A.N.: Yes! I can't believe this! People actually LIKE my fic! You have no idea how happy I am! My thanks goes to both Catgirl AND flyingpiggies for complimenting me on my very first fanfiction! Yay! *Does little happy dance insider 2' by 3' cubicle* I am SO happy, happy, happy, happy, HAPPY!!!…But…then there's that darned Algebra Test that I have to take tomorrow…:'(
Life is harsh…BUT, I can manage, and so can everyone else, once I hand out the chocolate bunnies WAY before Easter!
To flyingpiggies: I will take into consideration what you said about things being a little confusing, and don't worry, I can understand the mushy brains thing! Today, my brother ate my share of the brownies, so I didn't get any desert. Of course, he had a near death experience soon afterwards! I can't wait until I get a chance to read more of "Mirror Mirror!" Hehe, yes, that is another request that you update, because I'm buying nothing but Tapioca and Butterscotch pudding until you do!!!^__^
Okay, rather than let my mouth run, I'll release the wild animals from captivity out into their natural environment so they can roam free, read my fic, and then REVIEW.
Disclaimer: I do not own them. That Sam-I-Am! I do not like them, Sam-I-Am! I do not like Green Eggs and Ham. Nor do I like eating mass quantities of tofu and soymilk. So blame Beast Boy for the mass outbreak of diarrhea.
Chapter Seven: Calf Hays and Catching Waves
"I didn't even know that this city had streets with these kind of creepy names!" Marie looked at the signs attached to the dim lampposts. They were on the corner of Specter and Swarthy, right in front of a café dubbed, "The Oracle."
Raven let a little grin escape from the depths of her face as they stepped inside. Starfire jumped as an evil cackle erupted from the threshold of the door.
"It's only the announcer, Starfire." Raven said, pulling her inside.
"Well it is not very nice. I do not understand why the owner of this calf hay could not just purchase and install a bell." Starfire turned around and glared at the little beet-red demon plushy perched on the edge of the frame.
It was Marie's turn to jump as a deep rumble came from behind her. She turned to face a chuckling young man, who had on a black hued uniform.
The patch on his apron read, "The Oracle: Predicting Your Appetite and Serving Your Meals since 1883."
The young man gave Marie a look-over and started laughing in that voice of his. Surprisingly enough, he had blond hair, peridot-green eyes and was about Robin's height. He had a rather rosy complexion and a good-natured face. Not the kind of person you'd expect to find in a strictly gothic café.
He turned to Raven, "This one here new in town?" He gestured to Marie. Apparently, he had already had the opportunity of getting acquainted with Starfire. Raven nodded, and the boy continued, "Well, your table is over there, reserved especially for you." He winked and walked away to fetch the menus.
Raven strode over to a booth snugly tucked away in a corner far from the bar. They slid into the smoke-free area and onto the worn, red leather seats.
She sat down across from Starfire and Marie, the latter of which was analyzing some of the doodles and scratches on the metal surface of the table, "Kiara n Darius", "Jamal n Lil' C", "Ryan luvs Britt Britt", "Class of '04 Rox!"
"Twista n Raven 4eva?" Marie pointed to a heart inscribed at the corner of the table and looked accusingly at Raven.
She immediately defended herself, "That's the nickname of the waiter we just met. He fantasizes a life where I agree to be his companion. A pointless attempt, since all he accomplishes is annoying me."
Marie thought about that last comment and smirked as Twista came back. "So, you have a crush on Raven here, huh?"
Both Twista and Raven stared at Marie in awe for a few moments. She started to wonder if asking things like that in a gothic place was disrespectful, but the boy just set down the menus and turned to her.
"Yeah, sure. She's the only Titan other than Star that I personally know in this whole damned place. I only got this job because I'm low on cash. 16, see? So, what will you ladies be having today? Raven, I'm thinking the usual, my sweet?"
Raven grimaced and nodded her head in acknowledgement. Starfire started flipping rapidly through the whole menu and picked something at the back.
"I will order a large glass of Chardonnay mixed with Vodka, please!" Marie and Raven looked at her as if she had three heads, but Twista scribbled the liquory (A.N.: Naturally, I made "liquory" up.) request on a legal pad. Marie sprang up and ripped off the sheet that had Starfire's order on it.
"No, I think that Starfire will have just chicken fingers…"
"I was not aware that Earth fowl had flexible digits attached to their flying apparatuses."
Twista yawned, "We don't sell chicken fingers."
"Well, then what DO you people sell?" Marie was getting impatient.
Twista flipped the menu in her hands and pointed to a long list of foods, many of which were vegetarian.
(A.N.: I know that a few people writing fics involving Raven's café were wondering what gothics eat. I tried to look it up under Google, and I found out that most prefer vegetarian diets. Of course, that's just what I found. Raven doesn't strike me as the veggie type ;). )
"Oh…um, don't you have anything less…er…green?"
Twista glared hard at Marie and then back at Raven. "Is she some new dark friend of yours or another freak from the clown shop?"
"No, I'm just another stupid broad joining their band!" Marie shouted, indignant.
"She's joining the Titans, Chris."
"So, your name is Chris?"
"So, you're hiring a clown?"
"No, Robin is going through the documents as we speak. She was the one with the water and silt abilities. The one who you saw save us on National Television."
"You mean a clown saved your asses with one of those flowers that sprays water and a bag of dirt?"
"Shut-up."
"Sure, and then what? You gonna honk your little clownie nose at me?"
Marie rolled her eyes at his caustic humor and spoke up in a professional voice, "No, Mr. Ken Doll, I would like to place an order for Bow-tied Pasta Primavera with a side of Vesuvio potatoes, the House Salad, and for desert, a Strawberry Italian Ice."
"You sure you can eat all that?"
"No, I'm splitting with Starfire, and you best be haulin' ass, otherwise you're not getting a damned fucking tip!"
Chris a.k.a. Twista slinked off while Raven started to scold Marie. "The Titans do not swear."
"Why not? Media?"
"No, Robin's code of Titans' Chivalry. No swearing, no assaulting innocent civilians (including the media), no animal cruelty (guess who forced Robin to make that one up), no back-talking to your elders (including Lt. Dickhed)—"
Here, Raven paused as Marie started cracking up. "What?" she asked testily.
"Tell me that's not his real name?!"
"It is, and he has his little underlings following us around everywhere, so I advise you not to be heard in public while criticizing the Lt."
"I apologize…Does his personality match his name?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Starfire answered. "Often, he will bombard Robin with reprimands on his fighting tactics. Lt. Dickhed is extremely aggravating."
"How do you know what Di—I mean, what the d-word means?"
"Beast Boy told me it is a synonym for penis—"
"—Robin will be happy to hear this." Remarked Raven.
"—On my planet, we use the word 'schlombaug' for that part of the male anatomy Oh! Our orders have been placed on the plates, I see!" Starfire whipped out the cloth napkin from under the fork and tied it under her chin and over her ears, giving the appearance of a beard. Chris seemed to regard everything going on as normal.
Marie leaned over and whispered something in Starfire's ear. Blushing, she removed the napkin and placed it on her lap.
"You never told her, Raven?"
"I suppose it never occurred to me to instruct her on proper Earth etiquette."
"Dinner is served ladies! I hope that you enjoy your meal. Call me anytime you like if you need anything. It gets pretty boring with no hotties to chat with at the bar."
He retreated to his place behind the bar, where two hippies were taking abnormally large swigs from Budweisers. An old hag of a lady covered in warts with straggly hair and dressed in what looked like rags plumped her fat bottom down on a stool and ordered in a deep, raspy French Accent, "Cuisses de Grenouilles." Upon inquiry, Marie found from Raven that she had placed an order for Frog's Legs.
A few beams of sunlight filtered through the folded blinds and curtains by the entrance.
Wisps of colored smoke from the incense urns gave off the rich scents of cinnamon, frankincense, and sandalwood.
Three candles rested on the booth's top, two purple and one white.
The soothing tunes of a New Age CD were rhythmically emanating from the Sony speakers gathered in a cluster on the bar's countertop.
And Starfire decided it was best to break the silence.
"The food served at this calf hey is very delectable!" she was scooping out the Italian Ice and Marie was about to take a bite of the Vegan Pasta when she caught site of Raven's food.
"Pizza with garlic topping? Herbal tea?!"
"Yes, and don't even think about asking for a taste."
"Mean…" Marie took a bite of the pasta and spit the whole bow tie out beside the salt shaker.
"What the heck do they use in this stuff?!"
"Everything here is tofu-based, even the dough."
"Urgh! It's like being in Beast Boy's dream world! Only with a dark side! Hey! Um, Chris!"
"Yes, what may I do for you? More Italian Ice perhaps? Or what about a bib for the baby?"
"No, I think that I'll just have pizza. And you best watch your mouth, or I'll wash it out."
"Oh! Delightful! I shall have some as well!" piped Starfire.
"What kind?"
"Pepperoni."
"I would like a pizza with the following condiments: mustard, mint frosting, anchovies, sauerkraut, ketchup, marshmallows, and chocolate pudding!"
"Riiight. Okay. Coming right up my sweetums…"
They had to wait a while for Starfire's pizza to brew, but Marie sank her teeth into the warm, cheesy goodness of an oven-fresh slice. The triple layer of Parmesan, Mozzarella, and American oozed together and blended with the light seasonings and thick, homemade tomato sauce. Who knew that "The Oracle" could do Italian? And do it damned well, at that…
Then out from the depths of the kitchen came a rather sinewy and perturbed cook. Complete with the Chef's hat and bleached white apron, he stormed out of the swiveling steel doors and twirled his waxed mustache, his sharp, beady eyes scanning the room. They narrowed upon sight of the Budweiser-swigging hippies. He shuffled over and let lose a maelstrom of wrath. "OUT! Lei ha inebriato l'assholes! Uscire, il dammit, uscire!"
They cowered under his towering form. A little dribble of beer was making it's way down the second hippie's shirt. Their cans lay strewn on the floor.
"Non voglio qualunque schiuma di goddamned in questo caffè! Uscire, dico, prima che strappo via dal suo penises!" And with that last threat, the chef gripped them by their necks and bodily flung them out the door and into the streets. He brushed his hands off and turned, this time, stampeding towards the three girls.
Marie gulped and her eyes started expanding and lolling in their sockets. So we're the next victim of this Italian psychopath? Why doesn't Raven stop him?!
"Cosí, lei sono la piccola ragazza che ha ordinato quello shit di una pizza, una destra?" (So, you're the little girl who ordered that shit of a pizza, right?) He halted in front of the booth and placed two beefy hands on one potbelly, and indicated with a jerk of his chin that he was trying to converse with Starfire. Only beginning to get a handle on English, Starfire was no where on the road to Italian.
Raven spoke up, while Marie clenched her teeth in fear, "Sì, Sig. Bromble, è." (Yes, Mr. Bromble, she is.)
Marie poked her head from behind Starfire's mass of shimmering red hair out of curiosity. She didn't know that Raven had connections with the head cook. Heck, she didn't even know she could speak Italian…
"Bene, ho la frusta di Geraldi esso su per lei adesso. Appena sedere stretto e l'attesa." (Well, I'm having Geraldi whip it up for you now. Just sit tight and wait.) He was about to return to his culinary dynasty when he spotted the meek little umber head.
"Eh! Chi questo è la piccola ragazza, qui?" (Eh! Who's this little girl, here?)
Again, Raven came to the rescue, "È il nostro membro il più nuovo dei Titani." (She's our newest member of the Titans.)
Mr. Bromble stroked his goatee and chuckled, giving Marie a look-over, "Realmente, l'eh? Il tipo di sguardi di amando un Casper, o qualcosa. ..Some il tipo di largo con nessuna faccia. ..Living i morti, anche.." (Really, eh? Looks kind of like a Casper, or something...Some kind of broad with no face...Living dead, even...)
"Suppongo. Ha bisogno di molto lavoro fatto. Mettere di Robin insieme la sua Nascita Certifica dell'ed i documenti legali." (I suppose. She needs a lot of work done. Robin's putting together her Birth Certificates and legal documents.)
"Eh? Ciò è cosí? Bene, piacevole per incontrarlo mio caro!" (Eh? Is that so? Well, nice to meet you my dear!) Mr. Bromble laughed, the deep rumble sounding more like a drum-roll, or thunder than anything else.
Marie tried to suppress a shudder. What the hell was he saying? And why did he look like the Jolly Red Tomato Giant all of a sudden?
Raven lightly nudged her with her foot under the table and whispered something.
Marie listened and tried to remember it all. "Sì, il giorno veramente, buono a lei il signore. Il piacere è il mio, ma lei avrà il piacere in frullando il mio come una volta sono fatto il blabbing. E sua moglie è qualunque migliore? Ho visto che il suo esegue un complotto diabolico col postino l'altro giorno. Deve essere completamente esaurita. Sento il postino fa dei lavori buoni intorno qui."
The Italian went even more rosso and his moustache curled. He looked like the cackling demon plushy on the door. "Che nel nome di Dio? Hahaha! Vedo, un altro trucco Corvino. Non sa un pezzetto arginato di italiano, la fa? Bene, andrò d'accordo e controllare sulla pizza della Stella. Piacevole per incontrarlo!" (What in God's name?! Hahaha! I see, another Raven prank. Doesn't know a damn bit of Italian, does she? Well, I'll be getting along and checking on Star's pizza. Nice to meet you!)
He looked back over his shoulder on his way back and called out, "Oh, e l'assicura calcia che Slade quanto a me, l'eh? Il dickhead ha dimenticato di pagare il conto quando era qui l'ultimo. Me fa un altro favore e piacere il suo pasto, il suo eh?" He chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Un altro Titano, un altro eh? Dei, questi bambini formano dei club come le stelle questi giorni o che?" (Another Titan, eh? Gods, are these children forming clubs like the stars these days or what?)
"Raven what the hell did I just say? What the hell did HE just say?" Marie watched the swinging doors dumbfounded.
"He said, 'Oh, and make sure you kick that Slade's ass for me, eh? The dickhead forgot to pay the bill when he was here last. Do me another favor and enjoy your meal, eh?' Happy now?"
"No, I still don't know what I said!"
"You don't want to know."
"No, c'mon, just tell me! Oh, by the way, you said 'dickhead' and 'ass'. Thought you might like to know."
"You should really learn not to repeat what others say."
"How many languages can you speak, anyways?"
"Other than Italian? English."
"Raven. Friend. Amigo. Compadre. Companero. Be frank with me here, capish?"
"Italian, English, French, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Norwegian, German, and Simplified & Traditional Chinese."
Marie: O_O Ooooooohhhhhhh…
Starfire: @_@ Aaaaaaahhhhhhh…
Raven: --_-- Whatever…Z_Z Zzzzzzz…
Eventually, a wiry man in a smock and poufy Chef's hat emerged from the kitchen, bearing a colossal circular pan on his shoulders. He looked like the skinny version of Mr. Bromble, with a tiny handlebar moustache and a few gristly hairs poking out of his chin. His face was sweaty and his funny little knees looked like shaking sticks beneath the white apron.
"Here is your meal, Miss." He grunted, mopping his brow with a patterned handkerchief.
"Isn't Geraldi supposed to be a girl's name?" Marie queried allowed. She got an elbow in the ribs from Starfire, plus two nasty glares from the cook and Raven.
"My bad, I was thinking of Geraldine…"
And then came disaster as Starfire found herself plunging into a mound of murky sauces and far fetched colors. The smells combined into one nauseating fragrance, and finally Raven demanded that they get it fixed up in a doggie bag and go home.
Chris shook Marie's hand and assured her that it was an honor having met a clown.
Marie squeezed his cheek like an affectionate old granny and said it was an honor having met a smart-ass jock.
They took the shore route. The beach was deserted, and the sun had already made its scarlet departure long ago. The black waters lapped against the soaked sand in peaceful rhythm. Marie tried her luck at catching a few waves by controlling the tide with her abilities.
Unfortunately, she got so excited when her powers finally kicked in and it started to work, that she cause a breaker to come thundering down the shoreline.
"Ohhh! Friend! You must divert its course!" Starfire flew over to Marie and started yanking her arm.
"I can't! I don't know how to make it stop!" Marie was waving her arms at the wave.
"Picture it dying down! It will only cease motion if you envision it." Raven said.
"Huh?!" Marie was trying to imagine, but watching a forty-foot wall of water come straight towards you at unthinkable speeds was a little bit disturbing.
"ARGH!!!" The girls shielded their eyes and braced themselves for impact, ready to cope with the pain of having their skin slapped raw and their bones crack under the driving force of the wave.
"Peace, Quiet, Tranquility. Peace, Quiet, Tranquility. Peace, Quiet, Tranquility." Starfire started chanting.
If only I can make this monster stop, then maybe none of us will end up in the E.R. Marie watched the sand appear at her feet as the water was sucked up to feed the giant tidal wave.
Just imagine it…
Who said that?!
I'm kneeling next to you…
Raven?! I didn't know you could send messages telepathically!
Just picture the wave before I send you a very nasty message!
*Sigh* Don't rush me…
Marie thought hard, thought of the colossal tsunami halting in midair, thought of freezing the trillions of molecules in that lofty pillar of hyaline, thought of holding out a flat palm and commanding it all to cease!
And then…the roaring, gushing sound desisted. The boiling foam and sea spray stopped swirling and splashing her. And what was even better was that Starfire had stopped whimpering her little chants.
Marie lifted her eyes until she saw the wonder before her. A massive tidal wave was frozen through and through, with little bits of seaweed and mollusks sticking out of the edges. The bubbly foam that rested on the crest of the wave had been turned into a "polar ice" cap. A few specks of flying seawater were suspended in mid-air, like little teardrops from a mourning ocean.
Marie rose from her knees and looked at it in awe. "Whoa…I didn't know that I could do that…"
"Glorious! Our new friend has spared us from the perils of impairment!"
"Not only that, she just constructed the world's largest ice sculpture…"
It was true. The breaker was stretched as if it were a groping hand, trying to grasp the girls. Marie had to admit, there were five perfectly sculpted digits, outstretched and menacing. It was odd: Marie hadn't imagined shaping the wave into a hand. She had thought of her own hand stopping the wave…like a traffic guard. This seemed to be the hand of Poseidon. But she brushed the thought away and continued to gaze at the towering monument in bewilderment.
"I didn't know that phases of matter applied to my powers!"
"Well, naturally. You stop the molecules in an object from moving as fast as they do in a liquid, and the next thing you have is a solid."
"Who knew that I could freeze a whole entire breaker?! And a saltwater one, at that!!!"
"You must have had a very high dose of that compound from Veiktra LapCorp. that gave you those strong powers. Or, somehow you can control the sodium and make it disappear, leaving you with fresh water. Those are the most logical explanations that I can give to the saltwater freezing."
"Oh! Delightful! Marie has also spared us the trouble of concocting an assortment of edibles for the final consumption period!"
"She means we don't have to make dinner." Raven translated for Marie as they watched Starfire fly to the cap of the wave and break several mollusks free from the foam.
She was punching and scattering the shards of ice on the beach. It took a lot of force to shatter the glistening, glass-like liquid. Shimmering like a frosted diamond in the snowy moonlight, the clarity of the wave was stunning. Suddenly, she saw something…something like…an eye?! Starfire poked it curiously, and jumped as it moved.
"Eek! Friends! I have found a visionary organ! It is a possession of someone's!"
"Probably just a fish. Come on, I think that we have enough. Besides, I want to see what I can do with sand."
"The sand can wait for tomorrow." Raven warned.
Marie grinned sheepishly, "Can I at least get a photo of this wave? It's the first one that I've frozen, you know."
Starfire whipped out a camera and started clicking away madly. She even made Marie stand at the top of the wave and pose as a surfer. The flash went off in everyone's eyes.
"I will treasure these shots snapping in my Book of Scraps!" Starfire exclaimed while stowing away her Polaroid.
Marie ran up to the result of her commands and ran a hand along the smooth, polished surface. The ice was cold and seemed to conduct some sort of tingling energy along her fingers, like the liquid was trying to infuse its current with her mind. She felt a surge of power run through her, and suddenly, a large part of the ice melted instantly into a little puddle around her feet, setting a few dead minnows free of their icy grave.
Raven placed an urging hand on Marie's shoulder. The girl gave one last shuddering look at what she had done and then turned to scoop up more of Starfire's crustaceans.
The trio walked home, arms loaded with mollusks, and everyone wondering exactly just what this surprise of Beast Boy's was…
*******
A.N.: I know that Marie seems to have just been swept into the group, like the Titans don't care who joins them, but TRUST me, she's going to have to go through a few more…er…shall we say, steps?
And there's this hand of Poseidon that she just thought was some manifestation of her own imagination—hey! I rhymed!—but is it?
And why is Chris's nickname Twista? Obviously, we'll see more of him in later chapters, but not just playing the role of faithful waiter.
And what about that mysterious eye? Was it really a fish…or was it…bum, bum, buuuuum!
Never mind, you'll find out later!!!
Oh, and the last thing that Marie said in Italian was, "Yes, indeed, good day to you sir. The pleasure is mine, but you will have pleasure in whipping my ass once I am done blabbing. And is your wife any better? I saw her carrying out a diabolical plot with the mailman the other day. She must be thoroughly exhausted. I hear the mailman does good jobs around here."
Of course, there's also this little surprise mentioned in this chapter and the one before it that Beast Boy is so excited about…hmm…can anyone guess? MORE REVIEWING!!!
Peace out ppl.