Chapter 6: "Ultra-Gear"
Things had settled back into near routine by the next morning. After practice where Cyborg lifted immense weights, Beast Boy 'jogged' as various animals, Starfire practiced her aerial maneuvers, Raven practiced swirling objects around herself, Robin shadow-boxed with his staff, and Rith focused sounds at various frequencies as the computer modulated them, they all went to enjoy their morning.
Cyborg and Beast Boy were shouting and exclaiming at the video-game they were playing, Raven was idly tuning everything out as she read one of her books on the couch off to the side, Rith worked on the breakfast dishes (claiming them to be part of his duties now that he was a Titan), and Starfire and Robin discussed the meaning of a 'penny for your thoughts'.
"Hey, Raven!" Beast Boy called as one of their games ended. She looked up blandly, and he continued, "Wanna come play me? Pleeeeease?"
She soured, frowning. "I don't play video-games, Beast Boy. We've established this."
His hopes un-dashed, the green boy continued, "Doesn't mean you can't change your mind!"
Cyborg leaned back in his seat, putting his hands behind his head. "You should leave 'er alone, B. At this rate you're just gonna make her zap you through the wall."
Rith smirked a bit. "Just out of curiosity, Beast Boy, would you be willing to meditate with Raven if she did?"
Raven sweat-dropped, imagining giving Beast Boy lessons every other second on maintaining posture and controlling his mind against distractions. Beast Boy himself cringed, sinking behind the couch under Rith's non-gaze. "Uh… well…"
"Then is it really fair to ask her to play games with you?"
Cyborg grinned. Robin added, "He's got a point, Beast Boy… It's not like Raven would think to ask, but if you're not willing to do her thing, she shouldn't be asked to do yours."
"But she's the only one that doesn't play… aside from Rith…" he managed awkwardly, not wanting to go further down the path he'd stumbled across, meekly hiding behind the couch again. Rith just chuckled to himself.
Raven rolled her eyes and focused back on her book.
Rith simply added, "Not everyone plays games the same way you do, Beast Boy." Setting the last dish down, he smirked, resting his hands on the counter. "Want to play a non-computer game with me?"
Beast Boy was intrigued, as were the others, even Raven though she hid it with her book, and he hopped over the couch. "Sure, what's the game?"
"I'll make an animal's sound, you have to mimic it."
Beast Boy grinned. "Aw, yeah! I'll nail this one to the wall, baby!" He leapt in front of Rith, still grinning, and struck a pose. "Let's do it!"
As the others watched with amusement, Raven piquing an eyebrow and peeking over her book, Rith cleared his throat, creased his brow a bit, and a sharp squawk sounded. Beast Boy pondered, grinned again, and flipped over into the form of a parrot, squawking right back. Rith tipped his head. "Score one for Beast Boy. Now try this…" An odd trill descended to a sharp stop.
Beast Boy blanched, then eyed Rith sidelong, and finally smiled again. He leapt up, shrank considerably, and landed as a cricket, trilling right off. Rith announced the point, and they continued. After three more animals, Starfire giggled, and flew to Rith, making a whispered request. He seemed intrigued, nodded, and a warped, whooping honk sounded.
At this Beast Boy twitched. He could turn into any animal, yes, but actually remembering millions of species and how they sounded was something else entirely. "…I'm stumped…"
Rith grinned. "Lemur. Score one for me."
Beast Boy fell over, pounding his head with his fist. "I should've known that one!"
Soon Robin and Cyborg started chipping in. Starfire and Robin suggested animals to mimic to Rith, and Beast Boy and Cyborg discussed the answer together quietly, forming teams. Soon they were laughing together as either Rith or Beast Boy started making mistakes, one lion's roar getting warped into as squeak when Starfire hopped for joy, startling Rith. All of this Raven monitored somewhat as she read her book, peeking up every few moments.
Cyborg finally called over to her. "Hey, Raven, come join Beast Boy and I's team! We're outnumbered!"
Starfire floated as if she was hopping up and down with excitement. "Oh yes, please join in the wonderful animal-calling game of noise and silliness!"
Raven exhaled, still reading. "I'm glad you guys are having fun, but guessing what's what based on loud noises that just make my head rattle isn't my idea of a good time."
Beast Boy knelt down, raising clasped hands. "Please, Raven? He's coming up with some really tough ones now! Look at the score!"
Starfire zipped up to a massive board that appeared out of nowhere, showing numerous marks on either team's side, Rith's side just leading.
Raven sighed, snapped her book shut, and stared at them. Everyone waited in trepidation before she finally smirked, stood up, and walked over to Beast Boy and Cyborg, accompanied by cheering and welcomes from her friends. Rith grinned. "An easier one to start off for the new team-member." He cleared his throat, and a clear, low bird-call screeched out, repeating a double-call twice.
Everyone started smiling or grinning, even Raven as she crossed arms with a dry stare at Rith. "Very cute."
Beast Boy leapt up, warped into a raven, squawked right back. "A raven!" everyone chorused, Raven actually laughing a bit, blushing softly under the attention.
A few minutes later, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven were in a huddle. "I think it's a turtle," the shape-shifter said himself, seriously.
Raven rolled her eyes. "You thought it was a turtle the last three times…"
"So maybe he's just trying to mix me up, and this time it is a turtle!"
Cyborg pointed out, "You said that the last two times."
Glowering, the green boy finally asked, "Well what do you two think?"
"Armadillo," Raven answered calmly.
"Gecko."
Raven glowered. "It was a voice-less croak, not a soundless yap!"
Before they broke into a cloud of fighting, Rith called over. "Stumped?"
They abruptly calmed, Raven and Cyborg standing behind as Beast Boy cleared his throat, and warped into an armadillo, squeaking a bit.
Rith grinned. "Very good, armadillo it was."
Starfire scratched another mark on the scoreboard. "And it is a tie! Forty to forty! Glorious! This is such fun!"
Robin laughed. "Seriously, we should do this again soon."
Rith relaxed, and Raven could tell he was a bit relieved the game was over. Making such specific sounds out of nowhere likely drained him quite a bit.
Unfortunately, the trouble alert filled the tower the next instant, and Robin shot to the console as the others quickly prepared themselves. Robin punched it up, and looked to his team. "Looks like another warehouse has an intruder. Let's do it, Titans."
Raven and Starfire took flight, the boys running after them as they all left the tower. Starfire flew closer to the darker girl, grinning despite the situation. "Did you not have fun, Raven?"
The lavender-eyed girl offered a faint smile under her shadowed eyes. "Yes, I did, Starfire… Thanks."
"Most welcome, friend! Now let us go kick the butt!"
Raven laughed a bit. "Let's."
(Later…)
Heavy mechanical doors slid open to either side, and the Teen Titans moved in carefully. Raven and Starfire floated behind and above the others, Robin standing at the front, he and Rith with staffs out and ready. Their shoes were just clanking off of metal flooring in the darkened warehouse when the lights snapped on with a rush to the far end of the truly cavernous building.
"Someone was waiting for us," Raven commented ominously, her cloak rippling around her body.
They were standing on a wide catwalk, which led all the way to the central platform-column, myriad other catwalks radiating out from the various levels, sometimes crossing each other on their way to the outer walls. Entering from ground level of the hundred-meter high building only put them in the middle of its true height, as its basement descended just as far down, leaving a massive, rectangular space filled with catwalks, cement, and a few computers.
Before they moved forward, Rith quickly explained, "I sense another army of his machines below us, on the bottom level, and he's-!"
The blind young man was cut off by two firm footfalls planting on a cross-catwalk above and several meters ahead of them. Dr. Gear stood with his hands on his hips, wearing a full, close-fitting, silvery robotic suit, only his head bare. "Right here." He grinned with his snide tone. "I knew I'd run into you lot sooner or later, but all of you coming together is a bonus. I'll get to deal with all of you at once."
Cyborg activated his cannon and aimed. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you."
Gear laughed. "That archaic toy can't hurt me, Cyborg. I'm wearing the cutting edge, my latest design, spared no expense… or theft."
Robin's brow creased. "We stopped all of your machines, Adonis, and Red X."
"Most of them were just decoys, boy!" Gear shouted back, both triumphant and angry, obviously impatient for some reason. "And that lovely machine you wrecked had another inside it, waiting for you to drop your guard or just leave. The latter was the case. I only needed one component from this city, but I knew what Rith would suspect, so I decided to turn that to my advantage."
Rith's brow creased firmly. He'd led his new friends on a wild goose-chase. "…I'm sorry."
Beast Boy stepped forward. "Don't worry about it, they were wrecking things anyway."
Robin flicked his staff forward, dropping into a stance. "Nice new toys then, but you're still going down."
Gear grinned, raising his fists as white power crackled out of them, forming perfect spheres at the edges of the shivering lattices of light. "You really shouldn't be so confident. Attack my legions!" he roared, almost folding over as he rammed his fists forward and robotic humanoids leapt into the air, arcing along the walls and down toward the Titans from either side of the Doctor. Beams, like pillars of the same power around his fists, shot away from his arms, three meters thick each.
"Titans, GO!" Robin shouted, and dashed off, tearing a droid in half with a swipe of his staff.
The Titans shot in, Raven grabbing a few airborne droids with her soulself, rocketing them through their ranks, destroying dozens. Beast Boy spun into a stegosaurus, his tail blasting several ranks to pieces, while Cyborg ran right in, cannon blazing. Starfire raked the catwalk with her eye-beams, snapping bolts into droids that leapt at her from various directions as the whole team moved further toward the doctor. Rith himself flickered through a few droids, letting them fall apart in his wake, and just as Gear fired blasts at Raven and Starfire, forcing them to dodge, the blind boy shot into the air, spinning down at Gear with his staff.
Gear rushed back into a blurred series of hand-foot flips down a central catwalk directly above the large one the other Titans were still using. Rith's staff smashed into the cross-walk where the doctor had been standing. The blind Titan looked up with a creased brow, obviously troubled by Gear's ability to move so swiftly and skillfully.
Laughing, Gear let power skitter off his fists again, charging the spheres with more energy. "You're no match for me now, boy. I've learned my lessons from you."
"Obviously none of the right ones," Rith muttered, and sprinted to meet him.
Moving with incredible speed, Gear met Rith with swiping spheres of power around his fists, leaving energized streaks through the air. Rith narrowly yanked his body out of the paths of several attacks, finally ramming the left end of his staff into the doctor's chest. Gear shouted in dismay more than pain, and skidded back, finally reaching the central column, the top level some meters above still. Gear chuckled, and back-flipped straight up onto the top level of the central column, forcing Rith to leap up after him.
The other Titans were being kept busy by the endless legions of androids. Robin decapitated a few with a spin-swipe of his staff, snapping his free hand out to blow a handful more up with his bomb-discs. Cyborg fired a blast through a full rank of them, and then shot his left hand off on its extendable chord, grabbing the shoulder of a distant droid before he whipped sideways, slicing dozens apart with the cord and slamming the one he'd grabbed to pieces against the flooring of the main catwalk. Dozens more sprang onto the platform as he retracted his hand, firing at another few leaping off the walls with Starfire on the right. "They just keep coming!"
Beast Boy had taken the form of a great gorilla, smashing the robots to pieces as they tried to attack him. Starfire focused from blowing airborne robots to pieces, and raked down another rank with her eye-beam, melting several in half. Raven rushed back, sending black crescents through dozens, slicing them apart, but her patience was wearing thin. She saw Rith fighting Dr. Gear on the main platform in the center, staff and glowing fists flickering through each other, and worried for their new comrade's safety.
Looking up, the dark girl saw robots crawling along the wall above and behind them on the left. Her brow creased, and she flew to the edge of the wall, near the entrance. "Climb on this!" She shouted her incantation just as she flipped over and landed on the wall, planting her hands to the surface. Waves of soulself flitted through the wall, revealing support girders, piping, and wires just before they erupted out of the wall, ripping into the robots in a concentric wave along the surface, emanating from Raven. Robot parts rained down like a storm to the cement far below.
"Great work, Raven!" Robin called back to her, spinning into another rank of droids on the central catwalk, where hundreds more remained.
Raven flew down to the catwalk with the others. "But we're still outnumbered…" She looked to her left, focusing on one of the narrower catwalks, and sharpened her eyes thoughtfully. Three robots leapt at her from below, and she flowed back, her hands sweeping out with streaks of shadow to deflect their blows before she simply snapped her legs apart and jerked her palms forward where she stood, a dome-wave ramming them to pieces. She hurried back to the left side of the catwalk, her eyes blazing with power as she aimed her hands at the next, narrow catwalk on their level. "Azarath metrion ZINTHOS!" Darkness engulfed the entire catwalk, rushing from the center to either end, which abruptly snapped free, small parts flying off.
Turning her glowing eyes to see the others fending off the bulk of the army on the wide catwalk, she braced, gritting her teeth. "DODGE!"
Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, who quickly reverted to normal, and Starfire all looked to Raven, and saw the entire catwalk to their left spin into a massive disc-blade with widened eyes. The boys hit the deck as Starfire zipped upward with a soft 'eep!', Raven swinging the massive hulk of metal right across the main catwalk, like a tremendous buzz-saw. Roaring wind and shattering metal filled the warehouse, the catwalk spinning off as the darkness released it, shattering against the far right wall. The android army that remained on the catwalk was little more than standing legs sparking at exposed waists, which rapidly began to topple over. Now there were only scattered handfuls of droids around the various catwalks, and they were starting to leap in at the Titans in a last-ditch effort to stop them. Sonic beams, blast-discs, and star-bolts annihilated most of them, Beast Boy using his T-Rex form to bite any stragglers that landed to pieces.
Robin started running for the central column. "Let's go, Titans. Rith needs some back up!"
The team continued to fend off the occasional robot as they all hurried to Gear and Rith, Raven accelerating to help their new friend with controlled concern.
On the central platform itself, Rith ducked another charged swipe of Gear's left fist, only forced to retreat from another from the right hand. "What happened to you, doctor? You wanted to help people, let them make a life for themselves with what they had. Why do all this?"
Gear grinned, and unleashed a two-fisted bolt. Rith dove to his left, narrowly avoiding the five-meter wide column of destruction that left a perfect hole in the railing and a few computers at the edge of the platform. "Why? Because I finally have enough power to get respect."
Rith surprised him with speed, and the staff locked with glowing hands, the two facing off, Gear leaning over the shorter boy. "People only respect power when they want it for themselves… Kindness is a much greater power, Doctor Gear. You had that power."
Gear hesitated, Rith sensing it, and eased slightly with his staff.
"…I suppose you're right, Rith…" He sounded very haggard, tired.
The hands let go, and Rith lowered his staff, smiling a bit.
"I seem to have lost track of my goals…" he looked off. "Why did I do this…?"
The other Titans had just started rushing to help Rith, Gear seeing his droids fly apart from Raven's massive spell with her soulself. Abruptly his hand shot out, and grabbed Rith by the back of the neck. Rith shouted in pain as energy scattered over his body, his staff clattering to the floor. "Oh yes, I remember," Gear started with darkly calm satisfaction, letting Rith fall to his knees, holding his head in his hands with a pained grimace. "I was never there to help anyone, child. The philanthropist goal just let me get past the towns' defenses. I've been planning this army for decades. Do you think I'd let a brat like you ruin that?" He kicked Rith onto his back, and planted his foot on the boy's chest, shocking Rith painfully again, making him cry out.
"Rith!"
Gear looked up, and took a dark claw to his chest, sending him flying off. He narrowly caught the far railing, and pulled himself back onto the platform as Raven rushed down, landing beside the blind boy, who was barely conscious from being shocked. Gear started to aim his arms, but Raven aimed one hand at Rith, another at the doctor, and her soulself raised Rith off the ground and wrapped around Gear's forearms. The doctor blinked, and then yelped as he was thrown into another computer with a sharp jerk of Raven's left hand. She came closer to Rith as he floated in her power. "Let's get you out of here…" she said, faint sympathy clear even in her controlled battle-façade.
Picking himself out of the ruined computer, Gear growled, his fists charging as Raven looked back at him. Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire dropped onto the platform the next second, all braced and ready for action. Robin tilted his head down darkly. "Just try it, Doctor…"
Gear grinned, and his feet spread before energy crackled through the entire central column. It caught everyone but Starfire, Raven and the others shouting in pain, even Cyborg falling to his knees. The alien girl took a blast of Gear's power straight on, caught glancing down to her friends. She flew back, and crumpled to the main catwalk, groaning and holding her head.
The doctor slowly walked toward Raven and Rith, all of them stunned and numb, finding it difficult to move. Unknown to the others, Rith's shivering hand found his staff, the fingers slowly closing around it at the edge.
Gear leaned down to Raven, who was on all fours, barely upright, her eyes glowering weakly at him. He smirked. "You've got spirit, girl. The way you wiped out my army single-handedly was most impressive. I don't suppose I could make you an offer?"
It took a great deal of effort to work her jaw. "I…don't work… for creeps… like you…"
Gear frowned. "Pity." Then he grinned maliciously, raising his charged left fist. "Good night, child."
A distorted, almost feral roar, which made Raven instinctively think of Beast Boy, rushed across their ears, and she watched a wooden staff slam into Gear's chest, Rith on the right end of it, his expression fierce and focused as his hair pulsed behind his head. Gear's suit actually fractured across the chest, his limbs pitching forward, and he flew back, slamming into the railing. Rith sagged down to all fours beside and a little ahead of Raven. Her soulself had protected him from the second shock along the ground, but he was still reeling from the two Gear had given him specifically.
Enraged, Gear reared up, holding one hand to his sparking chest, and started stomping toward Rith. "You wretched brat! I'll tear you a-!" he looked up in alarm as a deafening boom sounded. A red 'X' ripped through the central roof, and soon the entire ceiling was crashing down. "NO!"
On a distant rooftop, Red X let his thumb away from a small remote device. "See you around, Doc…" And he vanished.
Starfire had recovered quickly, and flew up to the others as the ceiling started crashing down.
"We have to… run!" Robin managed, but could barely stand.
Gear sparked with power as Raven looked up with alarm. They were all too weak from the shock to get out, and Starfire could maybe carry one of them.
"I'll get you for this, X!" the doctor roared, blasting a few large chunks of falling debris with his powers.
"Gotta… get going…" Cyborg strained, his cannon straining to activate as the entire warehouse shook.
Rith tried to stand, vague distortions forming around him, but he just fell back to his knees with a weak gasp. Raven looked at him, and then to her friends, Starfire trying to help Cyborg up, but barely standing herself. Raven focused on Gear, and her expression firmed. "I have a choice…"
Her eyes blazed, and Raven screamed, rising to her feet as power erupted from her body, shocking everyone present. A blasting wave of her soulself engulfed the warehouse for a heart-beat, and then focused on the falling debris. She snapped her hands upright together, a sphere of dark power focusing around them, and the Titans and Gear watched the debris flow around the central column, shattering down through catwalks, the few remaining robots, and computers everywhere.
Rith looked up as much as he could, sensing her shivering body, gritted teeth, and blazing power. She was on the verge of complete collapse herself, but had found the power to control an entire building, a massive one at that. "…Raven," he whispered in awe and fear, gravely worried for her.
Gear roared, and charged at Raven, energy crackling over his body. Rith focused darkly on him, and slammed himself forward, tripping the doctor onto his front with a thud. Raven looked down as Starfire charged a star-bolt while she helped Cyborg stand, both girls' glowing eyes focusing on Gear with dark determination. Gear looked up, and then focused on Rith back near his legs. "You little-UGH!"
A black claw slammed him off the ground, grabbing him around the torso, and drove him to the far side of the building. It smashed him through the wall, and limply out onto the street, where police cars were already starting swarm after the explosion. Raven pulled her left hand back up to the main sphere with which she was focusing her control of the collapsing roof. When it was finally clear above, and over the main catwalk, she let her powers fade, the others recovered enough to watch her stand calmly for a heart-beat, and then moan as she collapsed forward, her hood down, hair trailing. Rith snapped his hand out, and a buffer of noise caught her, gently easing her down. He crawled over to her, Robin and Beast Boy coming over weakly themselves, and turned her over on her back carefully. "…Asleep… She just wore herself out…"
Robin nodded. "Great work, team. Let's get home…"
Cyborg smiled to Starfire. "Thanks, Star, but I'm almost recovered. Help Raven. I'll try to help anyone else."
Rith could still barely stand, so Cyborg helped him along, Robin and Beast Boy just conscious enough to move themselves, and Starfire carried Raven, the Titans leaving the warehouse as weary, battle-worn victors.
(Later…)
"…Raven? Raven?"
Her eyes stirred open, a soft bed beneath her, and she focused out of her dreamy state to see her friends all around her. Robin smiled, just rousing her from sleep, and Beast Boy, Starfire, Rith, and Cyborg were all there in the med room of Titan Tower, welcoming her back to reality. Her eyebrows rose up, and she started to sit upright. "W-what… happened?"
Robin explained, "You've been out of it for about a day, but after what you did, we weren't too surprised."
Raven smirked a bit, rubbing one of her temples. "I've still got a headache…"
"You saved our lives, Raven. Thank you," Rith said with a soft nod.
The others were nodding with their smiles as she glanced around, starting to blush a bit. "I just did what I could…"
Cyborg replied, "Yeah, but if you hadn't, we might not all be here right now." He winked, offering his big metal hand. "Gimme some love, girl."
She smirked, calming from her embarrassment, and slapped his hand, causing a chorus of cheers from the whole team, Starfire hopping up and down, flush with happiness once again.
Beast Boy grinned. "This calls for a party or something! Any ideas?"
Rith chuckled lightly. "Why don't we let our heroine decide if she wants one?"
Glad to see her friends safe, in fact to an extent that surprised even Raven herself, she was much more accommodating than usual. "…I'm not sure about a party, but I could go for some nice, hot, herbal tea."
The green boy grinned. "You know what? That sounds just fine."
Raven smiled a bit, which made him grin even more. Robin nodded to the door. "Let's head to the living room."
Everyone started to file out, Rith moving with the others, but Raven slipped off the bed and came up, stopping him with a hand gently resting on his shoulder. He turned to face her, and she watched the door close behind Robin quietly before looking to Rith. "…Thanks."
He was sincerely puzzled. "…For what? You saved us. I'm sorry my foolishness caused Dr. Gear to get an advantage over everyone."
The pale girl smirked faintly. "You did your share, and I saw you protect me twice, so don't pretend otherwise."
Rith's eyebrows rose with soft emotion. "Then you're very welcome for my part. I'm sure you could have found a way to deal with him yourself both times, but better safe than sorry."
Raven tipped her head, a bit unsure of what to say next. Rith spared her the trouble, gesturing to the door. "Now let's get you some of that lovely tea."
Her head ducked a bit, her emotions both calm and a little flustered as she stood in front of him. He opened the door, and let her walk through first, joining her as they went to the living room.
"You shouldn't blame yourself for Dr. Gear, Rith," she said calmly as they walked.
He glanced at her. "It's difficult for me to avoid. He fooled me so easily, and that put you and your friends in danger."
Raven smirked. "You shouldn't feel bad for trusting someone… and they're your friends, too, now."
Rith chuckled, nodding his thanks to her. When they reached the living room, Starfire giggled, floating up to them. "Did you two share a moment of private affection while we left?"
Raven blushed violently. "Starfire…?"
Everyone sweat-dropped, however, when Rith keeled over, his face red. Everyone zipped over and looked down at him, Raven sympathetically shocked, and Starfire fretted with guilt. "I did not mean to make Rith fall over…"
Robin chuckled a bit. "Let's get him to a chair."
Cyborg grinned. "Ya know… I'm pretty sure nothing happened, but you look like you wouldn't have minded a little 'private affection', Ra-!"
He leapt into the kitchen, hiding behind a counter as Raven hovered, dark energy writhing off her body, chibi, eyes bleeding fire.
"Did I say 'private affection' again? I've gotta check my voice chip! I meant 'pretty good meditation'!" he covered, still hiding.
Raven calmed, walking down with a dry smirk on her lips, and walked down to where Starfire was anxiously fanning Rith. "Oh… please wake up."
Beast Boy grinned, crept up behind Rith, and whispered something in the boy's ear. Rith sprang upright. "W-who, what, where!" Starfire and Beast Boy picked themselves back up from being bowled over. Rith sweatdropped, one eyebrow twitching. "Beast Boy…"
Cyborg blinked. "What'd he say?"
Beast Boy grinned, hiding behind the half-robotic boy. "I just said 'Raven'."
Rith appeared over the shapeshifter, darkly calm, chibi himself. "You know… I can make that voice of yours vanish abruptly…"
Beast Boy gulped, but Raven recovered from her new blush with a mild laugh. Robin sat back, smiling at the scene. He'd never seen Raven so relaxed before. She cleared her throat with mock irritation, looking down and off with closed eyes. "So where's this tea I was promised?"
Beast Boy and Rith both froze, sweat-dropped, and then warred toward the cabinet, fighting over who would fix it for her.
Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg joined Raven in watching the other two boys struggle. Raven crossed her arms, but lightly raised both eyebrows. "I've gotta say… having boys fight over you is pretty useful sometimes…"
Rith and Beast Boy froze in mid-wrestle, blushing as the others stifled giggles or hid smiles. Beast Boy eased out from under Rith. "Well… I think he makes it better anyway… yeah…" He scratched the back of his head nervously.
The others just nodded, and Rith grinned, starting to make the tea as the others finally sat down with Raven at the counter. In no time, Rith had cups of steaming herbal tea ready for everyone, and, in honor of Raven, they all enjoyed it. Starfire was quite pleased, saying something about, "It relaxes me from the inside out!"
As they all enjoyed the tea, thanking Rith for making it, Raven glanced at him. They had finally dealt with Dr. Gear, and he seemed quite happy to stay as a Titan. She found herself rather glad about it. She did trust him, and she just hoped it didn't prove to be a mistake. As she took a sip, she used it to hide a smile. This time, she got the feeling it wouldn't.
