Robin slipped ahead, keeping to the shadows of the alley. Behind
him, the rest of the team waited. Cyborg pushed a few buttons on his arm,
scanning the area, and giving the thumbs up that the coast was, as far as
he could tell, clear. Robin walked up to the street, looking around him,
checking for danger. He looked up and down the street and than, feeling
gullible and slightly stupid, held out his right arm over the street.
BANG! Robin jumped back, just in time, the rest of the Titans jumping out of the shadows, poised to attack. . . Only to find that they had almost blown a bus to pieces. A very VERY purple bus, at that. It was the biggest bus any of them had ever seen, looking to have three levels to it. On the windshield The Knight Bus was written in golden letters.
"Beautiful. . ." Starfire gasped.
"Ih," Raven grunted, bothered by the shade of purple the bus was. If she didn't like the bus, she probably didn't like the conductor who jumped out of the bus, wearing a uniform the exact same color as the bus itself. He started speaking, as if he was reading an invisible card.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Pajou Sacather! Welcome to the Knight Bus, or did I say that? Well, anyway, welcome to the Knight Bus! Did I welcome you to the Knight Bus?"
The Titans stared at the odd boy before them, probably about their age, but certainly not acting it. In fact, he seemed something like a broken record, which Starfire took the wrong way. "Is it a robot?" she questioned, looking at Pajou. He grinned, perking up.
"Nope! I'm just bored. Not much happening tonight, and I'm glad to be off the bus."
"Hey Pajou, get back in here!" a voice yelled from inside the bus. Pajou glanced back briefly, before turning back to them.
"Right moving on, that was my dad, where do ya wanna go?"
Robin glanced at the rest of the team, before speaking up. "Diagon Alley," he said.
"That'd be. . .ah. . . eleven Sickles," Pajou said, "Fourteen if you want hot chocolate and fifteen if you want a hot water bottle and a toothbrush in the color of your choice!" He beamed, pleased with actually remembering what he was supposed to stay. His look deflated when he saw the five 'weird' kids staring at him with blank looks.
"Dude. What's a 'sickle'?" asked the green kid with the pointy ears.
Pajou gave him a level look. "It a unit of money," he said flatly. He just got blank stares.
"We're from non-magic families," Raven said, clarifying the situation. It apparently worked, because the look on Pajou's face disappeared.
"Oh, Muggle families! Cool! Um. . . Are you by any chance Timothy Drake, Victor Stone, Garfield Logan, Kori- eh. . . can't pronounce it, and uh. . . Raven?" He received nods and affirmative replies. "Oh, okay! You've already been paid for, by one Albus Dumbledore, on you go!" He turned and jumped up the steps, turning and motioning for them to follow. Robin drew out his Bo staff and followed him up the steps, the rest of the Titans also ready, Cyborg with his cannon, Starfire with her starbolts, Raven mentally prepared, and Beast Boy on the alert to morph into whatever animal he felt would be best. Only to find a grumpy man sitting in front of the steering wheel, his messy hair falling into his eyes. He glared at them as they passed and muttered something about how easy it is to just get on a bus.
Inside, there was not a seat to be seen. Instead, six brass beds were positioned near curtained windows. Beside each bed, a candle burned in its bracket.
"Sweet!" Beast Boy exclaimed, thinking of the possibilities if he worked here, talk about sleeping on the job. Starfire, of course, was delighted with the idea of a kind of transportation that also had real beds, so she claimed the one nearest to the drivers seat, watching out the window, not seeming to relies that the bus wasn't moving yet.
Pajou turned to the four Titans still standing. "The bus ain't gonna move till you four sit down, you know," he joked. Robin nodded, taking the bed next to Starfire. Beast Boy jumped on the bed next to Robin's and Cyborg on the bed after Beast Boy's. Raven, of course, took the bed second to last in the row, looking out the window.
With a deafening BANG, the bus threw itself forward, in the process tossing the Titans off their beds. Rather disgruntled, they got back on the bed and tried to slow down their heartbeats. They very quickly learned that in the wizarding world, there's hardly ever boredom. Just after the got themselves settled, a boy is a green short sleeve shirt and jeans that where raggedly cut off at the knees slid down the railing of the stairs that lead to the level above them, jumping off to land on the last bed in the row. He began jumping up and down on it as he talked. "Hiya! My name's Zaz, what's yours?" asked the obviously highly social and energetic boy, who was fast getting on Raven's bad side.
"None of your business," she replied coldly, as the boy seemed to be speaking to her.
He shrugged, like he didn't care what she thought. "'K. Nice to meet you, anyways." He flipped off the bed and ran over the Beast Boy. "Hiya! Your skin's cool! Green's my favorite color!" He happily told Beast Boy.
"Uh. . . Thanks?" Beast Boy was a bit unsure how to respond with such a comment from a near total stranger. Zaz grinned and turned to Cyborg.
"Blue's a cool color, too. My bid brother lover computers and stuff like that."
"That's. . . nice," Cyborg answered, also slightly taken aback by this kid. Zaz just grinned and turned to Robin.
"Nice Bo staff, I have a friend who has one, but I'm not sure if he knows how to use." Robin didn't reply, still wary of the whole situation. Zaz frowned momentarily, before bouncing over to Starfire. He blinked, before saying, "Your hair's really long!"
Starfire beamed at him. "Thank you!" she squealed, becoming more and more assured that this was a very good idea.
BANG! Robin jumped back, just in time, the rest of the Titans jumping out of the shadows, poised to attack. . . Only to find that they had almost blown a bus to pieces. A very VERY purple bus, at that. It was the biggest bus any of them had ever seen, looking to have three levels to it. On the windshield The Knight Bus was written in golden letters.
"Beautiful. . ." Starfire gasped.
"Ih," Raven grunted, bothered by the shade of purple the bus was. If she didn't like the bus, she probably didn't like the conductor who jumped out of the bus, wearing a uniform the exact same color as the bus itself. He started speaking, as if he was reading an invisible card.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Pajou Sacather! Welcome to the Knight Bus, or did I say that? Well, anyway, welcome to the Knight Bus! Did I welcome you to the Knight Bus?"
The Titans stared at the odd boy before them, probably about their age, but certainly not acting it. In fact, he seemed something like a broken record, which Starfire took the wrong way. "Is it a robot?" she questioned, looking at Pajou. He grinned, perking up.
"Nope! I'm just bored. Not much happening tonight, and I'm glad to be off the bus."
"Hey Pajou, get back in here!" a voice yelled from inside the bus. Pajou glanced back briefly, before turning back to them.
"Right moving on, that was my dad, where do ya wanna go?"
Robin glanced at the rest of the team, before speaking up. "Diagon Alley," he said.
"That'd be. . .ah. . . eleven Sickles," Pajou said, "Fourteen if you want hot chocolate and fifteen if you want a hot water bottle and a toothbrush in the color of your choice!" He beamed, pleased with actually remembering what he was supposed to stay. His look deflated when he saw the five 'weird' kids staring at him with blank looks.
"Dude. What's a 'sickle'?" asked the green kid with the pointy ears.
Pajou gave him a level look. "It a unit of money," he said flatly. He just got blank stares.
"We're from non-magic families," Raven said, clarifying the situation. It apparently worked, because the look on Pajou's face disappeared.
"Oh, Muggle families! Cool! Um. . . Are you by any chance Timothy Drake, Victor Stone, Garfield Logan, Kori- eh. . . can't pronounce it, and uh. . . Raven?" He received nods and affirmative replies. "Oh, okay! You've already been paid for, by one Albus Dumbledore, on you go!" He turned and jumped up the steps, turning and motioning for them to follow. Robin drew out his Bo staff and followed him up the steps, the rest of the Titans also ready, Cyborg with his cannon, Starfire with her starbolts, Raven mentally prepared, and Beast Boy on the alert to morph into whatever animal he felt would be best. Only to find a grumpy man sitting in front of the steering wheel, his messy hair falling into his eyes. He glared at them as they passed and muttered something about how easy it is to just get on a bus.
Inside, there was not a seat to be seen. Instead, six brass beds were positioned near curtained windows. Beside each bed, a candle burned in its bracket.
"Sweet!" Beast Boy exclaimed, thinking of the possibilities if he worked here, talk about sleeping on the job. Starfire, of course, was delighted with the idea of a kind of transportation that also had real beds, so she claimed the one nearest to the drivers seat, watching out the window, not seeming to relies that the bus wasn't moving yet.
Pajou turned to the four Titans still standing. "The bus ain't gonna move till you four sit down, you know," he joked. Robin nodded, taking the bed next to Starfire. Beast Boy jumped on the bed next to Robin's and Cyborg on the bed after Beast Boy's. Raven, of course, took the bed second to last in the row, looking out the window.
With a deafening BANG, the bus threw itself forward, in the process tossing the Titans off their beds. Rather disgruntled, they got back on the bed and tried to slow down their heartbeats. They very quickly learned that in the wizarding world, there's hardly ever boredom. Just after the got themselves settled, a boy is a green short sleeve shirt and jeans that where raggedly cut off at the knees slid down the railing of the stairs that lead to the level above them, jumping off to land on the last bed in the row. He began jumping up and down on it as he talked. "Hiya! My name's Zaz, what's yours?" asked the obviously highly social and energetic boy, who was fast getting on Raven's bad side.
"None of your business," she replied coldly, as the boy seemed to be speaking to her.
He shrugged, like he didn't care what she thought. "'K. Nice to meet you, anyways." He flipped off the bed and ran over the Beast Boy. "Hiya! Your skin's cool! Green's my favorite color!" He happily told Beast Boy.
"Uh. . . Thanks?" Beast Boy was a bit unsure how to respond with such a comment from a near total stranger. Zaz grinned and turned to Cyborg.
"Blue's a cool color, too. My bid brother lover computers and stuff like that."
"That's. . . nice," Cyborg answered, also slightly taken aback by this kid. Zaz just grinned and turned to Robin.
"Nice Bo staff, I have a friend who has one, but I'm not sure if he knows how to use." Robin didn't reply, still wary of the whole situation. Zaz frowned momentarily, before bouncing over to Starfire. He blinked, before saying, "Your hair's really long!"
Starfire beamed at him. "Thank you!" she squealed, becoming more and more assured that this was a very good idea.