Disclaimer: I own the tape that I recorded TT on, that is all. Sadly I do not own them…
Tacit Guile
Robin's p.o.v.
I crossed my feet putting them under me and leaned back on my hands. Across from me under the moons gazes Raven finished eating her brownie. I had eaten a little of the food and finished before the girl.
She was looking at the candles almost hypnotically. I smiled contently as a wind whipped across the towers top.
"You wouldn't run away would you?" Raven had finished the last of her chocolate and was watching me, in an analyzing way.
I was lost a moment. Our whole dinner had been silent, just enjoying the company of the other. Run away? Why would I?
"No I'd never run away." I answered in almost a whisper fashion, it was silent throughout the night.
Raven seemed to relax, her arms placed gently in her lap, she was sitting in her meditation position.
The silence stretched. I yearned to reach out to Raven. She looked so alone, in a strong and beautifully subtle way.
"Thank you for everything." Her gaze finally found mine, her eyes most magnetic in the celestial lighting.
"You deserve it." I leaned forward carefully touching my hand to hers. Ever so carefully I used her hand to pull her closer to me.
"Looking for a reward now are we?" She was so close when she paused looking at me daringly.
"I was thinking more of an extended thank you," I smiled mischievously as Raven raised an eyebrow.
"On one condition," The vixen held one finger right in front of my lips. "You take off your mask."
"What?" I mumbled and she pressed her finger to my lips shushing me.
"Well?" There was fire in her look, a well written dare hanging in the air. I bit at my lip. I just had to hand her my most well kept secret.
I did trust her.
Maybe as long as no one else knew?
The reward had better be good…
A little reluctantly I put a hand to the starting fold of my mask. Raven looked a little startled as if she didn't think I would do it.
Her hand moved and was placed on top of mine. "You really don't have to. It's not right of me to invade your privacy." She urged stopping me from removing the black material.
She watched my eyes, she had been testing me.
By that respectful look she gave me I must have passed.
Both of us lowered our hands, this time in relief. I might have showed her my identity, but it didn't feel right. Something told me not yet.
"You're something Robin." She shook her head her amethyst hair fluttering in the wind.
"Oh what no insults?" I teased.
"Mm indeed it is shocking." She drawled. There was a long moment of enjoyed silence. "I'm going to do some meditation, after all I have been slacking." She stood her cape fluttering about her form.
"Um goodnight then," I was disappointed to see her leave. It must have shone on my face as well.
She walked just to about the stairs to descend. At the last moment she turned back to me.
"Sweet dreams Robin," Her voice was melodic and she rewarded me with the smallest of smiles.
I was transcended on her image as she vanished down the stairs. All those times she had walked out of the room, never looking back. I felt oddly privileged. And that smile…
I signed in deep contentment and lay on my back on the roof. I stayed out watching the moon slink across the sky. I was still watching the dark skies long after the candles had burned out.
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"I've got it!" Breakfast had been quiet up until then. Cyborg had come running in sliding slightly on the towers floor toward all of us.
I was still drowsy from staying up all night. The rest of the Titans however looked cheery as ever this morning. Even Raven seemed to be less frigid, only snapping at Beast Boy two or three times.
Breathless Cyborg beamed at the table. He has been absent all morning just to come bustling in now.
"What did you get friend Cyborg?" Starfire cheerily asked.
"Yea dude where have you been? I haven't had anyone to play Super Smash Bros with!" Beast Boy added earning a glare from Raven.
"I figured out how to safely get Raven's chip off." He smiled more now showing the black box in his hands.
"Glorious!" Starfire gloated up hands clasped and eyes shimmering.
Eyes moved to Raven. She looked a little ruffled when she finally looked up to Cyborg.
"Shall we?" Her tone was sentencing. I felt my throat clench, would this really be the last few moments I had a chance with the lovely Goth?
"Sure," Cyborg seemed giddy to work with more technology. Raven stood and the rest of us followed breakfast forgotten.
Cyborg lead us into his research room we had been in before. Raven and I followed as Beast Boy and Starfire brought up the rear already into a rapid conversation. Raven was solemn as I watched her with a delicate intricacy. Even allowed to feel she held back.
She must have been feeling something however, tiny bits of mist played across her hands as she was trying to hide them.
"Ok Raven step over here, the rest of you gotta stay back alright?" He pulled Raven forward standing her next to a metal column. On the column he placed the black cube. The rest of us got as close as allowed to watch. I was already worried something would go wrong.
"And your sure this is safe?" I asked dubiously.
"Yes." The hybrid human had moved back to the computer putting in a bunch of numbers (there was that sideways eight again).
"How does it work?" Starfire asked, her eyes full with curiosity.
Cyborg finished typing on the computer before turning to face Starfire. "Basically we are going to use Ravens power to transfer the chip into the container."
He shifted his attention again to move back toward Raven. "Alright Raven. When I turn on the power to retain the holding box you need to touch it to pull out some of your powers. Using it create a path from your body to the box."
Raven nodded, taking it in.
"I'll be moving the chip carefully while the direct connection is up. But it is crucial that you keep up the connection, no matter what."
The rest of us were silent. There was a definite foreboding in the room. I was about to say something when Cyborg started the procedure.
He pressed some keys on the computer and the column hummed to life. A small crackle of blue electricity surrounding it. I bit my lip watching, my fists clenched. Raven brought a slender hand forward and rested it just on the box. The blue energy crackled around her flesh never touching her.
Black energy appeared at her fingertips.
I felt my skin prick, the air had just changed. My senses jumped about, something wasn't right.
I glanced around; Beast Boy and Starfire were staring mesmerized. Maybe I was just being paranoid?
Raven let the black tendrils creep from her fingers. As if they were magnetized they reached out to connect to the black box, a direct linking.
Cyborg stepped closer to Raven. He held a pair of what looked to be tongs. He seemed uneasy; the procedure couldn't have been as safe as he said. I rubbed my arm; the skin prickling most uncomfortable-my nerves must be fried.
Cyborg pressed the tongs gently to Ravens neck picking off the chip that had resided on her skin for some times now. I was holding my breath waiting for something horrible to happen. Somehow I knew it would.
He started to pull the chip toward the box. It followed the black telekinetic path. The chip looked less than harmless there.
The crackling energy suddenly stopped. I looked down the column, the energy was gone.
Cyborg cussed loudly to the silenced room. Raven seeming to sense it reached out more energy she didn't have. It seeped to the pillar replacing the energy.
"What happened?" I began to walk towards them.
"The energy stopped? Did something get unplugged?" Cyborg looked stressed, his age seemed to stretching making him seem too old to be in a group of teenagers.
"Raven can you hold it up?" Cyborg was motioning to her powers. They now swarmed about attempting to stabilize everything.
"For the moment." She hissed seemly distracted in levitating the dangerous chip.
Cyborg nodded and moved back behind the machine following wires. After a moment he stiffened and turned around to face us. His face was sullen and ashen. "The wires been cut."
I stepped forward more only a foot from a struggling Raven now. She had her eyes closed, a pained expression visible.
There was a faint sound. The air was cut through with a resounding clink. At my feet stuck to the tower floor a bird-a-rang had hit. It glittered reminding me of a specific memory.
I had gotten out of Slade's lair. The door was about to shut; I put a bird-a-rang into the door to keep it from shutting.
Words jumped in my mind. "Slade!" I yelled all of a sudden, the only word that would work up past my tongue. I spun around to see Beast Boy and Starfire fall to the floor. Behind their fallen figures the vindictive man stepped out. A sputtering electric device in his hand, it looked similar to a stun gun.
"So thought you two could get into my lair and out safely? That I wouldn't eventually seek you out?" The man shuffled past the two fallen teammates. I stood my ground feeling the need to protect Raven hoping Cyborg would come up with something.
"Come now Robin how long do you think she can keep that going?" He looked past me, his eye trained on Raven. I would almost feel bad vibes from her direction, still struggling.
I reached for my belt to grab my bow-staff. It materialized in my hands.
"So you want it the hard way? I should have guessed, you enjoy making people suffer…"
Blind rage rushed into me. How dare that bastard…
I took off, my boots hitting in a quick uneven pace toward the man. It wasn't until I had swung a few times at him and missed that I caught onto his game. He had circled me around. He was now closer to Raven.
Before I had time to strategize he backed up almost into the girl. Ravens eyes still closed chose then to open. A fury already residing inside.
"Now lets see…" Slade moved catlike around Raven, as if he were examining her. "Well must more risky than the way I would have done it." Slade looked up to Cyborg who was still frozen in the back, he had his sonic cannon raised but unsure of what to do. "Too much guess work here. I mean all I did was throw out the electricity and its this huge mess." He shook his head seemingly sad with undercoated amusement. "Ah Raven, seems you have to do everything yourself."
Raven was still struggling. The chip was now floating midair the tongs dropped and forgotten. It was in the black stream of her powers but unmoving. Her powers still coursed energy into the column igniting the box with dancing electrics.
Her powers were the only thing keeping everything from exploding because of that chip. I could almost read it in Cyborg's horrified face.
Slade brought a gloved hand to touch Ravens cheek. Anger radiated through my veins, my fists were already beginning to ache from the pressure I was exerting on the muscles.
For a moment Raven tripped up. Her energy blipped over to try and attack Slade. Small sharps of lightning shot out from the chip and headed for the nearest human. Raven let out a muffled cry as the resonated through her arm into her body.
"Ah don't let yourself become distracted now, your going to need to keep that up for a while." Slade let out a cold laugh, his hand just stopping at Ravens hair in a sickening caress.
"I can't watch this." Cyborg glared at Slade finally deciding on firing his cannon. Slade jumped back with ease while the ray tore right past Raven. Raven blipped again and tried to shield the pain of more jagged lightning.
And today had started off as such a peaceful day…
The moment Slade had taken to jump back I made a mad dash for Raven.
I wasn't looking or paying attention. Blindly I was almost to her when a sharp sting cut into my arm.
The impact threw me to the floor. A jarring cut I already knew in my right upper arm, my bow-staff dropped carelessly. Gripping the sting my fingers ran over smooth metal, it was my damned bird-a-rang.
I shifted getting a better look. The pain was numbed a little by my shock, but the object was buried almost halfway into my skin, a bloody wound. I cringed deciding it needed to come out.
I glanced up at the scene. There was a clashing already starting. None other than Starfire was the attacker.
Somehow she was back from unconsciousness firing righteous fury at Slade. I smiled grimly at her back as she dodged and fired green bolts at the distracted man. Cyborg was also up; he was near Raven frantically searching trying to fix the device while he had the time. Raven looked much in pain, her hands strained with crackling energy.
It was dangerously blinking in and out.
I closed my eyes breathing a moment. I relaxed my arm muscle; I knew the metal had probably cut into some of the muscle. Blood was already pooling down my arm. I had to do this; I had to pull it out.
Been a little uninspired for this piece. Finally got back into it after LJ ravenxrobin community. XD Anyway hope everyones enjoying it. Only a few chapters left! I love you all for your showering reviews –Starfire plushies for all-
I think I am out of plushies hehehe.
Happy Halloween Everyone!
-Dragonslayer527