Regrem Erutaerc- Thanks for the information. I've never managed to find a complete list, but I usually have too much homework to worry about to have time for a real search. I've altered the emotions a little, to put my own spin on them and who how things have changed. The next events are completely a figment of my own over-active imagination, and I have found no mention of anything similar, but I try to at least agree with the standard fiction-base.
XPhoenixX- I was happy about that- otherwise, the ending would invariably have annoyed the crap out of me. A better explanation of exactly what's going on is coming up. Raven doesn't quite know yet, so the reader can't without going in circles around her. Omniscient readers can be annoying, so I let the characters figure out things before anything. The confusion should hopefully be over soon.
Jim Starluck- They're too fun to write with- they had to show up. Where else do you have characters with one personality? Cyborg is a smart one. I would agree with you, but look at Batman's style. Batman is into direct confrontation, and would be more likely to kick a door in. Blasting it is a similar style. Starfire is, in my opinion, the least likely to know how to pick a lock, so she gets to do it. I'm trying to make her more adapted to Earth, and not as space-cadet and likely to be labeled "blonde," a pet peeve of mine. So sue me- I'm blonde.
They-Call-Me-Orange- Weekends can be blamed for many things. I have a three-day one (gotta love only-purpose-is-a-barbecue holidays like Memorial Day), so my brain shall be fried. They'll try. The reason she's a bit . . . off is explained in here. I like a little bit of retorts- it makes the dialogue more interesting. Thanks for reviewing, as always.
Mudd26- Thanks for the review and the referrals. I'm sure many things will have happened by the time you're back- you just get a lump sum of story time. I've been wanting to write a go-into-Raven's head story for a while, and this is the first chance I've had to actually mess with the great supplied characters called the emotions. And he was just an interesting addition. (That little remark will make sense after the chapter.)
The Last- A new reviewer! Thanks you kindly. I am officially over 54 reviews (was at 57 while replying to this), am extremely proud about this, will harass the people I know, and still will try to hit three digits. It's just evil to let cliffhangers sit there. People lose interest, I feel lazy, and no one cares anymore. There shall be no offensively long cliffhangers, unless up to two days is a problem. Reviews just kind of happen. Quite a few stories I wrote still don't have more than ten reviews, so don't get discouraged. I've gotten lucky with two of them.
Certified Teen Titan- Thanks for reviewing. I do have cliffhangers at the ends of chapters, but they aren't that bad, are they? I consider a 'bad' cliffhanger to be someone in mortal danger. I update pretty quick, if I do say so myself- once a day, so far, and I don't predict any major glitches in the near future.
moo- I hope you can wait this long. Don't worry- the ends of chapters only get slightly worse, because there will be more action and less dialogue. Dialogue is necessary for the story line, but not as exciting. I think I can picture what you mean with the extended : ). I do like to call myself a writer, after all.
YumeTakato- All good things have to come to an end. Everyone seems to want more, so here it is. I nearly have an idea how the story will end, but don't expect that for a while. Things are about to get a little bit complicated.
Two points for anyone who finds the quote from a famous English playwright and names the play and author- giving anything else would make it too easy. Eleven for anyone who can name Galahad of Arthurian mythology's father. How many points can you earn? Maybe I'll keep track, maybe I won't. Either way, there are pointless points to be redeemed! Well, you do get the pride of knowing, and an imaginary plaque with your name carved into the finest imaginary imitation brass. Classy, eh? But you only get points if you review, so don't be shy. Partial credit will be given for wrong answers.
Just a quick warning- for this chapter, the events are told as if from Beast Boy's point of view, to sympathize with the green guy and make the suspense a bit more real. Have fun guessing who "he" is- you'll know when you get there. Read, review, and return.
Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire were bored. Raven's money wasn't spent on cable television or on stocking her apartment with movies. Board games were nowhere in sight. Her food was borderline vegan, except for a few poultry items in the freezer and cheese in the dairy drawer. Starfire munched on Wheat Thins, denounced by both males as "chick food." Half an hour later, they cracked. Fifteen seconds later, the box was empty.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Robin asked. "You guys weren't in there that long."
"We were in there for twenty minutes or so, but it felt like longer. They could be in a while, if there's a real problem. Raven hasn't been using her powers- they register on weather satellites, and the energy she used to get in was the first strong enough to register in a long time."
"They have much catching up to do." Starfire smiled. She had been ready to play matchmaker for years, but knew both would only push farther away from each other if anyone admitted a mutual attraction. "I'll bake them something for when they're finished."
"No, but thanks, Star," Cyborg said, a reflex from sampling her earliest dishes.
"It's fine," Robin assured him. "Star makes food like you're used to, but for my next birthday she's making me a large sampling of Tamaranean cuisine."
Only Cyborg noticed the grimace- Starfire was in the kitchen. "Sounds good, but I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. I'll meet you at the day after, for a movie, to detox your central processing unit."
"I understand that, Cyborg," Starfire called from the other room. "And don't even try the carburetor innuendos again- I am a licensed mechanic. I trust very few people with the liaison cars, and you always seem to be busy. I needed someone I could trust explicitly who was always available. It was just easier this way."
"You- but- how long?"
Starfire grinned, looking at the shocked pair from over the partition. Robin had been out of town during her classes, and took it for granted that she was at work. "Two years, and I've understood what you said for three and a half. You keep trying to think of me as an alien airhead. I learned English, your idiotic idioms, and your customs."
"You're serious." Robin was just as flabbergasted as Cyborg.
"Yes."
"You mean- when I asked Rob about the piston and the cylinders, and the likelihood of percussion action-"
"I knew what you meant," Starfire said, to the mortification of both males. They had thought car metaphors for intimate relations were safe. Robin had given a boastful non-answer about his exhaust system's long haul,but had not directly answered the question. If he had, one certain business tycoon, CEO, and superhero would have been sleeping on the couch, if not in the hallway.
"Well, have you?"
Starfire granted him a smile worthy of being superimposed onto the Mona Lisa. "Just ask yourself this- mettprie souselure pnjorttz autpavda? But- you don't speak Tamaranean, more's the pity."
"You're never going to tell until there's a ring on your finger, are you?"
"A girl has to keep some secrets- stop having such a big-brother complex. We're both adults, anyway. And don't even try getting it out of Robin; if he knows what's good for him, he won't even mouth a word or try head movements," she called cheerfully.
"Robin, we need to talk about control issues in a relationship."
Starfire smiled tolerantly as the two retreated to the hallway. Once the door closed behind them, she brought out the fake-cheese crackers she knew Raven would have around. She doubted the other Titan would forget mid-baking junk food breaks.
"Rae, it's quiet in here. Too quiet."
"Gar, you're not supposed to say the last two words. The other person is. And even Timid isn't this quiet, so I'd have to agree. Timid started actually talking without being asked a direct question after Bravery finally convinced her to fight Rage with all the others- they did their own internal fighting while I took care of the external battles."
"We've been here for hours- we haven't even seen a rock. There's just a bunch of indentations in the ground."
Raven froze. "Where?"
"Right here." He waved an arm, encompassing the surrounding area and the seemingly random pattern of indents that almost resembled tracks. "They aren't any animal, really- they're patterns too big to be an animal, and don't really touch the ground like something that size should. Your imagination's compensating."
"B, come with me. Now." She was as curt as she had been before her eighteenth birthday. Something was wrong.
"Why?"
"And be quiet, for once in your life!" The sheer urgency of her words convinced him that something was rotten in the state of Delaware- or was it Denmark? He didn't think Denmark was a state, but the quote was pretty famous. She dragged him to a depression in the earth while he thought. "I don't come here, if at all possible, but it's where they have to be. This is where the emotions go when they're not being expressed- they hate the place, but someone's always here."
"They?"
"The few emotions I've been feeling most strongly. None can be that strong- I've barely picked up Lust, and that's the easiest feeling to get from an emotion," she explained without a hint of a blush. Her powers were natural to her, and she felt what she felt. For the last four years, that had been a depressing combination of hesitance, jealousy, and anger.
"Come with me, and don't listen to these ones too much." She disappeared through a descending tunnel before he could ask why. He followed her through the short tunnel into a small room with ten doors, one of which they had just gone through. She closed it, and he was instantly confused in the circular room. She knew exactly where she was and felt there was no time to pause, but decided to give a quick explanation for his benefit.
"The emotions stay here while not expressed. The locks are gone, so they rarely do. I can let them out without killing anyone or destroying anything, so I don't need to keep them locked up. I started that after you and Cyborg left. The doors are color-coded, and a glowing chakra on the door means that someone is inside." She looked around quickly. The orange, gray, Granny apple green, and red doors had a lit symbol. "Come on out. I know you're listening."
They emerged, some more quickly than others. Raven took a seat at a round table that would seat ten, motioning for Gar to sit beside her. He chose the multicolored seat to her right, where Arthur's famous table had held the Siege Perilous. Only the purest of knights could sit there without withering in a painful death. Only Galahad was pure enough to view the Grail and then have the right to take the seat, but he declined. Sometimes, Raven wondered if it was a good thing Gar was so clueless about the usual literary allusions. She more than made up for him.
The four emotions entered. Timid gave a very shy smile to Raven and Gar before hiding in her gray hood and taking the seat that made it hardest to see her, to Raven's right. Rage, cloaked in red and only slightly subdued by the fact that her door was unlocked, sat across from them. The bright green-cloaked version of Raven sat between Rage and the orange one. The Raven in orange stared openly, giving a thumbs-down to Raven's guest before burping.
"All of you know Gar," Raven said to her emotions. "Gar has met Rage and Timid. Vee, Rude- be nice. Vee's in the lime green, and Rude is in orange."
"Nice to meet you- again." What was someone supposed to say when meeting emotions? He had read a book on proper etiquette, to not make a fool of himself at formal dinners, but tangible emotions weren't covered.
"Must be nice to get out in the real world," Vee muttered. "We can't even go around Raven's mind, and she doesn't need me nearly often enough. The only time I ever really got to go out was when the blonde-"
Rage interrupted, just before Raven could. "We can! I told you that we could take him. I could defeat him with one hand tied behind my back," she boasted, daring anyone to challenge why she hadn't challenged 'him.'
"We won't, though," Timid offered, shrinking away.
"I could," Rage bragged, glowering at Timid's doubt. "Just try to stop me, you lily-livered pansy-"
"Go ahead and try," Vee shot at Rage.
"We're supposed to just stay here. Why else would Raven leave us for so long?"
"Timid, you all were in hiding. How was I supposed to know about all the problems?" Raven asked, for the moment ignoring a puzzled Gar.
"Timid was the only one strong enough to tell, but she wouldn't," Rude announced. "She's too much of a sissy."
"All the others were strong enough, but they went after him," Timid said quietly. "He trapped them one by one. It started four and a half waking-years ago, when Knowledge found him. The others tried to save her. Pinkie was no match for all her exuberance, and Wisdom let herself get caught to save me. Bravery tried to fight, but he was too strong for one of us. He grabbed Dovey first- she couldn't fight him because he tricked her."
"I knew it." There was no joy in Raven's announcement. She hadn't felt happiness for about four years, and this explained it. "And we can't join until we get the others. Where's he hiding?"
"He?" Gar was lost.
"He isn't hiding. He's in the nicest part," Vee grumbled. "The others can't free themselves. Dovey gave away half the secrets of this place before Bravery told her what was going on. Dovey can't and won't tell him anything else, now."
"Dovey has never talked to me," Raven grumbled, making Vee smile smugly. She loved it when she was expressed. In her opinion, it didn't happen nearly often enough.
"You're not conceited enough- she can only talk to the ones she feels emotions for," Rude said snidely. "That's why we need the grass stain."
"She talked to him, though." Raven couldn't believe it. That couldn't be right.
"She's easily confused," Timid interjected before Rude could, surprising even herself. "Bravery stopped that, so she has things straight again. Dovey causes all sorts of havoc for him, and she knows how to save the others, but can't tell us."
"This means she needs to talk, because of course she wouldn't write whatever she needs to say down or learn sign language. I was going to leave Gar home when I went after him, but there's no choice, now." Raven knew the problem was something more than she had even guessed. She had just thought her feelings of melancholy were just something with her current life, not something wrong in Nevermore.
"Yes," Rude interjected, cutting off Timid. "But you're still probably going to fail, and the green one's going to screw up."
"Why's he coming?" Vee was indignant. "You never pay attention to us anymore, and now, even while you're in our room, you're still paying attention to him."
"What is going on?" Gar had no idea what was happening. He never had been comfortable as the only male in a group of women, but this was worst. Instead of all being on the same wavelength, these women were sharing a mind.
"She needs to take him- Dovey won't talk to anyone else," Mel explained. "Dovey can't help it- you know she would like to. Everyone likes Dovey."
"Yes, everyone does like Dovey, and we're done debating." Raven took charge. "Vee, Mel, Rage, and Timid, where is he exactly?"
"Mood swings. He hasn't really taken a hold in the ground yet, but he will soon." Vee was sure. Mood swings had been her domain.
"I'm guessing this is bad, whoever 'he' is?" Beast Boy asked. No one seemed interested in saying anything remotely of use to him.
"This is bad. I've never fought someone this strong in this kind of setting. This time, I have one shot. Gar, you get to talk to Dovey, get her to explain how to release the other emotions, help me get them out, and then I can take him down."
"Why do I get to talk to Dovey? She knows you better."
"I'll explain later, but you need to let me take him down. Do you promise that I'll take care of my problem on my own, with only limited help from you?"
"Rae-"
"Do you promise?"
"Promise." He crossed histoes, just to be safe. He had abnormally long toes, so the feat was easy. Being double-jointed gave a slew of usually useless talents- it was nice to finally find something to do with one. She checked his hands for crossings and was satisfied.
"I'll keep you to that," she warned.
"I know you will." He didn't doubt her for a moment. "So, can I know who the guy we're facing is?"
"Do you remember the tracks? How would you describe them?"
He thought for a minute. "They were similar to a Tyrannosaurus Rex's tracks, but had longer claws, and whatever it was had four legs. The tracks were distorted, like the animal had a tail, and it has hollow bones, like it was made for flight. Nothing like that exists, though. It's your imagination amusing itself, probably."
"Just think about it, Beast Boy. Who would be mad at me, be clever enough to trick Dovey, and have the tracks of a giant fictitious lizard?"
"A dragon?" That seemed ridiculous, at first. He had only heard of one dragon outside of old stories involving knights and damsels in distress. She wasn't in so much distress that she needed a knight in shining armor, just his luck. He'd like to rescue her, for once. She always seemed to be saving him, except for the few times he had offered comfort, like after the first time her old foe had been locked away. Reality returned too quickly. "You're kidding me."
"I wouldn't joke about something like this. Only one being could have done this, and he must have followed the spell back to my mind- he doesn't need a physical body. Malchior is back."
They hadn't even reached the door before Gar tried to break a nervous silence, unnerved by Raven's serious single-mindedness and the four quiet emotions trailing them. "So, have you heard the one about the dragon?"
"Save it, B." Her hands crackled with black energy, a good and bad sign. She had her powers back at a decent rate ofenergy, but she would be more thanready to demonstrate on him.
"Yes ma'am." She was having a bad day- he'd give her a break, just this once. He could always antagonize her tomorrow, after they had finished the business with Malchior. Being his usual irritating self seemed very likely to get him killed or severely maimed- in Nevermore, especially, she was free to show emotion. He wouldn't test what would happen if he died while in her mind, which seemed more and more likely. He had never fought a dragon before, especially one that had really messed with Raven, more than any other villain, maybe even more than her father. She had never loved her father. He wanted to pound the dragon for messing with Raven, even if he was extremely powerful and tricky and strong.
That thought, conversely enough, made him more determined. He didn't consider that any dragon able to mess so blatantly with Raven's emotions would have some real power. Instead, he wanted to avenge what the dragon had done, and thank him before slaying the thing. That had been the only hug Raven had ever given him, even if he did hope that luck would change.