Pronunciation guide and glossary:
K'lorlian – kuh-LORE-lee-yan; meaning: princess
Fahr – fa-HAR; used as a function to indicate belonging or a possessive relationship; "of the" or "to the"
S'lor – suh-LORE; meaning: a Tamaranian prince's or princess's official recognized consort (Read entire definition in the story.)
Jurumad – JOO-roo-mad; meaning: Captain (in the Tamaranian army)Rulad – ROO-lad; meaning: One below the rank of captain (in the Tamaranian army); Second Lieutenant.
Gelroid – GEL-royd, where the "G" is the hard g of "get"; meaning: a Kalapattian venereal disease.
Welsnirch, Leegort, Blathernert and Vortsnot – Pronounce them as badly as you want to; meaning: every single word means something utterly demeaning.
Standard disclaimers apply
PATH TO TAMARAN
Chapter Nine – Jurumad, Rulad and S'lor
Galfore's eyes widened at the vision that was an Earth sunset.
Starfire giggled at the look on his face. She knew he would be amazed by it.
They were on the roof of the tower and they had been talking for the past few hours, for indeed, there had been much to tell.
Having gotten the important matters over with in the conference room, she took Galfore to the roof, half a dozen cans of soda in hand, and told each other of their adventures in the past eight years of their separation.
They had been so absorbed telling, laughing and smiling that Starfire had been just as surprised about the sunset as Galfore was. She had been astonished of the time, but Galfore had been astonished by the captivating colors.
The dispersion of light splashed purple, red and pink on the puffy white clouds. The ball of fire that was the sun glowed a fiery orange as it sank into the bay.
A light breeze blew, kissing away the dull heat wrought on their skin by the last rays of the setting sun.
He looked so at peace; so serene. She had planned to discuss Blackfire with him, but seeing him now, she hadn't the heart to bring up such a dire topic. Surely, he had gotten her messages regarding Blackfire, but he was yet to address it. Perhaps he was reluctant to go into the details.
"It is a glorious sight," said Galfore in Tamaranian. "If only for the sunset, I understand why you chose to stay on Earth."
She smiled and responded in the same language. "There are other more compelling reasons."
Galfore nodded. "From what you have told me, this world needs heroes."
"That it does, but sometimes I wonder if I had stayed, fighting for the people, if I didn't have such wonderful friends. Sometimes, the evil is so overwhelming. Without them, the villains would have ripped my sanity apart piece by piece."
"Your friends are strong."
"Sometimes I think they are stronger than me."
Galfore arched an eyebrow. "Impossible."
Starfire laughed. "You would think so, but having seen the things I've seen, they are extraordinary. I have seen them do impossible things because they had to; because the fate and safety of the people depended on it."
He fell silent, perhaps pondering her words. She couldn't blame him if he found it hard to imagine; that the Titans were more extraordinary than they looked, after all, most of them were smaller than most of the Tamaranians that came. Even Cyborg, the tallest of them all, was only as tall as Karras and only slightly taller than Taryia. And then of course there was Beast Boy, whose clownish ways and small physique always made him look pitifully harmless. She knew better, of course, but only because she had seen him in battle. Beast Boy did not transform into a Tyrannosaurus Rex or Grizzly Bear just so he could prove he wasn't as harmless as he looked.
"This Robin," said Galfore. "You called him your dearest friend. Just a friend?"
Starfire felt the warm blush creep up her cheeks. "No. Of course not. You knew what it meant when I called him that."
"K'lorlian fahr s'lor?"
Starfire gasped, but fell to chuckling almost immediately following. The words were intensely Tamaranian; words one would hear only from a fellow Tamaranian and could only be thought of in its original form. Translating them in another language did the words little justice. "I had not discussed it with him. It does not count if I have not talked about it, correct?"
"I suppose so. But why not? It is an honor any man would aspire for, princess."
"Maybe a Tamaranian man would feel that way, but Robin is not Tamaranian. Besides, I did not think it all that significant here… at least not in the way it is significant in Tamaran."
S'lor roughly meant "First in all; first in heart". K'lorlian fahr s'lor meant "First in all; first in heart, to the Princess." It was very significant in Tamaran and Tamaranian royalty, mainly because Princesses and Princes were often married off by their parents, usually to someone who wasn't their s'lor. If one was s'lor, it meant he or she held a position even higher than the betrothed in matters of the heart and the relationship in general. So if, for example, the princess had to marry the prince from the neighboring planet, her s'lor had a voice in the care of her. Her s'lor may be her confidante, advisor, lover and best friend. He may overrule the decisions of the husband when the decision pertained to her well-being; he may challenge the husband should the husband mistreat her. This worked the same way with a prince's s'lor. It was not a privilege exclusive to male s'lor. Female s'lor were, in fact, known to be more vicious about it than the males were. It was however important to emphasize that on matters pertaining to politics, the s'lor had absolutely no right to make demands over the husband or wife.
It got a bit complicated when the off-spring came. Male s'lor begot heirs through the princess, and by law, any off-spring born within marriage of the princess to her husband would be considered children of the husband and therefore legitimate members of the royal family. Female s'lor did not have the same automatic privilege for their children. Children born of the female s'lor had to be acknowledged by the father-prince, and even if he did acknowledge them, they had last rights to the succession of the throne.
While s'lor have been a part of royal policy and culture in Tamaran for centuries, it has, admittedly, become a source of strife through the generations. It was for this reason that many princes or princesses avoided having s'lor in the first place, but as was often the case, it was not something one could particularly help. It was abolished once, about one hundred and fifty years ago. The chaos it caused was terrible, because instead of having s'lor out in the open, where their influence over their respective princes and princesses could be watched over and regulated, they had to be kept secret, therefore they were either abused or they became more powerful, often harmfully so. Upon the reinstatement of s'lor, the running of the monarchy returned to its relatively smooth course.
"Remember," continued Starfire. "I am not a princess here. On Earth, I am but a girl and he is a boy. He is my 'boyfriend'. Special. I love him dearly and maybe I am glad he does not have to be subject to the title of s'lor. You must understand; even in Tamaran, s'lor do not find it easy to share their loved one with a neighboring prince or princess, particularly if the s'lor is not of the noble class. Here on Earth, most cultures believe in marrying the person you love and being faithful to that one person, otherwise, the marriage is worth severing. It is a predominant culture here in America, this land we are in, and Robin grew up in this culture. He would not like the idea of s'lor simply because it implies that I will be marrying someone else."
Galfore shrugged in silent acquiescence. "He is good to you?"
"He is. He takes care of me, maybe a bit too much, sometimes."
"He makes you happy?"
"Very much so."
Galfore smiled, nodding. "Then I wish you all the best with him, s'lor or no."
"Thank you, Galfore. That means a lot to me."
"Do you mind if I explain to Taryia and Karras? They will ask me. They dare not ask you."
"I do not mind in the least if you explain it to them, s'lor title notwithstanding. But as to daring to ask me… Taryia might not dare, but Karras would likely have no qualms; that is, if he even cares to know at all."
Galfore looked thoughtful in response to her words. "Did you have something with Karras, princess?"
Starfire grimaced. "It depends on what you mean by 'something'. We share a mutual aberration for one another. I do not think four years of separation had dulled the edge of our dislike."
"But you had a relationship before?"
Starfire actually felt annoyed that Galfore would think such a thing possible. Did she look like one of Karras' bimbo women? The hairs on her back rose at the mere thought of her having a relationship with Karras the way she had it with Robin. "Auron's Get, no."
Galfore blinked at the curse. It was one of the worse curses in Tamaran. She was never quite one to swear, but on certain occasions, she had found it was the only way to express her feelings, but not always, as evidence by Galfore's astonishment. "Well, that is a little extreme. Karras hardly deserves that kind of reaction."
"You did not know him when I knew him."
"Perhaps not. He did not join the Tamaranian army until three Earth years ago, and he has been in my unit for an even shorter time, but he has been a soldier since he was fifteen. He is a good man."
Starfire supposed Galfore would think a man who had dedicated his adult life to being a soldier good. In Karras' case, she could even admit it meant more considering he could have hidden behind his royalty to avoid service. But having had to endure him for six months, in his natural habitat, no less, she found it difficult to consider anything else but his behavior in her presence. She had seen him act the brat and break women's hearts. He had called her names and he had shown no delicacy in his treatment of her. He had never been seriously malicious or cruel, but he treated her like a hated rival, which was only a little better than someone he detested like he would a pebble in his shoe.
"If you say so, Galfore," was her only response.
Galfore gave her a pointed glance. She shrugged.
"So how did you meet Karras?" he asked while drinking in the sunset. He seemed to be enjoying himself, the wind in his hair, the colors playing in the horizon.
She cocked a smile. It wasn't a fond memory, but on hindsight, it was quite amusing, especially in view of the fact that Galfore wouldn't have stood for it, or perhaps wouldn't believe it. She gave him the edited version. "I went to Kalapatt to deliver a message from a friend of mine. It was to be delivered to the royal family so I went to their castle and met the prince there. They let me stay."
"Hm," he said. "I wonder why they never told us."
Starfire's brows knotted. Yes… I wonder why. There was something definitely amiss in all of it and she was half-certain Karras had everything to do with it. She wasn't particularly upset because after all, she hadn't wanted to be found, but she was terribly curious. What game was Karras playing? "I wonder why he never told you."
"Yes, I have been wondering about that myself. I will take it up with him later."
She nodded.
It grew darker as the hour wore on and soon, the sun was almost completely gone for the day.
"You will need some time to rest, Galfore. I will lead you to a guest room. You will stay for the night, yes?" She flashed him a pleading look, half wondering if he would still give in to it the way he always used to.
He did. He smiled and patted her head. "Of course, my little bunggorf. I would be delighted. I will need to have one of my men bring our things, but tell your leader I need his clearance first."
"I will see to that immediately!"
"Good. Then I am ready to stay for the night."
"Glorious! You will like the room I chose for you. It faces the East, so you could watch the sun rise from the window. I promise, it is as beautiful as sunset."
She led him back down into the Tower as darkness began to blanket the sky.
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Starfire left Galfore in his room to give him time to relax. She told him that she would call him for dinner and that if he needed anything, she would be in the Info and Recreation level. She was slightly concerned about the amount of pizza they would need to feed two additional full-grown Tamaranian soldiers, but she was too glad about having had a nice long talk with Galfore to worry overmuch. She didn't even bother to worry about the Kalapattian.
She resolved to make Galfore a peanut butter and jelly sandwich… or six, for a light snack. He would appreciate Earth cuisine.
Perhaps the gallon of milk is not expired yet… oh dear, I must do some shopping or Cyborg will be much displeased.
When the doors of the elevator opened to the Info and Rec level, her wide smile was quickly extinguished at the sight of Karras leaning on the kitchen counter. He had a can of soda in his hand and he was examining it.
Everyone else was too busy doing something else to attend to him. Beast Boy and Cyborg were talking to Taryia while Robin and Raven manned the computers from their workstations.
She would have to make sandwiches with Karras hovering in background. She didn't have to speak with him after all; at least not in front of the others.
Robin looked up and met gazes with her. "How's Galfore doing?"
She smiled. "Settled in. I will make him some sandwiches and perhaps after I am done with that, I could help you and Raven."
He shrugged, flashing a small, lopsided grin. "Take your time. You haven't seen each other for eight years."
"Besides," said Raven. "There are least a couple of bozos who could fill in for you… if we could get them to stop flirting with the 'hot alien chick'."
Robin gave a barely audible chuckle. "What, I can't flirt with my girlfriend for two seconds?"
Starfire giggled.
Raven flashed him a sardonic look. "You know who I mean."
"Maybe I'll bust their chops later," said Robin with a contained grin. "Go on ahead, Starfire. Raven and I have things under control."
Starfire nodded. She told Robin about Galfore wanting permission to have one of his men bring their overnight things. Robin gave permission without hesitation. Her more important errand done, she went to the kitchen.
She walked past Karras without a glance and started rummaging the cupboards for the bread, peanut butter and some Smuckers Blueberry Jam. She found them all easily enough and plopped them on the counter to get her materials. She had the butter knife, serving plate and work-board ready for use in seconds.
Starfire began to assemble the sandwiches.
"This is a strange drink," said Karras all of a sudden. He had the can raised to eye-level and he was studying it intently. "You and your Earth people are strange."
She ignored him, taking out the loaves of bread and laying them out on the board. She took umbrageat having Karras call Earth people "strange". She happened to like Earth people. She was dating one of them.
"What does this can say? What do these characters mean? Does anybody actually read this?" he continued. He was being a jackass and he knew it.
Starfire arched an eyebrow but did not look at him, focusing instead on her work. She realized, though, that while his translator worked for spoken words, it couldn't translate the written ones. She was in no mood to teach him how to read. "You could ask Beast Boy to attach you to a language database. It will teach you how to read. A five year old could learn it so I assume you will not have a very hard time." She hadn't meant to make that crack in the end; it came out unbidden; one of the many effects Karras had on her bad side.
His own eyebrow arched and he looked over his shoulder before he leaned over to speak to her in a whispering tone. "Oh, very nice, Koriand'r. Is being a smart-mouth one of the many diseases you picked up traveling the galaxies?" At least he had the sense of propriety to keep their bickering between the two of them.
She gritted her teeth, lowering her own voice. "Speaking of diseases, Karras, how are your gelroids?"
His eyes widened, as if horrified at what she'd said, before he let the shocked expression melt away to nothing. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She scowled. "Oh, please. Do not pretend. Ladies-in-Waiting talk!"
His frown returned. He was caught and there was no use denying it. "She was the one who gave it to me, you know."
He was talking about Lenira, the Lady-in-Waiting who liked "talking," particularly when it concerned midnight trysts with the prince, so Starfire knew that there was truth to what Karras had said, but she wasn't about to agree with him. "It is your own fault that you use that—that thing wherever, whenever and with whoever."
Karras laughed a tad louder. "Oho! Thing, is it? Preachy, preachy. You don't even like Lenira."
She glared at him. "Well, I like you even less. And do please step away from the sandwiches. I do not want you contaminating Galfore's food."
"First of all, I was cured of Lenira'sdisease even before you left Kalapatt. Second of all, you couldn't tell me what to do then and you sure as Auron's Get couldn't tell me what to do now, wench."
Starfire's eyes blazed at the name, but she pursed her lips and continued to make sandwiches, slapping the peanut butter and the jelly on the bread with emphatic strokes. "Tell me, you klor-bak varbler nelk, why did you lie about sending a message to Tamaran of my whereabouts? I know you never sent such a message, though you told me you did. Galfore knows nothing of our meeting and it is not something my parents would keep secret from him if they knew. If you wanted me to leave, which I assume you knew I would do, you should have told me like a man. I knew you were a brat, Karras, but a coward?"
Karras scoffed. "You're right. I didn't really tell them, but I would have if you had expressed a desire to go home. It served my interests more to pretend that I told them. I could have made it so you'd think you owed me a favor. But mostly, I just didn't want you to think I needed to consult you on the matter of telling Tamaran of your whereabouts; lest you delude yourself into thinking that I actually respect you."
"Believe me when I say that gaining your respect ranks way, way, way below my list of priorities."
The volume of their voices had gone just another notch higher. They weren't speaking loud enough to hit normal, but they weren't whispering anymore, either.
Starfire was bordering on not caring about what the others might think. Karras had, like always, unearthed the worse of her and he wasn't done unleashing it. As it was, they were already beginning to get strange looks from the others.
He made a grimace, like he was about to laugh, but not really. "Well, I always thought your priorities were a little rutted up." He made balancing scales out of his hands, tipping it to the left. "Live a life of luxury as a princess or—" he tipped the scale to the right "—wander the galaxies with nothing but the clothes on my back. Hm! Decisions, decisions… I know! I'll wander dirt poor! It's better than living in a palace with servants at my beck and call."
She gave an affected sigh as she continued with her work. "Do not hate me for having principles, Karras. Goodness, some people…"
"I'm just saying," he said with a superior shrug.
"Well, I suppose people kissing your you-know-what the entire day and then having them wipe it for you always suited you better than it ever did me."
"Could I help it if they adore me? It isn't like I could put a stopper on my charisma. You know what that is, don't you? Charisma? Well, you have to have it to fully understand what it is. You might know what I'm talking about some day."
"I would swear by it, Karras. They probably have to pop your head with a pin to let all that air out whenever it gets too big for your crown."
"Well, excuse me Ms. I Won't Go Back to Tamaran Because I'm Too Important to be Married Off to a Cow Herd."
"You see," she began, raising the butter knife and stabbing it in the air in his direction. "That is the difference between you and me. I have standards. You just go after anything that strokes your—well, ego. That is why you get gelroids—" she punctuated it with a sneer "—and I do not."
That got to him. Nobody, not even Karras, wanted to be reminded that he once had a sexually transmitted disease. It was repulsive and humiliating. He got over the first hurdle of it, but this second one was a bit harder to take in stride.
He shook his head, a deadly glare settling in his eyes. He was going to pull out the big guns: name-calling. "Welsnirch."
She glared back, anger suffusing her. "Leegort."
"Blathernert."
Worse and worse. Her fist clenched."Vortsnot!"
"Wench."
"Man-whore!"
"Gord-Slave."
Starfire thought it an absolute outrage. "Gelroid-Get!"
He smiled, but it was more like a baring of fangs. Whatever he was going to say, he knew it was going to be good. "Glempork!"
It was about as good as he wanted it to be and as bad as Starfire could stand. The contempt she had for him so many years ago resurfaced, full-force. Every single time she held back because she was in his home rose screaming for retribution. She was horribly provoked, but this time, he was in her house. Nobody called her glempork and got away with it.
She slid the sandwiches aside, gave a loud growl and jumped him over the counter.
They were both yelling as they crashed to the floor, both of them completely blind to the fact that they had shocked everyone senseless by the sudden outburst of violence. They rolled over one another, holding each other by the collar. Starfire found herself on her back, his hands pinning her.
She kicked him hard on his shin and he gave a howl of anguish, crumpling around himself. She scrambled out from beneath him, but he pulled her by the hair and flipped her face down, locking her arm behind her.
"You hit like a girl!" he rasped through his pain.
She roared, trying to kick him off her. "I am a girl, you stupid… inane…"
"Could have fooled me, you tomboy!"
She craned her free arm at just the right angle and loosed a low-charge bolt that sent him sliding across the floor. It made him furious the way her spiteful words never could.
"That's it!" he yelled, scrambling to his feet. "No more holding back!"
Starfire rose into the air, hands charged. She might have heard someone calling Raven's name, but she paid it no heed. She was too overcome with roiling anger to care. "Come and get it, Brat Prince!"
They were about to jump at each other when Starfire felt a dark force wrapping around her. She yelped as she became completely incapacitated, thinking only that Karras was going to have the advantage over her.
She began to regain reasonable thought when she saw that Karras was just as incapacitated as she was.
They both dropped to the floor with a thump and an "Ouch!"
Karras struggled to get free. "Koriand'r, release me, this instant!"
"It is not my doing you lack-wit!" She looked up, an instant change coming to her when she addressed the empath. She became pleasant and polite. "Raven, please remove these—"
Raven shrugged. "I would, you understand. You were strangely entertaining, but Robin—"
"That's right, I told her to put them," said Robin sternly. He stalked to Starfire's side. He crouched down and his brows knotted. He held out his hands, palms up as he seemed to search for words before he gave up and sighed. "What is going on?"
She pouted. "He started it."
"What?" cried Karras. "You bitch!"
Taryia gave a horrified gasp. "Karras!"
Robin whirled around and shot him a glare. "Call her that again and I'll make sure you couldn't talk out of that mouth for a month."
"You can't tell me what to do."
"Yes, I can. This is my tower and I am the captain of this unit. Around here, even Galfore would consult with me before he does anything."
"You could kiss my—"
"Go ahead. Insult me. I want you to."
Karras scowled but had the presence of mind at least to know when to shut up.
Beast Boy stepped into view, gaping. "I swear they were going to kill each other… their eyes had murder written all over—"
Cyborg sighed. "BB, let's not get melodramatic."
A smile wiped away the shocked look on Beast Boy's face. "But you have to admit that would've sounded really cool."
"I guess so."
Taryia shook her head, crouching by Karras. "I cannot believe he attacked the princess."
"Hey!" Karras' scowl deepened. "Why are you all taking her side? She attacked me first!"
"Look," said Robin with deadly gravity. "I don't care who started it and I don't care who attacked first. I won't have fighting like that in the tower if I can help it. This place takes enough abuse from the bad guys and I hate when that happens; so don't push it. Am I clear on this or do I have to keep the both of you bound like this for another hour?"
Raven arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Starfire's brows knotted in worry. Robin didn't look angry; she has seen him angry, but he looked terribly displeased, which was almost as bad. She hadn't been thinking. She had let Karras provoke her ire and she had provoked him in turn. It was exactly that way four years ago when they had to endure one another. Nothing had changed. If souls could be mated in love, then the same could be said for sheer incompatibility. She couldn't help being irked by every single thing he said. She couldn't help the nasty words that tumbled out of her mouth when she spoke to him. It was nothing like the impersonal banter Robin and Raven exchanged. This was pure spite; each word designed to spear the very core of each other's dignity.
"I am sorry," she said in a tiny voice. She meant the apology for Robin and her friends; never for Karras. "I will be good now as long as he behaves himself."
"Oh, he'll behave himself, alright," Robin muttered. He looked up at Raven and nodded.
She removed Starfire's bindings.
Starfire pushed herself gracefully off the floor and saw that Karras was still bound. She fought back a sneer, scolding herself mentally for having acted like such a child. Now that she was regaining her senses, she was beginning to feel horribly embarrassed.
"Please," said Taryia. "Remove the bindings from Karras. I will vouch for his behavior."
Raven arched a questioning eyebrow at Robin. He gave a nod and the bindings were gone.
Perhaps taking care not to jolt his abused muscles, he got to his feet carefully. He was standing at full height in a few seconds, though he looked a bit disheveled from the tussle.
"I'll let Galfore deal with you," said Robin. He was several inches shorter than Karras, but size was never an issue for the Boy Wonder. Robin had wrestled Cinderblock to the ground, got on the back of giant mechanical worms to disarm them and went head to head with a controlling ex-assassin mad-man. With that kind of body count to his name, Starfire knew almost nothing could intimidate Robin. Some days, she was even prone to thinking that Batman didn't scare him, but that was a different story altogether.
Standing in front of Karras and telling him off was no easy task. Karras was Rulad and he was up for Jurumad. Men like Karras did not take kindly to authority from someone who didn't fall in the ranks, and while he looked pretty, he could look fierce when he wanted to.
He stared Robin down, but he didn't know it took more than a look to scare the leader of the Titans.
Karras sneered. "Are you going to tell me off while you're wearing tights?"
Robin's eyebrow arched. "Are you going to act like a dick while you're wearing a skirt?"
Karras blinked, obviously caught by surprise. His cassock-type uniform wasn't a skirt, but it had all the makings of one. He turned absolutely red in the face.
It took everything in Starfire's willpower not to laugh. She wanted to say, "Good one, Robin!" but she supposed he wouldn't approve of that in his present mood.
Robin pulled his gaze away from Karras, a slight frown on his face. "I don't have time for you. You're Galfore's responsibility; not mine. Starfire? Training room, now."
Oh dear, she thought, biting her lip as she followed him.
She could hear Taryia speaking to—or rather scolding—Karras in Kalapattian. He began to respond in kind. No doubt, he had switched off his translator, or else she would be hearing his words in English.
But that wasn't Starfire's problem right now. She was going to hear some from Robin, and she wasn't looking forward to it.
When they were closed in the training room, Robin turned to face her. "Starfire… what the hell?"
Heat crept up her face and she found herself twiddling her fingers. "I did not mean for it to get out of hand, but these terrible things were coming out of my mouth and I couldn't stop. I had this overwhelming feeling of anger inside me and it wasas ifthere was this little voice in my head telling me that I should… I should punch his face in!"
Robin blinked several times, perhaps wondering who she was and what she had done with Starfire. Seconds later, he seemed to have found some semblance of coherent thought. "That behavior was totally unacceptable. Not only were you willing to wreck whatever during the brawl but you could've seriously hurt him. You could've hurt each other."
Starfire began an awkward explanation. "Well, we never really—seriously hurt… just a few scrapes and burns… he's strong too, you know. It is not as if he was ever outmatched…"
He sighed, rolling his eyes. "That's so beside the point right now. I can't have you doing that in the tower, or anywhere else for that matter. Control yourself. I don't care if he provokes you or starts the fight. If he doesn't want to back down, you will. Understand?"
"But—"
"Kori," he said calmly. "I'm not really angry, which is weird. I should be piss-freakin' outraged now, but I'm not. Right now, I just feel like you're a straight-A student who has never gotten in trouble except for this one time. You never caused trouble like this and you're always the first one to promote peace. I couldn't be angry with you for this even if I wanted to, but if you do this again, I'm going to be really upset."
She knew "upset" was a huge understatement.
"Next time, I'll expect better from you. How do you think Galfore would feel if he saw you like that?"
She flushed. "He would be utterly disgraced."
"There you go." His voice was even; his delivery effective. His quiet wisdom did more for her than any yelling he could have done.
"I will not lose control again, Richard. I will not—" she gritted her teeth "—I will not let him goad me again. I promise." She knew it was going to require a tremendous amount of patience and discipline, but she supposed she could do it. She did not want to disgrace Galfore or Robin.
He nodded, satisfied. He seemed to give her a few more seconds to absorb their discussion before he spoke again. "What was this guy to you anyway? Why does he get you that angry? Did youhave something with him before?"
She felt like Robin had thrown cold water in her face. It was perhaps the worse possible thing he could think of her "relationship" with Karras. "Oh X'Hal, never," she said with a shudder. "Why do people automatically assume that when a man and a woman are fighting they had or have something? Could not two people just hate each other anymore? Goodness!"
Robin stared at her a moment before turning away. He actually looked embarrassed. "Alright, I'm sorry. Just that you didn't tell me about him and you had this look on your face in the conference room when you told everyone he was the prince of Kalapatt. I remembered the story, Kori. You were in Kalapatt, and at first I was willing to think that he wasn't important enough for you to have mentioned before, but after what I saw out there in the kitchen, I don't know anymore."
"Be jealous of anyone but him, Robin. From the moment we laid eyes on each other, we never had a decent conversation. Six months living in his castle—"
He emitted a sound, like he choked on something. "Six months? A-Are you shitting me?"
Starfire sighed. "Please, let me finish."
He made a gesture, as if to tell her she could do whatever she wanted.
She flinched, but she did continue. "As I was saying, six months and none of our conversations ended amicably. Would you like to know how we met?"
"Is it important?"
"Well, if it will get rid of the ridiculous notion of Karras and me… ugh!"
He frowned. "Fine."
She settled herself on one of the wooden benches set along the training room wall. "I had just arrived in Kalapatt and I fell asleep in the royal stable. I didn't know it was the royal stable at the time, or else I would have gone up to the castle doors and actually presented myself. It was late and I was tired, so I just decided to get some sleep. He was the one who woke me and I was so surprised that I—I fired a few starbolts. He was not very pleased with that, of course, so he had his men tie my wrists, but they forgot my feet so I—" she coughed "—kicked him there."
"There?"
"In the groin."
No response from Robin.
She went on. "Naturally he was not the least bit happy about that either. He had my feet tied but I spat in his face and he got very, very angry. He dragged me halfway across the castle grounds and down in the dungeons on my behind and threw me into a holding cell. He cut my bindings and had food sent over, but he kept me under lock and key until his mother could see me. That was at least another ten hours."
The stubborn look of jealousy on Robin's face had faded into a shocked disbelief. "Jesus."
"The prophet?"
"N-No… his mother took care of you from there?"
"Yes. I think that really annoyed him, how he disliked me so much and how his mother adored me. I suppose some of it was my fault. Whenever his mother found favor with me, I somewhat rubbed it in his face, especially when she was critical of him… my goodness." A faraway look fell upon her face. "I must have been so awful. No wonder he despises me."
Robin watched her, dazed by her words, but he recovered quickly, shaking the stupor from his eyes. Whatever suspicions he may have had for Karras and her seemed to be waning incredibly fast at the wake of her story. "Okay, fine. Right now, thinking of you and Karras as a couple seems awfully ridiculous."
"I am glad we have an accord."
"But remember your promise, Kori. I'm counting on you to keep it."
She nodded, her smile finally returning. "I will not let you down, Richard!"
"That's good to hear. Now, I don't suppose I could get you and Karras to apologize to one another—"
She scowled. "Do not make me apologize to that oaf first! I won't have it! He could apologize to me and maybe I will consider apologizing to him."
Robin put his hands up, as if to show he had nothing up his sleeve. "It was just a suggestion. Don't need to bite my head off."
She simmered, blushing. "My apologies for being snappish. He brings out the worse in me."
"He has to be a mega-jerk to bring out the worse in you."
"Oh, he could be, I suppose, but I believe I bring out the worse in him as well. Galfore seems to think him a stellar character, so Taryia might feel the same. She might be saying I am a mega—well, he called me that earlier."
"I heard."
Peace-loving as she was—generally—she took an almost twisted pleasure in having heard Robin threaten to break Karras' jaw for calling her a bitch. She didn't need anyone defending her honor all that much; in fact, she hadn't expected it of Robin when practically everyone in Bludhaven was trying to disrespect her, but this time, perhaps because it was Karras, she really enjoyed his show of valor.
She wondered if Robin would have done it; break his jaw. A moment later, she realized that Robin didn't make idle threats, especially when he was actually being jealous.
They walked back into the common room. Karras and Taryia weren't there.
"Where are the rulad?" asked Starfire.
Cyborg looked up from his workstation. "I think they went to the roof."
Beast Boy hopped up on his seat, leaning his arms on the backrest. "You should've heard Taryia. She was wicked angry; like she was going to tear his head off. She didn't care who was listening."
"They care about each other."
All heads turned to Raven.
Starfire made a face but said nothing. She shrugged and went to the kitchen counter where the sandwiches were laid out, untouched. If Taryia wanted to be attached to someone like Karras, that was her business.
She felt a familiar, psychic touch. It was Raven. She shot Raven a questioning gaze.
Raven shrugged. "You could care less about Taryia and Karras, couldn't you?"
Starfire frowned but was ready to forgive Raven the invasion just because of the subtle look of relief she noticed passing Robin's face. Any remaining doubts he may have had were completely wiped away at Raven's words. "Well, of course! What did you think?"
"I dunno. They did it in Cheers."
"Please, I do not understand."
Beast Boy laughed. "It was a sitcom. Girl fights guy; guy fights girl, but they're actually attracted to one another and end up together somewhere down the episodes."
Starfire rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You see, Robin? This is what I am talking about."
Robin shrugged, tapping Cyborg's shoulder to take his place on the work-panel; it wasn't Cyborg's shift until later. "Hey, what can I say? Everyone loves a fighting couple."
"Just to remind everyone," said Cyborg. "The show's ratings dropped when they got together so they had to break the two up."
"It's always downhill after the first kiss," said Raven.
Robin arched an eyebrow in Starfire's direction and she stifled a giggle. They said nothing, letting Raven have her depressing philosophies.
Raven caught them exchanging a look and her face deadpanned even more. "Oh, excuse me. I guess not always."
"Why Raven," said Cyborg, a smirk blossoming from his lips. "Are you actually saying you believe in lo—"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Chuckles rose up around her but they left her alone. Getting Raven to admit to feeling warm and fuzzy was about as fun as having one's teeth pulled out.
Starfire took the plate of sandwiches in her hands and drifted to the refrigerator for the gallon of milk. Galfore would not be needing a glass. "Now, if you will excuse me, I owe my k'norfka daughterly affection. I will be back shortly."
"Take all the time you need," said Robin.
She smiled, appreciating his sensitivity.
Starfire made her way back to the chamber levels, Earth-cuisine in hand. She didn't expect to take too long. Galfore might be asleep when she dropped in.
He was. She put his sandwiches and milk on his bedside table and left a note, suggestion he should have some, and that it was delicious. She also mentioned that Robin had been properly informed of the delivery party for their things.
Galfore snored up a storm. He must have been very tired.
She looked at the silver peppering his hair and wished he hadn't worried so much for her; but he did, and she couldn't take that back.
Pulling the covers over him, she turned off the lights in the room as she let him rest. It must have been a long eight years for her k'norfka
88888888888888888888888888
The next time everyone converged was at dinner, and there were so many boxes of pizza that Cyborg thought he had died and gone to heaven. Beast Boy, in his own right, ordered two boxes of veggie-pizza.
Whatever animosity Starfire and Karras had for one another did not come-up at dinner. They mutually avoided eye-contact with one another and exchanged absolutely no words.
"It's called a pizza," said Robin. "The chef makes a crust then puts toppings on it, usually tomato-sauce, cheese and processed meats. Then when it's assembled, he puts it in an oven to cook. He takes it out, cuts it up and everybody eats. It goes great with soda."
Cyborg had already opened another box for himself and Beast Boy was already working on his veggie order.
Galfore eyed the pizza and Taryia peered on over beside him. Karras sat to the other side of her, watching them with a bemused expression.
"It certainly smells good," said Galfore. "Princess, is it as delicious as those 'sandwiches' you left for me in my room?"
Starfire smiled. "You will like this pizza."
Galfore seemed pleased. He imitated the way Cyborg ate his pizza, which was two slices slapped together and eaten like a sandwich.
Taryia's brows knotted. "Must it always be eaten two at a time?"
"Only if you're as big as they are," said Raven, daintily taking a slice of her own.
Taryia eagerly copied her.
Starfire and Robin dug in. Karras seemed like he was just going to sit there, but he gave a startled jerk on his seat all of a sudden, as if someone had pinched him, and he immediately responded by taking his own pizza slice.
Everyone seemed to like it, even the unsociable prince. Galfore was actually enjoying himself and was fast going through his second box of pizza. Cyborg, a pizza-slice record holder, was beginning to get competitive. He had to defend his title and he had already shoved several dollar bills in Stafire's hands.
"Go get more pizza," he said.
Starfire sighed. She was always a natural choice for fast delivery.
Robin was already about to tell Cyborg to quit it, just so Starfire didn't have to fly all the way to the city, when she stopped him and said she would be go and do it.
"I could do it for you, Your Highness," said Taryia.
Starfire blinked in surprise. It took her a few more seconds to respond. "Thank you, but you do not have to, Taryia. You do not even know where it is."
"Then I shall go with you. It is inappropriate for a princess to fly off unescorted."
"But I do it all the time."
"Not anymore. You did not have the Royal Guard available then, princess. Now we are here."
"You are not the Royal Guard. You are a soldier of the Imperial Legion."
"Our primary directive is to protect Tamaran, its people and the royal family. You are of the royal family. I shall be Royal Guard for this moment. It will be an honor, Your Highness."
Robin, Raven and Beast Boy each raised an eyebrow.
Starfire sighed. She still found it all very embarrassing, but she had to endure it with dignity. "Very well. But Taryia, you must try to 'lighten up' as they say in this planet."
"Lighten up?" asked Taryia. "You mean like with starbolts?"
"N-No. I mean—oh, never mind." It was disconcerting. Usually, she was the one who had questions about Earth metaphors and expression, but now here she was, trying to teach someone else and failing miserably at it. "Come. We must hurry, or Cyborg and Galfore will run out of pizzas."
Both Tamaranians rose into the air.
"We will be quick," said Starfire.
"Be careful out there," said Robin. It was always a risk for any one of them going out of the tower alone. Super-villains thought they could only function as a team and couldn't defend themselves alone. It was a common super-villain mistake, but it didn't mean the Titans couldn't get hurt.
Taryia bowed to him formally. "Worry not, Robin dai s'lor. I am Rulad. I shall protect the princess with my life."
"What did you call me?"
"Taryia, we must go," said Starfire, dragging the woman by the arm. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to Robin what a s'lor was.
She flew them swiftly out of the tower doors and over the bay separating the tower from the mainland. Nights in Jump City were never dark. The city was always alive with lights from the buildings and the constantly busy streets.
Starfire tried to engage Taryia in casual conversation. "It is pretty, yes?"
Taryia seemed surprised that she had been addressed. "Yes princess, it is." It sounded mechanical.
"Please, do not agree just because I am a princess."
Confusion fell upon Taryia's face. "Very well, then no, it is not pretty."
Starfire blinked. "Really? You do not like how it looks?"
"You told me to disagree."
Starfire sighed. "Well, I did, but only if you really disagree, not because I told you to."
"I do not understand."
"Taryia, here on Earth, I am not a princess anymore. I have stopped believing I was princess since I left Tamaran eight years ago. You need not treat me like one. And even if I were to act the princess, I would not want you to agree or disagree blindly to whatever I have to say. I value your honest opinion just as much as I value that of captains' and team leaders'."
Understanding crept into Taryia's gaze and after a few moments of silence, she nodded. "You possess the wisdom of a Grand Ruler, princess."
Starfire reddened. "I will not be Grand Ruler."
"That is a pity. We of the army… you know how different a breed we are. We do not think like ordinary citizens."
"Please, explain."
"We have ideals that we expect from no one else but from members of the army. We are warriors. We die for our people. We sacrifice for our people. We serve and we protect. We do not give our brethren up to the enemy. We would rather face torture than see someone else suffer the same fate we did, soldier or civilian. We of the Imperial Legion honor you for the sacrifice you made so long ago to save your planet. You willingly gave yourself over to slavery, at the tender age of nine, to save the lives of your people. It was a sacrifice we regard higher than death, for death might have been easier for you, yet you chose the harder fate. When the Grand Ruler gave up Komand'r to get you back, we felt, deep in our hearts, that it was wrong; that your father was dishonoring you and your sacrifice. It was not your father's best moment."
Starfire frowned. "Your words are seditious Taryia. You could face death for that by Tamaranian law."
"Will you tell on me, Your Highness?"
"No."
"I thought not. Then let me continue. When we heard that you had not returned with the ship, that you had escaped, we of the army knew, even if the civilians did not, why you did it. Our people thought it was because you abandoned our planet, but as soldiers, we knew better. Princess, every single soldier in the Imperial Legion would have followed you to the edge of the galaxy for what you did. You were our hero. You stood up to your Grand Ruler's faulty judgment, denied the luxuries of your birthright, saved your own brother from possible enslavement and most of all, you wanted to deliver your sister from slavery. Your disappearance for eight years has done nothing to lessen the army's respect of you. In fact, it has made you the stuff of legends. If you take up your birthright as Grand Ruler of Tamaran, by my soul, the armies of the three worlds will pledge undying allegiance to you."
"You speak as if my father does not command the armies right now, Taryia. Does he not?"
She shrugged. "He does. By written pact, he does. And the armies are not entirely reluctant. They know it is the right thing to do to have a united front, but an army driven by their hearts is ten times more powerful than an army driven by treaty. The Kalapattians and Hynxxens know your story, princess. They honor the same heroes we do, after all."
Starfire didn't know if she should believe Taryia. Oh, she wouldn't lie, but some soldiers were more passionate than others, and perhaps the passionate ones were more prone to exaggerate. "Well, what if I disappeared because I really was shirking my responsibilities as the crown princess?"
"Were you?"
"No, but did none of the army consider that?"
"We did not believe it. The sacrifice you made was too great; you would not let it be in vain. Soldiers like us know sacrifice; how much it costs and how much it pains us if it goes to waste. We believed in you, and we were right, weren't we? You did it for your siblings?"
Starfire sighed. "Yes, but—"
"Then our regard is justified."
Starfire let it go. It was not a topic she was too happy about.
They arrived at the pizza place and Starfire placed the orders. She itched to jokingly tell Taryia, "This is what your army hero does in her free time: Deliver pizzas. And she does not get tipped well, either," but decided against it. She wasn't sure if Taryia would take it well.
They received curious looks from some of the customers while the rest pretended that they weren't there. News of the Tamaranians had already taken over the airwaves mere hours from the time of their arrival, and having known Starfire, the interest of the entire city was piqued to amazing proportions.
When the pizzas were brought out and Starfire attempted to pay for it, the manager, who gave them the orders, told them that the pizzas were free as long as they could have their pictures taken by the pizza house's logo.
Starfire obliged easily, dragging Taryia to get the pictures over with.
Soon, they were on their way back to the tower.
As they flew over the water, Taryia attempted to broach something, but she seemed very hesitant.
Starfire touched her arm gently. "What is it, Taryia? You may tell me."
"Your leader…"
"Robin?"
"Yes. He is not your s'lor? He did not seem familiar with the term when I called him by his title."
Starfire chuckled. "He is not."
"You do not love him enough?"
"Oh, I do! I love him very much. But that is a Tamaranian practice. Here on Earth, there are no s'lor, just the person you care for most deeply. Around here, I do not have to endure an arranged marriage and then keep a s'lor."
Strangely, Taryia did not seem pleased by it, but the expression on her face came and went so quickly that Starfire suddenly wasn't sure.
Starfire let it go without further question.
They arrived back at the tower, and seemingly just in time. Galfore and Cyborg were down to their last boxes but they were nowhere near done.
Karras and Beast Boy had made their respective loyalty bets and Raven was beginning to look sick to her stomach.
"It isn't right," she said, leaving the arena to fix herself some tea.
Robin leaned his shoulder against his seat, arms crossed over his chest. He was half-grinning. The smile coupled with the relaxed way he sat was a sure sign that he was vastly amused.
"Work with me, captain," said Karras in a serious tone. "I have quite a sum of money riding on you."
"Son," said Galfore through a mouth full of pizza. "If you lose that money, it is your own fault. I am only here to eat."
Karras sighed. "Misbegotten Gods, a loyalty bet must count for something."
"Karras!" Taryia said, scowling. "Your language! Gods be…"
Beast Boy smirked. "Go Cy! You going to let someone take your record away from you?"
Cyborg grinned. "Hell no!"
Starfire sat behind Robin on the booth and leaned her chin on his shoulder. He wouldn't mind, at ease as he was. Robin was almost always weighed by the cares of being leader of the Titans and while he was often relaxed in her presence, he hardly ever got that way in front of the others.
He didn't tense at her touch, which meant he was letting her lean. It was enough for her. She dared not push any further by doing something like putting her arms around him. He wouldn't pull away from her, but he would be dreadfully uncomfortable and she would feel it. She did not want him to be ill at ease. He could be very affectionate when it was just the two of them, anyway; there was no need for her to get greedy.
The eating contest was in full swing when the alarm in the tower sounded. All noise save for the sound of the siren stopped and there was a brief pause in the atmosphere.
The calm that had settled on Robin was instantly gone as he got up and went straight for the computers. The Titans were beside him in seconds.
When he activated the computer, information began to stream through the screen, ending with the complete profile of Dr. Light. The rest of the information told them that he was highjacking two armored cars filled with money. He was too powerful to be stopped by the police.
"Hey!" said Beast Boy with a deep frown. "Didn't we just put him away?"
"Tell that to the Jump City Correctional Facility," muttered Raven.
Robin noted the location and turned to lead them out of the tower. "Titans, let's—"
Taryia flew into his path. "We will go with you."
"No." There was no hesitation in Robin's tone. "You stay here with your party. There are enough of us to handle Dr. Light." He walked past her and the rest of the Titans followed with hardly a backward glance. When Robin spoke like that, there was no contradicting him.
Starfire looked over her shoulder at Galfore, a sense of duty compelling her to be respectful. "I will be back shortly." She flashed him a bright smile and flew after her teammates.
They piled into the elevator and as Starfire turned her gaze to the closing doors, she saw Galfore, Taryia and Karras watching her with determined gazes.
She felt a bit uneasy but shook it off almost as quickly.
Dr. Light was abroad and Jump City needed its Titans.
To be continued…
Author's notes: Thanks to follow! I've released two chapters this time because a) I love you all; and b) It totally needed to be made into two chapters.