A/N: Someone asked about Zacroma's character design, well here it is: She's got short, wild hair all about her head with varying colors (currently its magenta), she's fairly skinny, like Starfire, and likes to dress in spunky clothes, mostly showing off her graceful curves. The colors usually match her hair, but sometimes she likes to get wild. She's got big eyes, whose color also varies with her mood (contacts), and all different kinds of voice tones. That enough for you? Good!
Also, someone asked about the 'apocalypse' scene back at the end of chapter 1, if you'll look back around the beginning of chapter 10 of 'Spellbinder', you'll get it.
XD Muahaha! New page break! I win!
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
" 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.
This it is, and nothing more."
-The Raven, By Edgar Allan Poe
XD
"But, that can't be possible, can it?" Raven asked, "That I would just die for no reason…?"
"Die?" Rorek suddenly looked surprise, "No, no, that's not what I meant, I meant that your, well your purity might die. You might not be able to push back your demon side. See, death has many, many different meanings, and a dead garden could pertain to just about anything. Gardens are usually full of flowers and beauty, it could mean that something will destroy you in such a way that your beauty becomes lost. But a garden can always be cleared away and re-planted with even more beautiful flowers, they don't have to stay dead." He assured her.
"And if it really means that I could die any day now?" She asked him.
"Nothing is straightforward, remember? Even the image of a human skull could mean something other than outright death. But, I suppose we should consider everything. And if that were the case the dream would be warning you against something. Maybe warning you that your demon side will kill you if you're not careful." He explained. "But just to die for no reason probably won't happen. If you were full demon and had been purified, you would surely have died. But that is called exorcism I think, and you were the one who continually strove for cleansing. The only reason you would suddenly die, that I can see, is because you're demonic blood can't handle the cleansing. But if that were the case, you'd already be dead. So I don't think these gardens mean your death, exactly. Or even death at all." He told her.
"Alright, but do you think these dreams are telling me something important enough to warn the others?" She asked.
Rorek shook his head, "No, I don't think there's a need, yet anyway. It just depends on exactly what else appears." He said.
"What about…" Raven swallowed hard. She hated bringing this up, she hated even thinking about it because it made her feel so weak, but if she was going to understand these dreams, a vital detail like this couldn't be left out just because of her pride. So she took a deep breath, "What about the fact that I can't keep myself from crying every time I wake up?" She got out.
"Oh…I had, forgotten about that." He said, looking a little discomforted by this. "You said…it was like the emotion was being fed into you? Right?" She nodded, "The perhaps, perhaps it isn't your emotion, it could be someone else's, someone who might be connected to these dreams in some way." He told her.
"That could be possible. It doesn't feel like my own emotions…maybe there's someone who needs my help. And soon." Raven said.
"There could be, but we don't have enough information to go by. For now," He said, getting up, "You might want to let yourself dream every other night, and continue taking notes. I'll leave you to your meditation." He said.
"Alright, thanks Rorek." Raven said gratefully. Both because he'd helped her, and because he was giving her some time alone.
"My pleasure." He said before closing the door behind him.
"Coward." A mocking voice suddenly snorted.
Rorek rounded, eyes flaming with a sudden fury. "I'll show you coward!" He hissed, grabbing his darker half by the neck and throwing him down the stairs.
"Bring it, sissy!" Malchior spat, gathering himself up for combat. Rorek lunged at him in retaliation.
XD"I got a raiiiiiise!" Beast Boy's voice sang, practically throughout the entire tower.
"Good for you." Raven said airily from her book.
"Hey! You're no longer allowed to be sarcastic, you're a nice person now!" Beast Boy exclaimed defiantly.
Raven just gave him a small smirk and narrowed her eyes. The next moment he was a mouse. "Not really." She said.
"You're not suppose to be able to do that anymore either!" Beast Boy exclaimed, gathering himself up from the floor.
Malchior suddenly burst out laughing, "I remember teaching her how to do that too!" He exclaimed.
"Then you won't mind if I put all the blame upon you." Beast Boy said, getting in his face with a narrow-eyed look.
Malchior just gave him a haughty smirk, "You can, but I'd like to see you try doing something about it." He said, giving the changling's forehead a very powerful flick of his fingers.
"OWE!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"What book is that, friend Raven?" Starfire asked, looking over Raven's shoulder.
"It's Edgar Allan Poe." Raven answered.
"Poe? Hm, I think I remember that name, very disturbed man I believe. Is that a biography?" Malchior asked, coming over behind the couch so he could peek.
"No, it's his complete works of poetry and prose." Raven answered, sweatdropping.
"You mean they're actually still being sold? I don't believe it! Oh well, you humans can be so odd when it comes toliterary tastes." The dragon said.
"Has anyone seen the remote!" Cyborg suddenly yelled, running into the living room.
"Hey Cy! Guess what! I got a raise!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Help me find the remote!" He yelled.
"Why can't you just press the buttons on that TV screen thing? As far as I have learned, they do the same thing as the 'remote' buttons." Malchior asked.
"THANK YOU!" Raven yelled.
"Shut up." Cyborg grumbled.
"You're welcome, but what did I do?" Malchior asked.
"I keep trying to tell him the same thing, and yet he insists upon having the remote." Raven answered.
"I said shut up! You can't watch TV without a remote! Those buttons are just there as evil sales people trying to get you to buy into their illusions!" Cyborg declared.
"If the TV had an illusion upon it, I think I would be able to tell." Malchior said.
"I'M USING A METEPHOR!" Cyborg yelled. Malchior couldn't keep himself anymore, he started snickering. "Oh so that's how it is, is it? Well two can play at that game. Yo mama was so fat she causes an eclipse wherever she goes!" He said.
"For one, that is no insult as my mother abandoned me before I even hatched. And for another, yes she could probably create an eclipse on this world, but not because she's fat." Malchior said.
Cyborg was at a loss for words for a moment, "You know what! Whatever!" He said, he then turned to look for the remote somewhere else. "Dragons." He muttered.
Malchior turned to Raven, "Machines." He said with the same voice, though with a more sighing tone to it. Raven couldn't stop the snicker that escaped her lips.
"No one cares about me." Beast Boy pouted.
"I do!" Zacroma came up.
"Really?" he asked, hopefully.
"Sure!" She said.
Beast Boy got on one knee, holding Zacroma's hand in his, "Zacroma, will you marry me?" He asked.
"Okay!" She answered cheerfully.
Beast Boy then stood back up, put his hand around Zacroma's waist, and the two marched off like a happy couple, even though Zacroma was a little over a head taller than he was. "Bye guys! Zacroma and I are off to get married!" Beast Boy called.
Everyone heard that.
"SAY WHAT!" Cyborg, Robin, Starfire, and even Rorek cried, all seeming to appear in the living room at the same time.
Raven couldn't hold it this time. She burst out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, causing everyone to look at her. Then Beast Boy and Zacroma fell to the floor in their own bawls of laughter.
"That's not cool, man." Cyborg said in irritation.
"Yeah, you shouldn't joke like that." Said Robin, who was clearly fighting against his own fit of laughter with all his might.
"Oh, so they were joking. Well that's good." Malchior said. It was probably either the way he said it, or that it was said, but suddenly no one seemed to be able to hold their laughter. Even Rorek found humor in their little prank.
BWEEEP BWEEEEP BWEEEEEEP!
"Aw maaaaan! And we were having so much fun too." Beast Boy complained.
"Titans, let's move!" Robin ordered. Everyone ran for the door, everyone save Malchior, who was just sort of standing their, looking airy.
"Malchior!" Raven called.
"Heel boy!" Zacroma added. Malchior twitched, and Zacroma began to run. Which was a good idea as the dragon now seemed to be after her blood.
"Get back here so I can strangle you!" He cried.
Raven let out a sigh. Once again feeling as though she was the only sane person on the entire team.
XDThe Titans (and Malchior) circled the building where a robotic mob boss had been discovered. They had several hostages and were demanding a ransomed for their safe return. The police didn't look too thrilled that they were there, of course. But there was nothing they could do. Well, they couldn't do anything about the mob boss either, heheh.
"So what's the plan?" Beast Boy asked over the communicators.
"Let's demolish the place and send their remains to prison." Malchior said over Raven's shoulder.
"Hahaha, no." Robin responded.
"Is it just me, or do you keep following me?" Raven asked him.
"Both, actually." He answered grinning.
"Alright, Raven, you and Rorek split up and find the hostages. Once we know they're safe the rest of us will attack. Got it?" Robin asked.
"Right." She answered, putting the communicator away. She flew into the air, making sure none of the windows had a good view of her, and extended her senses to find the best place to enter the building. She phased through the wall of an unoccupied room, and glided gently to the door, making sure that she would be able to feel the emotions of anyone nearing. And hear them as well.
"'The coast is clear' I believe would be the phrase."
Raven wheeled around, "Malchior!" She hissed in a whisper, "What are you doing?"
"I'm following you of course. What? You're surprised?" He questioned.
Come to think of it, she wasn't. "Just be quiet, alright?" She whispered. "We can't let them know we're here."
"There aren't any humans around." He said. He then pulled down his scarf and took a good whiff of the air. "In fact I don't think there are any on this floor at the present moment."
"Alright good, where are they all?" She asked.
"Can't tell, but I think they're lower." He answered.
"Alright, let's find some stairs." She said, phasing through the wall, Malchior following her of course.
They found the stairs and glided down them silently, both straining their ears (and Malchior his nose) for signs of human, or robotic, life. They had gone down to the first story, which did have humans in it, but not the humans they were looking for.
"Lets grab one and interrogate him." Malchior whispered.
Raven leered at him, "The 'interrogations' of your time often involved torture." She whispered.
"My dear Raven, they revolved around torture." He said. Raven sweatdropped. "Someone's coming." He said.
Raven pressed her back to the wall, expecting Malchior to do the same so that they might go unnoticed unless the men were headed for this hall in particular, but he didn't, instead he grabbed the man the instant he was in reach, like a spider snatching his pray from his hiding spot. He made sure to cover the man's mouth and crush his gun in his hand. He then pulled out an odd little implement that Raven had never seen before and made sure to show it to the guard.
"You know what this does? No, you don't, and you don't want to know what this does, trust me. So if you do not want to find out what this does the hard way, I suggest you tell us, in a very quiet voice, where you are keeping the hostages." He said in a very smooth, dangerous voice.
Raven smacked her hand to her face. Why me? She thought to herself.
The guard, thoroughly freaked out, relented all the information he had, while still staring at the wiry object in Malchior's hand. There was apparently an underground base where, not only they were keeping the hostages, but their boss friend was hanging out, prepared to escape using a shuttle when he got his money. Under the, "If you're lying I will hunt you down and find you." Threat, he told them where the secret door was, how to open it, and what to do in order to turn off the security. Afterwards Malchior wound a spell around him, and then dropped the man on the ground like a heap of dead weight.
"What is that thing?" Raven whispered as they entered into another empty room.
"This?" Malchior held up the odd implement, "This is the result of Zacroma being very frustratingly inept at cooking, I think that was once a spoon, and this was called a whisk at one point in time." He explained.
Raven sweatdropped.
They pressed their ears to the floor, extending their senses to try and make sure no one was below, and then they phased through the ground. "There's suppose to be a switch somewhere in the control room, right?" Malchior whispered, edging towards the corner.
"That's what he said."
"What's a 'control room'?" He questioned.
"It will have a lot of buttons and TV screens." She answered.
"They can't use a remote?" Raven let out a quiet snort of laughter in response. But then they both had to be silent because of the men walking their way.
"Hey Raven? How's it going in there?" A voice asked from her communicator, just as the guards were passing by their hall.
"What tha—sound the al-AAAAAH!" Malchior was on the two of them before either of them could get more than a few words out. He grabbed them by the necks and crack.
Raven's eyes widened at the sickening sound, and she stared as the two men, now corpses, fell to the ground. "Raven? Raven?" Robin called again.
"We're doing fine, but you nearly got us caught!" She responded, ending the session. "Malchior!" She suddenly hissed.
"What?" He demanded, "I thought we didn't want everyone to know we were sneaking in."
"No we don't! But we, don't, kill!" She hissed, "Why didn't you just put them to sleep again!"
"Instincts, they startled me. Besides, I did put them to sleep, in a way." He answered. "And I, do, kill." He said without a hint of remorse.
Raven glared at him menacingly, "Not if you want to stay with u—" Bang!
"Raven!" Malchior cried, catching her as she fell.
It started as an unbearable pain in her shoulder, and became a source of fire running through her entire left arm. Hot blood began to pour out of the wound as she used her magic to take the bullet out. She barely heard the gloating of the guard who had caught them from behind. Malchior set her down gently and then ran after him in a blind rage, the guard tried to shot him, but the bullets seemed to barely dent the dragon's armor.
Raven forced herself to sit up, leaning her back against the wall as she tried to stop the blood flow with her hand. Her left arm laying useless on the ground next to her. Her communicator beeped again, this time it was Rorek, "I've found the prisoners! They're all safe and sound."
"Great! Okay Titans, let's move!" Robin said.
"The main base is underground," Rorek said, "Where are you right now, Raven?"
Malchior suddenly came out of nowhere and grabbed the communicator, "She's currently about to pass out from blood loss, thanks to Wonder Boy, so we'll be headed back to the tower!" He snapped. He then pocketed the object and knelt down beside her.
"I think I'll be alright." She said, trying to get up. But he forced her back down.
"I agree with you, but not unless you move as little as possible and let me take you back without a fuss." He said. He ripped off a piece of her cloak and started wrapping it around her shoulder. He then gently stroked where the wound was, dark glitter seemed to rub from his fingers and into the cloth, causing it to gray a bit. "That'll keep more blood from escaping. Come on."
"Raven? What's wrong with Raven! Is she alright!" Rorek's worried voice came from the communicator.
"She'll be fine if you would shut up and stop giving away our position!" Malchior snapped, unable to turn off the object because Raven was occupying his arms.
Raven awkwardly reached for the communicator on his belt and held it to her mouth, "I'm live, you just worry about the hostages." She told him.
"Right." He responded.
The alarm for the building went off all around them, signaling that the other Titans had entered and were probably ramming their way through the place. "I guess that's our cue to leave." Malchior said. He phased through the ceiling and walls until he was outside.
Raven's strength was returning, but her energy was lessening just as much. Whatever Malchior had done, it was, if nothing else, numbing the pain of her wound in return for her strength. So she was barely aware of what was going on around her. It seemed Malchior was arguing with someone about being in control of the situation. Her consciousness was leaving her as Malchior flew into the air.
"Perhaps if we took some of the sun-soaked soil from above they won't die."
"What's the use? Everything I care for dies, it doesn't matter what we do."
"Don't give up hope. Keep trying, you can—"
"Raven? Can you sit up for a moment?" Asked a distinctly familiar voice.
Raven opened her eyes, gently this time. Had she been asleep? Suddenly she sat up with a gasp, "M-my notepad!" She exclaimed. Malchior instantly shoved it into her hand along with a pen and she began swiftly to scribble the distinct things she had remembered from her dream. Keeping something from dying with sun-soaked soil, inability to keep something alive with care, don't give up hope, keep trying. The last part seemed to have been cut off, but she probably had a good deal there.
It was strange, though, she felt no pain, no immense sorrow from that dream. She wasn't bursting into tears like she sometimes was. And she saw those eyes again, those blue, green-rimmed eyes. But this time they were older, wise, and definitely gentle. Whose voice did those eyes belong to though? She couldn't remember, in fact she was beginning to loose the memory of what the voices sounded like.
"Can I see?" Malchior asked. She wrote the eyes down swiftly and handed it to him. "…Interesting…" He mused, looking oddly confused. He muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'drawlies'.
"What?" Raven asked.
"Hm? Oh, nothing, just thinking to myself. Anyway, I need to properly bandage that wound of yours." He told her, manually taking her cloak off from around her shoulders. "I think this is pretty much ruined anyway." He said.
"So is the bodysuit. Lucky I have more costumes." Raven muttered as he unwrapped the makeshift bandage. She pulled the spandex of the neck down to expose the wound and skin.
"Indeed, I need you to get your arm out of here." He said.
"Why can't you just bandage it up like this?" She asked him, feeling a little nervous.
"Because I want to see you half-naked." He answered bluntly.
ZAP! Malchior was flung off the bed and nearly hit the floor by the force of the lightning bolt from Raven's gem. He gathered himself back up, rubbing his bruised cheek, "Okay, maybe I deserved that." He said, not looking at all sorry though.
"Just bandage it!" She snapped.
"Alright, but I really do need you to take the sleeve off, Love." He told her. He then grabbed it and began trying to pull it down, with her fighting of course. "I am continuously being amazed by the ingenuity of your society, this fabric, for instance, is quite extraordinary. I wonder how far it can actually stretch before it will finally rip. Well I suppose that answers my question." He said, practically pealing off the now severed sleeve from her arm.
"You know, I might have been able to mend the bullet hole, but you just had to ruin it beyond repair, didn't you?" Raven snapped, holding her arm to her, trying her best to keep him from seeing it.
"Hnhn, so I did." He suddenly took her arm away from her, and then placed a kiss upon a particularly ugly scar that was there.
Raven froze, her stomach seemed to be jumping into her throat while her heart thumped in her ear. He, he knew, he knew they were there…but how? Had he seen her? Had he watched as she did that to herself? Raven's eyes were beginning to water as he continued to plant gentle kisses upon the wounds that had been put there by her own hand.
He finally stopped when it felt as though he had kissed every scar and began using a cloth (he, of course, got from nowhere) to clean off her wound. "I think I have some antibiotics in there." She said, pointing to her dresser.
"Some anti-whats?"
"Healing chemicals." She answered.
"Oh, alright." He said, going over to the dresser.
"Bottom left drawer." She told him. He bent down to look in the designated drawer, "It's a white box with a red cross on it." She told him.
"Odd." He muttered, taking out the box and coming back over to her.
She opened it up and took the alcohol. "Use this." She told him.
He took the bottle and opened it, "It smells like alcohol." He said.
"It is, it kills bacteria, which is the organism that causes infections in wounds." She explained.
"Hm, and here I thought solders were crazy for using it." He mused, dabbing the cloth with it.
Once the wound had been treated and wrapped, Malchior put the box back in her dresser drawer. "I think I'll be alright n—" She started to say, but after coming back over to her bedside Malchior suddenly pressed his lips to hers, apparently unwilling to completely finish just yet.
Gently, he pushed her back into her pillows, massaging her lips with his own and exploring her mouth with his tongue. She didn't push away, instead she slipped her good arm around his neck and pulled him closer. He began stroking her bare arm gently, caressing those shameful scares. It brought back the emotion she had felt only a few moments ago, tears seemed to seep from her eyes in tiny streams. She tried to stop them by drowning them in the kiss.
When they broke apart Malchior whipped her tears away with a gentle finger, "My sweet Raven, I want to heal the scars you continue to carry from all those months ago, I want you to be mine and only mine, I want Rorek to vanish so that we can be together without him. But I know this is a selfish wish, in a way. It would be unfair to you, and to myself I suppose. But, Raven, Sweet Raven, I want to be the one to heal these wounds, I don't want Rorek to do it for me." He whispered.
He then pulled down the other half of her sleeve so that the collar went down a lot lower than she was comfortable with, but before she could pull it back up he pressed his lips to her upper chest, the space where her heart would be. Her resistance relaxed slightly, that is until his tongue found its way to the space between her breasts. She grabbed his neck with her good hand and forced it a good length away from her so she could glare at him.
"Malchior." She growled in warning.
He gave her one of his charming smiles, "Hnhn, sorry Love, but dragon or not, I am, after all, male." He chuckled.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Yes you are, but you know what Starfire's magazine says is one of the only things a male is good for?" She asked.
"Breading I hope." He said. She released his neck in favor of smacking him.
"No, running errands. Now go get me some tea before I kill you." She said threateningly.
"You're wish is my command." He said, thankfully removing himself from her bed. He then bowed in his 'prince charming' manner and left her room.
"I think I'll kill him anyway." Raven grumbled to herself, twitching.
XDA/N: So, how was that all? Ever have a time in writing where the characters do things you really didn't intend for them to do at first, and then find out that it works? Yeah, happens to me all the time, these characters just seem to write themselves a lot, all I'm doing is herding them along into a reasonable plot-line and setting a bunch of stuff up (Some of which I know they'd kill me for if they ever came to life and found out).
Anyway, someone was asking about putting the events in Birthrite into Spellfire, I don't think it's gonna happen. Trigon's dead, and we all know that the person Slade referred to as 'master' in the end was him, no ifs ands or buts. However, I might put Slade into the picture as becoming an agent of the Blood Clan, with the weird 'S' on his forehead and the fire powers, but that probably won't happen until after I introduce the next big enemy. And I'm gonna stop right there because any more will spoil the surprise and utter shock. Er, okay not really shock but…I'm just gonna shut up now.
Alright, I think that's it, other than a comment about how great the reviews are coming. Keep it up peeps! Love yall!
Ja