Chapter 10: Lords a Leaping
On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Raven knew she shouldn't lean forward. She'd fall.
Yet seeing him just so close. The face just in the shadows. Her dress ruffled and she felt her body crouching forward.
"Raven..." He had spoke. The voice, so familiar. She couldn't figure it out. Her hand reached out into the moon-bent shadows searching.
Then gravity took hold, at the last second. And she was falling, falling.
With an expected thump Ravens mind arose. Again she was on her carpet floor in a mangle of blankets.
"Damn..." She whispered sitting up. The dream was fading already, all the details were fuzzed. Somehow her subconscious knew and wasn't going to tell her.
Confirmed she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed (the floor) she crawled up to sit on her bed. Day ten, there was only two left. Ebony fluttered around her room exercising her new flying rights.
All that cage for nothing. Raven glanced at the clock. For once she was up early, as it should be. Stretching she grabbed a fresh cloak and headed for the bathroom.
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Emerging from the now steamed room Raven tussled her damp hair. There was Christmas music playing now, it was some fast rapture of "All I Want For Christmas Is You".
Raven took her time to linger down the stairs. The shower had done wonders to ease her emotions. She didn't feel like decapitating every male citizen of the city anymore. She passed the tree glancing at the gift stash.
The boys of course had huge boxes under the tree. Raven shivered at the notion she could get another year supply of tofu. It had taken $50 to bribe the trash men to take the substance.
She wandered into the kitchen where she could hear Starfire humming around.
"Morning," She greeted moving by the giggling girl.
"Most beautiful morning to you as well!" Starfire smiled before going back to her previous project, smearing mustard onto her toast.
"Hey Raven, Beast Boy just passed your door, he says there's an envelope or somethin?" Robin added before turning and greeting Starfire.
In a moment of fury Raven slammed down the tea cup that had been in her hand on the counter. The black ceramic shattered into chunky pieces. Both other two titans in the room paused to look at her funny.
"I'll be right back," She added before leaving. To the other two, it sounded like a death warranty. They were quick to leave the kitchen.
Raven picked up the white envelope. She wasn't expecting this. She was more ready for ten men in tights to attack her.
Leaning against her door still in the hallway she opened the envelope.
Inside were four tickets. Raven pulled them up closer to read the yellow tickets.
"Ten Lords? You've got to be kidding me," Raven looked incredulously at the tickets. Sure enough they were tickets to some kind of play. Raven read down to the information. It must have been a famous play because it was going to be held in the Jump City Amphitheater.
It was scheduled for December 22rd at seven.
Raven counted her days a moment. That was tonight...
She shuffled the envelope and pulled out the typed white paper.
Dearest Raven,
I'm one of the four that go...
-An Admirer
Raven looked down at her tickets. There were only four. Did that mean one of the male titans were going to bag on going?
Gripping the tickets she decided to spread the news. If he was going to eliminate someone, she needed to know now.
"Uh hem," Raven cleared her throat when she got into the living room. All four of them were sitting on the couch. Starfire looked a little fearful for a second before deciding Raven was no longer angry.
"I got tickets to a play tonight, and I figured we could all go?" Raven added as bored as she could muster. Not that she was eager to see who didn't go. No, not at all...
"Play?" Starfire asked when the silence stretched.
"Like a bunch of people acting?" Beast Boy asked with a raised eyebrow.
Raven sighed. "Yea, they look like pretty pricey seats, at the Amphitheater."
"Robin may we go?" Starfire clasped her hands looking hopeful.
Robin smiled, "I don't see why not. But we probably will need to be well-dressed."
"No problem for me, the ladies love a man in a suit!" Beast Boy grinned and ran a hand through his hair.
The rest of the titans rolled their eyes.
"So I will be needing clothing?" Starfire asked turning to Robin.
"Yea, like a dress or something."
"Glorious! I may be going to the mall of shopping, Raven can you accompany me?"
Raven zoned back in. None of them bad bagged yet. "Huh? Oh sure, I need to find something to wear anyway."
"Then it's settled. What time's the play?" Robin asked standing up to stretch.
"Seven," Raven added glancing back at the tickets. How was she going to break it to them she only had four?
"Ok Titans meet back here at six fully dressed."
The team nodded just as the music flipped over to start Ravens least favorite song. All of a sudden, she had a very bad feeling about it all.
"I found one! You must try this one on," Starfire floated about through the dressing rooms. The two girls had been in the mall for a good few hours. Starfire had already chosen a dress, the problem was Raven.
So far she had rejected every dress Starfire had handed her over the stall door. They were all too revealing, or too colorful.
Sighing Raven pulled off the latest dress. A bright orange piece that came to her knees it showed far too much in the front for her comfort.
"Fine throw it over," Raven chucked the orange monstrosity to the corner with the rest of the bright rejects.
She felt something land on her head. Sighing again she pulled it off to get a look at the next embarrassing garment.
Raven gasped getting a look at the dress. Her hands followed the thin straps to the silky dark material.
It was the same exact one she wore in her dream. In the well lit dressing room she could see it better though.
In fact it was a very dark purple, almost black. It came to about her thigh with extra dark blue pieces hanging off the end in a random assortment.
When the straps were securely on she backed up to look at herself in the dressing room mirror. The girl looking back at her was not who she was expecting.
"Starfire?" She called hoping her friend was still nearby.
"Yes?" Raven heard Star and unlatched the door.
"It's perfect," She said as she swung the door open to show her best friend.
"So is everyone ready?" Robin called from the hall. He was already dressed up finely in a black suit, that was left unbuttoned for a casual touch.
"Yep!" Beast Boy called joining his friend in the hall. He too was wearing black, though it didn't fit as nicely. The arms and legs were slightly too long and hid his own hands.
Raven could hear them downstairs. She pulled on her dress at last knowing Starfire was in the next room. They were the last to be dressed.
Raven found some nicer boots that went with the dress and pulled them on carefully lacing them up. She heard two of the boys downstairs calling for them.
Hastily she went without make-up simply pinning up some of her hair. She heard a door open on the floor where she knew Starfire to be dressing. Grabbing the tickets she left the room still stuck in thought.
She still hadn't told them about her lack of a ticket.
"Raven!" Starfire beamed at her and glided up. Before Raven could stop her the girl had her in a rib crushing hug.
"Star-" She choked out. Luckily Starfire pulled back smiling apologetically.
"You look marvelous!"
Raven finally looked over Starfire's dress. It was a long faded green that pulled out her eye color. It fit the tall girl amazingly well.
"So are you, ready?" Raven motioned toward the stairs where they were being summoned.
Starfire nodded her head and descended down the stairs first.
"Wow," Beast Boy looked from Raven to Starfire with amazement. It made both girls fidget uncomfortably.
"You guys clean up well," Beast Boy grinned earning a glare from Raven.
"You both look very nice," Robin complimented gazing over the two.
Starfire blushed and thanked the two. Raven simply nodded.
"Where's Cyborg?" Raven asked after a moment.
"I'm not going," A voice behind the four made them spin around. Cyborg was dressed normally scratching at the back of his neck.
"Friend, why not?" Starfire stepped forward a little, her dress creating a swishing noise.
"Ah it's not my kind of thing, I need to desperately get some present wrapping done anyway."
"You sure?" Robin asked next.
Cyborg nodded firmly before wishing them off. The other three left before Raven. Right before shutting the door she looked back to see Cyborg looking in her direction.
He smiled as if he knew something. Raven remembered the letter...
I'm one of the four that go.
So it wasn't Cyborg. Raven pushed back a strand of hair and smiled. Cyborg nodded and she shut the door behind herself. Outside she took a large breath before she heard the others calling from the t-car.
Robin or Beast Boy...
He watched her during the play. He'd set it up so Starfire and Raven sat in front of him and his male counterpart.
He had watched every motion she made throughout the play. Overall she seemed to enjoy herself, even snorting when the ten lords 'leaped'.
Raven pushed up the strap on her dress. He commended Starfire for helping her get such a perfect one. He was going to ask she wear it Christmas eve when she finally found out it was him.
Subconsciously he brushed a hand through his hair and smiled to himself. He knew she had paused at the door, and knew it wasn't Cyborg.
He watched Raven fidget with the ring on her finger, her eyes still on the play. He only had to wait two more days...
I bet you all were freakin out when I didn't update, hehe. So instead you get 2 chapters because I'm on xmas break!
And here's the first reviewer cut, it's not Cyborg, sorry! XD
Now she gets to contemplate-Beast Boy or Robin.
-hides under table from veges-
Thanks for reading/reviewing! Review on your way out!
-Dragonslayer527