My Fair Maiden
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Continuation
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Night has come to embrace the land of Jump City; stores have closed for the day; people retired from their occupations or schools to go home..........no, no they didn't.
The city was bustling, lively, and loud. People came out of their homes and drove in their vehicles to one destination in mind: Jump City Elementary.
Children were shouting and cheering about going to school, for once, and their parents were happy to oblige. Well, actually so did their elder siblings, relatives, friends, neighbors, strangers......yeah.
The highlight of the city was now compacted with people looking for parking spaces and would be audiences waiting, patiently and impatiently, for entrance to the theatre.
There was no crowd control as the police themselves were rather enthralled by the upcoming event, and were, for a lack of description, slacking off.
This was the reason why no one really noticed the surreptitious characters sauntering on the roof tops of Jump City, moving ever closer to the elementary school.
Speeeeeeuuuuuu-Clank!!! An arrow shot to the side of a building, attached to a strong polymerized rope of some sorts.
The person who made the shot hooked an equipment on top of the rope, slid down the rope and leapt up the roof before he collided with the cement building.
The person's movements were agile and fluent like Robin's, which more than gives away his identity by now.
Running to the edge of another building, Speedy observes his destination.
"That is a LOT of lights. Man, the city's gone all out for this." He whistled, to emphasize.
Another presence filled the air around Speedy and he instinctively took a leap backwards, already reaching for an arrow.
"Whoa, easy, Speedy Gonzales, it's me." The person spoke, hands in front and palm up in as a sign of peace.
Speedy immediately recognized the individual. "Hot Spot!?" He lowered his hand from his quiver.
"Heeeeeyyyy!!! What's up man! I'd shake your hand, but.....hehehehe you know...." Speedy greeted the red light bulb of a teen.
Hot Spot, grinned. "Hey, no problem." His hands sparked up with flames. "Not the first time I had to avoid burning someone like marshmallows so....." He produced some high tech gloves from his back, and placed them firmly on the sizzling hands.
"There."
"Cool, is that de-ionized atomic temperature compressors?" Speedy asked as he shook Hot Spot's hand.
"Huh? Ummmmm maybe, I didn't make it, a professor did."
"Ah, who is this professor? I wonder if I've heard of him."
"Sorry, but he would like to remain anonymous, bit of a paranoid weirdo." Hot Spot made the koo-koo crazy indication with his fingers tracing circles on his head.
"All right then." Speedy spoke. "What are you up to these days?"
"Nothing much, man. Kind of the reason I'm here, heard about the Teen Titans' funny play business. Wanted to check it out if it was true." He looked at the numerous lights and roaring crowds.
"Apparently, it is."
"Yep, I'm here to see firsthand Robin, the champion of the Tournament of Heroes, reciting Shakespeare styled lines. Hehehehehe.....man this is going to be funny."
The two shared laughs when suddenly Speedy's keen eyes caught movement further in the dark.
"Hmmm?" He mumbled as he focused his vision, and distinctively saw the trailing figures of humans.
Hop Spot noticed. "What?" He then looked at the direction Speedy was peering at, and eventually saw the figures cloaked by the dark.
The group of dark figures apparently didn't like taking the front entrance, and opted to explore the rooftop views. Although two of the sneaks were agile and swift, the third was a rather large fellow who made a lot of noise when leaping from one building to the next.
"Speedy's eyes thinned. "Unless that is an adolescent grown proportionally astray, I don't think those are legal audiences. Then again, neither am I, but still...." He turned to Hot Spot.
"C'mon, those may not be the Teen Titans fanatic welcoming committee."
"Oooooh yeah! I feel a butt wooping session coming up." He tried to crack his knuckles, but since he didn't really have any left, looked like he was just rubbing his hands.
Speedy armed his bow and leapt as quietly as he can after the trio sneaks with Hot Spot right behind him.
"Wooohoooo!!!" Cyborg chirped, as Raven came out of the dressing room.
Raven is seen adoring a violet cloak, replacing her usual leotard and hood, with several gold lacings that were sewed across the shoulder area. Under the cloak, she is wearing some sensual clothing that resembled a nightgown, tied to her waist with titanium fabric (she would kill everyone if it somehow broke, so Robin made sure it was strong) strings.
Her footwear consisted of high heels and she also wore several necklaces and earrings. Clip-ons, of course, she would never actually puncture her ears to wear earrings. Her hair was styled into bangs and the likes, as well as some professionally applied makeup, such as blushes and eyeliners.
"Girl, anyone tell you that you one sexy mama!?" Cyborg laughed.
Raven's eyes twitched but tried to remain calm. Jackie came out of the dressing room and put her hands on Raven's shoulders.
"Isn't she!? She's my greatest masterpiece! With her light violet, pale skin and feminine figures, it was absolutely great!" She cooed as Raven formed a blush that combined with her annoyance.
"Well, you done an outstanding job there, Jackie! I've never seen Rae this pretty, no sir!"
"I'm still right HERE!" Raven growled. "Let's just get this play over with so I can say goodbye to foundations forever."
"Oh no you don't." Cyborg excited cried. "I ain't letting you off easy, Rae." He raised his arm and FLASH!!!
"Wh-what did you do!?" Raven asked, alert and slightly angry, which caused some of the objects to splinter.
"Took a picture, too much of a Kodak moment."
"Cyborg." She said his name in eerily frightening manner. "If you don't erase that picture, I'll clean your system, the very VERY painful way."
Cyborg gulped. Jackie hid back into the dressing room.
Suddenly, Beast Boy came in, a sample of miracles and the example of right-on-time.
"Hey dudes and dudetts, what's cooking?" He snickered from the stupid line.
"Hey, BB! Cyborg greeted happily and quickly ran to his friend's side, as if to say 'you kill me then you'll kill him too'.
"Raven continued to glare at the titanium Titan, silently counting down.
Azarath, Metrion, Zin-
"Rae...." Beast Boy gawked, which temporarily ceased Raven's bloodlust.
"You look.....wow." The changeling said, blinking. And before she could say anything, he continued.
"Seriously, Jackie did a wicked job! You look...gorgeous! Beautiful! Enchanting! Sensual! Captivating! When did I know this many vocabulary!?" He got closer to the pale girl to get a better look.
"Ummmmm .....thanks." She managed to squeak out, suddenly more self-conscious than before under his gaze.
Beast Boy suddenly blushed as well. "Hehe, sorry, didn't mean to make a scene."
"I-it's all right." She replied, then smirked. "Wish I could say the same for you, but.....looks aren't everything, you know." She said in a teasing tone, mimicking her 'Happy' personality's dialogue.
"Don't worry, you're pretty enough for the both of us." She blushed again.
Okay, when did he learn new vocabularies AND become the new James Bond!?
Javier came running in. "Yo, mi amigo Beastie! We need you over here for a sec!"
"I'm there, mi hombre!" He shouted to Javier, then turned back to face Raven.
"Hey, Rae, catch you later, maybe we can have dinner at this fab restaurant later, you know, after the celebration thing..."
She nodded. "Sure, just go already. We need to make sure all this goes well."
Beast Boy gave a victory sign and ran off.
Raven and Cyborg remained silent in the area, and Jackie was pressed up against the door listening.
Cyborg then smiled and went around to look at Raven's face. She sneered and turned around to walk off.
"That's the only one, anymore and I'll dissemble you."
"Sole copy, negatives will be destroyed." He saluted.
She disregarded him and opened the door, which caused Jackie to fall on her face.
"Eh, hehehehehehe..." she chuckled nervously. Raven just raised her eyebrow and walked in.
Jackie stood up and sighed in relief, while Cyborg just laughed.
"Remind me later on how the troupe was saved from a certain apocalypse." Jackie said while pulling some strayed hair back.
"Got it all recorded."
Jackie gasped. "So, what do you think I should wear for your funeral?"
Speedy and Hot Spot managed to be inconspicuous and undetected as they followed the trio in question.
Hot Spot had at several occasions just wanted to catch up to the sneaks and just pummel them to Santa Clara, but Speedy told him to control his temper before they know who the people were and what they were probably up against.
Speedy peered around a corner on a roof to inspect the figures that finally stopped, on a location that had strategic view of the entire stadium/theatre. This made him think that the sneaks were up to no good.
"Let's just go waste them." Hot Spot whispered. "They're probably some goons plotting to rob the audiences or something."
Speedy gave him a look. "I don't think anyone's stupid enough to commit a robbery when they know the Teen Titans are right here."
Then he pondered. "But it could be this Slade character I heard about. Rumors says that he's the biggest headache Robin's got, and considering that it's Robin, he's probably hard to handle."
"So you think they're minions of this Slade guy?"
"Could be, but I don't know much about him."
One of the trio, the shortest one, pulled out some kind of equipment, Speedy couldn't tell as it was too dark. Speedy also could hear some low mumblings, probably a conversation.
Hot Spot just wasn't the patient type, as people said, he had a fiery temper.
"Let's go already, didn't he pull something out, might be a weapon!"
Although Speedy wanted to be prudent, but the tension of the situation and the pressure Hot Spot was exerting was compelling.
"All right, give me some cover fire." He readied his bow.
Hot Spot took off his gloves, and grinned. "Fire in the hole." Fooooon!! His hands charged up.
"All done!" Julia declared.
Starfire opened her eyes, and inspected herself in the mirror, and squealed.
"Glorious! This is my reflection!? I am....pretty!" Julia giggled at the girl's excitement.
"You always were Star, I just emphasized the point. Of course, I think that's Robin's job." Starfire blushed a bit, but still smiling.
Starfire's skin color of on the slight golden orange side made placing bright colored makeup appeal great. Her eyebrows, though resembled dots, were not that uncommon in certain cultures, and with a bit of brushing and foundations, they looked perfectly nice with the frame of her face.
Julia had also applied some flush and blush, as well as the traditional eyeliner, not just fashion but to block out the intense light on stage as well.
Starfire's hair was braided on some ends and her bangs were styled into thinner pieces, so they now fell around her face and always flowed back into place.
As Starfire was feeling enthusiasm over her new appearance, she suddenly felt some shame as Julia mentioned Robin, and bowed her head.
"I...am sorry."
Julia's eyes showed genuine confusion. "You're sorry? What for?"
"You are such a wonderful and kind person, Julia, and you have supported my feelings for Robin. Yet I have felt contempt for you when we had first met. For that, I am sorry."
Julia smiled as she rested her hands on both of Starfire's shoulders.
"Awwww that's so cute. Don't worry your pretty little head, girl. I know you were just protecting your birdie boy. Speaking of which, hasn't that knucklehead asked you out yet on an official date yet?"
Starfire shook her head as a sign of negative. "I have done as you said. I did not initiate courtship and have waited for Robin to take 'the lead'. But I am rather anxious, what if he does not take action?"
"Then Raven, Jackie and I'll pound him into the ground. But seriously, he hasn't asked you yet? Maybe he's just waiting after the play? Who knows what that strategy lingo maroon is thinking. But I'm sure he'll do right in the end."
Starfire stood up smiling warmly. "I think so as well. He is very reliable in all things."
Knock! Knock! "Star? Can I come in?" Robin's voice came through the door.
"Speak of the devil." Julia smirked as she went and opened the door.
'Presenting......the final product of Princess Xin!" She said melodramatically, arms swayed to a side in a presenting manner.
"Hey, Julia. Star, how's it.......................... X'hal." The Boy Wonder decided using words to describe her was inappropriately unqualified.
"Guess he thinks I did a good job." Julia remarked as she walked out the room, giving them some privacy.
"You look quite dashing yourself, Richard." Starfire said through a slight giggle, since he still seemed spellbound.
He recovered enough of his brain cells to reply. "Uh? Oh, um, thanks. I, hehe, guess my reaction there kind of tells you how you look, eh?" She blushed, just as she usually does, but he felt a confidence boost every time she did.
She twirled around in her white satin dress once.
"When I had to wear such attire on my wedding on my home world, Tamaran," She began. "it had felt awful at the moment, when I kept on remembering I was to marry, as Beast Boy said, 'a pile of green crap'." Robin chuckled slightly.
"But now, it feels rather enjoyable, to be in such a fashion. It makes me feel..."
"Beautiful?" Robin added instinctively.
She blushed again. "I was going to say 'in character', but your choice of adjective is flattering."
Robin reddened a bit, and scratched his now un-helmed neck.
"Hehe, well you know...." He trailed then began anew.
"So Starfire...." She listened intently, wondering and hoping. "how you feeling about the real thing that's coming up?" She almost visibly sank in disappointment.
"I am feeling....what you humans say, the 'flies of butter in the gastric area'?"
"I think..... never mind, I know what you mean. That's normal though, everyone feels apprehensions and a little bit of stage fright. Heck, I don't even know if I'll choke when I get up there."
"Oh, I believe you are more than capable of such a feat, you ARE the boy of wonder after all, as well as our fearless leader." She stepped towards the boy a bit.
He smiled. "You give me too much credit."
She smiled back. "And you give yourself too little."
They absorbed the feeling the comfortable silence for awhile, until Robin spoke again.
"Star, after the play..." Her eyes widened in anticipation. "remember we have a post-production celebration thingy, since we're only doing this play once." She mentally pouted.
"I will remember. It is not as if I could forget such an event, anyways."
Why does he not just ask me? Is this not the perfect opportunity?
"Hehe, right."
Gotta stay with the course, man, don't forget your objective.
Valence's voice rang from outside the room.
"Robin! We need to go over some prop issues! And everyone get into positions, it's almost time to start!!!"
Robin turned to Starfire. "I'm needed elsewhere it seems, we gotta get ready." She just nodded.
"Make haste, Robin, I will see you on stage."
As he turned to leave the room, he stopped and looked at Starfire with a grin.
"Kiss you later." And he was gone, leaving a VERY red Starfire, who was holding her cheeks.
"Hyyyyahhhh!!!" Hot Spot tossed a humongous fireball at the suspects and Speedy followed up with a net arrow.
"Huh!?" One of the three exclaimed before hurriedly leapt away.
The one with the equipment reflexively rolled away, and strangely enough, sprouted wings and flew up.
The big one got blasted full force by Hot Spot's flame attack but almost immediately sprung back, and unharmed. But only to be wrapped in Speedy's net trap.
"Guh!" the giant managed to grunt as he fell to the ground, with the lack of balance.
Hot Spot charged towards the agile one and barely dodged an unexpected stream of purple energy, which he nervously noticed its destructive powers on the building.
Speedy, on the other hand, was busy trying to shoot down the now flying enemy, who also retaliated with missiles and explosives.
Speedy was too distracted by the flying opponent to notice the big one freeing itself from the net through sheer brute strength. He was then tackled full force from behind, and he felt his spine take note of the impact.
Speedy managed to recover in midair and shot a freeze arrow at the giant and froze him in place.
Hot Spot was now having trouble with his target as the darkness provided great coverage.
"You stand out like a Christmas tree." He suddenly heard. Judging by the ease and femininity of the tone, he now knew it was a girl.
Whack!!! Hot Spot fell forwards as the girl kicked him in the back, and as he was less agile as Speedy, he fell bodily on the roof. "Aacckk!!"
He grimaced for a moment before expressing a 'whoa' face and dodged a followed stream of energy attack.
He heard the girl giggle and once again fade into the darkness.
Hot Spot saw Speedy's achievement of successfully disabling the giant, but still seemed to have trouble with the flying apparatus of a bat.
"Dude...! I could really use some help with this not-able-to-see-and-get-my-butt-kicked problem!"
Speedy heard clearly and took out an arrow.
"Hot Spot! Toast this arrow!" He shot the arrow towards Hot Spot but in an angle slightly above his head.
Hot Spot caught on quick and shot two well aimed fireballs at the arrow. The two attacks collided and created a brilliant light that almost served as a temporary sunlight.
Their opponents all visibly flinched and grunted in complaint at the sudden intrusion of their retina.
Speedy had closed his eyes when the light erupted, and so when he reopened them, he could see more clearly than the rest. He didn't have time to tell Hot Spot, because their opponents might've caught on, so the fire flinger was also distorted with multicolored spots.
The rogue hero took out several explosive arrows, readies them on his bow, and was about to blast the flying shortie to next Tuesday when he saw who it was.
"Wait a minute. Aren't you that Gizmo kid!?" He said surprised.
Gizmo was still furiously rubbing his eyes. "You pit sniffing, garbage eating..... Ahhhh!! You're that Robin clone from the tournament!" He pointed while screaming.
He turned to look at Hot Spot. "And you're that walking furnace!"
"Who you calling a furnace, you hobbit!?" Hot Spot yelled, irate.
"Hobbit!? You booger smelling light bulb, I'm going to burn your fuse!"
The girl, who was now evidently Jinx, freed the giant, Mammoth, with her spell wave and walked towards the three.
"Gizmo," she said in a bored tone. "you know these people?"
"Unfortunately, yeah. These pit sniffing gerbils were the other saps that got dragged into the stupid Tournament of Heroes!"
"You're just mad 'cause you lost, boldie!!!"
"As I recall, you were taken out by the bird boy faster than the rest of us!! And you don't even have the potential to have hair!!!"
"Whoa, easy guys." Speedy interjected and stood between the two, trying to calm them down.
Hot Spot eased back as Jinx calmly walked over to Gizmo and turned his contraptions off via pushing a simple button.
"So......what are you guys doing here?" Speedy asked cautiously, as he did know about H.I.V.E. and its criminal activities. He kept himself on alert mode, with bow still in hand.
Hot Spot held his glare at Gizmo and spoke. "I bet they're here to mess with Titans on production day." He said to the rogue.
Jinx suddenly went starry eyed and waltzed over to the edge of the building where they were before.
Speedy and Hot Spot blinked. Gizmo sneered. "I wish. We're here because Jinx forced us to."
"Huh?" Speedy and Hot Spot echoed. Mammoth walked over, while wiping some water off.
"Yeah, Jinx went all girly when she heard about the play, saying how romantic it's gonna be. And dragged us with her, said she needed extra hands."
"For what?" Speedy asked, now slightly relaxed.
"What else!?" Gizmo ranted and took out a high-tech camera. "She wanted someone to film the whole stupid crud." He gave a small glare at the giddy witch.
"Ooooo so that's what it was."
"Duh, barf brain, what did you think it was?"
"Well.....in our perspectives, it was kind of like a gun of some sorts."
Gizmo laughed sardonically. "Stupid poop scoopers."
"Why you!!" Hot Spot charged his hands up again. Gizmo responded by arming himself.
Speedy and Mammoth were about to stop the fight when a rumbling and a loud yell stopped all of them.
"SHUT UP!!! You immature crackheads, gosh!!! It's about to start."
Speedy walked over to Jinx and saw how she knew. The entire theatre was shifting and moving, slowly morphing into an open air stadium with folding walls to form extra seats. The entire theatre resembled an ancient ruin brought back to life. It was a grand scene of pure amazement and display of technology.
Speedy blinked, hard, almost untrusting his own eyes.
"All right, when did theatres do that?"
Jinx responded, dreamily. "That, would be Cyborg's work. He's so talented." A sigh escaped her lips.
Gizmo walked up to the two. "Heard the tin can remodeled the entire crud house, doesn't look half bad either."
Speedy stared for a little more as Hot Spot saw the scene and reacted like he did.
Speedy looked at Jinx, then at Gizmo. He pointed towards the camera. "Hey, can you get me copy of that later?"
Valence watched the beginnings of 'My Fair Maiden' behind the curtains, with a communicator attacked to his shirt so he could help give cues and whatnot. Everything was pretty much in order; all the actors have matched their prior expectations; the entire theatre was packed, no, over packed, with many people opting to rooftop views.
The school's children and their families had privileged front row seating, and they were bustling with excitement of seeing their idols.
Giovanni stepped out with a microphone.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! My, my, this is most heart warming, to see all of you here!" He adjusted his monocle.
"I am the director of this play, William Alexander Giovanni the Third. And I can proudly say that this event will be a spectacle for all those fortunate enough to join us." He readjusted his monocle.
"Before we begin, I would like to thank of you from the bottom of my heart, your contributions have been gracious, and the school's funds have never been better. There will be an intermission, and the refreshments are right out there in the lobby." He pointed just for emphasis.
"I would like to go more in depth of the history of this play, but I see you're all too anxious, so, without further delay we shall begin!"
He cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and all rooftop viewers, I present you the newest landmark event of Jump City, casted by none other than the city's greatest heroes: My Fair Maiden!!!"
Applauses ran out the entire theatre and the last four blocks radius.
Jinx clapped and squealed, very much out of character. Speedy and Hot Spot's eyes were glued. Gizmo and Mammoth focused on filming.
Valence spoke into his communicator.
"All right boys and girls, Act I begins now." Music fills the area as the sound systems amplified the outstanding playing of the band, friends of Valence.
The stadium darkens, and the mummers and clapping cease. Giovanni disappears, how? Not even Speedy knows. The curtains lifted.
Lights appear on the stage, and a girl is seen playing in a garden full of beautiful and variety of flowers.
A boy enters the stage. The boy is apparently very familiar with the girl as they began to talk and play as well. The girl speaks to the boy about odd matters that have risen in her country, and when she speaks of her father, Speedy knew that she was the princess. Or Starfire, Xin, whatever.
They had chosen the boy and girl who looked very similar to Robin and Starfire. The boy wasn't that difficult to find, but the girl apparently needed some tinkering.
When they were interacting amiably, a man in a crown, evidently Xin's father as it seems, pulled Xin away from the young Dirk in a frenzy of anger, and threatened the boy to stay from his daughter.
Dirk, of course, didn't know what was going, and neither did Xin, but she knew trouble enough to keep pulling her father back.
Dirk boldly walked forwards and tried to calm the king from his anger by speaking carefully, all the while trying to figure out what was going on.
Just when everything seemed to be able to work out, a messenger rushed in and relayed to the king that the Poker Kingdom has attacked the front gate of the kingdom.
Xin, Dirk, and the king were surprised by this information. While Xin and Dirk were trying to comprehend the reality of the situation, the king took out his sword and swung at the young price, intent on ending his life. Xin screamed for Dirk to dodge as she couldn't stop her father from attacking. Dirk jumped away in time for the blade to only draw blood from his forehead.
The children in the audience gasped, slightly surprised by the seemingly real blood spill from Dirk and stain the flowery grounds.
Dirk, now injured and very alert, scrambled away, but still remained because of Xin's presence. But when Xin shouted and pleaded for him to run, he reluctantly obliged, jumping over the garden's walls.
It was then revealed that the Poker Kingdom had apparently gone against its alliance with Xin's kingdom, the Morkad kingdom, and has already breached the walls of the outer defenses.
Xin was definitely shocked and disheartened from this information, but faithfully believed in Dirk and his parents' innocence, shouting that all of this must a mistake.
The king of Morkad would hear none of it, and told the messenger to tell the counsels that war was to be declared. And so the scene ends, with Xin's plea to the god Zeus.
"Che, that was clichéd." Hot Spot remarked. Jinx elbowed him in the gut.
"Quiet, you dope."
Valence whispered to the two kids, who played the young Xin and Dirk, 'good job', and refocused himself on the play and watched the rest of the story play out by the other characters.
Speedy had so far watched the play with only slight intrigue. The play continued to show how that the king and queen of the Poker Kingdom were murdered by the soldiers of Morkad, as they were situated near the area, so Dirk could visit Xin.
Dirk had eluded the soldiers hunting him, and escaped to the outer boundaries of the civilized society. Xin cried and locked herself in her room.
The king of Morkad was later informed that the army attacking their kingdom was, in fact, not of the Poker Kingdom, and was actually a band of mercenaries that posed themselves as the army of the nation.
The king fell to his knees as he absorbed this information. He had slaughtered his ally nation in a fury of misunderstanding, no, he was tricked. No wonder they were camped close by, they had just allowed Dirk to enter the kingdom to see Xin because of his eagerness. He had hurt the boy who one day could have married his daughter and killed his parents. He had wanted to end his own life right there if not the thought of his wife and daughter.
Vengeance also burned in his heart, to discover the culprit, if not for repentance, then for justice.
Most of the audiences by now had felt some manner of anguish, though most of the guys just pretended to be unaffected.
Speedy was certainly one of those guys, refusing to let his eyebrow drop. Hot Spot had no eyebrows. Mammoth and Jinx though, had no qualms about using tissues.
And so Act I ends.
Act II began with Dirk's endeavors. Having escaped the conflict, the prince had to explore the realms of the dark unknown. This is when Da'garel, Raven, made her appearance.
Da'garel served to be medium between darkness and light in the story, as she herself has transcended beyond the futility of humanity's dark side. And now she becomes a guide, for the one who has stumbled into the land of the forgotten.
But what Speedy noticed, was how hot she was.
"Wowzers, didn't know that Raven chick was so hot!" Speedy chirped, and made a wolf whistle.
"Never heard of heard of her, and that's a shame on me!" Hot Spot admitted.
Gizmo didn't want to say anything, because his potty mouth couldn't really describe this unwonted feeling from seeing a pretty girl. It's like his time for puberty finally came.
Mammoth didn't really care.
But Jinx was slightly deterred. "I wonder if Cybrorg likes her......grrrrrr."
The play continued and showed how Dirk was accepted into the rogues of society, a community of ruffians who are all outcasts from society in one form or another. He admitted to them that he was a prince and that if they believed his heritage to be a sin, then they can feel free to kill him. They, of course, found his courage inspiring and instead took him in.
As it were, the supposed ruffians were actually skilled at a variety of things, ranging from battle techs and literature. It seemed as there were all sorts of people collected in that ill fated part of the world. And so time passes, until Dirk met up with Da'garel, intent on achieving the powers of the dark knight, in hopes of avenging his nation and parents.
As news traveled to the dark realms, Dirk has heard of his parents' demise and the fall of his country, though not to Morkad, but to another country that was further away. An ambitious country ruled by a not so likable man. The nation was called Disferm.
Dirk also gathered that Disferm was the true conspirator behind the war between his nation and Xin's. He vowed to become stronger, in hopes to overpower this evil nation. He appealed to Da'garel, and she offered a trade. If Dirk could obtain the Rose of Illusions, then she would give him the Gracbulin's medal, said to hone in powers of the dark plane.
Though Robin and Raven had rehearsed this part, they had felt that his masked eyes kind of clashed with the play, so opted to keep the kid playing Dirk for these scenes, and move Robin in as the grown dark knight.
Speedy was by now impatient.
"Hey, c'mon, I'm here to see Robin in some corny knight in shiny armor gag."
Like previously with Hot Spot, Jinx elbowed him in the gut.
Valence was now whispering the lines to the kid, careful not to be seen.
"Darn it, whose idea was it to omit Robin's scene with Raven and let the kid do it!?" He muttered annoyed at the extra work he had to do.
Beside him, Julia frowned. "As always, it's Giovanni's."
"I swear, he's done some wacky stuff before this too, you all remember, right?" Javier remarked, quietly.
"Yeah, but, none of us would be here if it weren't for that man."
"........."
"Kinda makes you wonder, eh?"
"Shhhh!!! Starfire's scene is coming up! Cut off the lights, we have to move the props now!" They immediately got to work.
Speedy was deciding that he was getting some good eye candy tonight.
"Yowzers, Starfire is quite a looker too! Well, from what I heard, she is, but this is the first time I saw it for myself."
"Wonder if all the girls from Tamaran are hot?"
"......why do they all look so different on stage?"
"Mammoth doesn't understand."
"Pipe down, and Gizmo, and make sure that the camera's in a good angle. Cyborg's scene is coming up later."
Cheers ran out as the second girl of the Titans showed up, and as the same as Raven, received many appreciative glances and admiration.
The scene was Xin's soliloquy of what major events have happened throughout the years since the fall of Poker.
Dirk was never found and presumed dead, which Xin has never truly recovered from. Her father and mother were diplomatically and militarily defeated by Disferm, without the aid of Poker. The kingdom, however, has proposed that the princess, Xin, be married to their prince, Torque.
After Xin's dialogues, her trusted maid Rita, played by Julia, came into the room and they shared thoughts and comments on the situation.
"Your highness!" Rita cried, rushing to her side. "Are you injured? Why do you weep?"
Wiping her tears, Xin stood with the help of Rita. "My injuries do not reside in my physical form, but is instead stemmed deep within my soul."
"I am truly sorry for your misfortunes, your highness. First Prince Dirk and the fall of the Poker Kingdom, and now this....."
Xin smiled softly. "Yes, fate has been most cruel to allow the Disferm to roam the world through sheer evil, and now this tirade has befallen upon my kingdom as well."
Xin turned to Rita. "You are at like of a sister to me, Rita." Rita gasped.
"Your highness, I cannot accept such words of affection!" She kneeled down very alert.
"I am but a lowly servant, not fit to be called a friend, especially a sibling to your grace."
Xin kneeled with her. "Rita, please understand that you are one of the few who I have desired company with. Dirk has taught me the value of true humanity since we were young, that no human is truly beneath another. We are of equals, dear Rita." She touched her shoulder, both girls still in the kneeled position.
"Abhor class distinctions. We are sisters, Rita, you must know our amiable company with one another is not an illusion." Rita smiled, gratefully, tears brimming.
"P-prince Dirk w-was always a marvelous boy, h-he also treated me as an individual. H-he even taught me h-how t-t-to r-ride a-a-a-a hor-rse..." Rita was now the one crying, and Xin held her.
Murmuring as the girls thought back, Xin said aloud.
"How I wish to hear that boy's voice, to console me, chastise me, tease me, compliment me, to ASK me, and just to be there."
Valence raised an eyebrow.
I don't think that portion of the line is supposed to be there....
Behind the curtains, Cyborg and Beast Boy smirked.
"Told ya she was waiting."
"Hehehehehehe hoya!"
Robin, on the platforms, sweat dropped.
The scene ended at that and Giovanni was already feeling feint from the slight change of lines. Valence just told him to chill.
The scenes then rapidly sped forward to Roger and Vick's appearances, which made Jinx giddy with excitement. She poked Speedy a few times, telling him that Roger was Cyborg.
Speedy just frowned in slight annoyance.
Act II continued until Xin was riding to Disferm through the protections of her guards, when suddenly the group was confronted by Disferm soldiers, who had received orders to escort the princess in their care.
Xin watched fearfully as the guards refused to let the Disferm soldiers take command, and horrified when they simply began attacking the guards, killing them.
Now tension rose in the children as they saw Xin forcefully taken to a different carriage. But suddenly black snow began to descend from the sky.
Some of the soldiers immediately knew what that meant, and they yelled for the others to run.
As fast as lightning, Deathstroke cascaded down from the sky and slew a soldier, with a blade shining brilliantly from the lights.
He wore a dark helmet that covered his eyes and nose, accompanied with a rather fashionable suit of dark armor.
Speedy blinked. "Uhhhhh he's actually pretty cool. That Robin." Hot Spot groaned.
"And I thought we get to make fun of him, he's outdoing us even when we're not around!"
Most of the girls in the audience swooned, and no one could blame them.
The children cheered as Deathstroke defeated all of the guards in a fury of attacks and acrobatic skills, as they have cheered Robin defeating the Slade robots.
Xin had then cautiously approached Deathstroke, undecided whether to thank him or run away.
But Deathstroke decided it for her.
"Princess...." He trailed.
"I bestow my gratitude upon you, sir knight, for your timely rescue." She looked around at the dead, and sighed sadly.
"Death seems to be a curse upon me, wherever I exist."
"Why does your highness say such a thing?"
Xin regarded him. "I do not know the reason, but I seem to be able to trust you. Deathstroke, was it?"
Deathstroke paused. "You know of me?"
"I did not possess previous knowledge of your identity, I merely perceived the soldiers screech the name before your appearance."
"I see. Their deaths were punishments upon them for the sins they have accumulated throughout their wretched lives, not of your doing."
"That is not what Dirk would have said, he would justify the great price of humanity and the opportunities of mankind. Such a gracious boy he was...." She shed tears, uncaring that a stranger was watching her.
Dirk was not supposed to reveal his identity then and there, but he could not contain his desire to be able to speak to her, and spoke.
"Xin, My Fair Maiden......."
Xin gasped and whirled around. "Has my heart finally wrenched with dread and insanity befallen my reason? I hear your voice Dirk, but I see not your presence!"
Dirk stepped forward and held her hand in his, though she was still frantic.
"If thee are harebrained, then I am a figment of reason."
Xin immediately calmed, and looked deeply into Dirk's helmed eyes.
"You....you knew of that it be.....please Zeus... torment me no longer... tell me... tell me... "
Deathstroke took off the top portion of his headgear, but left the part where it covered his eyes. His forehead had a distinct scar.
Xin tentatively reached and traced her finger on his scar, shocked beyond words.
"Am I..... deceased...? Oh, Dirk, is it you!? Have I finally been able to see my parted friend in the afterlife!?"
Dirk embraced her as she frantically touched him, judging herself the reality of her visions.
"It is I, my fair maiden, but you are not void of life. I remain on this plane, I am real."
"Dirk....!!! DIRK!!!!"
The two embraced, in a very heart warming manner. Jinx was, as still out of character, poking Speedy more.
Veins shown on the rogue's forehead and he scooted away.
Xin's dialogue was supposed to be next, but Robin had other plans.
"Xin, hear my words before I answer any of your wonderings." 'Starfire' jerked her head, clearly not remembering the scripts did not contain this line.
"Huh?" Giovanni, Valence, and Julia chorused.
"My fair maiden, Xin, we have known each other since our childhood, fought and laughed as friends. We have faced trials together, whether it be the stormy whether night, or the distance between our homes.'
"What the &( is he DOING!?" Giovanni yelled.
"Cyborg and Beast Boy's eyes widened, and even Raven was shocked.
Valence choked on a lump. "Is he.......?"
"Asking Star out...?" Julia mumbled.
"On stage?" Cyborg finished.
"You are my best friend, and I would never allow you to leave me again." He held her a little away from him.
"Oh my freaking God!!! He's improvising on stage, to ask Starfire to be his girlfriend!!!!" Jackie shrieked, thankfully in a hushed tone.
"Will you accept this man, who is so infatuated with you, who has been cherishing every moment with thee gracious princess since our first meeting, to be your consort?"
The rooftop viewers' jaw dropped.
Speedy recovered a little. "I'm thinking...... that that line wasn't originally there......is it?"
'Starfire' smiled wide as she looked into the eyes of the Boy Wonder, her eyes brimming with some tears. She didn't want to ruin the play any further, and so opted not to speak. Instead, she gripped his face with her hands, and pressed her lips desperately to his.
'Robin' had not really anticipated this outcome, so he 'emmmphh' little before immediately adapting to his now new girlfriend's kiss.
Giovanni had long feinted, and so Valence was hurriedly trying to salvage the play by telling some of the actors to improvise as well. Though he really liked the version they were going with this time.
"Confetti, confetti!!! We need confetti!" Beast Boy yelled as he jumped around in joy.
"Oh man!" Cyborg bellowed. "Now I know why we call him our fearless leader!"
Raven smirked. "I guess courage and stupidity do come in the same package. In front of the entire city, typical."
The play certainly hadn't ended yet, but the crowd sure as heck cheered and applauded like it.
Starfire pulled away from her new boyfriend and gazed into his masked eyes, which was slightly transparent with all the lights.
"Such a daring act of affection, Richard." She whispered. "You truly are the boy of wonder, gallant, though semious in arrangement of the timetable of opportunity."
He just rubbed his nose against hers. "Love you too."
Starfire wanted to just bask in his scent there, though they still had to finish what they started.
They both looked at the crowd, and smiled at each other.
"As the idiom conveys, 'the show must go on'."
"As her highness orders." And so the play went on.
The rest of the play was of sort anticlimactic, as Robin's very public proclamation of affection became the climax of the play.
But people had found the ending just as satisfying when the two embraced and smooched again.....for quite a while, actually. The children had an eyeful of teenage romance.
Jinx wooped in joy and excitement as the play ended, demanding Gizmo to show her the good parts through the digital camera again.
Speedy and Hot Spot descended from the roof to see if they could get a word in with their friends.
The stadium was full of applause for quite a while.
The celebration party was vivid and lively, as the troupe busted out apple cider and the likes. A few were old enough to drink alcohol, but they kept that down, there were still children about.
Also, Speedy and Hot Spot had managed to join in, after probably two hours of waiting for the crowd to stop asking the cast for autographs, or the media pestering them for contracts or interviews.
Now Speedy, the handsome rogue, was chatting up to a pretty girl.
"Woo hoo!!!!" Beast Boy cried, holding up a cup of cider, and jumped on the table.
"Pure success tastes great!!!" Julia and Jackie had tried some beer and were suffering from slightly disgusted taste buds.
Beast Boy resumed dancing on the table, tap dancing to be correct. Raven quickly pulled him down.
"You better stop if you want us to be seen public." He beamed and just sat next to her.
"Well, I have to say, although this has almost been a total disaster, with the stunt our Boy Wonder pulled.....say, does anyone know the whereabouts of said hero?" Giovanni began.
Cyborg looked around. "Hey, where are those lovebirds?"
Valence looked up from his seat and smirked. "They left through the back just a few minutes ago, probably to get some alone time."
"Oooo.." Beast Boy chirped. "Bet you he's gonna get some action!"
"Most definitely yo! Robin's the smooth dude, not to mention the dumbest! Man, I still got the willies when he pulled that stunt on stage."
Julia squealed. "Yes! That was so romantic!"
Cyborg turned to Raven. "So, I guess the tower is going to see a few changes, eh?"
Raven looked at Beast Boy, who gazed back. She smiled.
"A little."
After escaping the party early, Robin and Starfire drove on the R-cycle to the park where they had their first unofficial date.
The night had formed a cascade of brilliance that created a tranquil environment and romantic atmosphere. The moon and the stars shined gloriously in the clear sky, and Starfire sighed happily as she laid her head in Robin's lap.
"Beautiful......" She mumbled.
"Very." Robin agreed, though he wasn't looking at the sky.
Starfire blushed. "Richard, has the play transformed you into a linguistic of romantic clichés?"
"Only when it comes to you." He leaned downwards to capture her lips with his. She made no qualms.
After the little make out session, Starfire giggled as she once again recalled how Robin had decided to 'ask her out'.
"Oh, Richard, you boy of blunder. What gave you in the incentive to proceed with such an action?"
"Frankly, I don't know. I guess I was just so overwhelmed by everything, so overwhelmed by my feelings for you." She giggled again.
"And you do know that you have essentially asked for my hand in marriage?"
He blushed. "Yeah, well, it seemed appropriate at the time....." She pecked him on the cheek to ease him. He held her close as he spoke again.
"Kori, you're my best friend, and although I don't know what the future holds for us, I do know that you'll be the most important person in my life. I don't know if my actions on that stage would bring consequences that would be disastrous, but I won't regret it, not if it's for you." She snuggled up to him.
"Do not worry, Richard. Together we can face any hardship. We will remain vigilant. Our bond will stay strong, and we will stay together."
He sighed into her hair, basking in the blissful feeling with Starfire, with her resting so snug in his embrace.
"You know the others are probably looking for us."
"They can worry."
"Crime fighting might get to be a hassle."
"We will be ten times stronger than before."
"I don't know what I did to deserve you." She sighed again.
"You have much more worth than you credit yourself."
".......I love you, my fair maiden."
"As do I, my magnificent bird."
The couple laid together, under the illumination of the moon and galactic sky, enjoying the most comfortable feeling in the world: the bliss of being with your most treasured one.
They still had so much to deal with: saying farewell to the troupe; the media and now more crazed fans; the teasing back at the tower; future lack of privacies; crime fighting; just the future in general.
But none of that mattered now, except for ideas on where to go on their first date.
As Shakespeare said, "All's well that ends well".
Fin
Author's notes: That's the end of that story, I feel I must apologize because I sorta rushed the last chapter, but I have more urgent business. Anyways, hope people liked it, and I'm going to start a new story, though it'll take some time. Later.