The arcade was dark with the only illumination coming from the noisy video game machines, their flashing lights and screeching sounds already getting on Raven's cracking nerves...and the smell, for the love of Azar the smell! She couldn't quite put her finger on what it smelled like, but she definitely knew the source.

"It smells like nerds in here." Raven spoke grimly. Starfire stopped dragging Raven long enough to pause and take a whiff of the air herself. Her nose wrinkled at the unique aroma the place had to offer.

"Actually, I would suggest that it smells like friend Beast Boy's room." "Like I said..." Raven added.

Starfire giggled at Raven's joke before returning her attention to the room at hand, attempting to figure out which game to play. "Now let us see which game we shall attempt first...the Ball of Skee, the Whacking of Moles, or perhaps we could enjoy a nice game of Hockey on Air?"

"Why don't you just enjoy the games, Star...I'll sit back and watch, ok?"

Starfire smiled and nodded before turning to face a brightly lit "WHACK A MOLE." The tall Tammaranian reached into the back pocket on her lavender mini-skirt, producing a quarter and inserted it into the slot. The machine came to life, playing a distorted, garbled sound of what Raven guessed was supposed to be a cartoon mole taunting the player. The sound of course, while sounding like nails on a chalkboard to Raven, made the crimson haired girl giggle with an innocent enthusiasm that made even Raven smile.

Soon the game began and Star began to frantically raise and lower the heavily padded mallet on the head of the animatronic moles, one after another with a quickness and speed that only a Tammaranian could muster. By the time the game was over, Star had a nice pile of tiny yellow tickets pooled around her booted feet.

"SUCCESS!" she exclaimed clutching them in her hand, quickly counting her take...50 tickets! Only 19,950 to go.

Starfire scooped up her tickets in her arms, and made her way to her next machine, Skee Ball. Raven opened her bag and removed a stick of Mother Earth-scented incense, running the stick under her nose, taking a deep whiff of it's beautiful fragrance. Her eyes closed, letting the intoxicating aroma fill her senses, the loud beeping and clanging of the arcade seeming miles away. Miles away, that is, until she slowly became aware of someone watching her. She opened one eye expecting to see Starfire, but instead was greeted by an overly enthusiastic young man, tall, lanky with dirty blond hair and glasses.

"Can I help you?" she asked. The young man took a deep breath like he was just struck by lightning before speaking.

"Oh...my...God! It's freakin' Raven! You are even hotter in person than you are on TV!" Raven merely stared back at him blankly, unable to form sentences at the sudden deceleration the young man had just made.

"Umm...thank you?" she replied, unsure of what to say or do next. She didn't have to worry long, because the young man was more than eager to carry the conversation himself.

"You don't understand Raven, I'm your biggest fan! Every time you're on news, I video tape it! I have posters of you all over my bedroom and I'm the President of the Official Raven Fan Club for Jump City!" Raven resisted the urge to open a portal behind him and warp him to another dimension.

"Thanks...look, I have to be going now." Pulling her hood up, she began to walk away to check on Starfire to see how she was doing. The young man, however, was not to be denied his chance to meet his idol. He grabbed her gently by the arm and attempted to pull her back close to him.

"Wait," he said "don't go! We have so much to talk about! Like did you know my left ear is double jointed? Or that I can burp the alphabet? Or that I have a birthmark that looks EXACTLY like Abe Lincoln? Is it true what they say about you and Beast Boy? Say...would you go to prom with me?" Raven merely looked on with horror as she stammered to find an excuse, ANY excuse to ditch this guy.

"I'll...I'll tell you what. Why don't I just call you? How does that sound?" she finally managed to croak. The obsessive boy nearly fainted at her response.

"Oh seriously! OHMYGAWD, that would be terrific! Ok...well, my number is 555-7337! But don't call after 9 PM because Mom is in bed and she gets angry if the phone wakes her up." Raven merely nodded having absolutely zero intention of ever calling him and the sooner she could go home and mediate to forget about all of this, the better.

She didn't bother to wait to for him to say anything further, as she soon disappeared in a sudden wave of black energy, all though she didn't go very far at all. Instead, she merely teleported to the other side of the arcade where Starfire was in the middle of a heated Dance Dance Revolution game, a large bucket next to her over flowing with yellow tickets.

Starfire soon finished her game and earned a well deserved 2nd place, with first place belonging to the initials GAR L. She wiped the sweat from her brow as she smiled broadly at seeing Raven. "Raven! I trust you are having a good time?" she asked. Raven shook her head.

"Star, we have to get out of here...NOW!", her voice starting to lose it's normal calm monotone. Starfire looked puzzled.

"What is the problem, dear friend? You look as if though you have seen a Glarfnarg worm." Raven simply grabbed Starfire by her slender shoulders to drive her point home.

"What I just saw was a thousand times worse than any "worm" you may have seen. Let's just get to the food court and go home, ok?" Starfire nodded solemnly.

"I understand. Might I at least request the chance to play one more game of skill? I am a mere 50 tickets away from my goal!" Raven let out an exasperated sigh (she found herself doing this more and more as the day went on) and just nodded weakly.

"Fine. ONE game." Starfire gave her friend a quick hug of thanks and made her way to the last game...Test Your Strength.

The game itself had a large rubber pad attached to a sensor spring. The harder someone punched, the more tickets they were to receive. Starfire obviously knew the full extent of her alien strength, but had made the assumption the machine was capable of withstanding such abuse.

She was wrong.

The crimson haired beauty wound up and swung her dainty fist towards the pad, it all playing out in terrifying slow motion to Raven, who's cries of "Stop!" fell on deaf ears. As soon as Star's knuckles made contact, the machine caved in on itself, busting in half, sending a shower of tickets in the air, like a ticker tape parade. As the people in the arcade scrambled towards the tickets to eagerly add them to their own bounties, as if free money was being given out, Raven massaged her temples, trying to soothe her frayed nerves.

"Did...I win?" Starfire asked innocently. Raven just continued to massage her temples. Starfire counted her remaining 50 tickets and made her way to Raven, when she immediately noticed her friend seemed to be having a bad experience. "Is everything alright, friend Raven?" Star inquired. As if in response, a Pac Man machine next to Star became illuminated with black energy before exploding, sending quarters all over the arcade.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling long and slow, Raven simply stated "I think we need to leave."

The two Titans made their way to the counter to exchange Starfire's coupons for the stuffed unicorn. The frightened boy behind the counter, whom Raven guessed was no older than 16, handed Starfire the stuffed unicorn with a trembling hand.

"P-p-please..." he stammered "t-t-take it...just don't break any more stuff!" Starfire blushed and said a quick thank you before making her way the arcade, twirling the unicorn in her arms.

"Oh what a glorious animal you are! I shall name you Horsey!"

Raven felt her stomach growl. She normally didn't get this hungry, but a lack of tea and the stress of nearly blowing up half the arcade had wore her out and made her hungry.

"C'mon Star, let's get that food I promised you before we wind up destroying half this mall"