Chapter Two: Raven's Stubbornness
(Takes Place In Raven's Point of View of Last Chapter)
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" As Raven chants her mantra, she felt evermore soothing the more she had control over her emotions. As she started to come back to reality, she focuses on the clock the first thing she came back.
"10:30. Not bad for a mornings meditation." Raven said. "Well, I better get ready for the rest of the day, and see what everyone is up to." Raven thought. As she was still dressed in the clothing she sleeps in: usually in a nightgown, but since it's in the summer, she just wore a bra and panties. As she got up from her bed, she went towards her drawers, and started to dress herself in her usual black leotard and blue cape with hood.
She then, after getting dressed, left the confines of her room, to go get some of her herbal tea in the kitchen to start the day. As she wondered through the many corridors of Titans Tower, she finally came upon the door that lead to the kitchen. Upon entering, she found that Starfire was on the couch, watching the Discovery Channel with a biography about fungus, and sipping on a yellow canister type drink. As Raven neared Starfire, she noticed that it was actually mustard. Cringing at the thought of drinking mustard, she then headed towards the stove, where she would make her herbal tea.
After making her ever so soothing herbal tea to relax her for the morning, she then headed down towards the gym and garage, to see what the "men" were up to. As she went down the almost endless flights of stairs, she finally reached her fist destination: The Garage. As she opened the double sliding doors that lead into the garage, the first thing that she noticed was that Cyborg was working, again, on his T Car. She then returned to the hallway, and then started to head towards the gym, where she will hopefully find the other two guys working out.
As she approached the sliding doors of the gym, she stopped herself for a moment, and decided to go to the two-way mirror, located at both sides of the humongous gym. As she veered herself towards the right, where the wrestling and boxing ring was located, she found that Nightwing and Garfield was sparring in the ring. As she surveyed their different moves to try and take each other down, she noticed a time box that was located right above the ring, which read: Time of Match: One hour and 48 minutes…49 minutes…
"Wow, they have been sparring with each other for quite some time." Raven thought to herself. She was actually quite amazed how these two guys were actually good sport for one another, and that Nightwing should really watch his back. As She continued to watch them from her seat that was right in front of the mirror, she started to realize what muscle structure Garfield had.
"Mmm… Wouldn't you want some of that?" Came a voice from the back of he mind.
"What was that?" Raven said aloud, obviously surprised. "What emotion are you? Speak now." Raven commanded.
"Sorry little Ravy." Said the voice again. "But I think you would want to know Garfield more now wouldn't ya?" The voice mocked again.
"Shut up and mind your own business." Raven pouted.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but for one, I am in your mind, and I think you should mind your own business, and not scope on Garfield." The voice mocked yet again.
"Shut up." Raven said. After her little conversation with one of her unknown emotions, she then mentally noted that she should have a meeting with her emotions, and see who was the little idiot that got out of control. But in the mean time, she just watched her entertainment with Nightwing and Garfield. As she watched tentatively, she noticed that when Garfield has to be strong and serious, he could do that in a pinch. As she watched him block and attack and block and attack again, she saw how his body tenses up and relaxes when he is either defending or attacking.
But the main thing she realized how he looks overall. She saw how his chest was nicely chiseled out. Also the fact that he had a serious face on, and always seems to be thinking of a way to take his opponent down. She realized that he has wonderful abs that was nicely built. His arms also were nicely formed, just how she liked them…him. She saw him to be like "her man's" body because Garfield was neither too beefy, and not so skinny and wimpy. His body structure was, as Raven thought, was perfect for her to cuddle next to, and to fall asleep on whenever she wanted to. But she knew that won't happen, even though now Trigon fell, she had a whole lot better control over he emotions but also the fact that who would fall in love with the "Queen of Darkness" or even the "Goddess of Goths?"
As she dreamed of the day she would have the courage to tell Garfield her true feelings, and also have him feel the same way about her, was in fact slim to none. But she still has her dreams and hopes. As the two stopped the timer, signaling their end of their match, she found that both Garfield and Nightwing gave each other handshakes to be good sports and I guess to congratulate each other. But as they were shaking hands, she felt a hand touch her shoulder.
"Ahh!" Raven screamed. She then shut up from her seat and then turned around and readies herself to tare apart her surprise victim.
"Oh, I'm sorry friend Raven, I didn't men to scare you so." Starfire said sitting down on the bench beside where Raven was sitting.
"Oh, it's just you Starfire. It's ok, you startled me is all." Raven said truthfully, sitting down with Starfire. As they both watched the boys lift weights or fence with the punching bag, Starfire noticed Raven's gaze at Garfield the entire time. But before she could say anything, Raven spoke first.
"So how are things with you and Nightwing?" Raven asked, not tearing her eyes away from Garfield as he bench pressed 150 pounds.
"Everything is wondrous Raven." Starfire said in a very cheerful manner. "Thank you for asking friend Raven."
"Why thank me, it was just a question." Raven said, now turning to face Starfire.
"Well, it was nice of you to ask a feelings question for the first time, and I enjoyed it." Starfire said in a manner-of-fact way.
"Oh, ok. Since you put it that way, your welcome." Raven then placed her gaze back at Garfield, as he started to lift weights as much as 100 pounds per arm.
"Why don't you tell him your true feelings Raven?" Starfire asked suddenly.
"What!" Raven suddenly outburst. "What do you mean? I have no feelings for Garfield…What!"
Starfire then started to giggle since she just cornered Raven.
"I know that you have strong feelings for friend Garfield." Starfire said. "I've seen you stare at him when he doesn't know it, and he also does it to you, especially when you're reading or meditating." Starfire stated. "And I know that Garfield has feelings for you."
"And how do you know that?" Said Raving, who was now very interested in her feet, blushing madly at the same time.
"One, I have just proved that you dearly like our friend Garfield since you didn't object to my statements, and I just know that he likes you…" Starfire said. "Oh, I know he truly likes you…no love you with all his heart. My dear Nightwing has have talked to Garfield at night when he or Garfield couldn't sleep."
"Oh, you really think so…"Raven said in an almost dreamy way. "I mean, I gotta go…read." Raven said in a hurry. She then phased through the roof of the floor, and disappeared. As she neared the kitchen, she went straight towards the couch, where she left her reading book last night. As she picked up her book, and turned around to go and get another cup of herbal tea when she bumped into Cyborg.
"Oof." Raven said as she collided with her mechanical friend. "Oh, hey Cyborg, sorry, I wasn't paying any attention." Raven apologized.
"Thinking about Garfield?" Cyborg said out of the blue when she passed him, heading towards the kitchen. She then froze in her tracks, and then turned around slowly, and then glared her trademark glares: her death glare.
"What?" She said bluntly but forcefully.
"You heard me." Cyborg said, picking up a magazine from the couch and headings towards the kitchen. "I said, 'thinking about Garfield?'"
"No, and what would you think would make me think about Gar.?" She asked, trying to sound as if she were innocent.
"One, you just said Gar. and not Garfield, Two, you stare at him practically every time you see him, Three you're the only one on the Team that calls him 'Gar.' and Four…"
"Ok! Ok! You got me!" Raven confessed. "Am I that obvious!"
"Yes, but Garfield is just oblivious, as you are about Garfield." Cyborg stated, then passed Raven and went into the kitchen and started to cook lunch. As Raven pondered at what Cyborg just said, she absentmindedly walked over to her destination, and sat down in her regular chair at the dinning table. She then tried to get these thoughts out of her mind as her emotions started to get too excited about the fact that they all have a chance with Garfield.
As she opened her book to where the bookmarker was placed, she continued where she left off at. But she wasn't reading, but thinking about Garfield…well her emotions were talking about Garfield.
"Oh, I can't wait to tell Garfield EVERYTHING!" Happy obviously said.
"I just hope that we don't mess up." Timid said sadly.
"I can't wait to spar with Garfield in the gym…or in the bed." Bravery said.
"WHAT!" Raven said in an outburst! "I am not having sex with Garfield…
"…Until later tonight." Spoke one of the unknown emotions.
"Yeah!" Screamed two other emotions that Raven has ever heard of. Just as all her emotions stopped talking, Garfield came by and stopped right when he was about to leave the tableside, and said something very faint, too faint to make out.
"What did you say?" Raven asked curiously.
"Huh? What?" Garfield responded. He didn't know whom he was talking to until he turned his head towards the direction the voice was coming from.
"I said, 'What did you say'." As he turned to face her, he started to blush rather deeply, since he thinks that he heard what he said.
"Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing." Garfield lied.
"Oh, I thought you said something." Raven stated. She then returned to her herbal tea, and started to "read" her book again. But, as Garfield turned around and started to head towards his room, she looked up from her book, and realized that Garfield's back had unusual lines curving downwards towards his spine. There were only six marks, three on the different sides of his back, but was still curious about those markings. But, as she started to contemplate about her new findings of Garfield, she stood up, and headed towards her room.
As she opened the door that leads into the confines of her room, she then headed towards the drawer that had her magical mirror that leads her into Nevermore. As she then chanted her mantra to get into Nevermore, a dark black hand protruded from the mirror, grabbed her, and then summoned her to Nevermore.
Inside her mind, or Nevermore, she found that the place that used to be dark, dank, and just gloomy, seems to have changed quite drastically. The sky wasn't black with red dots all over it, instead it was like a sunrise with the colors red, pink, blue, dark blue, and purple all mixed up. And now, there weren't chunks or rock floating around, there was landscaping and lots of dirt, and patches of grass and shrubs everywhere. But, as she looked around, the archways that lead into the domains of each of her emotions, still remained.
As she then sat Indian style in the air, she then chanted her mantra to summon all of her emotions towards the spot she was floating on. As they all appeared at an instant, they found each other rather giddy like.
"Ok, what the hell was all that about?" Raven said, quite angry.
"Well, it for one was your mind thinking and saying everything that we said, and two, it has them…" Knowledge said pointing towards two very bright and colorful emotions.
"Who are they?" Raven demanded.
"She, the one who had a pink cape and red leotard is Love, and the other one, in the dark red cloak with the see through pink leotard is…Lust."
"LUST?" Raven screamed.
"Yeah Raven?" Lust said, swaying back and fourth towards her which made her look mesmerizing and sexy at the same time.
"I DON'T lust Garfield or anyone!" Raven shouted. "And I feel reproached thinking I have you as an emotion.
"Awe, don't say that Raven." Lust said in a seductive way. "You don't really mean that. Just think, I could make everything with you and Garfield very close." Lust said, hinting the last two words and saying it with more emphasis as well.
"Shut up and leave me the fuck alone because if I want a relationship with someone, I can do it on my own thank you. And I've had enough of this…" And without further a-due, Raven then chanted her mantra gain, and then left Nevermore and back into her room. As she got her balance back from her twisted trip back from Nevermore, she placed her mirror down exactly where she first got it, and then opened her door and left the room.
As she went down the hallway, she passed Garfield's room, noticing that the shower was on. But disregarded it nonetheless because she knows that her emotions would be going crazy, especially Lust, and wanted to see what how he was in the shower. But as she rounded the corner that lead towards the kitchen, she came face to face with Nightwing.
"Oh, hey Raven, I was just about to get you." Nightwing said casually. "It's time for lunch."
"Oh, ok." Raven replied in a monotone. Just as Nightwing turned and headed for the kitchen, he stopped and turned to face Raven again.
"Oh, and can you tell Garfield also, thanks a mill."
"Sure."
As Raven then about faced, she then headed straight for Garfield's room. As she entered his room, he found ii quite organized, just a few things here or there that needed reorganizing. She also noticed that he didn't have a bunk bed anymore, and instead had a regular king sized bed. As she veered herself towards the left hand side of the room, where his desk and bathroom was, she lightly tapped on the door and Garfield responded seconds later.
"Yes?" Garfield asked the person who knocked.
"Gar., it's time for lunch, ok?" Raven called from the other side of the door.
"Ok, I'll be right out." Garfield yelled back.
"Ok, see you in the kitchen." Raven replied.
"Or you can se him right now." Lust said, trying to move her towards the bathroom door.
"No way! Are you kidding?" Raven protested. "You said you would help my relationship, not destroy it!"
"Oh, but hey, I'm Lust, and this is what I do best."
"But just as Raven took control of her body and mind once again, she feel backwards onto Garfield's bed. As she then lifted herself up from her fall, she then saw a piece of paper fall from underneath his pillow. Curious, she picked it up and started to examine it.
What she saw was a picture. This picture actually was only taken two years ago. It was a picture of Raven watching her friends, and Jinx, go on the merry-go-round as couples. As she looked at the picture, she saw that she had a hint of sadness and some regret in her eyes when she stared at her in-live companions. The only thing was how did Garfield get this picture? She then remembered that he was going to get them both drinks, but she guess that he took a picture of her as well.
Then, as she was going to place the picture back underneath the pillow, she saw on the back of the photo, a few words written on it. As She read it, it said, "Beauty of Darkness, That I Hope Would Be Mine One Day." As she gazed at these words, she was actually amazed. He actually liked her, or as she hoped, loved her. But, as the door unlocked, she then quickly placed the photo back into its rightful spot, and phased through the floor right before Garfield came out of the bathroom.
As she then phased through the floor of the kitchen, she then sat down with her teammates, and started to eat lunch, and Garfield soon joined them. But, when she was done with her lunch, she placed her dishes back into the sink and started to "read" her book again. As she watched Garfield devour his tofu burger, she noticed that he had a rather happy face on. She got up and wanted to talk to Garfield before the day's training started. But right before she reached him, the alarm went off.
"Fucken' alarm!" She cursed in her mind.
"Titans Trouble!" Their leader screamed.
"Were?" Starfire asked.
"In Sector Seven. There seems to be about twenty men trying to steal gold from Jump City's Gold Refinery." Nightwing said. "Titans, Go!" As Nightwing said his trademark saying, all five Titans went into action expecting the unexpected.