Title: Gaming
Author: AkuShiNeko-Chan
Rating: PG
An: Just a random thought put into writing...
Disclaimer: I'm not copying any site about the RPG game in this fic. Everwood is just a figment of my imagination, and it's kinda a RPG combined with an online computer game. If it was real, it'd be really cool.
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Gaming
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On an island, in a bay, a ways from Jump city, a large T-shaped tower stood, the sun glinting off the many windows and metal that made it.
Titan Tower was strangely silent, since Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire had headed to the mall. They had tried to get Robin to come, but he said he was busy researching something on a new villain. They didn't even try to ask Raven, since she had locked herself in her room again. They guessed she was probably meditating again. Well, they guessed wrong...
"Dammit!" Raven muttered under her breath as she glared at her laptop's screen.
All of the rooms in the Tower had internet access, just like each one had a laptop. The Titans all used their for various reasons, but never knew that Raven used her's. And used it quite frequently, in fact. Continuing to glower at the monitor, Raven's fingers flew over the keyboard, as she continued to mutter under her breath.
"Come on, you bastard, take the bait, it's right here... Aha, gotcha!!" Raven smirked at the screen, and leaned back in her chair.
For the past month, she had been addicted to an online game called 'Everwood Forest'. She could be anyone in the game, do anything, feel anything, and it was safe. Because it wasn't her. When she'd first found the sight, she'd been mildly curious, then intrigued by what seemed to be a whole world inside one internet sight.
She had created her character, Wren, a simple maiden that had found that she had wondrous healing powers. Wren had decided to go on a quest to find someone to teach her about her powers. When she found an old hag, she had told 'Wren' that she needed to find certain objects before she could be taught. The first few days of searching had been uneventful, until 'Wren' found out that someone was after the same items as she was. Then the game had gotten interesting.
The man called himself Hawk, and was an old hand at the game. He had been playing for about a year, or so his bio said. Unfortunately, Raven couldn't find out anything else from the bio, since it held very little personal information, just gamers info. All Raven knew was that he was quick on his feet, just as quick with his mind, but painfully slow and dumb about some things.
Like he kept expecting Wren to give up and let him have the next item. He never expected Wren to show up (though usually gave her a run for her money anyway). The fact that the item would reappear in the same spot just one hour later made no difference. It was the principle of the thing, dammit!
"Well, that's one more point for me," Raven murmured, as she typed the same words to send to the trapped Hawk. She waited for a minute, then chuckled at the response.
'And the score is, what, 10 to 9?' Hawk sneered, glaring up at Wren from the hole.
"Yeah, well, make it 11," Raven said, smirking as she typed.
'You irrational female!!' He yelled, as he tried to get out the hole, but just succeeding to cover himself in more mud. 'You can't keep winning against me!!'
"Wanna bet?" Raven muttered, scowling at the screen. "I wasn't the one who fell for the trap, was I?"
Getting no response, Raven shrugged, then wrote, 'Fine.' Wren said, leaning against her staff. 'I really don't care. I've got the item. Now, if you will excuse me...' And with that, Wren turned around and left the arrogant, self-centered creep to wallow in mud and horse piss.
Raven nodded to herself, as she logged off Everwood, the stood up and stretched. "Time for some tea," She said to herself, still a little miffed at the rudeness of 'Hawk'. She stood and walked out her door, grabbing her cape on the way out.
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In a dark room in another part of the Tower, a lone you man sat, staring at his computer, in complete concentration, focusing on something that need total silence...
"WHAT?!"
Well, maybe not.
Robin winced as he read the last line on the screen before 'Wren' signed off. "Horse piss?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Arrogant? Self-centered? I am not a creep!" He stared indignantly at the screen, as if it could transfer his outrage to 'Wren'.
The woman had been nothing but trouble since he had first encountered her. He had been sent on a quest my his king to find a cure for a plague that was sweeping through the kingdom. Robin had found an old hag that knew the spell to reverse the plague, but she needed 'Hawk' to gather ingredients for it. And whenever he found one of the objects, Wren would be there. They would fight, and sometimes he won, and sometimes he lost. Which he, to put it bluntly, hated. Of course, he could always come back an hour later and poof! There would be a new item. But it was the principle of the thing, god dammit!
Robin sighed, then logged off, his stomach telling him it was time to eat. He pushed the chair away from the desk. It slid over to his door, where he stood, grabbed his mask, slipped it on, then stepped out of the room, the door automatically closing behind him.
Robin walked into the kitchen just as the teapot on the stove whistled, signaling that Raven's water was hot enough. Robin greeted Raven with smile and a "Hello", before he started to rummage through the fridge. Raven responded with a quiet, but slightly warm, "Hello", then returned to her tea.
'Robin is a lot nicer than Hawk,' Raven thought idly, sipping her tea. 'Not rude, pretty polite without being cold, and really friendly.' Out loud, Raven asked Robin, "Want some tea?"
Robin looked up, gave Raven another smile, and said, "Sure. Want me to fix you a sandwich?"
"That'd be great, thanks," She answered with a small smile. She stood up and reached dup in a cupboard for another cup for Robin.
'Now there's a nice girl,' Robin mused, going back to digging through the refrigerator. 'Polite, friendly... A little cold now and then, but you just have to know what to and not to say to her. She really warms up when you don't try to make her laugh.' Finally finding something semi-edible, Robin pulled back up, and tossed it on the counter.
"Okay, do you want mustard, mayo, or both?" Robin asked, opening a cupboard and pulling down some bread.
"Both,"Raven answered. "What type of tea?"
"Oolong, please," Robin said.
The pair worked in comfortable silence for a bit, Raven passing something to Robin needed every once in a while. Finally, the two sat down at the breakfast bar, food and tea in hand. Both were comfortable enough in each others presence that they didn't need to talk. A couple of years as team-mates and friends did that.
It had been two years since the Titans had started, and things had pretty much settled down. Oh, sure, there was the occasional odd-ball, but after Slade's defeat, but nothing they couldn't handle. Starfire stopped mooning over Robin, and was finally convinced to ask Beast Boy go on a date with her. After he finally got over Terra, he was thrilled. They had just recently celebrated their third month as a couple. Soon after, Cyborg found a buxom blond named Gear in a mechanic's shop that he visited often. What she lacked in height, she made up for in attitude. The fact that she was a major hacker, and could get into any system know to man (And some not) was an added bonus to the team. Now the only Titans left un-attached were Robin and Raven...
Which was the reason behind most of the group's trips to the mall. That, and since Gear refused to live in the Tower, Cyborg had to see his 'woman'. Everyone knew Robin and Raven were making eyes at each other. The only ones who didn't know seemed to be Robin and Raven!!
When the "couple" in question finished their impromptu dinner, they both took up 'their' stations for dishes (Not only theirs, but EVERYONE'S!! The horror!). Since the beginning of the month, there had been many of these little dinners with just the two of them.
"So," Robin said, scrubbing at something unidentifiable stuck to a plate. "What have you been up to lately?"
Raven shrugged, as she waited for some dishes to dry. "Well, I found this really cool game on the internet," Raven said, comfortable talking about this with Robin. She knew he'd never tell another soul, or tease her relentlessly, unlike Beast Boy, or Starfire, or even Cyborg! (Gear wasn't to bad, but then again, there was a healthy respect between the blond hacker and the dark sorceress) "It's called Everwood Forest, and it's pretty cool. I'm kinda new at it, though."
"Hey, yeah," Robin said, looking up from the dish he'd been scrubbing on for the past five minutes. (With no change in the grime on the dish) "I've been playing that on and off for a year or so. It's pretty cool, once you get the hang of it."
"Yeah, well," Raven grimaced, grabbing the finally clean dish, and rubbing dry. "It would be. If this one guy would just leave me alone..."
Robin frowned, pausing in scouring another dish. "What do you mean, leave you alone? Is someone bugging you in the game?"
"Not really," Raven admitted. "But it feels like it. Every time I show up for an item, this really rude guy shows up, and challenges me. It wouldn't be so bad, except that this guy is an expert player, and his character is pretty powerful. I'm just some maiden with uncontrollable powers!! I mean, really, what kind of stuck up idiot would do that?!"
"I know how you feel," Robin said with feeling, handing Raven another dish to dry. "There's this chick who's doing the same exact thing to me. The only difference is that she's some new apprentice sorceress, so she thinks she knows everything. The thing is, no matter what, I always seem to end up on the worse ends of the fights, wether I get the object or not."
"Well, maybe she's just new to it," Raven suggested, wiping the dish, and setting it aside. "Like me. She's probably just getting used to the world and her powers. Maybe she doesn't even know how to use them yet. That's probably why she's on the quest," Raven reasoned. "She's trying to get objects for the person that she wants to teach her. That's what I'm having to do, anyway."
"Really?" Robin said, pausing and tipping his head to one side. He was getting a strange feeling of something glaringly obvious trying to get his attention... "I never really thought of it like that."
After a few minutes of nothing but the clinking of dishes and the sound of the water running, Robin said, "Well, maybe your annoying knight isn't as bad as he seems, either."
"I was just thinking that..." Raven murmured, a small frown creasing her brow.
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Later that night, Raven was back online and in Everwood. She wasn't searching for anything this time, just exploring to see what the town she was in was like. She maneuvered Wren into a likely tavern...
As Wren started to walk into the tavern, a scruffy looking man was thrown through the window, crashed into the ground, and rolled a couple feet before stopping, looking like nothing more than a pile of rags. Shrugging, Wren pushed open the door, and walked in.
As soon as she walked in, all activity stopped for a moment, then continued, as if everyone in the tavern had been making sure she wasn't any kind of 'authority'. She walked over to the bar, and sat down at the only available seat at the end, next to a man who she couldn't see because of the hooded cloak he wore.
The fat, dirty bartender walked up, gave Wren a gap-tooth grin, and asked, "What'll it be, sweet heart?"
"Don't call me sweet heart," Wren said, her voice showing no emotion. "And a pint of your house ale with be fine."
The man grinned and said, "Sure thing, sweet heart," and walked off to the other end of the bar before she could tell him again about the 'sweet heart'.
Grimacing, Wren turned to survey the tavern. After a few minutes of observation, she sighed. Nothing but the usual assortment of drunks and bullies. Suddenly, a huge, dirty hand slammed down in front of her. Startled, Wren jerked, then turned around to see a huge, ham-fisted man standing behind her. Blinking, Wren took in the enormity of the man, and his filth.
"Can I... Help you?" Wren asked, her voice showing only a slight interest, and none of the apprehension she was feeling.
"You're that broad that's been messin' 'round here, aren't you?" The man asked, sneering.
The bartender, sensing trouble, hurried to the two. Recognizing the instigator, the bartender scowled.
"Carlos, leave her be," He snapped, planting his fists on the bar and glaring at the large man.
"You stay outa this, Johnnie," Carlos snarled, then turned back to Wren. "What's your name, trouble-maker?"
"Wren," she answered, then added as she picked up her tankard, "And, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to finish my drink."
Carlos reached out and knocked the drink from her hands, splattering it down her front. "What drink?" He asked nastily, smirking.
Wren wiped at her now damp front, then looked the giant man in the eye. "That wasn't very nice," she said in a quiet voice.
It happened so quick, no one saw. When she thought about it later, Wren still couldn't figure out what had happened. One minute, Carlos was looming above her, then next, he was on the ground with a hooded figure above him, sword pointed at his throat.
Wren blinked, then recognized the man that had been sitting next to her.
"Yes, Carlos," The man said, his tenor voice pleasing to the ear. "Didn't your mother teach you how to play with others?" Carlos, too terrified to move, whimpered. The man reached down, grabbed Carlos, and dragged him up, which was quite a feat, considering Carlos was about twice the man's size. "Now, apologize like a good boy..."
"S-sorry, m-miss," Carlos stuttered to the shocked Wren. The hooded man nodded in satisfaction, then tossed the man back onto the ground. "Now why don't you go find somewhere else to haunt," The stranger suggested, as he sat back down.
The man turned to the bartender, not bothering to watch the filthy man stumble out of the tavern.
"Another tankard of ale, for the lady," He demanded, placing two gold coins on the counter. "And another for me, as well."
"Of course, your lordship," Johnnie said, bowing, then turning to fetch the drinks. Wren blinked again. Lordship?
"Um, thank you," Wren said cautiously, reaching for her seat, and sitting back down.
"It was the least I could do," The man said, pushing back his hood and facing her. Dark, brown eyes looked back at her, and she stared. "After all," Hawk said, giving her a wry smile. "I have a lot to make up for."
"Wha... Who... Why?!" Wren finally managed, still gaping at her rival.
Hawk took a breath, then let it out in a gusty sigh. "It was... Brought to my attention, by a very good friend, that the way I'd been acting wasn't the... best way to handle most of the situations. I want to... Apologize for my rudeness, and make it up to you by helping you on your quest."
Wren stared at the man for a few seconds after he finished his speech. She blinked, shook herself, then spoke as if she was choosing her words carefully.
"I have not been very... Courteous in our past dealings, either. Do not place the blame all on your shoulders. It... occurred to me that you too must be on a quest. I believe that by combining our efforts, we may both reach our goals."
The two looked at each other warily for a moment, then Hawk reached out with a hand.
"Partners?" He asked.
Wren hesitated, the grasped his wrist, and shook firmly. "Partners," She agreed. Then frowned, and said, "But don't pull any more of that chivourus crap, alright? I'm a big girl, I can take care of my self.
Hawk raised an eyebrow. "Sure. You just keep thinking that."
Wren muttered something under her breath as she sat down, right as Johnnie came back with their tankards.
"What was that about stubborn males?" Hawk demanded, sitting next to Wren.
"That their more trouble that their worth," Snapped Wren, giving Hawk a look.
Hawk grinned, and ruffled her hair, ignoring the huff of indignation.
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Robin smirked as he signed off. 'She's so cute when she's pissy,' he thought. Yawning as he stretched, Robin spun his chair around, then lumbered off to bed. Making peace with the wench hadn't been that bad. He had to admit, Raven had been right. As he turned off his lights and slid into bed, he thought, 'I have to remember to thank her in the morning.' With one last yawn, he slipped off into dreamland.
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Raven signed off, stood, and stretched, then went over recent events thoughtfully as she meandered over to her bed. 'Robin was right,' She thought, as she crawled under her sheets. 'He's not really as bad as he seems.' Sleepily, she smiled, her last thought before sleep being, 'Working with him will, at least, never be boring!'
The End
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AN: Wohoo! My first finished TT fic! ::Throws confetti in the air, starts singing Hallelujah:: Give me many reviews and I shall be happy!! I might even update faster on "Change and Growth".