This will be another light chapter and the next couple as well. in light of my recent failure i'm going to put off emotional scenes until chapter six. hopefully my own experimentation combined with the generous advice of you the readers will make for a better second attempt. In the mean time you'll have to settle for angst, comedy and action. Also i've responded to reviews that i felt warranted response. You'll find my responses at the end of this chapter.

Also, this chapter will serve as a test to see what happens if i leave the don't-own-stuff disclaimer off.

Chapter 3:  The Beginning of a Long Day

The next morning Raven awoke before sunrise as she often would whenever a super villain had not prevented her from going to bed early the night before.  It was a habit she had adopted so that she could do her morning meditation in the console room without obnoxious teenage distraction.  The skyline view in the dawn light was very helpful to clear her mind from the confusion of post sleep and the insulated bulletproof glass shielded her from the cold tower winds.  Morning meditation was truly her favorite activity of the day.  The absolute peace and quiet of the predawn stood in stark contrast to the rambunctious evenings here in Titan Tower.

She swung her feet out onto the carpet and held her forehead in her palms.  She was no longer tired but her head felt cloudy and her throat dry.  Her tummy was swollen but much more comfortable than the night before.  She stood up slowly, leaving one hand on her forehead as the other shot out to steady her.  Her joints creaked and her muscles were weak, as if she weighed a hundred pounds heavier than when she went to sleep.  She opened her door and walked to the bathroom to start her morning.  She was naturally a very quiet person and made no extra effort not to wake her fellow titans.

When she had finally emerged from the hallway into the console room the dawn was just beginning to light up the room.  She stopped as she sensed a presence.  She stood still as she tried to feel for the source.  After several seconds of not being able to isolate it, she was satisfied that she was alone.  She walked to the stove to start her kettle.  She set the flame to its lowest setting.  It was difficult to judge time during meditation and she preferred to be pulled back to the waking world by the soft whistle of her kettle rather than wait for the boisterous entrance of one of her friends.  She found that the way in which she concluded her meditation impacted very much on how she felt afterwards.  The lowest flame setting usually gave her about 30min to meditate, after which she could steep her tea.

She walked through the twilight to her spot by the window and began to levitate in lotus position.  She took a few deep breaths and stopped…

She sniffed the air.  It seemed that the horrible smell that awaited her when she opened the bathroom door earlier had somehow followed her all the way here to the console room.

            "It's awful isn't it?"

It was a very quiet and gentle whisper but she gasped and spun around regardless.  There was a bright green person lying on the couch behind her.  Patch sat up slowly without using his arms for support.  He simultaneously tucked in his legs and swiveled, ending up facing Raven in a position similar to her own.  He spoke again, only slightly louder this time.

            "It's rotting ham.  I wanted to throw it out myself but I thought it might be rude.  If it's affecting your focus I will gladly dispose of it."

By this point Raven had long since regained her composure and was looking towards the kitchen.  She spotted the ham on the counter and her eyes began to glow white.  Each of her hands formed a black orb of psychic energy around itself as she reached out with her consciousness to lift the two hams off the counter.  She levitated them towards the window on the opposite side of the room.  A circular portion of the glass turned black as the hams passed through it.  With a light sizzle, Raven's eyes and hands returned to normal and the hams fell.  Raven slowly looked to Patch and waited for his comment.

            "You should have levitated them to Cyborg's room."  He jested.

Raven was not impressed.

            "I removed them because they disrupt my focus.  If Cyborg wakes up there will be no focus to speak of."

Patch gave an airy chuckle and then there was silence on both ends.  Patch gauged her mood as best he could and decided it was ok to speak.

            "I see you also enjoy morning meditation."

Raven was about to respond in the affirmative when she realized something.

            "You know your aura almost fills the room when you meditate."

            "You know your aura is grey and fragmented." Came his voice.  It was happy and playful.

Raven was by no means insulted but she was silent, somewhat shocked that her remark was met but also not sure how to continue the conversation.  Patch became uncomfortable.

            "Sorry." He said, his cheeriness faded.

Raven didn't understand what he was sorry about and still was at a loss for words.  Patch realized she wasn't going to speak and continued.

            "It just surprises me."

He paused to gauge her, then continued carefully.

            "I've noticed that most people who meditate regularly have bright and solid auras."

Raven finally spoke.

            "You see auras."  It was a statement, not a question.

Patch was glad Raven was back in the conversation but was still cautious about making her angry.  His joy returned but he made sure he spoke only as fast as she did and not any louder either.

            "Sometimes I'm just in the zone, like immediately following meditation.  Otherwise I have to stare for some time before I can make anything out."

He noticed she was looking past him.  He followed her gaze and saw the kettle.  He stared at it for a moment in thought and then looked back to her quickly.

            "I'm distracting you aren't I?" He said levelly and gently, without any loss of cheeriness.  "And taking up valuable kettle time as well." He added with light laughter in his voice.

It was all true.  She was very much looking forward to her morning meditation and her kettle water wasn't getting any cooler.  Not only that but Patch's neon green shirt and perpetual cheer were exuding a warmth that made her uncomfortable.  She truly felt as if his very presence was something she needed to battle lest it overpower her somehow.  This in combination with that rotting ham smell which lingered despite the absence of its origin made for a very irritable Raven.  The Trigon situation wasn't helping either.

            "You could say that."

She half expected him to start crying and honestly didn't care at the moment.  His response surprised her.

            "No problem." He said warmly and happily as ever.  "I can leave the room if you like, and refill your kettle with cold water."

Raven was visibly taken aback.  She was speechless.  Such an offer had never before been made.  After an uneasy bout of silence she stood up.  She didn't know what to say but she knew she had to get out of this room.

            "That won't be necessary."

She walked past him to the kitchen.  She locked eyes with him on the way and saw he was happier than she had ever seen him.  This did something to her that she didn't quite understand.  She felt as if she could direct all her abuse at him and he would just absorb it and it would be gone, dissipated in his sea of joy.  This was obviously a ridiculous thought but for some reason it made her ashamed of having been so rude, as if he would not reprimand her so she would have to reprimand herself.  After she reached the stove and clicked it off she spoke without turning.

            "Sorry.  I'm not usually this rude."

            "Rude?"  He asked, still unfazed.  "You were only being honest.  I asked you for a reason you know."

She pondered his words as she began to walk towards the front door for the roof.  He was right after all; she had said nothing out of order.  In fact she wasn't even sure why she thought she had been rude.  Surely any of her fellow Titans would have found fault in her present attitude.  After she put some distance between them she stopped.  She almost thanked him but stopped herself.  In all probability he would inquire as to what she was thanking him for and frankly, she really didn't know.  She felt his eyes on her and knew she had to say something and get away from his presence as fast as possible.

            "I'm going to the roof."

Somewhat satisfied with herself, she started walking again.  His voice came from behind her.

            "I WONT go there."

She stopped again but only because his voice was so soft that she would not have been able to hear it over her own footsteps, but now that she was stopped she would need to respond.  She could only think of one way not to be rude.  She turned around to find him smiling warmly and gently.  She blushed slightly as she gave back the friendliest smile she could muster, then promptly turned around walked out of the room, feeling his eyes on her the entire trip.  When the door closed behind her she gave a small sigh of relief and headed for the stairs.

***

            "Heck no BB." Said Cyborg.

            "C'mon Cy.  You just had meat yesterday." Persisted Beast Boy.

            "Same way you eat toFU everyday.  Nuts to you man, I'm making a lamb chop omelet."

            "They do serve omelets there Cyborg."  It was Patch.

            "Bet they do.  Bet they all filled with toFU."

            "They're made to order.  They'll add whatever you like."

            "What if what I LIKE is pink and tender on the inside and blackened on the outside."

            "I suppose they could fry up a fig omelet if that's really what you want."  Laughed Patch.

            "Did I mention bloody?  It's gotta be bloody.  Man forget it!  I'm makin a lamb chop omelet: extra bloody.  Who wants some?  Robin?"

            "Uhhh.  Maybe some other time.  I'm still recovering from last night."

            "Starfire?"

            "I would like to try a fig omelet."

At this point the main door zipped opened and Raven entered the room.  It had been unexpectedly warm and calm out and surprisingly, she had not suffered the rude awakening she had come to expect.  She was refreshed from an extra long and uninterrupted morning meditation.  You couldn't tell by looking at her of course for she wore the same expression she has always worn.

            "Hey Raven, you want a lamb chop omelet?"

            "I'd puke."  She said walking towards the stove to boil her kettle.

            "Man, since when did alla y'all get so anti-eating?"  Grumbled Cyborg, opening the fridge.

Predictably, the oversized doggy bag fell onto the floor with a sickening wet thump as soon as it was released.  Cyborg began digging through it.

            "Cyborg, how do you eat so much."  Said Robin, slouching next to his juice, visibly ill from the squishy noises Cyborg was making with his rummaging.  "Didn't you just eat an entire deer last night?"

            "Damn right I did and I'm gonna eat two more before the day's through!"

Raven made it to the stove and turned on the burner under her kettle.  She turned to walk away when she noticed that it had begun to whistle almost immediately.  She turned it off and stared at it in thought for a moment, then looked to Patch.  He was explaining something to Starfire at a table near the kitchen.

            "They're really much better in the summer when they're ripe.  This time of year it's difficult to find any unless they're dried.  But ripe or dried, they really don't fry well."

She looked back to her kettle and shrugged it off (it was an inner shrug of course).  She retrieved her teabag from its place in the cabinet and poured a cup.  She left it on the counter to steep and made for the couch.  Various insults, retorts and conversation flew around her but she paid them no mind.  Indeed her extended meditation had been a boon to her focus.  She sat down on the couch in relative isolation and picked up her book of the week, a compilation of Edgar Allen Poe's poems and short stories.  She opened to the story she was currently dissecting, The Pit and the Pendulum, and began reading.  She did not get far before Beast Boy interrupted her.

            "Heyyy Raven, you wanna go to breakfast with us?"

She looked up from her reading

            "I am fasting Beast Boy.  Break-fast would be a bit counterproductive, wouldn't you agree?"

Beast Boy scratched his head in bewilderment.  Patch's voice came from beside him, where Raven couldn't see.

            "It's not a good idea to fast after eating a lot of meat."

Raven looked at him unimpressed.  He was smiling but only slightly.

            "And why not."  She said, a little irked by his shirt.

            "It doesn't have its own fiber.  If you don't eat something to push it through it will putrefy and cause toxemia" He said in a friendly helpful sort of way.

Raven was still unimpressed and looked back to her reading.  She was about to speak when he did.

            "It'll make for a heavy burden on your consciousness."

She looked back at him.  He seemed oblivious to her annoyance and apparently mistook it for interest.  He continued.

            "It'll ruin your focus.  Trust me please."

'Please?'

            "Listen to him Rave;"

Her pupils diverted to Beast Boy but that was the only movement on her part.

            "This guy knows everything there is to know about meat.  Come to the café with us."  Said Beast Boy, hoping very much that she would be his first convert.

            "Please."

She shifted back to Patch.

            "Raven, I wouldn't waste your time unless it was something important." He said in a gentle nurturing, yet very respectful sort of way.  "If you wish to fast please have some fruit first."

His voice became quieter and gentler as he continued.  It was as if he knew that every word out of his mouth annoyed her further and yet could not bring himself to stop talking.  She continued to stare at him, trying to read his intention in his eyes.  Why had this stranger been breathing down her neck since he arrived?  Was it not obvious enough that she preferred not to be bothered?  Perhaps she had thus far made too much of an effort not to be rude.  And what was with the 'please?'

The bright green of his eyes in the full morning light was almost as intense as his shirt.  She sought in them all these answers but instead she found a great depth that threatened to swallow her.  She tried to look away but found it difficult.  She could have pulled herself away; she was sure of it, but the fact that she found it so difficult compelled her to wait and see what would happen.  She felt her awareness being tugged against her will and she became uncomfortable and irritated but his eyes did not waver.  And most annoyingly of all, his warm smile and imposing presence remained constant the entire time.  Just when she felt she was going to have another explosive episode, he swiveled slowly without breaking the gaze right away, and then finally looked at Beast Boy.

            "Come on Beast Boy."  He said smiling.  "If she doesn't want to come there will be no convincing her."

He turned and walked towards the main door without looking back at her.  She felt Beast Boy give her a parting glare but she still had her eyes on Patch's back, as much as the loud neon color irritated her.  Apparently her masochistic streak had not yet worn off but being released from his gaze was a relief she was thankful for.  It wasn't until the door zipped closed behind him that she realized the room was silent.  She turned to look to her three remaining friends, one by one.  They were all looking at her as if she were a toddler who had cursed.

            "Raven?"

It was Starfire.

            "What is the matter?"

            "Yea, what's with the death glare?" Said Robin.

            "Remind me never to tell you what to do."  Added Cyborg, greasy spatula in hand.

She looked from one friend to another for a while longer before realizing the scowl she was wearing.  All benefit from her morning meditation had been lost as she suddenly realized all at once just how irritated and exhausted she was.  She stood up to make back for the roof when Starfire spoke.

            "Raven, Patch is well-versed in the meat science.  You should listen to his advice and not be upset with him."

Raven diverted her scowl towards Starfire, who gasped and took a step back with her hand on her chest.  Robin stepped in front of her protectively.

            "Starfire is right.  He really does know what he's talking about and he was only trying to hel-"

            "When is he leaving."  Interrupted Raven viciously.

Dark energy was crackling steadily around her and there was considerable aggression to be found in her voice but the display was far short of an outburst.  Still such a low growling voice was very uncharacteristic for her.  The others realized she was unstable at the moment and became nervous.  Robin was the one to gather the courage to answer her.

            "He… just did.  He doesn't live here or anything.  He just stayed the night because no one wanted to transport him to the mainland.

            "Fine." Raven answered somewhat recovered.  "I need to be alone now."

She had just finished talking when the crime alert went off.  Robin ran to the console.

            "There's been a break-in in the upper industrial sector."

Cyborg ran over.

            "The industrial sector?  What could anyone wanna steal from there?  Why'd the sensors even pick it up?"

            "High explosives have been detected.  A lot of them.  It looks like they may be out for arson."

The main door opened and everyone turned to see Beast Boy come running into the room.

            "Aww man!"

Robin jumped out of the chair and stood in his cocky leader pose.

            "There's thousands of employees in that area." He said throwing his arm out in front of him dramatically.  "The working day starts in an hour.  We have no time to lose!"

Raven had recomposed herself completely.  Her alone-time would have to wait.  She quickly followed her friends towards the door.  Patch walked in leisurely.

            "Is there anything I can do?"

            "You gotta go home son."  Cyborg answered.

            "No time." Said Robin hastily. "We gotta save those employees."

            "And he still owes me breakfast!" Added Beast Boy.

            "I could call a water taxi."  Patch offered.

            "Think it'll pick ya up here?"

Patch's smile widened.

            "For the right price."

            "Enough."  Said Raven in her usual level voice.  "We are wasting time."

            "Right." Said their fearless leader.  "Let's go gang."

The Titans raced out the door.  Beast Boy stayed behind.

            "You better leave me your phone number."

            "Don't have one."

            "Huh?  Kay.  Give me your address then."

Patch looked a little embarrassed.

            "Kinda between addresses at the moment."

            "Kayyyy."

The console screen suddenly lit up and displayed Robin's face.

            "Beast Boy, Come on!"

            "You'd better go Beast Boy."  Said Patch calmly.  "Don't worry, I won't stiff you on breakfast."  He said with an assuring smile.

Beast Boy nodded and smiled himself.  He pointed a finger at him at looked at him from the corner of his eye.

            "You better not."

He poofed into a jaguar, turned and leaped out the door.

**********[end chapter 3]**********

Next time: Automatic weapons, cool car chase, bombs to disarm, federal sedans, and lots and lots of chickens!

i'll respond to reviews here. Don't bother reading if you haven't reviewed cuz there won't be anything interesting down here:

amskitty214:

i read your story and it actually has an over all feeling of strong emotion. One of these days, i'll have to sit down and analyze your technique. it seems to me that my own style is a bit dry for emotional scenes. If anything from chapter 2 stands out to you as something i'm obviously doing wrong then please let me know.

Crow():
I tried to be melancholy and i am fully aware that i've failed. that's why i asked for help. any specific advice? and as for my thick skulledness, i am aware that Raven is not a goth and i only mentioned the word in saying that my Raven will NOT be a goth, unlike the Raven most fanfics seem to go for. Also, I tried really hard not to offend any self-proclaimers but i see i didn't try hard enough. Perhaps i shouldn't have said anything at all. In the future i will do my best to avoid being a stupid moron.

wizardmagic65():

The cursing was a crutch cuz im not skilled enough to show anger any other way besides curses and exclamation marks. And if you're impatient for Romance i suggest you check back in 10 chapters or so. This is not going to be a short simple story. As i have it layed out in my mind there will be several climaxes and quite a few twists. In response to your post, im actually going to change the Genre to Angst/Comedy until love is in the air. Expect a mixture of angst and comedy for the time being. As for the pairings, i expect some flames but you'll have to wait and see who ends up with whom (i'm even considering a reader vote to determine the ultimate outcome when the time comes). Also, i fear i may have been too liberal in my use of the phrase "romantic pairing." And yes, that is Patch's character but there is a reason behind it and i assure you he's not perfect at all and is in some ways about as tragic as Raven herself (as i have it planned out anyway). He has a very important lesson to learn but his deeper character won't be investigated till after the first climax (you'll know when). The first part of the story will be reserved for Raven's transformation.

Z?:

You've caught onto something about Patch that i hadn't intended to reveal just yet. For the time being, keep in mind that it's Beast Boy, not Patch, who is intent on changing everyone. Patch is simply along (at Beast Boy's insistence) to provide his knowledge.

Kishi:

In its strictest definition, meditation is indeed the act of temporarily stilling one's mind. Raven's nightly routine is not so much a true meditation but rather a mind exercise that she came up with in order to relieve emotional backpressure. I've seen such 'mind exercises' being called 'meditation' in books and other sources so i guess i just used the word. You're actually correct and i'm sorry if my choice of words caused any confusion. And your recommendation for having Raven actually talk to herself is well taken, however, i was looking to emphasize the fact that she is fighting an inner battle and i figured it would read more like a true conflict if there were two sides. I did have her emotional manifestations look like her, although with increased size to make her opponents more difficult to ignore (remember, they do everything they can to get 'felt'). Perhaps it would have been more effective to have her actually talk to herself but i think the way i did it was much easier to write (and pretty believable considering the events of Nevermore).