Genre: Alternative Universe – Space Age
Rating: R – For really bad swearing and adult situations… yes, especially from the Titans.
Summary: Space Cargo Guarding was getting old for Robin. He loved space, but surely there were better things to look forward to than getting to the other side of the stargate. Man-oh-man, was he right...
Standard disclaimers apply.
THE MIGHTY TITAN
Chapter Five: Robin the Grouch
Robin's body clock woke him way before he wanted to. His eyes hurt from lack of sleep and he thought that telling enough that he didn't feel like facing the day just yet. The soothing darkness of his room did not help matters. Everything around him, even the digitized clock on his bedside table, said he should go back to bed.
It was six in the morning; too early to be up and about, especially since they didn't have any deliveries to make. The chances of somebody else awake at that hour were slim. Everyone but him was good at sleeping in; he always managed to wake himself up.
He didn't particularly look forward to what awaited him behind his chamber doors. Once he stepped out of his room, he would have to deal with Raven and Starfire; two women who were not his favorite at the moment.
They could just both go to hell, he thought, burying his head under his pillow.
Moments later, breathing became difficult, so he extricated his face from the sheets and lay, back to his bed. He stared up at his ceiling. Though the darkness was thick, there were faint outlines of his chamber structure visible through the black.
He had come to terms with his general dislike of Raven. She had earned the animosity of the entire crew with her Machiavellian approach to everything and she didn't care. He felt no need to feel better about the woman and strangely enough, it was slowly becoming a comfortable arrangement, in its own twisted way. He didn't understand Raven in the slightest, but he could relate to some of her vibe: She took no bullshit from anybody and she didn't have time for useless inanities. If she had a prickly personality to go with it, then that wasn't her problem. He could deal with that. He was getting used to it anyway.
It was a much different matter with Starfire. In spite of her less-than-honest way of making a living, his slight animosity had little to do with being angry with her and more to do with being angry with himself. What had he been expecting anyway? That she would be bursting with excitement at seeing him after all these years?
Well, great expectations almost always lead to great disappointment. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, as if it would help shut his own thoughts up, but his mind continued to speak to him. Yeah, she was so excited to see you that she picked your pockets and left to make herself some money.
Maybe if he could get his crewmates to keep mum about the entire thing, Bruce wouldn't find out. It was too humiliating.
Robin, you have shit for brains.
He sighed and sat up. Drowsily, he scooted to his side, planting his bare feet on the cold floor. It wasn't all that uncomfortable. The ship's heating system made the temperature comfortable enough to sleep in a grubby old yellowing t-shirt and boxer shorts.
He leaned over, elbows to knees, and rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his spiky hair.
Coffee sounded like redemption. He got up, gathered his things and sleepily made his way to the bathrooms. There were only two on the chamber levels. Before, Terra insisted that she deserved a bathroom of her own, being the only woman on board. While Robin didn't mind giving her a bathroom all to herself, it got complicated when Beast Boy and Cyborg rebelled. They wanted equal bathroom time and didn't want to have to suffer just because they were boys and she happened to be the only woman on board.
Robin didn't take kindly to the insurgence at the beginning. In the first place, Cyborg didn't need as much time as the rest of them to clean up. He was mostly robot. Only half of him needed a shower. The other half needed God knew what; probably liquid stain removers and motor oil or something. And then there was Beast Boy who just wouldn't shut up about it.
As the bickering continued, Robin figured he didn't have to make bathroom usage his problem. He let them quarrel. He didn't care, one way or another. Eventually, the fighting died down, and while Robin never really found out if they came to some kind of an agreement, it seemed to him things worked out for the better. Besides, it wasn't as if there weren't other bathrooms in the other levels.
Padding to the shower rooms, he heard the water running in one of them. That was odd. He wondered who was stupid enough to get up at that hour, his stupid self notwithstanding.
He went into the other bathroom and showered quickly, going through the rest of his toiletries with routine precision.
There was a lot of technology available for keeping clean without need of water. It proved to be an efficient, healthy and sanitary method of being hygienic, but Robin still preferred the feel of water. It was easy enough to get water from particles in space, and the ship's water-maker was efficient enough to give them an almost limitless supply. It cost more, or course, but Robin thought the expense worth it. Nothing beat a warm shower of water.
Perhaps the only good thing about getting up early was having the bathroom and changing room at his leisure. He didn't have to ignore whoever was beating down the door outside; he didn't have to hurry up just to get some peace and quiet.
Amidst the steam and smell of soap and shampoo, he sat around in his towel, flipped through some of the gossip magazines Beast Boy subscribed to, and lounged. After a long enough time, he got hungry. He got off the bench to dress.
He looked at himself in the mirror and saw the fancy "R" tattoo on his chest, a colorful contrast to his pale skin. He had been sixteen, happy and drunk when he got inked, but he had no regrets. He probably would have gotten it if he had been sober, anyway, and then he would've gone out and got drunk afterwards. It was the day the Mighty Titan became ready to set sail. It was a good day.
Running his fingers through his wet hair and scratching at the particles of hair on his chin, he turned from the mirror and got dressed.
When he thought about it, the entire sham with Starfire hadn't really done any lasting damage. Because of his silly dreams of her, he had a ship, a crew and a career. He had direction, and when things were in place, maybe it was easy to come up with a new purpose.
When I get past all this shit with Raven and Starfire, I could plan a whole bunch of things that would actually get me somewhere, he thought with rising enthusiasm.
After he had his boots firmly buckled and his gloves secured, he stalked out of the bathroom and went back to his room to get the rest of his things attached to him. He dumped his sleeping clothes in a basket at the corner and armed himself like any self-respecting Gater would.
When it came to the switchblade he always had on his arm, he realized that he had lost his knife.
Starfire.
He had to ask her about the knife. Maybe she still had it and would be kind enough to give it back. After all, she had enough money to buy herself a whole arsenal of weaponry.
On his way to the mess hall, he passed by the mail chute and checked the box. There were a bunch of bills and the daily holo-paper. It still amazed Robin how mail was sent via homing beams. Each mailbox, whether attached to a stationary home or a moving address like a Gater's spaceship, had a specific electronic address. Mail or packages were beamed into mailboxes the galaxy over, practically eradicating the need for delivery people. Signed deliveries were no longer missed, as electronic signatures were asked-for via the mailbox's memory panel. Once the receiver's electronic signature was inputted and sent, the package would appear in the mailbox, like magic. Robin was glad for the technology. He still preferred to get his greeting cards in a real mailbox and not an electronic one. Besides, holographic greeting cards were no good unless one could actually hold them in ones hand. They were the best ornaments for Christmas Trees after all.
There was a holo-message in the mail from Bruce and Robin arched his eyebrow at it. He tore the envelope open and the wafer-thin data-disk slipped out. It was a somber enough data-disk.
Of course it would be. Bruce always picked the gray and black ones. Occasionally, Robin received a blue one in the mail. Data disks came in all shapes, colors and sizes, catering to all types of holo-message writers. When Kitty used to write him holo-messages, she picked the gaudy colored ones with sickly sweet scents. The perfume would stick to his glove and he'd smell like stationary in the next five minutes or so. He didn't know why he hadn't just thrown those data-disks out. They would have been more useful masking the odor of the trash.
He flipped the safety cover of Bruce's data disk open and pressed the activation button.
Holding the disk, hologram projector up, Bruce's unsmiling, unmasked face appeared. "Cyborg sent me an email last night and he said you're stressing yourself out so much that your ulcer's being a 'psycho-bitch.' His words, not mine. What are you, nineteen? You hoping to kill yourself before you get past twenty? What did I tell you about this job? If it's getting to you, take a break. You can't get too involved with all this shit. It's not healthy. It's been three years since you went on your own; you haven't taken one vacation. It's your life. Your lookout. I'm just saying."
The holo-message ended and the "replay" icon above the various clip-segment icons blinked. No goodbye. No, "Take care!" No, "Brush your teeth before you go to bed!" Of course, Bruce had never been maternal, and Robin would eat his socks before he believed that Bruce would take his own advice, but his Godfather had a dysfunctional kind of concern for his welfare. He called in every once in a while with such messages and then didn't really follow up. Robin was inclined to believe that Bruce was just waiting for him to make some kind of proper response. Robin called in from time to time himself, but usually, it went along the lines of, "I'm on my way to Mars. You anywhere near Earth?" Bruce's answer was usually, "Not really," and that was that. They weren't big on Hallmark Moments. Bruce would rather have a hernia.
Robin wondered just how much Cyborg had told Bruce and decided not to obsess about it. If Cyborg had mentioned Starfire to Bruce at all, then Robin should just be thankful Bruce didn't waste time lecturing him about how silly romantic notions of lost friends were. Robin supposed that the message could have meant to include that aspect of his present "stressful" life, anyway.
Bruce hardly ever used the word "involved" unless he was referring to a woman. He didn't think Robin got involved with his job because he became enamored of the boxes of DHD (Digital Holo-Disc) players that needed to be delivered to Hnyxx. No. People got involved with their jobs because of other people and for the heterosexual male Gater, that usually meant a woman (or women, if they liked that sort of thing.)
Robin frowned as he pocketed Bruce's brief message. "Vacation my ass," he muttered. In the ten years Robin had known his Godfather, the closest thing to a vacation Bruce had come to was waiting along the beaches of Giyore in planet Sedransk for a client's yacht to come by. Bruce hadn't even tried to get a tan. He just stood in the sand in his cargo-pants, white short-sleeved blouse and dark-green fisherman's hat. He had a soda can in one hand and binoculars in another. Bruce had said, "This is a nice beach. Excellent. The client's here." And that was the total of his vacation. Robin couldn't even tell if he meant the beach was excellent or whether it was excellent: the client had arrived.
Probably the client.
Robin arrived in the mess hall and was momentarily stopped at the door by the sight of Starfire making coffee.
She looked up and a brilliant smile spread across her lips. "Good morning, Robin! Would you like some of this freshly brewed coffee?"
He eyed her suspiciously before he replied. "Yeah. Sure."
"Cream and sugar?"
He shook his head, keeping his gaze on her for another moment before he took his seat and opened a holopaper.
As he attempted to start reading, something zipped past from the corner of his eye. He looked and saw that the mess hall windows were set at view. He usually didn't like seeing outside the ship first thing in the morning. It was weird that it was supposed to be morning and it was dark as night outside. Space got that way.
Figuring that Starfire probably opened the windows, he let it be. When she was gone, he could put the windows back on opaque as much as he wanted.
She placed a mug of coffee beside him and the bitter-sweet aroma of it wafted to his nose. It was a good fragrance. She set the mug on "warm" and flashed him another smile.
He honestly tried to smile back, but his eyes wouldn't go with it.
Her smile wilted to a hurt frown but she said nothing, her own mug of coffee in hand. She turned away from him and walked to the window, looking out of it as she sipped from her steaming cup.
He scowled. He didn't have to smile a damn inch. It was seven in the morning for Christ's sake. Did she expect him to be chipper at that hour? It annoyed him that because she was exuding these vibes, he couldn't even concentrate on reading the paper. He sighed, turning in her direction. "What?"
She shot him a dirty look. "You are mean."
He blinked, an overwhelming sense of déjà vu washing over him. She had said the same thing the first time they met. It brought back memories that only the previous night seemed so lost to long ago.
"I am sorry if I did not look for you all those years," she continued with a deep frown. "But I did have my reasons and they are good reasons. The universe does not revolve around you Richard Grayson!"
He jerked back in surprise. It was almost shocking to hear his real name spoken like that. It vaguely reminded him of mother-figures past: teachers, nuns, the bearded fat lady in the house at the end of the block, the gaggle of ballerinas and his mom… whenever he did something naughty, they would call him just like that. Richard Grayson, exclamation point. It almost got past him that she had accused him of being egocentric.
Almost. "Now wait just one minute. I'm totally aware of people around me. I don't go around thinking—"
"Listen to yourself! I said something important about me but all you noticed was what I said about you. You have become sullen and thoughtless and you bully Beast Boy! What is wrong with you? You bought me from a slave market. Do you see me blaming the universe for it? You are mean!"
"Hey! I wanted to talk about you last night and you kept on giving me bullshit answers."
A petulant expression settled on her face. "There are a lot of things about my life that I cannot tell you about. I tried my best to get you to move forward; talk about the now, but no, you had to talk about what happened before. And then you get angry at me for not giving in to what you want. You spoiled—"
"You know nothing about what pissed me off last night."
"Tell me then. Rather than just walk out on me—"
"No."
She growled but fell quiet, simmering in silence. She drank her coffee and looked out of the window.
Robin tried to read his paper again but was intensely bothered by what she had said. "I am not mean."
"Yes, you are. You are mean to Beast Boy and Raven, even Terra. The only reason you are not mean to Cyborg is because he will not stand for that kind of treatment from you."
"Look, I'm mean to Raven because she asked for it. She framed Cyborg and me for a crime we didn't commit. It put us in jail, did you know that?"
Starfire made no reply, though her determined frowned wavered for a second.
"I figured Raven skipped that part in the telling," he continued. "Why she's still on this ship is a mystery to me. Maybe I feel compelled to have her here; or maybe I'm just afraid that if I kick her out, she'll sic her voodoo on me, I don't know. If I'm mean to Beast Boy and Terra it's because I have to be. They'll both go out of control if I leave them to their own devices. I can't let them do that, for their own sakes. I happen to feel responsible for them, so if you think I'm being too hard on them—" he bit back his curse and he wasn't sure why. Maybe because it was Starfire "—eff that, I'll be as hard on them as I see fit."
Her frown stubbornly remained. If he had managed to justify his attitude to her, she made no show of it. It almost looked as if she wasn't convinced. "And you are mean to me. What have I done to earn your anger?"
His eyebrow arched. He could hardly believe she was asking that question. "Well, first you steal my trans-card—"
She shot him a look. "We are past that. Whatever you are angry at me for, it has nothing to do with my taking your belongings."
He scoffed, shaking his head. He didn't like the conversation and he went back to reading his paper. He didn't have to tell her shit. It was intimate and embarrassing. He didn't have to put himself out like that.
Feeling her gaze on him, he refused to look back, but keeping his eyes on the paper, he replied. "It has some to do with your taking my stuff, but it's not so much the stealing as it is… anyway, that hardly matters. I'm not actually angry with you. Not the way you think. Now just—just leave me alone."
She did, but she didn't join him on the table.
The silence was so uncomfortable that even he felt compelled to break it. "Did you talk to Raven yet?"
He thought she wasn't going to answer, but she did, seconds later. "No. I felt she didn't want to talk last night. I think she projected it, empath that she is. I left her alone."
Robin didn't know how Starfire could stand it; responding so casually the way she did to such things as empaths and tellers who said "we" or drunks who copped a feel from her. The thought that someone could affect him through some psychic connection made his skin crawl. He didn't want that kind of invasion. But then again, Starfire had proven herself to be resilient in many things. Maybe after all she'd gone through, she could take such things in stride.
"Until I speak to her," she continued. "I must stay in this ship a bit longer."
It almost sounded as if she were asking permission. He suppressed the creeping sense of gladness, that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and shrugged. "Whatever."
She seemed to take in his reaction and he felt a twinge of something, like maybe he could have said something less dismissive. She went to the kitchen and he heard water running in the sink. She seemed to be cleaning her mug. When she was done, he thought she would go straight out through the doors, but she made a stop by the table, looming above him.
"I never imagined you would ever become this overwhelming grouch!"
His jaw dropped at her words and he let his gaze follow her out the door.
When the doors closed her out, Robin expelled a frustrated breath. It was too early for any kind of emotional drama.
He knew he shouldn't have gotten out of bed.
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"You used up the last of my shampoo and conditioner," said Terra, a deep frown on her face. It wasn't a question. She was standing over Raven in the mess hall, coffee mug clasped firmly in her hand.
By her tone, Robin wondered if he should take the mug from her as she looked ready to fling it in Raven's face.
Raven arched an eyebrow. "Starfire needed a lot yesterday and it was right there in the bathroom shelves, so I gave them to her. If it was so important to you, then you shouldn't have left it there."
"You could have used the other bottles."
"They were all two in ones," said Raven with a grimace. "I'm a bitch, not a Neanderthal. Let the boys use them; they're the ones who believe two-in-ones work."
Robin frowned. Two-in-one shampoo and condition certainly worked for him. What was she dissing two-in-ones for? He exchanged offended glances with Beast Boy. Cyborg didn't care. He had no hair.
Terra began to look terribly annoyed. "What, do you think I wake up with this kind of sheen in my hair? I don't get this volume and shine by merely being blonde and perky."
"If I believed that then I'd be wondering why my hair wasn't weird and sarcastic."
Terra ignored what she said. "You can't get hair this beautiful with two in ones, either, that's why I buy my own shit. Now I'm all out until the next shopping station that carries my brand. That batch was supposed to last me another two weeks. How the hell do you expect me to shampoo and condition my hair now?"
Raven arched a well-sculpted eyebrow. "Is this my problem?"
Terra glared at her. "You finished my supply. Of course it is."
"That doesn't compute."
"You are a witch!"
Raven gave her an acidic grin. "Aw, if I were sensitive, you might have hurt my feelings with that."
Terra stomped off, muttering oaths. As she sat beside Beast Boy, Robin could hear him asking, "What's wrong with two-in-one?"
Robin kept his comments to himself. He couldn't understand why women had to separate shampoo and conditioner when it saved time and effort to just do it both in one step. It just wasn't logical.
Women are so fussy.
And what was it with the scented candles? They always had a supply, like it was an essential. Terra bought them whenever she had the chance. Why? If anything, they were a fire-hazard, they were heavy and they didn't give off a satisfactory amount of light anyway. It wasn't as if they'd have a blackout in the middle of space. The ship had emergency systems for that very situation.
He shook off thoughts of women and their oddities and tried to get back to reading the sports section.
Moments later, Raven addressed him. "Captain."
"Mm?" He didn't look away from his paper.
"I need to speak to you and Starfire."
He wasn't exactly looking forward to this talk, if it was what he thought it was. "Is this about your mission?"
"Yes."
"Cyborg has to be in this meeting."
"That's fine."
"I'll see you all in my office as soon as we set the ship on course to Jiranek. We'll continue from there to Drava-Airyn."
"What's in Drava-Airyn?"
Robin looked up at her with a frown. "Money you couldn't give us. Do you have a problem with this?"
She stared for several seconds, silent. When she did speak, it almost seemed like she was spitting it out. "No." She left.
He could feel Cyborg looking at him but he felt no need to explain. Cyborg was almost always his right hand man when the situation called for it, and Robin felt this was such a situation: Being in conference with a woman he didn't trust and another woman he no longer knew.
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Robin sat behind his desk, swiveling his chair to look out of the window. They were in hyper-speed so the view outside was streaked with blue.
Behind him, in one of the lounge chairs, was Cyborg. He filled the big cushioned seat with his bulk as he casually flipped through one of the magazines Robin had scattered on the lower platform under his coffee table.
"You expecting something big from Raven?" asked Cyborg, effecting nonchalance.
Knowing Cyborg, it wasn't an act. Unlike Robin, Cyborg didn't usually spend his energies being worried about terrible possibilities. He was laid-back, easy going and basically worry-free. He had been pushed to the edge that time Raven framed them for drug-possession, but that was a situation in the extreme; anyone who had a life would react that way. In most things, Cyborg took things as they came and he rolled with the punches better than most. In the years Robin has known him, Cyborg only worried about three things: The ship's engineering, food and what his momma would say.
Robin idly tapped the tips of his fingers together. "I'm expecting something weird from Raven."
Cyborg continued to flip through the magazine. "Fair enough. And how's it going with the childhood sweetheart?"
Robin took deep breaths to summon his patience. "Funny you should ask that. Bruce sent me a holo-message in the mail. I got the impression that you told him about this 'childhood sweetheart' of mine."
"It's hilarious how you say that, like 'according to the witness' or 'allegedly' she's your 'childhood sweetheart'."
"Don't change the subject." Robin swiveled around to look at him.
Cyborg shrugged. "So I mentioned Starfire. I was concerned about you. Big fucking deal."
Robin frowned. "What is it, exactly, that has you so concerned that you would mention it to Bruce? Because you know, if I wanted a babysitter, I'd let Alfred live here."
"Quit being prissy."
"Could we please stay on the subject of you, gossiping with Bruce?"
Cyborg made a face. "I do not gossip with Bruce. If you ever bothered to listen to my advice, I wouldn't have to go through Bruce to make you listen. 'Sides, you should be thankful someone's looking out for you. Some people out there drift through space their whole lives with no one caring about what happens to them. They die in space and no one even knows it. Don't laugh. I've heard it happen many times."
Robin shook his head, expelling a breath. Sometimes, he wondered where in Cyborg's personality melodrama fit into. "Do I look like I'm going to laugh? Anyway, just quit reporting to Bruce. If there's something the matter with me, talk to me. Not Bruce, not Alfred: Me. Are we clear on this?"
Cyborg rolled his good eye. "Crystal."
"Good. Now, do you have something to say to me?"
"Like what?"
Robin gave an exasperated sigh. "I hate it when you fuck around…"
Cyborg gave an exasperated sigh of his own. "Fine. Man, you need to take it easy; big time. It's like you're taking on the weight of the galaxy. Stop that."
"You gonna tell me the galaxy doesn't revolve around me, too?"
"What?"
"Nothing. What do you mean I'm taking on the weight of the galaxy?"
"You know what I'm talking about. Terra, for example—"
"She's my responsibility."
"Yeah, she is, and you're doing a great job straightening her out, but you gotta let her figure out that she could do the right thing without you chaining her to the corner. Relax, man. You're driving the both of you up the wall. It's a noble cause, but you can't control everything she does. It doesn't work that way."
Robin sighed but said nothing to counter Cyborg's words. "Her parole period will be up in a few weeks. I don't know if she knows that. I assume she gets notices; or else her parole officer talks to her about it."
Cyborg's eyebrow arched. "No shit! Has it been that long?"
"Yeah." The extent of Terra's offenses normally garnered a life-sentence for older convicts, but since she committed her crimes as a minor, she merely had to serve a few years before she became eligible for parole. So special was her case that she garnered an unprecedented parole period of three years and one day. That was a long time for anyone to be under parole, but it was better than being stuck in jail for life.
"You think she'll stick around?"
Robin shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe."
"Well, she seems pretty happy here, what with Beast Boy and all."
"Yeah, but have you noticed that she's been—I don't know—whining a lot, lately?"
Cyborg waved his words away. "It's just because of Raven."
"Probably." Robin's face tensed with restrained anxiety. "So maybe I'm a little worried about her. Maybe I'm a little uneasy about losing a Coordinator. She does pretty good work."
"Coordinator my ass. You're worried that the kid is going to screw up her responsibilities and her life the moment you couldn't dangle the parole thing in her face."
"Whatever."
"Well, stop worrying. There's absolutely nothing you could do about that."
Robin said nothing. He leaned back on his chair, stifling the beginnings of an ache in his guts by trying to calm his nerves. "Maybe I'm also hoping that Beast Boy's enough to keep her steady, but I don't know… he could be such a fucking clown. Who the hell could take him seriously, being like that? Terra's too cerebral for shit like that."
Cyborg shrugged. "They like each other."
"Yeah, but BB's gotta do better than a couple of jokes to keep a relationship with someone like Terra. I swear, sometimes, I want to beat him serious."
Cyborg nodded. "Eh, I honestly think he needs tough tending, but you have to make him understand why you ride him like that. You can't just stick him with stuff and let him try to figure it out."
Robin frowned. "You mean I should talk to him?"
"Yeah. Heart to heart, like. The squirt's sensitive, but he acts on feelings, not his head."
"I don't do that shit. You talk to him, then."
"But I'm not the one bossing him around. 'Sides, he only listens to you."
"Heart to heart my ass…"
"I'm not saying you should go all touchy-feely. This isn't a cheesy sitcom. Keep it real, but be serious enough so he knows you mean what you say and that you aren't just bitching."
Robin rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Fine. But you understand how this is all very awkward for me. The Mighty Titan isn't some pussy-whipped Camp Chipewa with bonfires and kumbaya. I set up this gig so we could be gaters, not camp counselors."
Cyborg shook his head disapprovingly, going back to his magazine. He'd said his piece, it seemed, and he was done talking about it, which was completely fine with Robin. It was enough powwow in a day.
Robin settled back into pensive silence. He caught sight of the moving picture of Karna on his desktop. Glaring at the unassuming photograph, he took it by the frame, folded it and shoved it into his drawer. He didn't know why he even kept the damn thing.
There was a beep at his door and he permitted entry.
Raven and Starfire walked into his office.
The hooded woman looked as unaccommodating as ever, her ashen skin colored only by the red gem dotting her forehead like a drop of blood. She pushed her hood back and her purple hair, matching the dark quality of her eyes, whispered mystery and intrigue. It was exactly the kind of thing that sent Robin running at first sight. He didn't like getting involved with that kind of thing, and as she stood stoically in the middle of his office, it was as if the atmosphere in the room grew heavier.
By contrast, Starfire stood vibrant beside her. Her golden skin shimmered with life and her fiery red hair looked about ready to catch fire. She wasn't smiling, but her emerald green eyes reflected an innate desire to be cheerful. She could be anything she wanted to be and look good doing it. It was hard to believe she had secrets, but she did.
Robin supposed secrets were universal. He closed his office door and sealed it with the control panel at the side of his desk. "Well?"
"May we sit?" asked Raven.
He eyed her warily. She never asked to do things, before. She just went and did them. What was she being so polite for? "Yeah. Go ahead."
Raven gracefully sat herself on one end of the couch. Starfire took the middle portion, glancing at him briefly before turning her gaze to Raven.
Robin wondered if that meant she was still pissed at him.
Cyborg tossed the magazine aside and leaned back on his chair, waiting for Raven to speak.
"Starfire," she said. "You have something I need."
Cyborg made a face. "Uh oh."
Robin couldn't agree more. The last time Raven needed something from someone, she had them thrown in jail and blackmailed.
Starfire's brows arched in surprise. "I do?"
Raven nodded. "Yes. If you don't have it with you now, you know where it is. You have to lead us to it."
Robin chuckled. "Us?"
"Yes, captain. You were asking me what this mission was about. Well, this is it."
Starfire frowned, shaking her head. "I do not know what you are talking about, Raven."
Raven stared at her unflinchingly for several moments. Then she blinked, very slowly. "Of course you know what I'm talking about. You can't pretend with me, Starfire. In my last ten lives, that's all I've been searching for and I couldn't possibly be wrong now. Where is it?"
Starfire tore her gaze from Raven, saying nothing.
Robin met curious looks with Cyborg.
A dark glow began to settle on the empath. "Starfire, you have to tell me where it is."
Starfire looked up, grinning. "What is this 'it'?"
"I am in no mood for these games."
"If you tell me what it is, I might be able to help you."
"The jewel. Of Charta. Where is it?"
Starfire stared for a moment before she sighed, slumping backward on the couch. "Well, of course that's what you're talking about," she muttered.
Robin's attention perked at the mention of precious gems.
Raven's frown deepened. "What did you expect? What else could you possibly have that would interest me?"
Starfire gave a soft laugh. "Nothing else, apparently." She sounded only mildly offended and Robin couldn't help chuckling with her. "I do not know where it is," she continued.
"But you know the person who does."
Starfire's brows knotted. "Honestly, I am surprised you need me at all, knowing so much."
"Hold up," said Cyborg. "What's so important about this jewel?"
"It is just a stone," Starfire said before Raven could say anything. "It is not even a diamond. It looks like a ruby, but it's about as frail as glass. It is worthless, if you ask me."
Robin caught Starfire's gaze and she held on stubbornly, giving him a petulant frown.
"Raven doesn't think it's worthless," he said, nodding in the kinetic's direction. He watched Starfire closely and saw her flinch. Something about this conversation was upsetting her.
"It's not worthless," said Raven, her gaze narrowing.
Starfire sat up on the couch, her shoulders becoming rigid. "You wouldn't be able to use it."
"I know. It's rare that anyone could, but you could, and so could your sister."
Robin's eyebrow arched at the look of alarm that crossed Starfire's expression. A flush rose in her cheeks and Robin couldn't help flashing a grin. The taint in her cheeks was most becoming.
Rising from the couch, Starfire's fists clenched to her side. "If you think you could get either of us to help you then you are sadly mistaken. I have spent the last ten—"
She stopped and Robin turned rigid in his seat.
He leaned forward on his desk and she glanced at him briefly, tearing her gaze away in the next second. She could not meet the intensity of his eyes. "Last ten what, Starfire? What were you going to say? Last ten years?"
Starfire didn't reply. She headed for the door.
Robin was just about to tell her to sit her ass back down when Raven held out her hand. The obsidian glow enveloping it shot out of her palm and enfolded Starfire in its dark cloak.
Starfire gave a yelp as the phantasmal force yanked her off her feet and slammed her back down on the couch. She lay on the couch in a confused heap, blinking in shock. The darkness holding her down disappeared, but she didn't move an inch.
Raven rose from her seat, levitating above her. "Sit your ass back down."
Robin couldn't have said it better himself.
Cyborg was watching it all happen with furrowed brow. He was amazingly calm. "Ookay. I knew this was going to be weird, but not this weird."
Robin scoffed. "You weren't at Thelsor-Con."
"You're going to listen to me very carefully, Starfire," said Raven. "I need the powers of the jewel to fight something very, very bad. I wish this wasn't my responsibility, but it is, and considering this evil force has the power to wipe out the universe, I think you pretty much have to make this your responsibility as well."
Starfire scowled. "If the fate of the universe rests in our hands, then I suppose this universe is, as Robin and the others would say, screwed."
Cyborg laughed at the gibe but was instantly silenced by Raven's venomous look.
"Why should I believe you, anyway?" continued Starfire. "How do I know you are not just another mad woman who wants to use the power of the jewel to conquer some galaxy or another? Believe it or not, I get a lot of those. I am sick and tired of taking it upon myself to safeguard this stupid universe that has done nothing but made me a poor, decrepit, homeless urchin who sometimes has to be a slave just to get away."
Raven rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Bitterness doesn't become you, Starfire."
She pouted. "I know it does not; mores the pity. It does not change the fact that you are just another Jewel of Charta power-monger."
Robin's eyebrows knotted as he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. Where had he heard that Jewel of Charta, before? "I'm lost."
Cyborg sighed, shaking his head. "Totally. Women and their secrets."
"Okay." Robin waved, getting Raven and Starfire's attention. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but I'd appreciate it, as the captain, if you explain to me what the hell you're talking about."
Before Starfire could say anything, Raven stepped in front of her.
"Remember those things I told you in the library? About things in the universe that you couldn't possibly understand?"
"How could I forget?" responded Robin dryly.
"Well, this is about that. There are things in this cosmos that could do all of us harm; real harm. We will need that jewel to stop it, and Starfire, capable as she is of telling me where that jewel is, refuses to help. Seems to me she's the only power-monger in this room."
"Hey! I emphatically resent that!" cried Starfire from behind her. She attempted to push Raven aside but Raven moved away with fluid swiftness.
"Don't touch me," said Raven in a very dark tone.
Starfire rolled her eyes, sighing. "I would not dream of it."
Cyborg began to piano his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "Yo, if we don't get anywhere in this conversation real soon, I'm walking out of this meeting. I got better things to do than sit around watching a bitch fight…"
Robin arched an eyebrow.
"… that doesn't involve mud or K.Y. wrestling," continued Cyborg.
Robin gave a disbelieving chuckled. "I hate to say this, but Cyborg's right. Raven, make sense."
"I am making sense. You just don't believe me. I could live with that, but Starfire… she has to get us that jewel. By refusing to help, she's sealing the doom of life as we know it."
Robin looked to Starfire with exaggerated gravity. "Well, that's not very nice, Starfire."
Starfire frowned, walking up to his desk and leaning over the edge of it. "You do not know the power of this jewel, Robin. Whatever Raven wants with it, it could not be good—"
Raven hovered to her side. "I will use it for good, you ditz."
"Ditz" didn't exactly find favor with Starfire. She gritted her teeth visibly, keeping her gaze on Robin with her palms laid flat on the desk's surface, as if keeping them there would prevent her from inflicting violence. "She lies. No good has come out of using that jewel. I have seen only mayhem and destruction from it, and those who have wanted to possess it in the past only grew mad with greed."
Raven frowned. "The jewel doesn't affect a person's psychological health. If anyone you knew grew 'mad with greed' pursuing the gem, they were probably already crazy to begin with. Do I look crazy to you?"
"Do you really wish me to answer that?"
"Naa," said Cyborg. "Too easy."
Raven shot them both a glare. "The jewel's powers have been abused throughout its history, yes, but it has powers that could be used for good. Before it was a weapon, it was a tool, for magic. There is a spell—"
Starfire scoffed. "Call it whatever you want. At any rate, you won't be able to use it unless you force both Blackfire and I to cooperate. Even if you manage to convince her, you will be wholly unable to convince me."
"Goes to show how much you know about using it. But don't be so smug, just yet. I could make you do what I want you to do."
Cyborg grimaced. "Ho boy… here we go…"
Robin wasn't sure why he couldn't just sit by and watch Raven work her viciousness on Starfire. Maybe he had experienced too much of it and knew how terrible it was; maybe he didn't want any of that happening while Starfire was on his ship; or maybe he just didn't want Starfire to go through what he did. He reached out and took her hand in a firm grip.
Starfire stared at him in suprise.
"Listen to me, Starfire. Trust me when I say that Raven's methods of persuasion could destroy you. Maybe there's a way you and she could come to a kind of compromise."
"No. Robin… I hid myself for ten years just so that jewel couldn't be used by the wrong people again. Sometimes, those madmen found me and tried to force me to get the jewel to work for them. They failed because they didn't know enough to make it work, but Raven seems to know far more than she should. I will not let her have that jewel. The last time someone knew how to manipulate that gem, it almost obliterated a planet. I was nine years old when they tried… I won't let anyone ever come that close again."
Robin stared at her, realization slowly blossoming in his mind. "It was the jewel. You were hiding… what the hell is that thing?"
"Something I shouldn't speak of."
The grip he had on her hand waned and he leaned back, his gaze remaining on her.
"Starfire." Raven's voice cut through the haze. "If I could make you believe, will you do this?"
Starfire shot her a haughty frown. "I may look like a ditz to you, Raven, but I am not stupid."
"I suppose I should be glad you're this bullheaded about protecting the jewel."
"Hmph. Robin was not kidding when he called you a nightmare."
Raven arched an eyebrow in his direction.
Robin shrugged, holding his hands up. "What?"
"Starfire, stay another couple of days in the ship," said Raven. "Give me time. You'll listen to what I have to say. It's too important for you not to. For the meantime, you're the only one I need to convince. The others will follow in due time."
Robin shot her a wry look. "Others? You mean 'us', others?"
"Yes. Much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to need you, him—" she pointed to Cyborg "—and the rest of the motley crew. Life's a bitch."
"When did I get involved in this?" asked Cyborg.
Robin sighed. "Don't look at me, I just work here."
Starfire shot Raven a glare and crossed her arms over her chest. She actually looked like she was considering the matter. Her gaze rested on Robin for a few heartbeats. She looked away and set her stare back on Raven as she held up two fingers. "Two days, Raven. After that, I am leaving." She turned with a huff, stomping out of the room.
Robin watched her go. As much as he never liked being at the receiving end of a bad temper, he had to admit that beautiful women looked radiant when they were pissed.
"I have to hand it to you, Raven," said Cyborg. "Never a dull moment when you're around. You're oddly entertaining."
"Yeah, I'm a regular Hollywood's Sweetheart," she replied, without batting an eyelash. "So Robin, you should be thanking me for buying you more time with your girlfriend."
Robin shot her a dirty look.
She shrugged, holding her hands up in the same manner he did earlier. "What?"
"I swear, if you do anything that hurts me, my crew and my ship…"
"Or Starfire?"
His gaze became even more menacing.
Raven waved his unspoken threat away with casual disregard. "Relax. I'm using a different approach this time. Even you would approve of this one."
"I know I'm going to regret this."
"Everything's going to be fine."
"Coming from you, I'll take that as a warning."
888888888888888888888888
Jiranek was a thriving Metatroid. Metatroids were a new breed of heavenly objects, their origins shrouded in mystery. In theory, they were broken-off pieces of large asteroids hurtling through space. Such pieces, though generally common, were peculiar in a sense that they seemed to have stopped moving and have settled on a fixed axis, usually beside large, uninhabitable planets, thus its triple-purpose name: "Meta" for "hidden" or "behind"; "Metat" for the Angel Metatron, whose name cannot be said, thus the shortening of it; and "oid", meaning "to resemble", presumably, the rock from which it was separated. The Metatron reference could be attributed to the popular tale that Metatron wove crowns for God, and what better way to construct a heavenly crown for a Godly head then to take chunks of asteroids and fixing them in specific points in space?
Whatever they were, Metatroids were perfect for developing suburb-like environments. Some people lived, worked and died in Metatroids, never venturing too far from home. In a lot of ways, many found this lifestyle extremely disturbing, but Robin supposed it made some kind of weird sense.
Metatroid dwellers, self-sufficient as they were, often needed the services of gaters to export their wares to the nearest commercial station. Robin liked Metatroid cargo. They were easy to transport and he didn't have to deal with the threat of roughies. Plus, Jiranek inhabitants weren't the least bit stingy, which was one of the reasons Robin was a gater-regular for Metatroid Jiranek.
After the Mighty Titan was properly locked in Jiranek's docking station, Robin met with the port dispatcher, Helos, a Naruthian who had lived in Jiranek for the last thirty Earth years. He had dark purple skin, a pointy face and black hair. He was generally humanoid and he had a pleasant personality, matching his Naruthian good looks, or so the other Naruthian women have said. He was quick to smile and was extremely polite. Robin could be as brusque and snappish as much as he was wont, but Helos would merely grin and wave it off, speaking in his usual honeyed tone. Robin had to like a guy like him.
"Greetings, Robin," said Helos as the cargo doors opened. "Hello, Cyborg."
Robin and Cyborg gave nods of greeting.
The docking station of Jiranek was not as mechanized as most of the commercial docking stations in the upper second quadrant, but it was clean, relaxed and easy enough to get cargo from one place to another. Moving things required a bit more muscle, but Robin figured he could use the exercise.
"How's it going, Helos?" said Robin.
Helos smiled, waving his palm office. "Pleasant, as usual. You are aware that nothing very exciting happens here in Jiranek, but that is perhaps why I like it here. A peaceful life is a rare thing."
"Tell me about it," said Robin. "What've you got for us?"
"Medical supplies, handy dandy storage bins and a young ort."
"A young what?"
"Ort. Like your Earth dog, but more sedate."
"Alien dog?" asked Cyborg.
Helos chuckled. "Yes. Orts are quite adorable, actually, if you could get them to move. Very lazy, but I suppose that is what makes them such ideal pets."
They spoke of figures and when they came to an agreement, they prepared to load the cargo.
Robin radioed for Beast Boy. "BB, get over here and help us load."
Beast Boy frowned over the radio. "Cyborg asked me to check on some of the ship's navigation controls."
Robin understood the importance of ship maintenance and couldn't very well bully him to drop his task. "Where's Terra?"
"Thanks to Raven, I have to do some supply shopping. Besides, I don't want to push cargo around," said Terra from the background. "That's not part of my job description."
Robin arched an eyebrow but said nothing. He couldn't blame her, anyway. Unless the cargo was terraform-based, she couldn't exactly use her powers to move them.
"I could help." The voice came from within cargo-bay and it was Starfire. She flashed a bright smile. "I may not look like much, but I am quite strong."
Cyborg shrugged. "So I've heard, about Tamaranians. We could use a hand."
Robin gestured in silent acquiescence. Why not?
Helos gave Starfire a polite nod. "A new addition to your crew?"
"Chance passenger," said Robin nonchalantly. "Helos, meet Starfire. Starfire, meet Helos, my favorite cargo dispatcher."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Starfire."
Starfire gave him a pretty grin. "Likewise. You must be extraordinarily pleasant, for Robin to like you. He is not easy to please."
Robin frowned.
Helos chuckled softly. "Oh, I appreciate Robin's honest and forthright nature. One does not often get to deal with a trustworthy gater."
"Robin is very dependable that way."
"Indeed! Perhaps you—"
Robin didn't particularly like being talked about like he wasn't there. "Let's get this over with."
Helos hesitated a moment before he gestured to the warehouse behind him. "The cargo is all ready to be moved. We need only complete the necessary paperwork. We may work on that while Cyborg and Starfire move the load."
Cyborg nodded, pushing some codes on his robot arms. "We'll get to that, already. Where are they at?"
Helos handed Cyborg a card key. "Walk through the third aisle from the left. Midway down the aisle, the indicator on this card key and the corresponding storage room beacon should light up when they pass each other."
"I remember how it's done," said Cyborg. He took the key and motioned for Starfire to go with him.
Robin followed their retreating figures with his gaze.
"I am sorry if I seemed too forward."
Robin turned to Helos, mildly surprised. "Excuse me?"
Helos gestured to Starfire and Cyborg. "Towards Starfire. I noticed it displeased you. For that, I apologize."
"I didn't think you were being forward. Were you?"
Helos paused with a look of uncertainty, though he maintained his poise, like always. "I do admit to that. Starfire… somewhat drew me. She is comely."
Robin shot him a disapproving glance, mildly annoyed by Helos' flirting. There was work to be done and time was precious. "Get in line."
"Ah, you like her as well. Then double the apologies."
"What? I wasn't talking about me being in line… forget it. Give me the paperwork."
They exchanged documentation and electronic signatures, working out the miscellaneous fees for the items involved. Several minutes through their negotiations, Starfire and Cyborg emerged from the warehouse gates, dragging with them a giant trolley piled high with large crates. They rolled the cargo up beside Robin and Helos, hardly showing any effort.
Starfire smiled. "The ort is adorable, Helos."
Amongst the crates was an animal on all-fours, puffy with a wool-like coat. It had a black, feline face but made a low, bleating sound. The animal seemed to be attached to a rope, but as it turned its head slowly, from one side to another, Robin had to wonder if it even needed a restraint of any kind. The ort's legs bent one at a time as it sat, its eyes closing drowsily.
Starfire giggled, scratching behind where its ears may have been. It gave another low bleat, leaning against Starfire's hand. "What do we feed it?"
Helos pointed to one of the smaller crates. "That is four meals worth of feed, but it only feeds once a day. Sometimes two if it missed a meal the previous day. It will take any form of liquid, so your water will suffice. It will make a mess where you teach it to make a mess. They are quite easy to house train."
"I'm not a big pet person," said Robin with a slight grimace.
Cyborg chuckled. "You're not a big anything person, Rob, so that goes without saying."
"Right. Load all of them up. Helos and I are just about to finish."
They concluded negotiations with the necessary signatures and codes. Shaking Helos' hand, he joined Starfire and Cyborg in pulling the trolley.
The ort turned its gaze on Robin and Robin frowned. "What's that thing looking at?"
Starfire laughed. "It is just looking. It is very lazy and will do nothing, whether it likes you or not. You are such a grouch, Robin."
Robin sighed. "Why am I a grouch, again?"
She reached out and held the ort's face affectionately. It made no protest, eyes closing sleepily. "Look at that face. How could you not be endeared by it?"
"It's lazy and does nothing. If I wanted something cute and cuddly, I'd buy a stuffed teddy bear. At least I don't have to walk a toy."
Starfire stuck her tongue out at him, but she was smiling. "You are a chronic killjoy. I miss the old Robin; the one who would play pranks on my nanny and help me crawl through vents to eavesdrop on the adults."
Cyborg threw his head back and laughed. "Dude, you did those things?"
Robin frowned. "Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
"No, man, I just can't imagine, is all."
"I was nine." Robin hated that he felt the need to explain. Was it so hard to believe that he had, at some point in his life, acted like a child? It wasn't as if he had been born a sullen adult. "You all think I'm this dead serious dude by nature. You're all wrong. Ya'll made me this way."
Cyborg laughed again.
Starfire nudged Robin with an elbow. "Does that mean I was the reason you were so cute and lovable then?"
"I was not cute."
She giggled, and to his surprise, she bumped him with her hip. He blinked, perplexed at the hip bumping. Was she trying to be playful? Did he look like he would be playful? "Indeed, just very lovable. I kept the handkerchief, you know."
He became even more confused. "What?"
"That handkerchief you gave me to wipe my tears when I was crying. You did not take it back, so I kept it."
Robin tried to remember and he did. He shot her a glare. "Bullshit. You did not keep it."
"Why would I lie to you?"
"I don't know. Maybe you need money again. Hell…"
Starfire rolled her eyes. She reached into her shirt and pulled out a white sheet of sorts. It looked old; threadbare. In fact, it had holes all over, and it even looked burnt on one side. Maybe it looked like his handkerchief, shredded through the wash. "It has gotten dirty countless times through the years, of course, and I wash it always, as carefully as I could. Even in slavery, I managed to keep it. I kept it close to my heart."
Robin arched an eyebrow. "Close to your heart. Sure."
She held it out, one corner of it flat on her palm. "I always made sure to preserve the monogram. It has held quite well, but I did have to repair it a bit, every once in a while."
Cyborg looked over her shoulder. "R.J.G. Would you look at that… I didn't know you had a middle name, Dicky. What's it stand for?"
Robin frowned. "Let me see that."
She held it closer to him and he did see the faint embroidery, the color of the thread practically faded to white. He recognized the style of the monogram as Alfred's touch. The butler never did any embroidery, but he had seamstresses he hired to embroider monograms on such things as handkerchiefs and gloves and socks.
As he stared at the battered kerchief, he did, in fact, begin to believe that it was the very one he had given Starfire so long ago.
It was uncanny, anyhow. Why the hell would she do such a silly… sentimental thing?
"John," said Starfire. "Richard John Grayson. Isn't that a nice name? I always believed that a child with a nice name was loved by at least one parent. John is a particular favorite of mine. Simple, straightforward and strong."
Robin could feel a flush rising in his cheeks. He grew even more embarrassed for it. "Everyone's named John," he muttered.
"Because it is a nice name."
"I can't believe you kept that thing."
"Why?"
Robin gave a helpless shrug. "I don't know… handkerchiefs are supposed to get lost. They're like umbrellas, or pennies. They're just left all over the place. It's silly to keep a handkerchief for years and years."
Starfire carefully folded the handkerchief away, tucking it back into her shirt. "I do not think it is silly."
It sounded almost as if she was a bit hurt and it annoyed him that he was bothered by it.
"I just don't understand why you kept it, that's all."
"You did not like that I was crying. It was the reason you gave it to me, and I found that thought very comforting. Besides, it was the only thing I had of you."
"Aww," said Cyborg with a toothy grin. "That's so sweet! She wanted something to remember you by!"
Robin shot him a glare. He had a distinct feeling that he shouldn't be talking about this in front of Cyborg.
The cargo was loaded and Robin set about the task of securing it. He said his final goodbyes to Helos and contacted Terra, telling her to get her ass back to the ship ASAP because they were about to leave.
Moments later, Beast Boy called to tell them he needed Cyborg because there were some engineering things that he couldn't figure out.
Cyborg turned one last heavy lock before he motioned to leave. "I have to take BB's distress call before he fucks something up in the navigation controls."
"Go ahead," said Robin.
Cyborg left, his footsteps fading.
Starfire drifted about, turning locks to secure the cargo.
"You should've told me," said Robin.
"What?"
"You should've told me why you didn't want to be found. I thought—well, I just thought you didn't give a fuck."
She stopped turning locks to look at him. "Is that why you were angry? Because you thought I did not care and you did?"
"Me? Care? I was just—you know—whatever."
She went back to work, but Robin could have sworn she was hiding a smile. He was mildly irked by it, but he made no complaints.
"I told you," she said softly. "The jewel… it is best left unmentioned."
"This jewel—"
"I do not really wish to go into detail about it. I just mentioned it because it explains, without need of so many words, why I have been secretive, then and now, but please, let us not talk about it. Suffice it to say, I did think of you constantly. It was just embarrassing and somewhat silly to say so. You understand this, do you not?"
He scowled at the blush her words caused in him. He concentrated on turning the locks, grunting with effort. He wasn't as strong as Cyborg, or Starfire. "I don't need to un—" He stopped, letting go of the levers to lean back, somewhat exasperated. He realized that he had been about to tell her off. Every time he talked to her, he felt the need to slam a door in her face. For the most part, he never cared if he had been unnecessarily mean to someone else. His friends never tried to push their way into his emotional barriers, so he never had to worry about shutting them out. His girlfriends had tried, but he had been less dismissive of them, confident as he was that they would get nowhere nagging him about being affectionate and things like that. With Starfire, he felt an absolute need to put up a huge sign that said, "Keep Out!" He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she had some kind of access beyond his emotional walls brought by their childhood friendship.
"How the hell do you do that?" he asked her irritably.
She gave him a puzzled frown. "Do what?"
"Get under my skin like that. Just—just quit it. Just stop."
"I am not doing it on purpose, Robin."
"I don't care if you're doing it on purpose or not. Stop it."
"Well, if I am not doing it on purpose, then I do not know how to stop it, do I?"
"Christ, just spare me the smart ass repartee. I told you, I can't deal with this shit right now."
Starfire crossed her arms over her chest. "You said that same thing after I kissed you. What is this shit that you speak of? Honestly, Robin, if you did not curse so much then maybe we could communicate better. Remember, I have two more days to spend here. Do you just want to keep fighting and spewing profanities in my face? That mouth of yours! It desperately needs to be washed with soap!"
Robin growled. "Holy hell… anything but nagging!"
She sighed, shaking her head. "You have not answered my question, Robin. What do you mean when you say that awful cuss word?"
Shit? he thought, his eyes narrowing to menacing slits. That means me—with women. I don't want to deal with that. I don't want you kissing me. I don't want you crawling under my skin. I don't want to get involved, like Bruce said. All that shit. It's not a good place for me right now.
"Nothing," he said. Door slam. He needed to change the subject. "It's just random swearing. Starfire, why the hell did you agree to give Raven a chance? I mean, I don't care if you stick around, one way or another, but if I were you, I would be out of here. Not to mention the fact that you seem to be protecting some kind of jewel with strange, dangerous powers."
She went back to turning the locks. "I do not know. Same reason that you have not kicked out Raven from your ship; the same reason you have not conspired with your crewmates to abandon her on some fueling station: I feel compelled. There is a force working here, stronger than all of us. I am not a superstitious person. I have told you this. But I have learned, throughout my travels, that when there is a strong, unexplainable feeling that makes you do something you will not normally do, then it must not be ignored. In my lifestyle, such omens become as real as anything. Besides… even if I think you are a grouch, I would like to try having a conversation with you without one of us walking out of it hurt and upset. I had good times with you, Robin. Why else do you think I would do something as silly as keep your handkerchief?"
He let her words sink in.
Starfire put in the last lock and stood up straight, hands on her hips. "There! All done. Is there anything else you need help with, Robin?"
"No. You could go back to whatever it was you were doing. I'm going back to the bridge."
"Are we still headed to Drava-Airyn?"
"Yes. That's where the cargo's going."
"Could I take the ort around with me?"
Robin didn't think it would walk around much, but that was for Starfire to figure out. "Just don't let it make a mess on the ship."
Starfire smiled. "Of course! Oh, he is so cute! He is looking at you again, Robin, perhaps wondering why you do not smile."
"It's a dumb animal. It doesn't know anything."
"Do not mind him, my little ort," she said to the beast, picking it up in her arms and detaching it from the rope. "He is not as bad as he lets on. He is actually quite sweet and thoughtful. He just forgot how to be that way, that is all."
Robin shot her an irritated glance. She smiled, giggling.
They entered the elevator, the ort bleating as Starfire scratched it behind its ears.
To be continued…Reflections of Cyborg: Everybody wants Cyborg's help…
Author's notes: I am terribly sorry this came so late. I had the flu all of last week and try as I did to write something while I was bed-ridden, I could not. I just wanted to sleep and sleep and get better. Well, I'm better now. Nothing much happened in this chapter, unless you consider inter-personal growth as something.