Chapter Six : Tea and Jelly
Raven woke first that morning. She never could stand eating so early. She felt sick even thinking of food. Too tired to walk, she drifted into the kitchen to heat up some tea. She noticed Robin asleep on the couch.
"Robin?" she asked, attempting to softly wake him from his deep slumber.
He stirred, then rose to a sitting position. He groaned. He'd only gotten a few hours of sleep. He looked across the room toward the kitchen.
"What?" he asked, straightening his cape and gloves.
"Did you find her?"
Robin brushed some red-brown dog hair off his shirt. "Maybe."
Raven smiled a little and drifted over. "Well… what happened?"
Robin yawned, "Nothing. We talked. She doesn't want to be enemies."
"Really? That's quite interesting."
"Tell me about it. I still don't trust her."
"Neither do I. But she seems like she's got some dignity. Of course, I won't be the one judging her or-."
"I know. I don't know what I'm going to tell the others."
"Don't say anything. And if they ask, just simply say that Keena and us… we're not complete enemies."
"That's not suspicious in the least, is it?"
Beneath her tanzanite coat the girl grinned and spoke with a cheerful yet monotone voice, "Robin, I love the sarcasm."
"I could say the same to you."
The playful grin between the two seemed mutual and contagious. Raven finally broke the silence by getting up to finish fixing her drink. Robin had watched her from his chair, a sheepish smile on his face. The two were growing close, that was undeniable. Starfire was sweet and beautiful and powerful, but she lacked the intelligence and wit that Raven possessed. Not to mention, the Tamaranian girl towered over Robin. It was unfair to compare the girls, in his opinion. And any ways, romance was out of the question. The team leader can't be picking favorites.
"Did she mention anything about the islands, Robin?" Raven called quietly from the kitchen, a cup of steaming tea in hand.
"No. To be honest we didn't talk much. But I'd really like to know why she came here in the first place. I mean, come on. If she hangs around Africa and the Caribbean and the East Coast of the U.S., why on earth would she come here?"
"To get away from the trouble she's caused, I guess."
Robin leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes, apprehension clouding his thoughts and ideas. "She's trying to get away from something. That's for sure."
The sun crept over the horizon, and soft orange light flooded the whole city, gently waking it. Bright beams danced across the blue waves of the sea. Five dogs and a young girl sat on the docks, watching the sun rise over the water. She sighed deeply and kicked her legs that hung over the pier, and closed her eyes as the gulls began to stir and cry to one another.
Why did things have to be so confusing? Why couldn't everyone just be enemies? It'd save Keena a lot of trouble. She just gazed out into the endless blue, relishing and cursing the day she'd met the Teen Titans at the same time. It was bittersweet. They'd sure make a nice ally. Too bad they stood for everything that she was against, and vice versa. She heaved a sighed and continued to stare out to the sun, enjoying the scenery and the company of her hounds.
"Zorra?"
The voice sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, and before she dared to turn around and witness the face of who said it, she desperately tried to recognize him. Her green optics widened and she turned around.
"Jayden!"
A boy, just months older than her, stood 10 or so feet away. He had dark brown hair and slightly tanned skin, which complemented his warm southern accent. His handsome face looked dumbstruck and in awe, and Keena shared the same expression, but her eyes moistened just slightly. She broke the long silence by jumping to her feet and rushing into his arms, and she lay her head against his chest, closing her eyes tight.
"Keena, I had to come. I heard about what went on in the islands-."
"Shhhhh. No. Don't talk about it. It's already caused me enough stress."
And so he just held her tight, and she held him back, never wanting to lose the long lost friend she'd been separated from during a fight in Jamaica so many months ago. She knew he'd survived, some how. Jayden had nine lives, although Keena could think of at least four instances were he could have used up a couple of those. She took a step back from him as another horrifying thought flooded her mind.
"How did you find me?"
By this time, the dogs had recognized their long last friend, and the swamped the boy. He tried to pet them all while staring at the girl before him, who'd lost all the color in her face.
"No, don't worry. I met up with Chris in DC. He said you were over in California. I took a plane over hear, then heard about one of your run-ins with the police on the news when I first got here. So, I drove down here, and have been searching this city for you ever since."
"But you never heard anything about this outside of California?"
"Er, no, but-."
"Okay, good."
She sighed, relieved, and the pigment returned to her face as she tucked her golden brown hair behind her ears. She couldn't have the islands knowing her whereabouts.
"What the hell are you doing in daylight in the open?"
"I needed fresh air. And I've only been out here for a few minutes. Sun just rose!"
"Doesn't matter, c'mon, let's go to Miguel's-."
"Ah, no one hangs around these docks, or no one to be afraid of, anyway-."
"Do you know who protects this city?"
"Your mom, Jayden. Just let-."
His voice became a low hiss, and he bent down to her stature to emphasize the trouble they could be in, "The Teen Titans!"
"Pffft. Let me tell you what. Me and that Robin had a little talk."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. And we set some things out on the table."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not exactly friends, but we're not enemies either."
"Oh whatever. Keena, you know more so than I do that he'd arrest you."
"If he had to."
"Have you gotten that soft in four months, that you are starting to bond with the enemy?" he glared at her, but it turned to a shocked and concerned gaze when she leered back.
"Bond? Not likely. But I hold some degree of trust that he isn't out looking for me right now."
"Damn! Where is she?"
"Robin!"
Starfire held her hands to her face in shock. Robin never swears unless he's rather angry. Right now, he had the right to be angry. He'd been trying to contact Keena for hours now, but all he had was a cell phone number, which she'd conveniently turned off.
"Chill, dude. She's probably eating. Or sleeping. Or watching TV. Or something," Beast Boy was lazily wandering around the kitchen, fixing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Raven sure looked hungry. He contemplated making two, and giving one to her. Of course, sandwiches really weren't her thing.
"Robin, what's so important that it can't wait until later tonight?" Cyborg quirked an eyebrow and instantly became suspicious, "What did you guys do last night?"
The Boy Wonder didn't like that tone one bit. He glared at the metal man, and clicked his teeth together in impatience. "She tried to bargain with me, she even pleaded that I leave her alone. Tried to make it look like we were fighting for the same cause."
"Ha!" Cyborg shouted loudly before walking by Beast Boy and stealing his sandwich (Beast Boy would have protested, but that sandwich was on its way to the garbage can; judging by the date on the jar, that jelly had gone bad long ago).
"This is getting pretty complicated," Raven muttered, sitting on the couch as Starfire happily went back to combing her short purple hair. The dark girl was not one for hair styles or girl talk, but what could she do. Star was Raven's friend, and if she wanted to mess with her hair, so be it.
"Almost wish this little city wasn't involved in it," Cyborg mumbled as he sat next to the girls, taking a bite of the sandwich and making a face.
"I'm going to be doing a bit more research, though. Something's rather suspicious about this whole mess," Robin said, glancing at the members of his team with a look none of them could identify.
"Sounds good, Robin," said Raven, then she looked him in the eye and spoke with a much serious tone, "But don't leave us out on your findings."
He looked a bit hurt for a split second, but understood what she meant, and nodded.
"Don't worry. You all will be the first to know."