Moonjava- Thanks (again) for reviewing. Let me know if there's anything that can be improved. I try to get all my grammar mistakes, but one or two usually slip through. I love reviews- they make me happy. Thanks for contributing to the author's good mood.
Jim Starluck- So I'm paranoid. The delay will be gone, if someone will take my SAT for me, and get a nice score, as well as taking care of my electricity research panjandrum. Authors are allowed to be suspicious about spoiler-fishing. If they're not, they can be caught off guard and give away valuable (in theory, not monetary) secrets of the plot. No offense meant- I'm just paranoid.
They-Call-Me-Orange- Well, sorry about that- it was the soonest the internet would work. A song? I love it. I don't mind having stalker-ish fans, as long as they don't know where I live, my real name (trust me, it's not worth knowing), or my credit card number (well, I need to get a credit card first, but that goes for the Social Security number too.) Long reviews don't make me pissed. Random flames do. Luckily, this story hasn't gotten any.
YumeTakato- I have two options here. I either didn't work on the project, flunk the SAT miserably, and fail finals after gypping on studying and get grounded from the computer for a month, or wait for vacation. Tenses do get really annoying, especially when people are talking about the future while they are in the past.
Ripdos A.K.A The Bad Ash- Garfield Logan is Beast Boy's real name. I didn't choose it. I dislike the name Garfield, and shortening it to Gar isn't any better. The Titans' original names are used for when they're older. X-men has nothing to do with Logan- that's just the way things are set up. I think Raven would be a romantic, given the chance, to respond to the other review. She has to repress her emotions during the time the show is set. Once she can express them, she would either remain Goth from pure habit, or let herself laugh at jokes, fall in love (the more reason you have to not fall in love, the more guaranteed it will happen), and loosen up a little into a character with more to her than a monotone and a leotard. Besides, the show completely insinuates BB-Rae. Who's jealous when Terra instantly calls BB hilarious? Who does Raven hug after Malchior? They're hinted at for each other, especially with Raven's even larger dislike of Terra. She usually would be more understanding of someone with no control, even if Terra is a witch.
D- It's a pretty famous quote, but not my favorite from Hamlet. "Get thee to a nunnery" just has a really nice ring to it, even if it doesn't work. Can one even say 'nunnery' to Raven? She doesn't seem at all the usual type to become a nun, especially with the whole half-demon business.
darkdemon3522- Is now soon enough? I know the story is getting a bit more involved, but I have to work around life, too.
XPhoenixX- Thanks for understanding. I can't just write a pure-action story- it just won't work. I think Star was a bit too naïve and over-the-top, even for a cheerful alien learning one of the hardest languages in the world (English is third, following Japanese and Navajo). She would really be someone to reckon with, once she's past the introduction-to-the-planet stage, hopefully. If not, she's more irritating than I would give her credit for.
The Last- I do try to get a little humor in a story, unless completely inappropriate. There is really no definite line- I've written death scenes (not necessarily for here, I will neither confirm nor deny rumors, but I'm pretty much a sucker for never killing original characters) with humor. It all depends on the characters involved. Beast Boy can't really go without the jokes- he made them a part of himself. And Raven is the best straight-liner since Abbott with sarcastic remarks. I love writing her.
Celsie- I'm not exactly sure if that's a good or a bad thing, but I'll take laughing hysterically as a compliment. I hope you can wait this long- life has been a bit insane.
Jaime Snyder- This is the soonest I could get this new chapter up. Life interfered yet again. The next one will more than likely come faster. Finals will be over soon- evil exams. They should be banned.
mirsan4ever- I think I do have ADHD. I have all the symptoms, but that symptom is severely undiagnosed in females, just like heart disease (the "man's disease"- half of the people dying of it are women), but it's better to not get me started on tangent ranting. No one wants to read that- people want a story.
Mudd26- I thought he'd complicate matters without being too unbelievable. Besides, I've always wanted to write something BB-Rae, talking about the emotions, and some recapitulation of Malchior, so I just put them all together. It's always nice to inspire someone else- may writer's block never touch your pen. (Writing in pencil makes all words smudge away as soon as you turn a page- very irritating.)
I don't own Chicago (the musical alluded to), Billy Flynn, or Wayne Brady. If I owned the last, Whose Line Is It Anyway? would never have stopped, the silly green-screen show would never have existed, and Colin wouldn't be doing Cheez-It commercials. (Colin Mochrie, you do have fans- you don't have to do that.)But that's my private plan for the world, and sadly not reality. Just out of curiosity- favorite performer on Whose Line? If you don't know what the show is, you're missing out on one of the few decent American television programs. I like the Colin/Ryan duo- you can't split up two married men so willing to impersonate women or a different sexuality, or sell hair-loss products with random objects.
"Rae, this place is seriously creepy." They had moved through more hallways than he cared to count, and had yet to see a single difference. All floors were mint-condition cobble stones. All walls were uniform gray blocks of limestone. All hallways had perfectly even corners, and wound in what seemed suspiciously like a circle.
"This creepiness isn't mine."
"I like the castle," Vee said, her first observation since told to be quiet. "I'll take it after Malchior's through, if you leave it standing."
"I hear someone," Timid whispered urgently. "Listen- there's footsteps. They're not normal ones; it sounds like someone is dancing. There's only one being around here to do that, unless Malchior tap-dances on the side."
"Dovey." Raven knew that the insane emotion had gotten the idea of tap-dancing into her head after all the Titans had watched a ridiculous movie about a tap-dancing lawyer. She hadn't minded the version on-stage. The live presentation had the good singer from Whose Line is it Anyway, one of the few shows all Titans could agree to watch, even if Starfire had needed a few jokes explained.
"She's getting closer. I almost wish she wasn't. Watching someone try to tap-dance in soft shoes is just strange," Rude remarked.
There wasn't time for Raven to ask Rude to shut up for once in her life before Dovey appeared around the corner. She was still making odd shuffling motions, but stopped when she heard Timid say hi. Dovey put a hand on the wall, guiding herself forward until she was just about to crash into Gar.
"Gar, meet Dovey. Dovey already knows you." Raven made introductions quietly. They were still in an enemy's castle, after all.
Her multicolored cloak rippled as she pulled back her hood to nod. She moved the hood with only one hand, keeping the other on the wall. Even in the dim light, Gar could see the milk-white proof of one unique characteristic.
"You're blind," Gar said to her.
"Yes," Dovey agreed. Her voice only reached him. The others wouldn't hear, through some strange quirk of Nevermore.
"How are the others trapped? What will set them free?"
"Malchior found their weaknesses, and then exploited them. Happiness was trapped in sorrow, Knowledge in ignorance, Bravery in helplessness, Wisdom in apathy, and he couldn't trap me. To right the wrongness and free them, they must understand that they are still cared for. Once they know that, they will know themselves again. Until they do, they are frozen in place like statues, which makes them very boring to talk to."
"How do they learn that?"
Dovey smiled. "Do what you've wanted to do for a long while. You were called Beast Boy, but don't have the carnal desires of Malchior. You know the proper order in courtship."
"I'm bad with riddles. Can I get a joke?"
Raven only heard Gar's half of the exchange. She never had understood Dovey, but wouldn't tell Gar just why yet. He had probably thought it was just another oddity to Raven's mind, a part of her 'insanity.' If emotions could think independently, they could have their own quirks. He probably thought Dovey was Pacificity or something of that sort.
"What did the prince who would never shut up do when he saw Sleeping Beauty?" Dovey asked after a moment's thought.
"Kiss and tell," he answered immediately. He remembered telling Raven that joke. She had thrown an empty box of tea at him, and then hadn't spoken to him, even in disparaging remarks, for the rest of the day.
"The first part should work, I think. Wisdom could tell you where the others are, and she's very close. I can show you the way to where Malchior is, the outside throne room in the back. The emotions are frozen where he found him, and she's the only one inside."
"Malchior-"
"Will be asleep for at least another hour. He wore himself out trying to influence me with magic. It won't work any more, not at all."
"Why not?"
Dovey only smiled. "You don't know who I am. Rae might tell you later. I won't."
"Does it at least have something to do with your name?"
"Yes." She was surprised he didn't remember Raven's letter. He probably had forgotten everything but the least meaning of the statement, instead of remembering the emotion behind it. Dovey wasn't offended. Emotions usually were not sentient. "I'm not Pacificity, though. Let's move on. You need to free the other emotions."
"Why me?"
"Kissing yourself is weird, and Raven isn't a Narcissist. Take my arm and go- it's easier if I don't have to count bricks. That's the only way to get around here, otherwise.
"All right. Consultation's over," Raven said as they started walking. Everyone was careful to not trip Dovey, or step on the cape still swirling with color. "What's going on?"
Dovey didn't manage to hide a smile. "You're on your own. She can't hear me. Timid would tell her for you, if she wasn't herself. Rage will just be mad that she's a messenger. Rude- well, you know what kind of things she would say. Envy would just get jealous. The only other person left is Raven, so you're up."
"You're no help. Do you want to try Charades? I'm sure you'd be a natural."
Dovey giggled, a sound he would never be used to hearing from anyone who looked like Raven. "No." She laughed again, this time stopping for a longer speech. "You're funny when you're goofy."
"Dovey, you are a horrible excuse for an emotion."
"I'm supposed to be a little bit cruel. It's part of the job description. The longer you wait, the more irritated she'll be. Get on with it."
"Rae, Dovey knows how to free the others."
"Really? You've finally decided to share? Spill."
"It's like in Sleeping Beauty," he said helplessly. He didn't want to explain that to Raven.
He'd rather listen to Cyborg drone about his new upgrade.
"What?" She glared at Dovey, looking ready to pound the emotion. "No way. I am not waiting for you to do that. That's just- disturbing in the extreme."
"It doesn't have to take long."
Raven smirked, finding humor where it wasn't intended. "I didn't doubt that for a minute, Gar. Quick, are you?"
"Really, Rae, I didn't think you'd have this much of a reaction-"
"You think? That is seriously disgusting. I'm not standing for that."
"It's not that hard. I mean, it's just one short-"
Raven started laughing louder, stifling the sound with her cloak. "You are the worst person I've ever heard. I mean, that's just wrong. Don't guys usually avoid those kinds of comments? That's the usual way about things, isn't it?"
The other emotions were smiling, except Timid, who sided with Gar. Dovey finally stopped laughing long enough to gasp out an explanation. "Gar, you've never read the original version of Sleeping Beauty, have you?"
"I've heard it."
"No, you haven't. You haven't listened to the original, where the Sleeping Beauty is not woken up with a kiss."
"What happens?"
Dovey spoke with the air of a comedian delivering a killer punch line. "The prince wakes her up in- well, how can this be put politely? By the time Sleeping Beauty woke up, she was pregnant."
Gar paled, an interesting effect on green skin. "Uh, Raven? I meant the never version of Sleeping Beauty, not one of your gross stories."
"What, with a kiss?"
"Yeah." He suddenly remembered what had been said. "And for the record, I thought we were talking about a kiss."
"I wasn't. But if you did mean a kiss, that wouldn't be completely disgusting." Her lips brushed his, and she was walking on before he could even register that she had just kissed him. "Was that what you meant? That would be more than fine."
He didn't say a word, still processing that Raven had kissed him. It hadn't even been a dare, she wasn't laughing, and she looked suspiciously like she was smiling. Dovey nudged him so he would begin to walk again. "She kissed you, didn't she?" Her cloak was shifting again, fast enough that the display of colors was dizzying.
Raven only smiled. She'd have to remember this- one kiss shut him up. Repetition would probably lessen the effect, but he would wait at least a millisecond. "I think you'll do fine. That was easy enough that even you should manage." Somewhere, she could feel Happiness stir the slightest bit. Raven bet that the pink emotion would be expressed much more frequently after the episode, assuming they all survived. She'd have to be careful. With a few more happy thoughts, she might lose a bit of pessimism.