A WARNING for this chapter, there is some nudity, but it doesn't go past that. There is no sexual themes that I know of.
So cold, I know you can't believe it
Sometimes you gotta face the feelin'
You don't care if you don't get up again
There's a thousand things I will not understand
Now you're dealin' with the hell I put you through
If I had my way I would be right there next to you
There's certain things in life you cannot change
There's certain things
I hope you know I care
- Yamaha, Delta Spirit
Apache follows Raven as she's done many times before out of the common room and to her room, the girl ahead of her as silent as a wraith as she floats down the hall. It's nothing new, but Apache's skin still crawls with guilt and discomfort as she gazes at the girl's back, the silence causing her ears to ring. And it isn't even her fault! She doesn't even snicker at Raven's added height as she usually does. Her stomach is sick, and she feels as if she doesn't belong in her own skin. Which technically, she doesn't, but still!
As they turn down the hall to the bedrooms, Apache can't help it anymore. She projects at Raven. She doesn't know if it will work, but it's worth a shot, right? She doesn't even know how it works. What does she do, yell at Raven with her mind? Imagine she's talking to Raven? Apache sighs.
'I'm sorry, Raven,' Apache sounds guilty, uneasy, twitchy. There is no hop to her step as there usually is, her tail limp. Her ears are droopy back, guilt and uneasiness weighing her down despite her doing nothing wrong.
"There's nothing to be sorry for," Raven halts, turning to her. "Unless you had something planned. If you did or do, it's best to tell me now," Raven gives her a scrutinizing look. Apache cowers slightly at it. Raven had never looked at her like that before.
'I can promise you on my life that I never had any malicious intent. I didn't lie or try to keep anything from you,' Apache sounds weak, unconvincing to even herself. She doesn't understand this feeling. She didn't do anything wrong!
"If you did nothing wrong you need to quit feeling and acting so guilty, it doesn't make your case very convincing," Raven still has her hood up, obscuring any stray emotion.
'I-I know. Just, the way you all looked at me, like I was the enemy. I'm not! I understand that,' Apache stalls as Terra flits through her mind. She's already on thin ice, she wouldn't dare go near possibly touchy subjects. 'you guys have to be careful and its justified for you guys to be overly cautious. Its too much for me to ask that you all give me the benefit of the doubt, I understand that. It just hurts, I guess," Apache's eyes fall.
"You're right, we can't afford to give you the benefit of the doubt. That doesn't mean at the same time that you won't be able to earn the trust you want," Apache's eyes snap up to Raven, the girl lowering her hood, causing her blood red chakra gen to glint in the light of the hall. Her amethyst eyes are hard yet have a certain undertone of kindness to them that wouldn't have been noticed by anyone that didn't know her well. "It may take time, but you'll get there. As long as you're telling the truth."
'I am, I can promise you right now. I'll make sure those looks of disappointment get wiped right off all your faces,' Guilt is replaced by a fiery determination. She stands tall, her ears forward, bi colors meeting amethyst.
"I'm looking forward to it," Raven's lips quirk upward the tiniest bit. "Now, let's go find those spells," Raven turns back around, floating the rest of the way to her room, Apache right on her cloak's tail. Apache feels blessed. She'd never seen Raven so expressive when she was around people. She's so much more expressive when she's alone, and even with her. Of course Raven had thought she was a normal dog, and animals have a way of worming themselves under people's skin. You could use a dog or cat as a living diary and no one would ever hear or see tail of it again.
Using a dog or cat for a diary is the best and safest method out there to her. Animals will listen, then you never have to worry about someone getting a hold of the information later. You could vent, scream, curse, just about anything and an animal could always lend their ear then be there to hug after if you needed it.
She trails after Raven until the door slides shut behind her, then she promptly sits, her eyes following the wraith like figure. The girl gazes up and down her book shelf that takes up the entirety of her wall that is opposite the windows, books flying off the dust free shelves to pile themselves in the center of the room.
'How do you keep this room so clean?' Apache projects at the dark girl as she gazes around the spacious room. She'd never once recalled Raven actually cleaning it.
"Magic," she says in all seriousness. Apache inwardly snorts.
'Sure,' she draws teasingly. She feels a sense of awkwardness come over her. After a few moments of silence, she tentatively asks what's been on her mind. 'Why do you seem so much more comfortable around me? Especially now. I mean, even Cyborg isn't too keen with me anymore,' Apache deflates, remembering Cyborg's look of disappointment.
Raven pauses for a moment, before continuing to pull books off the shelves as she deems them worthy. "You're just different, I suppose," Raven picks up on her confusion, so she attempts to clarify. "As a dog, I was able to see you differently. It was easier to be around you. It didn't feel like I was being judged for every little action, and that kept me at ease. When I'm at ease, I can channel my emotions slightly and keep them in check. And now, I don't really see you as an actual person, if that makes sense."
Apache perks. 'So when you're uncomfortable you have to completely block your emotions?'
'Well, yes and no, but that's the simplest explanation," One last book flies off the shelf, Raven turning to follow it. She seats herself in the center of the various stacks, her cloak billowed around her. Apache pushes herself up, walking over to her leisurely before laying down about a foot in front of Raven in between two perilously tall stacks of books. She gazes around at the various stacks curiously, contemplating.
'So, how is it you can hear me now but not before? And don't give me that "I wasn't trying" crap, I know better," Apache gazes at her curiously, her head tilted the slightest bit. Raven glances at her as three books hover around herself, pages flipping.
"Well, there was some type of spell on you. Your aura and mind read as if you truly were a dog, to me at least. By me connecting my mind to yours to try to look at your memories, the spell lifted," Raven's eyes scan page after page as she flips through them at inhuman speed. Apache is quiet, contemplating the information. A spell? What deity thought to put a spell on her? At this point, she isn't going to even question it and just let it be. She feels it isn't her place to question such things at the moment. Whatever big plan she was now a part of might have to play out before she'll know, if she'll ever know. She feels she has a right to know, after all, she's the one that got transported through dimensions to be here, but it isn't the right time to be asking questions. Her gaze falls on Raven again.
'I'm so glad I can finally talk to you, and y'know, I don't know how I got here, but I'm honored nonetheless that you feel comfortable around me. I feel very blessed about that. And I want you to know that I won't ever judge you or try to go against you in any way. I'm here to help, so I'm here if you need me,' Apache gives her a sincere gaze, warmth and friendliness radiating off of her in waves. Raven stalls slightly, gazing up at her. She simply nods at Apache, turning her gaze back to her books. 'Can I be of any assistance?'
"If you can read Latin or Azarathian, be my guest," Raven doesn't miss a beat, discarding one of the books and picking up another with her telekinesis.
'Oh, uh, maybe I'll just let you work at it then,' Apache lays her head on her paws. Raven just hums.
Apache watches, amazed, as Raven flips through book after book, simply scanning the pages before discarding them.
'How can you tell what you're reading?' Apache is amazed at the spectacle in front of her. She'd never seen someone look through books like that before.
Raven doesn't look up. "My eyes can take the information in without me missing something,"
'That's really neat,' Apache lifts her head, tilting it as she gazes at the steadily growing pile of looked through books.
"Don't sound so sure," Raven grumbles. Apache drops it, killing the sentence that's dangling on her tongue by a thread. Must have something to do with her paternity. Apache huffs, laying her head back down. She stretches herself out, pushing her legs out behind herself, crossing her front paws to prop her head on. Raven pauses. Apache's eyes shift upward to find a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't that hurt?"
'No?' Raven looks back down to her books.
"So, a cartoon?" Raven's words catch Apache off guard after an hour of silence. Apache's eyes drift to her from the pile of eleven books that Raven had looked through already. She's got a good twenty more to go.
'Uh, yeah? What about it?' Apache is slightly confused.
"We're a cartoon where you come from?" Raven glances up at her for a moment before her eyes turn back to the thick and ancient books in front of her.
'Oh! Yeah! It was my favorite when I was little. I remember, I was all about Avatar the Last Airbender and Teen Titans. Then they made Teen Titans Go and ruined my childhood,' Apache shivers. 'The Legend of Korra made up for the disappointment, though.'
"Teen Titans Go?"
'No, never mention that abomination again,' Apache put her left paw over her face as best she can.
"... What?"
'OH MY GOD!' Apach bursts out, springing up, her head thrown back as she spins around to pace the room, which startles Raven. Her eyes are only the slightest bit wider than normal as she watches after the flustered dog. 'That damn show, it has nothing on the original. It's downright ridiculous and completely unrealistic. There isn't even any crime fighting in it! It's just ridiculous and pointless things with no plot and no appeal. Not to mention every Titan is completely out of character! Even Beast Boy eats meat in that show!' With a groan, she lays back in her original spot, facing Raven. 'Sorry, I just feel strongly about it. Some people like it, and that's fine and all, but I don't.'
"Its that out of proportion?" Raven raises an eyebrow at her.
'Yes!' Apache throws her head back again. 'And it's all in chibi!'
"Chibi?" Raven asks as she begins searching her books again.
'Y'know, that one cartoon style with the blown up heads? That.' Raven just hums at her. 'The original is great though. There were some episodes that didn't really have a central point, but they were still interesting and had their own plot. My favorite episode is tied between Fear Itself and Switched.'
"What happened in those episodes?" Raven sounds disinterested. Apache is faintly aware she might just be fishing for information. She blazes on anyway, unsure if she's digging her grave deeper.
'Well, in Fear Itself, Control Freak tried to take over that video store and that was the first time you guys ever seen him. Great sarcasm by you, by the way, and you guys watched Wicked Scary. You turned the tower into a haunted house unknowingly. Then in Switched the Puppet King tried to turn you guys into puppets but you an' Star escaped and ended up in each others bodies,' Apache lets her rambling die down as she gazes at her black paws. She glances up at the silence that meets her.
"Do you know what will happen when Trigon takes control?" Raven is giving her her full attention, something in her eyes that Apache can't place. Her ears flick just the smallest bit. She's quiet, amethyst boring into bi colors.
'I'm afraid to say in case something here turns out to be different from what I know. After all, I'm here. That in itself is different,' Apache's eyes fall, the floor becoming very interesting to her.
"At least tell me what you know. Its a basis if nothing else," Raven sounds eerily calm. The books have dropped to the floor in front of her.
'Well, you guys do manage to take Trigon out, I don't want to elaborate if that's alright,' Apache gazes up at the girl wearily. Raven tensely nods after a long few moments. Apache can feel relief wash through her, along with guilt for withholding information. She just can't say. What if something is totally off and one of the Titans dies or something? That would be on her for saying everything would be fine and they'd make it out relatively unscathed.
And then what if the situation turns out more like the Justice League vs Teen Titans?
Granted there are major differences already and this universe seems to be exclusively like the cartoon, but it's still possible. Apache is only assuming, but if this universe is based at all on the comic even slightly, Raven already went to the Justice League first to ask for help.
And Zatanna rejected her and threatened her.
Apache has no idea, but the Justice League might just show up here on the day of reckoning itching for a fight. That is if Trigon does not possess them first.
She's sincerely hoping not, cause that's too much for even her to handle.
'Raven, you don't know how much I would love to tell you, but there's too many possibilities, and I don't want you counting on one outcome. Thats shooting yourself in the foot before the race has even begun. There's more than just a cartoon, there's a movie too, and that scenario is a complete 180 from the cartoon. It could go either way, or be something completely different from both of those. Its best to leave it to the unknown, cause I don't even know for sure,' Apache's ears are slack as she watches Raven continue to look through the books. The girl doesn't answer her. Apache sighs quietly.
The alarm blares through the tower, a cacophony that should be illegal as Apache's ears are blasted and she is snapped into wakefulness. Her eyes fall on the girl next to her on the bed as she sits up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It had not been long since the two had went to bed, maybe an hour or two, Apache realizes as she gazes at the clock she can't read. Not much had been said after their initial conversation. Apache fears Raven is cross with her, but there is nothing that she can do about it now.
It's still pitch dark, not a hint of sun threatening to spill over the horizon. A spark of irritation rushes through Apache.
Raven quickly dresses herself and grabs onto Apache's collar. The two are teleported into the common room, a rush of tingling shooting through her body. Beast Boy is just rushing through the door, making the team complete. Robin is at the computer typing away to assess the situation. "H.I.V.E Five again."
Apache sighs, wondering if Robin does in fact wear his uniform to bed.
Cyborg sighs. "They just can't give it up lately, can they?"
"Why four in the morning, though? They couldn't wait a few more hours?" Beast Boy yawns.
"C'mon guys, the faster we get this done the quicker we can get back to bed." Robin looks at his team, his eyes falling on Apache behind his mask. He does not look happy. "Apache is coming with us. She's not staying here alone until we get a proper containment area organized, Titans, go!"
Apache feels pure irritation rush through her. They'd left her here how many times? She supposes that's out the window now, though. At least for awhile.
She would have loved to get back to bed, but she scurries after the Titans anyway. They all pack into the elevator, rushing out the front of the tower. The H.I.V.E. moves too fast for them to take the T-Car, supposedly.
Beast Boy carries Cyborg via his pterodactyl form, Star interlocks her arms with Robin's, and Raven forms a platform for Apache to hop onto.
They're at the scene within minutes. The bank's front is not a pretty sight. The glass is busted out along with some of the wall. Mammoth, Apache guesses. Inside is not faring much better. Wood, plaster, insulation and glass is scattered everywhere.
"We've been here too long, lets go! We've got enough. Mammoth, you didn't grab a dye pack, did you?" A feminine voice reaches Apache's ears. That voice sounds familiar to her. She tilts her head.
"You're right, you've been here too long. It seems like you'll be joining Billy Numerous and See-More in jail tonight." Robin quips as Mammoth and Gizmo step out of the bank's vault with large sacks of money slung over their shoulders. Jinx had been trying to herd them out of the bank but it hadn't worked. Jinx's eyes land on Apache at her spot under Raven's floating form after a moment and linger. Apache perks her ears in question at the rose quartz glance.
"You're gonna pay for fuckin' this heist up and for lockin' my teammates up, you worthless Titans!" Gizmo is instantly angry. Gizmo is a huge annoyance to Apache. She rolls her eyes in distaste. She glances at Robin's, Cyborg's, and Beast Boy's backs before returning her gaze to the behemoth that is Mammoth and the midget that is Gizmo.
The Titan's jump into action, Cyborg taking on Gizmo, Beast Boy and Star taking on Mammoth. Raven takes on Jinx and Robin jumps between the action, helping whoever needed it. At the moment it happened to be Cyborg as Gizmo had knocked him back into and through the wall with the blast of what appeared to be a laser or cannon to Apache.
Apache sneaks over and behind a desk that sits in the middle of the bank, peeking her head out to watch the action.
Jinx sends waves of pink into the ceiling, causing the drywall to fall on Raven. She dodges it well enough.
Raven knocks Jinx back into a potted plant that sits on the far wall behind Apache's desk. The result of this is of course the pot exploding and the soil within getting into Jinx's cotton candy hair. Apache flinches back, lowering her ears. That had to have hurt.
Apache yelps and dashes for the wall a few feet from Jinx, who had jumped back up and was sending waves of bad luck at the dark Titan, when the desk she'd taken refuge under is picked up and thrown. Mammoth had picked it up and thrown it at Star. The Tamaranian dodges it, sending starbolts into the mammoth of a teen. He doesn't get up again, which doesn't surprise Apache.
Right before Gizmo is hit square with Robin's staff and Cyborg rips his spider like legs from his backpack thing, he aims multiple cannons at the other three Titans. A beam hits Raven square in the back, Star dodges in time and Beast Boy is merely knocked off his feet. Apache inwardly gasps, jumping up out of her crouch to gaze worriedly at Raven's fallen form.
Jinx sees her opportunity and dashes through the nearby hole in the wall, her form capturing Apache's attention from her periferal.
Apache goes to jump at her to hopefully pin her down long enough for Robin or whoever to capture her, but her plan backfires. With a wave of Jinx's hand, it feels like she's being choked. She's enveloped in a dull pink glow. She gives a half yelp as her body is forced to follow after Jinx. She captures one last glance of Raven as she pushes herself into a sitting position before her view of the Titans is gone.
At the yelp, the Titans turn to see the last trace of a dull pink enveloped tail. Apache is gone.
"No," Raven mumbles, her back searing. Robin finishes tying off Mammoth and Gizmo's restraints then quickly rushes out the door after the two, the look of a devil upon his features.
"Are you okay Star, BB?" Cyborg asks, finding his teammates in the wreckage.
"I am uninjured." Star allows as she quickly makes up her mind to follow after Robin, green igniting at her sides as she flies at top speed through the hole in the wall.
"I'm good." Beast Boy groans, rubbing at his sore butt. He'd fallen hard on it, of course.
"You okay, Raven? Your leotard is burnt through." Cyborg kneels next to the girl that he'd deemed his little sister, a concerned look upon his face as he gently brushes her cloak aside.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Raven's voice has the undertone of a shake to it. She can only stare at the hole in the wall, baffled and disbelieving.
"Uh, this doesn't look fine." Cyborg quips as he moves the singed fabric away. "This is a really bad burn. We need to get you back to the tower." Their eyes meet, one concerned, the other slowly becoming horrified, even if she wasn't showing it.
"No, we all need to find Apache." She says firmly, meeting Cyborg's eyes defiantly.
"Robin will find her. You need this wound dressed." He crosses his arms, looking down at her in that way only an older brother could.
"No, Apache needs to be found, now. She knows things, you don't understand, we can't let that slip through our fingers, Vic," Raven attempts to stand, but Cyborg blocks her.
"I'm not going to argue with you on this, Rae. I'd rather you not get an infection." Cyborg throws the small girl over his shoulder despite her protests.
Apache tries with all her might to push against the concrete in resistance, but the only thing she has control of is her head. And even then, her muzzle is locked tightly shut. Her eyes are wide as the two duck into an alley and behind a dumpster. Her muscles are tense as she tries to struggle, to no avail.
She looks skyward, the moon nowhere in sight and a few stray stars scattered. Many of them are hidden behind the light pollution of the city.
She tries frantically to bark as a black silhouette hovers above, dull green disks at its side, before taking off in a different direction than it had come. She flattens her ears and drops her head in defeat.
This is just great.
What a time for this to happen. They're probably going to think she is part of some scheme now.
And what of Raven? She'd been hit. Was she even okay? She has to be!
A million different things cross Apache's mind as the two sit behind that dumpster for the next hour. About Raven, what the Titans would now think of her, about her lost memories, everything wrong with what was happening and what Jinx planned to do with her. She became increasingly sick to her stomach. She was just thankful she didn't feel the need to vomit. With her being unable to unclamp her jaws she'd more likely than not drown in her own vomit.
The sky is beginning to lighten in the early morning hour when Jinx decides it's time to make their move. Jinx cautiously surveys their surroundings before ducking from alleyway to alleyway, making their way through the city. Her days if thievery have aided her well. She's as silent as a mouse, and just as visible as one. They Are moving farther and farther away from the bay, to Apache's growing horror. Her eyes are frantically scanning the sky and the surrounding city.
They're in between the suburbs, what looks more like a rundown ghetto that obviously was the poorer and older part of the city (Apache isn't surprised as even San Francisco has one), and business district when Jinx ducks into an old abandoned warehouse. Apache lowers her ears as her body follows through the rusted out entry way. Old dusty equipment is placed throughout the old building. Many of the windows are boarded up or broken out, and the rotten and mouldy smell assaults her nose.
Jinx approaches an odd looking rust covered machine. After fiddling with a panel on the side and removing it, she knotts together two wires, causing a trap door to fly open less than a foot away. Jinx knotts the wires, replaces the panel and climbs down the rungs. Apache's body floats down after her, disturbing her more than it should have. She tries to catch a last glance at the early morning light before she's completely enveloped by the hole, to no avail.
As soon as Jinx steps foot on the smooth concrete, she punches a code into a panel next to the rungs of the ladder. The trap door swishes shut as an acceptance beep rings out. Apache can just catch the code from her angle in the air over the thief's head, 974386. She files it away for later use as she'll undoubtedly need it.
Apache is placed on her paws, the cold concrete causing a chill to seep through her paw pads. She is enveloped in a warm, homey smell, like laundry soap and undertones of coffee among other things. The smell of cooked vegetables and meat hangs in the air so lightly that if she didn't have such a sensitive nose she would never have noticed. Must be from last night's dinner. It smells absolutely wonderful, and reminds her of stir fry. She promises herself that when she's human, the first thing she's gonna do is down an entire wok of stir fry, the rice being optional if it takes too long to cook.
With another wave of Jinx's hand Apache is finally released from the spell. She shakes herself out and lowers her body into the near corner, baring her teeth with a gutteral snarl. She has a tough time keeping the act up when her eyes lock with expressive cat-like rose quartz. Something shoots through her belly. She recognizes the emotion from the same action with guarded amethyst. She drowns in those seas of violet. She has to stop herself from drowning in strawberry hugh.
Jinx's knees hit concrete. "Aww sweetness, don't be like that." She coos, leaning forward with a goofy smile on her thin yet pastel pink lips.
Apache is having none of it. She gives another low growl.
Jinx gives a sigh and rises back to her feet. She sashays into the joint living area, kicking her boots off and pulling her shirt off, revealing a simple black bra and ivory skin underneath. Apache knew that had to be makeup she was wearing, even if her skin isn't much darker than the makeup itself It's almost translucent, pale with the slightest flesh tint. "Y'know what's nice about the boys being away? I get to walk around naked all I want." She sounds delighted as she glances back at Apache. She tosses her shirt in a corner, pulling her leggings off next. She tosses her bra off as she opens a light brown door and closes it after herself.
Apache rises, perking her ears at the distinct sound of water hitting porcelain.
Jinx is taking a shower of all things.
Apache lowers her ears again, turning to look up at the ladder with a huff.
She has to get out and get back, even if it means busting her head open for swimming the bay. She has no idea how that's gonna play out.
She needs to think this one through. She hasn't thought much through lately, but if she is going to think anything through it has to be this. This is the one imperative thing that she only has one chance to get right.
Her ears shoot up.
She has to go out to relieve herself. Unless Jinx wants to pick up after her and continuously scrub urine.
Which Apache guarantees the goofy girl absolutely does not.
Apache feels sly. She'll make sure she pees on the nice black rug first. On the edge of it on the concrete too so it doesn't go unnoticed. She would be more satisfied if the carpet was white. The yellow stain on pristine white carpet would be beyond satisfying.
She sits. Maybe if she made it out to be that she wasnt house broken Jinx would just get tired of it and throw her out. That's not necessarily reliable though. Jinx might not care. She might know some trick to easily clean the mess without lifting a finger which would totally defeat the purpose of her even soiling the carpet as her escape route. It's worth a shot nonetheless.
She won't dare do more than pee though. She won't risk having her nose rubbed in THAT. If Jinx is even strong enough to do that.
Apache sobers. Oh, her magic will ensure she'd have no problem.
She gazes around the large room. Black and yellow is the obvious color scheme.
Bright yellow walls stab her tired eyes. Black leather furniture and carpet compensates for the harsh tone. Not a color scheme she'd personally choose.
A hallway just past the brown door Jinx had entered contains eight other brown doors from what she can see. Opposite of all this is a spacious kitchen with the same color scheme. The black appliances glow pristinely. Apache didn't know what she expected but she knew she didn't expect it to be so clean. Even her own house isn't this clean.
Its either a testament of Jinx's magic or the members of the H.I.V.E. Five are neat freaks. With Mammoth that's hard to believe. Apache believes him to be similar or worse to Beast Boy's unkemptness.
A thought strikes her like a kick to her rib cage.
What if Brother Blood is still in control of the H.I.V.E. Five's minds?
But then wouldn't the H.I.V.E. Five still be at the Academy and not in this little hideout?
She's in the time span of the fourth season. Didn't they take on Brother Blood and Jinx transfer over because of Kid Flash in the fifth?
Apache becomes frightened. Brother Blood is not someone she wants to meet just yet, if ever.
She has to ask Raven about this to gauge the situation. It isn't like she can consult Jinx on the matter. Apache doubts Jinx would even tell her.
But she has to know if Jinx is under Blood's mind control. She doesn't know why, but it's important to her. She wonders if perhaps the Academy is similar to being in the Army reserves. Maybe they just go for a certain time frame every once in awhile? Blood did say that Gizmo, Jinx and Mammoth were his top students. Maybe that has something to do with why they don't live at the Academy?
Perhaps they graduated.
Then again, if they are required to go in every so often, that would be the time that Blood would most likely reinforce his mind control. She has no basis on this, of course. She's looking to all of the fanfiction she's ever read for all possibilities.
There are differences between the cartoon and here, maybe the Titans already took out Brother Blood? No, then maybe there wouldn't be a H.I.V.E. Five. Jinx is only interested in the Brotherhood of Evil because that's what she thinks she's destined to do. Kid Flash plays that card heavily with Jinx.
Apache's ears are pushed forward as far as they'll go. Maybe she can play that card and try to get Jinx to be an actual Titan instead of an honorary one. She never liked Kid Flash and Jinx paired anyway, and that would give Jinx a purpose. She'd much rather see Jinx with Cyborg or Raven, but maybe she's just a bit biased. She could play that card ten times better than Kid Flash ever could. And she wouldn't push Jinx like he did. She could present all the information to Jinx in a very persuasive way that would really make her think over time instead of a few hours or whatever the time frame had been. She can ease Jinx into it and it would be way more effective.
Of course she'd need to be human first.
Apache doesn't dare move from her spot, she simply gazes around the supposed lair as she thinks all this over, tiredness seeping into her mind. She cures herself in the corner as her mind races and puts her head on her paws, her eyes drooping instantly despite the cold seeping into her aching and tired body.
She hadn't realized she dozed off when a rush of air accompanying a door opening wakes her. She only opens her eyes, lowering her ears farther. Jinx is rubbing at her hair with a fuchsia towel, her body still bare. Apache's eyes widen at the sight.
Apache is extremely glad she is a dog. She cant help but stare a Jinx's developed but on the smaller side chest. The girl is completely unaware from what Apache would think. She is slightly ashamed of herself, she didn't even stare at Raven like this. No man could ever pull a reaction from her like this girl and Raven could.
Her heart is thumping painfully in her chest, her mouth has ran dry.
Her stomach drops and her eyes widen.
She'd had a girlfriend back home too. And she'd be very upset she was eyeing another person.
She can faintly remember... No, she won't go there. Too little remembered, even if she recalls it being the best and most terrifying moment of her life.
She notes how Jinx's ribs and hip bones stick out and her legs are overly thin whereas Raven is thicker, her body holding beautifully sculpted curves. Raven is skinny, no doubt, but her ribs are not visible. Jinx looks almost sickly skinny compared to Raven.
Her face and neck is now completely devoid of its blanched makeup, and lightly sunkissed ivory skin is exposed. A few dark moles dot in various places on her neck and chest, even one on her overly flat belly. Apache takes an instant liking to the tan mole that resides on the corner of her mouth, like Marilyn Monroe.
Jinx tosses the towel aside, her cotton candy hair tousled and hanging, free of its elaborate updo. Apache wonders just how she gets her hair to defy gravity in such a way.
Jinx is very striking without the makeup. Her eyes still gleam rose quartz and catlike, open and expressive.
It crosses Apache's mind that Jinx is albino, but she dismisses the thought on account of her moles. Albino people don't have moles.
Or they can?
Wait, biology class. She wrote a report on it. People with OCA2 albinism can have moles.
Apache's eyes follow Jinx as she sashays down the hallway, lightly dancing to a tune in her head. Apache is ashamed of herself as her eyes follow Jinx's backside. She enters the third door to the left, leaving it open. Apache lifts her right ear at the pastel pink and blue mixed with scarlett that is shown. She should have expected nothing else of Jinx.
The tapping of dwars rings out, then Jinx emerges after flicking the light off, shutting the door behind her.
She adorns an oversized Metallica band shirt, her pastel and dark blue striped panties barely visible. She has a large scarlett comforter within her arms that is trailing the ground behind her.
She tosses the blanket on the couch and flicks the large flat screen TV on before moving to the kitchen. As the TV comes to life, Apache recognizes an episode of The Walking Dead upon the screen. Her eyes fall back to Jinx. She's filling a pot with water. She puts it on the stove to boil before seating herself on the couch, pulling the comforter over her legs. Apache doesn't remover her eyes from the girl for even a moment.
When the show falls into a commercial, Jinx again rises. She pulls a small box out of the black cupboard. She dumps the contents into the pot of boiling water after ripping the top open.
Apache closes her eyes after rolling them for good measure. If there was one thing she really didn't care about, it's watching Jinx make macaroni and cheese.
Apache bolts up. She'd fallen completely asleep. And had apparently splayed herself out in the process. Not her best moment.
She gazes around the dark room, the only source of light being the TV. FX is on, playing Iron Man 3, she recognizes. The couch is angled in such a way that she can see Jinx propped up on a pillow and smothered in her comforter, the only visible part of her being her eyes and above, which are closed. She's completely relaxed and snoring lightly.
The next thing Apache is aware of is the horrendous need to pee. She had not went since early the night before.
Now is obviously the best time to execute her plan, even if she's second guessing it. It just doesn't seem right for her to soil a living space. It's so unsanitary!
As she rises, she notices something a few feet from her that wasn't there before.
Its...
She gets closer just to make sure.
It is.
A plate of macaroni and cheese.
Her mouth waters despite herself. She doesn't even like it that much for crying out loud, but the last human food she'd had was that hot dog at the park and before that two or three pieces of pizza that Cy had slipped her on various occasions. Oh yeah and the donuts that Val would slip her when Raven would take her to the shop with her. Either way it wasn't much to Apache.
The food is cold, hardly any smell is rising from it. It had sat here awhile.
Apache looks back up at Jinx after giving the food a thorough sniff to ensure it hadn't been laced with something. It certainly smells alright and not out of the ordinary.
She couldn't do it now. At least not on the carpet, 'cause she has to go really bad and she was not going to wake up Jinx. That could go one of two ways, really good or really bad. Amd that fifty percent chance is not a good compeller.
With her ears flat, she squats in the corner opposite of her chosen one on the concrete. She feels terrible about the huge puddle she leaves, but she can't help it.
She's scarfs down the macaroni and cheese, not even tasting it. She licks the plate clean, before curling back up where she had been before.
She's conflicted when she knows she shouldn't be.
Everything happens for a reason.
This can't be a coincidence.
Right?
T.E.E.N.T.I.T.A.N.S.
"Did you find them?" is the first thing from Raven's mouth when Robin enters the ward. Amethyst eyes are searching and worried.
"No. I don't understand how Jinx was able to disappear so quickly. I knew something was going on. What perfect timing this all happened in." the Boy Wonder's arms are crossed, his eyebrows creased in a distasteful way.
"Robin, no, she wasn't lying at any time." Raven pleads with him, to no avail. The boy has no sympathy.
"Even you can be deceived, Raven, whether you think so or not. Kori and Gar are still looking. I came to check on you, though."
"I'm completely fine."
"I don't call a third degree burn on your back 'fine'." Cyborg cuts in. Raven had denied the IV with antibiotics he tried to give her so he's been cleaning the wound out with strong antibacterial washes and bandaging it for the last hour. Raven had told him it was unnecessary and she'd be fully healed in about a week but he was having none of it.
"Its that bad?" Robin questions, his eyebrows lifting in concern.
"I'll be fully healed in a week with no scar, tops. Apache needs to be found." Raven continues on, worry and panic rushing through her, though she doesn't show it. If things continue like this she'll have to take another trip to Nevermore sooner than scheduled to ensure her emotions don't get out of hand.
"Why are you so concerned with her?" Cyborg questions, equal parts curious and anger lacing his tone. Cyborg had already confided in her how betrayed he felt, how hurt he was about the entire situation. Raven had simply told him to give it a chance, be open minded. For all he knew Apache could be one of the greatest things to happen to them. He had just been surprised that Raven was acting as the voice of reason and gave her encouraging words little thought with a ruffle of her hair, something he only did when they were alone.
"I... I don't know, but I can feel that she's important. I just know it." Raven is unsure if her scattered emotions are getting to her or if this feeling she has holds any merit. She is apprehensive to find out, but time would tell sooner or later. She just hopes everything will work out in the Titan's favor and not result in the end of her home.