoping to maintain a weekly update schedule, but just wanted to let you all know that it may get irregular for a bit since I'll now be writing as I go each week. I'm starting the second half of my semester, and the workload is getting significantly more heavy. While the updates likely won't be interrupted, it's better to let you know ahead of time that it's a possibility.

As always, be sure to give your thoughts, be they positive or negative, and I'll see you all next time!