Robin was up quite early, cheerily fixing himself some breakfast. Almost done with an omelette, he heard a soft but persistent beeping coming from their security system. Quirking a brow in question, he walked to the control pad next to the front door to see what the problem was. It wasn't anything too troublesome, otherwise the Titans alarm would be blaring.

Just a delivery. Robin was a bit hesitant ever since the mishap with the Puppet King, but he opened the door to get the package anyway. It was rather large, enclosed in a dark brown box. Robin grunted as he picked it up, having a rough time getting it to the kitchen.

'Ugh...if Beast Boy bought one hundred pounds of tofu again, I'm gonna kill him...' grouchily thought the Boy Wonder as he set it down on the kitchen table. It was only then that he noticed the small, innocent label that sent a shock through his system.

It read:

To: Raven from Titans Tower

From: Arts & Crafts Inc.

Robin blinked, then read it again. It said the same thing. Scratching his head, he was debating what to do with it. He knew he should give it to Raven straightaway, but his ever-so-strong curiosity was dying to rip it open. His hands twitching, all too eager to get their hands on the package. But Robin had an unyielding will, and took a deep breath to gain control over himself. He /was/ going to give it to Raven. Right now.

With a sigh he hefted the box onto his hands, trying to peer around it so he wouldn't run into anything on his way to Raven's room.

-----------------

Raven was sitting in her room, enjoying a rather dreary book. It was going to be like any other day- she locks herself up in her safe haven, the others leave her alone for the most part, she tolerates their presence for dinner...

Her heart stopped.

The Artist's Paper was arrived today. How could she have forgotten?

Her book dropping, forgotten, to the floor, she leapt like a jackrabbit on springs from her bed. Not even bothering to use the door, she phased through it using her powers unconsciously, all thoughts toward reaching that delivery before anyone else. She could only imagine what might happen if the others opened it- it /was/ illegal to open mail that isn't yours, right? But they'd do it anyway- she could never trust them again- they'd be pestering her about her new artistic interest until she had to give it up altogether...

She was too late.

Down the hallway, she spotted a struggling Robin trying to prevent himself from tottering over. He was swaying like a drunken man, stumbling toward her room. He was mumbling curses under his breath, trying to keep his balance. Raven's eyes widened, zooming down the hall to reach him before he tripped.

Robin thought he had it under control for a while, until he got to this corridor. For some reason it seemed heavier than it had before, probably because he had been carrying it for so long now. Suddenly, his legs tangled up in themselves, he was falling haphazardly to the floor. Grimly bracing for impact since he couldn't stop the fall with the box, he grimaced- Raven would murder him for damaging her package.

Reaching out a hand, Raven hurriedly wrapped both Robin and the delivery within her powers, the Boy Wonder's form covered in a black aura. Blinking, Robin realized Raven had stopped his descent, but was unable to see her from his current position.

"Thanks, Raven." gratefully stated Robin as Raven approached him, levitating the box to her own hands. She released Robin without an afterthought, letting him finish his fall to the comfortably carpeted floor.

Now sprawled out on the ground, Robin growled softly before pushing himself to his knees, watching Raven slip back into her room without a sound. He had to smile at her utter obsession with privacy- it was amusing she didn't even give him a simple thank-you. Brushing himself off as he got to his feet, he was wracking his brain for any thoughts on Arts & Crafts Inc.. It sounded so familiar, it was on the tip of his tongue, he just couldn't place it...

Then it hit him as suddenly as the stench from the laundry.

The infomercial from last night that Beast Boy mocked. It said something...Robin closed his eyes in concentration...the Artist's Papers! It was most likely she had gotten the professional artist's papers. To draw or paint on.

He was awfully proud that he had figured out the mystery of the package (or, at least made an educated guess), and wondered how he could talk to Raven about it without it seeming like he had invaded her privacy. Bringing a hand to his chin in thought, he turned and began to trot back to the living room.

--------------

Raven inspected the box as she brought it into her room, making sure it showed no signs of being tampered and/or opened. Though she knew she could trust Robin more than the rest of the Titans, it never hurt to be sure.

Satisfied that Robin hadn't taken a peak, she set the package on her bed. Using her powers to cut it open, she gratefully pulled out the stacks of thick, rich artist canvas. It had even come with it's own art stand, so she could paint while sitting in a chair. She couldn't help but let pass a faint, ghost-like smile as she felt the edges of the canvas with her fingers, feeling the rough exterior.

She was a bit wary, having never tried to express herself like this before. What could the results be? This could be a new way to help her control her powers. Or it could be a new way to send them spiraling out of control...

Taking a breath, she decided to take the risk. Pouring a part of herself into the canvas and stand, she levitated them both to the far left corner of her room, setting them up with ease. She slowly walked over to them, cautiously, as if approaching a lion. She was about a foot away when she remembered the one, tiny thing she had forgotten.

A paintbrush.

Even a pencil would do. The canvas was versatile enough to allow any tool to create art on it, but Raven didn't have a single pen in her room. She frantically turned her bed upside-down to find any signs of pencils or brushes, to no avail. She felt like clawing her eyes out. NOW she has to buy paintbrushes. Why was this so difficult? Maybe she should just give it up altogether...

--------------------

Robin was in the kitchen, cooking some soup for Beast Boy and him. The shapeshifter and him hadn't been bonding much lately, and he felt they needed to have a little one-on-one chat. Robin got irritated by Beast Boy often enough, but he knew that it was just his personality. He could live with it.

But Robin wasn't thinking about Beast Boy. He was thinking about Raven. He was thinking about the flash of fear in her eyes when he almost dropped her package. He was thinking about her facade's relief when she had the Artist's Papers safe and sound. She cared about that canvas. She cared about it so much that he felt that he should be a part of it somehow. He wanted to help. But he knew that any direct confrontation with Raven about her new hobby would result in her growing ever-distant, resenting ever taking painting up. So he had to be subtle, and not invasive or pushy at all. But...how could he help?

"Um, dude? You're burning the soup." Beast Boy remarked from behind the counter, quirking a brow at the Boy Wonder.

Robin blinked as he stopped daydreaming, watching the soup turn a murky brown. Turning off the stove, he grinned sheepishly to Beast Boy.

"Want to get some pizza?" he suggested, putting the pot in the sink. Beast Boy grinned and leapt off the chair.

"Thought you'd never ask."