Reeducating Miss Roth
A Teen Titans Fan Fiction by Jacob McDonald
Opening notes: So, I know this is like, the third update I've done for this story since I last updated GCC, but I have a good excuse.
I do!
GCC has a lot of converging story lines. It's hard to organize all of them so that they all fit together in the proper time frame. I've worked up something of an outline, and I'm moving forward on it, but until I get to a point where they all come together, it's going to be slow going. Sorry, but those of you that read the Music of Jump City series will just have to wait a little longer. This one is getting interesting now anyhow.
One other point of interest. I've never labeled myself as a shipper. I welcome all pairings in all fanfics with open arms. Lately though... I've broken down. My new favorite pairing is Raven/Speedy. It's happened twice now in my stories. Bla. Can't believe I finally gave in... I feel so weak. :)
Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Teen Titans.
Chapter Five: Attempts
Jinx pulled on her blazer and looked over at Raven as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, "How are we gonna' do this?"
"We can stay with her throughout classes without a problem, but it's going to get trickery when she tries to go do things on her own. One of us will have to stalk her if she sneaks off with Doxon again."
"And how do we go about getting rid of any assassins that show up?"
"Hopefully none of them will make it past Beast Boy and Robin, but if any do, we'll have to do our best to take care of them with no one knowing any better."
"Right." Jinx frowned, "I think I can do that."
"Good." Raven walked to the door, then paused and turned back, "And Jinx?"
"Yeah?"
"No killing." she gave her blonde haired friend a meaningful look, then walked off.
Jinx stood in the same spot she was in for a long time, then sighed. Looking over at the still drying painting of herself, she smiled a weak smile, "Yeah... not a problem..."
Wednesday: 08:34 - Just after homeroom
As the students filled the hallway, Raven glance up, sensing a focused, vicious presence. Her eyes fell on a young male who could have passed for a student to anyone else. She placed herself between him and Becka, and started talking to her.
"So, you have Chemistry next, right?"
"Yeah..." Becka sighed.
"You seem distracted."
"I almost got killed last night, Cassie. What do you expect?"
"Don't worry about it. They have the security beefed up, right? Besides, you're inside one of the central most buildings on campus... what could go wrong?"
At that point, the young man was right behind Raven, and she could feel his anticipation growing stronger as he approached Becka. With an inward grin, the black haired Titan jumped forward with a startled gasp. The young man froze as she whirled around to face him, "You bastard!"
"Huh?" she saw him quickly hide the pocket knife he was holding in his pocket.
"You touched my ass! Who the hell do you think you are?"
"I didn't-"
"What kind of a sick pervert comps a cheep feel in the middle of the hallway?" he started to speak again, but she cut him off, "You know what? It's too early for me to deal with this! Just apologize and be on your way."
He was starting to grow angry, "I didn't touch your ass-"
"Liar! Who else could have done it? Do you see anyone else in grabbing distance?"
"I-" She could feel his agitation growing, so she cut him off again.
"I was facing Becka, and I can tell you that I sure as hell didn't grab my own ass!"
He finally snapped, "Look bitch, I didn't grab your ass!"
It was almost criminally easy how quickly she had provoked him. The insult was what she had been looking for, and he had delivered just as she though he would. With a snarl of rage, she swiftly kicked him in the balls. He fell down with a huff and a tiny squeak.
"Fuckin... let's go, Becka."
"R-right." she and the rest of the students who had gathered to watch all started to file away. Soon, only the young man was left gasping in the hall way, trying to pull himself to his feet. A blonde skipped past.
"Hey! You look like you've been kicked in the balls!" she commented cheerfully, and threw a punch into his face as she skipped past him. Catching him as he fell backwards and out of consciousness, she quickly and quietly shouldered his body and dashed to the window at the end of the hall. There, she opened said window and dumped the young man's limp form out.
Down below, a green gorilla caught him, and ran off with him.
Jinx stood up and dusted off her hands. Looking at the clock on the wall, she gasped, "Shit! I'm late for Chemistry!"
Wednesday: 09:20 - The tail end of Chemistry
Jinx yawned hugely as she listened to the instructor drone on about isotopic particles. Listen was of course a loosely used term, because she was actually paying more attention to the large windows that ran the length of the outside wall of the lab they were in. She'd had a bad feeling about them since she'd stepped into the class.
Squinting out the windows past the lawn and out to the back wall, she scanned for any signs of trouble. After the night before, she doubted anyone would use the rear wall as a vantage for a shooting angle any time soon, and especially not in the middle of a sunny morning, but-
Her eyes darted up as a flash caught her attention. Some dunce was sitting on top of the building across the street from the wall, and had forgotten to mask his sight. Amateur mistake. Frowning, she looked for a way to defuse this situation.
"Miss Wrangler? Is there something interesting outside that you wish to share with the rest of the class?"
"Um..." she turned back to the instructor (one Mr. Brogs, who she considered to be the biggest nerd she'd ever met) "Electrical banana?"
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah, you know. It's bound to be the very next faze."
"Miss Wrangler, this is a Chemistry class, not a Golden Oldies discussion group."
"Is there such a thing as a Golden Oldies discussion group?" She picked up her thick book. She was running out of time.
"Maybe. Who knows? Now would you please pay attention?" Brogs looked cross as he turned back to his white board, "Now, who can tell me what this particular..." Jinx tuned him out and glance back over her shoulder in time to see the flashing sight settle. She tossed her book behind Becka's head.
There was a 'tink!' as the bullet popped through the glass, then a solid 'thump!' as it hit the book and stopped, then a loud 'bang!' as the book hit the floor.
Brogs whirled around from the board and glared at her, "MISS Wrangler!"
"Sorry! I dropped it! I'll just pick it up..." she scrambled to pick up her book as he shook his head and turned back to the board. She grabbed it and stood up in time to hold the book over her own chest, taking the second round hard enough to knock her back into Becka. She grinned sheepishly at her friend as she was given an annoyed glare, "Sorry..." she whispered, "Tripped..."
Where the hell was Beast Boy? He should have taken that mook down by now! She glanced outside once again and saw the sight settle again. With a low sigh, she flicked a hand at Becka's lab stool and watched with a frown as one of the legs gave way with a slight crackle of pink energy. The stool toppled over to the side and Jinx reached out with a surprised look on her face and wrapped an arm around her falling friends shoulders, protecting both of them with the heavy book that was still in her right hand.
The third bullet hit the book and they both fell over. Glancing up out the widow amid Brogs's cries of, "MISS WRANGLER!" Jinx was surprised but happy to see Starfire descend from the sky in a hail of starbolts, blasting the gunman away from his weapon. As she untangled herself from Becka, she grinned at the girl, "Not my day, huh?"
"Guess not..." Becka looked back at her stool, "How the heck did that happen?"
"No clue." Jinx lied, then helped her friend get to her feet as the bell rang.
Wednesday: 12:15 - The middle of lunch
Jinx stepped into the girls bathroom off the dining hall and looked about. Becka always came to this bathroom just before lunch ended to fix her makeup (even though they had gym class right after) every day. If an assassin was waiting for her, Raven wanted them found and taken care of before Becka even showed up.
Checking quickly in each stall, Jinx came to the last one and found it closed. Silently, she squatted down and checked under the door. Seeing no feet, she tried the latch. It was locked.
Frowning, she prayed it wasn't a student as she lifted one foot and kicked the door in. Staring back at her from inside the stall, was an athletically built woman dressed in a strange red outfit with a white mask. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a thick plait down her back, and she stood on the toilet holding two long, sharp knives.
"Hey... you look familiar..." Jinx squinted at her and tapped her foot, "Did you teach any classes at the HIVE?"
The woman blinked and replied with a British accent, "I did an informational seminar on advanced personal information retrieval techniques a few years ago..."
"Lady Vic!" Jinx snapped her fingers and pointed with a grin, "I'd remember that accent anywhere! The chick who talks like Jane Seymour and fights like Bruce Lee!"
Lady Vic chuckled, "Yes, yes. I've been told that before."
"So how have you been? Assassination business still booming?"
"Yes, there are always people who want other people dead, and are willing to pay handsomely for it." She smiled, "Though, you should know, if you're here. Is this a HIVE assignment, or are you freelancing?"
"Eh, I'm here on my own. Ten million... who needs the HIVE if I can make that kind of dough."
"Yes, well, I'm afraid we've come to an impasse then."
"Hey! Five million's not bad either if you want to split it!" Jinx held up her hands, "I mean, working together and all..." she trailed off at Lady Vic's smile, "You're so not buying this idea."
"I'm afraid I'll have to kill you as well now... what did you say your name was?"
"Jenny." Jinx replied, "And I might as well come clean and tell you that I'm working for the Titans to make sure Becka doesn't get killed."
"Wha-" Jinx's statement had served it's purposes and distracted Vic long enough for her to get the first punch in. The high society assassin reeled back against the wall from the force of the strong jab, and lost her footing on the toilet seat. She fell down so she was sitting on it, her legs spread out before her and a dazed look on her face.
She wasn't dazed enough not to block Jinx's follow up attack though, and the long knife in her left hand almost skewered the former terrorists right arm.
"Yowch!" Jinx jumped back out of the stall and inspected the tear in her blazer's sleeve, "I've only got two of these, you cow!" she snarled, then ducked and dodged as the blades came at her in a whiling dance of death. Ducking to the other side of the bathroom, Jinx threw a lance of pink energy at one of the sinks Lady Vic was standing next to, and the facet blew off, spraying the assassin with water.
"Witch!" Vic screeched and hurled one of the daggers at Jinx. She ducked it and it embedded it's self in the door behind her. Looking back at it, Jinx whistled out a low note.
"Nice throw." she grinned as she yanked it out of the door and turned back to a now soaking wet Lady Vic in time to slap aside the dagger thrust with her own weapon, "Are these Damascus Blades? They look really sharp..."
"You know your knives, young lady," Vic grunted as she swung at Jinx's head again. Her target ducked and stabbed at her midsection, but Vic twisted out of the way, "But can you handle them as well as I can?"
"Probably not..." Jinx brought her dagger up in time to catch Lady Vic's downward swipe and hold it, "But I don't have to be good with them if neither of us have them!" and with a mighty wrench and a burst of pink energy between them, the daggers went flying into opposite walls and they stumbled apart.
"Now we're more even." Jinx grinned a feral grin and charged in with a low kick. Lady Vic blocked it, but wasn't nearly as fast as Jinx herself was. She caught a sharp uppercut, then Jinx followed through with an open handed strike at her neck.
Vic lifted her right arm and let her gauntlet take the blow.
Jinx stumbled back, waving her hand around, "Ow! Ouchie, ouchie, owwww!" she blew on her bruised hand, "That really smarts!"
"Not as much as this will!" and Vic dropped a double fisted blow across Jinx's head.
Jinx hit the ground and rolled. She was seeing stars and was barely able to keep ahead of a madly laughing Lady Vic's stomping foot. She finally rolled into a stall and pushed up with her hands, regaining her senses as Vic charged in with a punch.
The punch hit the tile behind the toilet, and Jinx grinned as she lashed out with a kick that slammed Lady Vic into the side of the stall. Here, she had the upper hand. She had trained for combat in tight spaces such as a bathroom stall, and she was willing to bet Vic hadn't.
"So, how's it feel to get your ass kicked by a kid, Vicky?" Jinx continued to slam the poor assassin around, punching and kicking with great effect as Lady Vic attempted a weak defense, "Sorry I'm being so rough with you, but you're here to kill one of my friends, and I don't take kindly to that." with a final punch, Lady Vic fell to her knees. Jinx pushed her head down into the toilet and flushed it, making sure the assassin's hair got good and wet.
Whistling a merry tune, Jinx stepped out of the stall and inspected the bathroom. One facet spraying water, a gash in the door, and two long daggers sticking out of the walls. She retrieved the daggers as she inspected the tear in her sleeve, and the wetness of her skirt and blazer from having fallen on the floor, where the water from the broken facet was beginning to puddle.
"Not too bad I guess." She stepped to the door, opened it and glanced around outside. Not seeing anyone in the hall way, she stepped out.
There was a door at the end of the hallway that was labeled as a maintenance room, and she opened it quietly. Stashing the daggers behind a row of cleaning chemicals, she nodded and searched quickly for a sign. Finding one that read 'Out of Order' she grabbed it and placed it on the bathroom door. Nodding at a job well done, she walked back to the lunch room, and managed to sneak past the few remaining people there to make it outside.
She dashed around the side of the building, and jumped up on a dumpster. Quickly pulling herself up to the roof, she ran to the middle and searched the sky around the school grounds. Seeing a green flash, she waved at it.
A few seconds later, Starfire was landing next to her, "Hello, Jinx. It has been almost a week since we last spoke!"
"Sure has. How've you been?"
"Oh, very well, thank you!"
"Did you enjoy your date with Robin?"
"Yes! We had a wonderful time, and we even... well..." she grinned sheepishly and blushed lightly, "That is a private matter I suppose."
Jinx's eyes widened, and then she chuckled, "Wait until I tell Raven this one!"
Star blinked at her, then shook her head, "What is it you require?"
"There's an assassin in the girls bathroom of this building. Think you could retrieve her after lunch is over?"
"Of course. Did you fight her? Were you damaged?"
"Yeah, we had a little dust up, but I'm fine. Nothing a change of clothes and a bit of sewing wont fix."
"Oh, I'm glad." Star smiled warmly at her.
"Why? I'm the expendable troop on this mission, Star."
"Call me Kori." Starfire said as she stepped forward, "And do not undervalue yourself so, Jinx. You are a doing very well, and Robin thinks quite highly of you. Raven has been more... personable lately, and we all feel that you are having a positive effect on her." Star pulled Jinx close and hugged her, "You are a friend now, Jennifer Wrangler... you may as well get used to the idea."
Jinx hugged Star back briefly, then pulled away, "Thanks, Kori. A lot." she smiled, then looked back towards the girls dorms, "I need to get changed. Lunch is just about over now, so you can go down in a few minutes."
"Very well." Star nodded with a grin, "Say hello to Raven for me."
"I will. And thanks again." and Jinx ran off with a grin plastered on her face.
Wednesday: 13:00 - The beginning of gym class
Raven stood next to Rose, a little ways away from the rest of the girls in their class, and stretched with her in preparation for their run.
"So you have limited precognitive abilities," Raven stated, "Is there anything else?"
"I am a natural athlete, and possess slightly higher than usual strength and speed. In the years of my education I've studied with several martial arts masters, and I can finish the New York Times crossword in about two hours."
"That last one's not really a meta ability, but okay." Raven grinned.
"Have you ever tried to do the Times crossword? I guess at half the words and still get them right."
"Freaky." Raven leaned down and stretched her right calf.
"What about you? You're an empath, right?"
Raven nodded, "I've been developing trace amounts of telepathy as well."
"What about your sister? Is she a meta?"
"Jenny? If you count her eyes, yeah. She can see in the dark like a cat."
"That's cool." Rose smiled, "I've never met any others before."
"Well, we're not as impressive as you, but we have our abilities."
Rose nodded, suddenly in a daze. Raven stepped closer to her and touched her arm, "Rose?"
"Hmm? Oh!" she looked at Raven, "I just... there's... ninjas in the bushes over there..." she turned her gaze to the bushes across the track from them, near the back wall of the school grounds.
"Waiting for Becka?" Raven tensed.
"Yes."
"Should we take care of them ourselves, or call security over?"
"I don't know... maybe we should avoid the deadly assassins..."
"Jenny and I can handle it." Raven decided, "Just keep close to Becka, and if any of them get past the two of us, make sure they don't get to her."
"A-alright. Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Raven nodded, "Don't worry about us... we've done this before."
Rose watched Raven trot over to Jinx, wondering at her cryptic parting comment.
"Hey, Jenny!" Raven walked up to where Jinx was talking to Janice and Hanna, "Can I talk to you for a moment?" she looked cross.
"Uh... sure." she waved to her two friends and walked off with Raven, "What's up?"
"Act like I'm bitching at you." Raven whispered, and Jinx instantly took on an affronted look, "Good. There's ninjas hiding in the bushes across the track. When we get over there, still arguing..."
"Shut the fuck up, Cassie!" Jinx said in a loud voice, "Like I would..." she glanced around, seeing several people staring at them. She turned back to Raven with a cross look, and whispered in a harsh tone, "How's that?"
"Good. When we get over there, act like I've just pissed you off an tackle me. Get my shoe off and toss it behind the bushes."
"Okay." Jinx flashed a brief smile, "Bitch."
"Slut."
"Whore."
"I've only slept with one guy, thank you, and he didn't pay a thing."
"Cheep whore."
"Tiny tit."
"Bongo boobs."
"You're too good at this." Raven grumbled as they began to run.
Beast Boy watched Raven and Jinx as they seemed to argue about something and run around the track. He was sitting in a tree near the rear wall in the form of a squirrel, and he frowned his little squirrelly mouth as he saw their argument grow more heated.
As they reached the bushes on the side of the track he was closest too, Jinx tackled Raven. They struggled for a moment, then Jinx got hold of one of Raven's shoes and tossed it into the bushes. She jumped up with a laugh, and dashed off, leaving a cursing Raven behind her.
As Raven quickly got up and marched into the bushes, Beast Boy jumped down from his branch and ran over to her. He wanted to make sure she was alright, and that Jinx wasn't getting out of line.
What he didn't expect was to find her crouching down, hiding from view, with four black clad ninjas wrapped in black energies floating in front of her. Their mouths were covered and she was pulling her shoe back on as they struggled to get loose.
Becoming himself again, he stared at her, "How'd you know-"
"Rose has a limited form of precognition. She 'saw' them, and told me about it."
"Oh. What are we going to do with them?"
"Beat them into unconsciousness and let you drag them away."
"Oh. Okay." and he hauled back a fist.
Raven leaned over the nearest ninja to her, "Have you ever been knocked out before? It's not as benign as it looks. You twitch the wrong way and we're talking permanent brain or spinal damage." His eyes went wide as she too hauled back a fist, "I suggest you go limp."
Wednesday: 17:30 - The Girls Dorms
"We can't keep this up, Robin..." Raven rubbed the bridge of her nose as she spoke to her team leader in the communicator, "Stopping assassins in a manner that wont blow our cover is getting harder by the hour." she opened her eyes and glared at him, "We wont last another two weeks while Cyborg tracks down the money man."
She was sitting on her bed, sprawled out and looking exhausted. Jinx sat on her own bed, staring at Raven as she balanced a pencil on one finger.
"I expect the attempts to drop after the next few days. The ten million reward just went up yesterday, so most of the attempts today were just the third string jokers who think Pullman is an easy score." he shook his head, "We're stepping up our own patrols, and calling in extra help, so hopefully, you wont have to deal with too much more of this."
"What extra help?" Raven narrowed her eyes.
"Titans East is sending over Aqualad and Speedy." Robin replied without flinching.
Raven's eyes darted over to Jinx, who sat up and dropped her pencil. She grinned and winked. Raven turned back to her communicator, "Maybe you should keep Speedy away from the school."
"Why?" Robin arched an eyebrow, "He's just as fast as I am, and almost as stealthy. He's a highly trained crime fighter, Raven."
"Well... um..." she threw caution to the wind, "You remember when we did the Titan Exchange Program?"
"Yeah, you went over there, and we got Aqualad for a week." his eyes narrowed, "Did you develop some kind of bad blood with Speedy?"
"Not exactly... we um... had a brief... thing."
"A thing?" Robin's other eyebrow joined his first, "Like, a romantic thing?"
"There wasn't really any romance, no..." she winced as his face fell to something between a grimace and a laugh.
"And you were ragging on me about sleeping with Starfire!"
"You already know about that?" Jinx threw her hands up, "I was going to surprise you!"
Robin's face grew red, "How did she know about it?"
"Kori told me." Jinx shrugged.
Robin looked embarrassed, "Does she have to tell everyone?"
"Girls talk, Robin." Raven grinned at him, "So yeah... if Speedy and I could avoid contact at all, that'd be great."
"Sorry, Raven, but no." She gaped at him as he shook his head, "I wont jeopardize this mission because of a past relationship. If you two need to hash something out, we can arrange a time for you to talk, but until then, just act professionally."
"But-"
"Pullman's not being protected right now." Robin glared, "You need to get back to work." Raven glared at him and opened her mouth to say something else, but her cut her off, "Robin out." and the line went dead.
"Damnit!" she threw the communicator across the room, and Jinx stuck out a hand and caught it, "Who the hell does he think he is?"
"The team leader?" Jinx said as she placed the communicator back in Raven's jewelry box, "He does give the orders around here."
"The Titans were my idea... this team wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for me!"
"If you're having issues with the leadership of the Titans Raven, you'll have to take it up with Robin after this mission. Becka's more important."
Raven stared at her for a moment, then her eyes softened and she smiled gently, "You really care about her don't you?"
Jinx blinked, then looked away, "I guess. She's become a friend, alright? I look out for my friends."
"Yeah, me too." Raven walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Let's get the girls and go to dinner."
Wendsday: 18:00 - Dinner
"So... has he asked you yet?" Ami grinned and took a bite of her spaghetti as she grilled Becka.
"Who? Asked me what?" the burnet fluttered her eyes in an innocent manner.
Raven and Janice exchanged a glance, and Jinx and Hanna continued to shovel food into their mouths. Ami rolled her eyes and leaned forward, speaking so only the six of them could hear, "Chad! Has he asked you to the dance yet?"
Becka looked around, then grinned, "Just a few hours ago. I said yes like, before he was done asking."
There was a good round of giggling (Raven just rolled her eyes) and then they all calmed down. Hanna looked around, "I'm dateless still. Anyone else been asked?"
Janice giggled, "George Flaskie asked me yesterday, and Nick Lenny asked me today. I turned them both down."
"That'd have been a good call even if you weren't gay." Ami snorted with a little laugh, then sighed, "I'm dateless as well. I'm hoping for an invite sometime next week when the bruises start to fade." she motioned to her face with a frown.
"What about you two?" Hanna turned to Jinx and Raven, "Exotic looking new girls that you are, you must have had like, a billion invites already..."
Raven shook her head, "I'm too standoffish apparently. Boys are scared of me."
Jinx poked her, "We'll see about that."
"I suppose you've had at least five boys want to take you?" Raven sighed as she chomped down on some garlic bread.
Jinx shook her head, "Seven actually. Guess I had more of an effect on those boys I was playing football with than I thought."
"They're just after a hot piece of ass, Jenny. Don't go for 'em." Becka rolled her eyes, "Though, the way you lead them on, I'm not surprised."
"I've given them all a firm 'maybe.'" Jinx replied with a grin, "I figure shopping around is the best policy here."
"So what are we going to do about Cassie?" Ami asked the group in general, "We need to get her a hot boy."
"Cassie isn't going with anyone." Raven replied, "If she goes at all."
"Oh, come on Cass!" Hanna smiled at her, "You know you want to find a cute guy to go with!"
"No, I don't."
Janice spoke up, "Even I go with a date usually. Just as friends, but still."
"I'll go with you then this year. I can be a lesbian for one night."
"Don't tease." Janice shook a finger at her, "You keep that up, and I'll be locking us in your room and doing all kinds of naughty things to you."
"Keep teasing, Cassie." Jinx put in with a grin, "A digital camcorder and twenty minutes of footage later, and I could be raking in the cash from the hornballs on this campus."
"You are not selling sex footage of Janice and I to the campus at large, Jenny." Raven glared.
"Whoa! Did I walk in on the wrong part of that conversation!" They all turned to look at Maggie Delmont as she sat down next to Raven, "Something you two want to tell me?"
"Hey Maggie." Hanna waved, "How's things?"
"Not bad." she arched an eyebrow at Raven, "Well?"
Janice saved her with a bold move, "I'm gay, Cassie's not. I'm just trying to convince her to be my date to the dance."
Maggie blinked, "You're gay? Really?"
"Uh huh." Janice nodded and ate some more noodles.
"Look at you!" Ami punched her shoulder lightly, "Little Miss Confidence! Feels better to get it out in the open, huh?"
"If it'll keep all these boys from asking me out..."
"Why are the hot ones always gay?" Maggie asked with a grin, "That's cool, girl. Way to be yourself."
"Thanks." Janice smiled at her, "So, you need a date?"
"No, I'll be going wall flower again this year." Maggie smiled and winked, "Thanks anyway though."
Jinx pushed her empty tray away from herself, "Alright, Cassie. Let's pick you out a boy."
"Jesus, Jenny, we are not doing this-"
"This was the only way to get you to our Junior Prom, and this is going to be the only way to get you to this dance too. I'll have my way, Cassandra Roth. You know I will."
"Don't bet on it." Raven snorted and finished her dinner, "If that's all ladies, I'll be heading back to the dorm to do some homework. Becka? Care to join me?"
"I'll come if you talk to... Will Mathews. He's kinda' cute, and I think you'll dig him. He's artsy like you are."
"I'm artsy?" Raven arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Like Jan only less lesbian."
"Love you too, Becka." Janice rolled her eyes.
"I'm not talking to a guy who does nothing except debate his own silly philosophical ideas."
"He's not always doing that! He's really nice!" Maggie poked her in the arm, "Go on, Cassie! Just talk to him!"
"I'll talk to him if you ask Gregory Vaugn to the dance."
Maggie's face suddenly blushed bright red, and she looked down at her toes, "Oh, no... I couldn't ask a boy... if he wants to take me, he can ask me, but-"
"You're hot for Greg?" Hanna smiled, "Oh, that's sweet! You two have been friends for ages!"
"Yeah, but..." Maggie looked at Raven's smug expression, and sat up straighter, "You know what? Fine! I'll go ask him right now! And you're going to go with Becka and talk to William Mathews."
Raven rolled her eyes, "Fine. Becka, let's do this."
As the three girls got up and walked off, Jinx rubbed her hands together, "Oh, this is going to be good..." Hanna, Janice, and Ami all giggled with her and then set about hashing out Jinx's options for a date.
"Hey! Will!" Becka walked through a small crowd and Raven followed her. Will Mathews was sitting on the base of the statue of the school's founder out in front of the cafeteria. He was talking to one of his friends, who nodded to him and walked off as the two girls approached him.
"What's up Becka? Chad told me about asking you. Said his hands were shaking the whole damn time."
Raven inspected Will as he and Becka chatted away. He was a taller young man, maybe six feet, and he had a lean, athletic build. She'd seen him from the window of her math class, running laps in his gym class, and knew he kept in shape. He had dark brown hair, and his eyes were a pricing blue. Almost like Robin's, but softer somehow. She suspected that was because he hadn't witnessed the same kind of horrors that Robin had lived through most of his life.
"So... this is Cassie. She's still kind of new here. One week tomorrow." Becka motioned to her and Raven stepped up to him.
"Nice to meet you." she said as she held out her hand. He shook it and smiled at her.
"Likewise." when she didn't smile back he let got of her hand and his grin faltered, "So... um... you liking it here?"
"It's better than West Gotham High, that's for sure." Raven forced a smile to her lips, "Where are you from?"
"Right here in Jump, actually." his smile came back and he bobbed his head, "Born and raised. You're from Gotham?"
She mentally bit her lip. Couldn't really tell him she was from Azarath, could she? "Yeah. The folks thought it was a bit too crazy though, and my step sister and I were getting into too much trouble, so they sent us here."
"Oh, yeah. The blonde with the pink eyes. Everyone's talking about how she totally smeared some of the football players the other day."
"Yeah, she's like that." Raven smiled a genuine smile, "She grows on you though."
"Well hey, I gotta run, but maybe we can hang sometime? Becka was just saying how you like to read, and I usually hit the bookstore on the weekends when they let us out..."
"Yeah..." Raven scanned his emotions quickly and found him to be truly interested, "Yeah, I'd like that. This Saturday?"
"Sure! We'll hammer out the details later." he hopped down from the statue, "I'll see you girls around." he waved with a smile, and Raven and Becka waved back.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Becka grabbed Raven's arm and started dragging her back to the dorms, "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"It's not that I can't talk to boys, Becka, I just don't want to. There are more important things."
"Like grades, and school?"
"Like staying alive... you're not going to go wandering around the city this weekend are you?"
"Cassie, I'm not going to stay locked up here like an animal. We're free to go out on weekends, and I plan on going. I'll be with a group, so don't worry!" she swatted at Raven's arm, "You mother us too much."
Raven sighed. She'd have to talk with Robin about this one.
Wendsday: 23:05 - The girls dorms
Jinx was laying on her back on her bed, trying to make sense of a passage in her English assignment, when there was a tapping at the window. Tossing the book aside, she got up and walked over, opening it and letting a green sparrow hop in. It eyed her for a moment, then became Beast Boy.
"Miss me?" he asked with a grin.
"Not particularly." she shrugged and smiled at him, "What's up?"
He dug around in his pocket, and came up with a folded piece of paper, "This is for Raven."
"You passing notes now, BB?"
"It's not from me."
"Who?"
"Speedy. He's here now."
Jinx made an 'O' with her mouth and lay the note down on the desk, "I'll make sure she gets it."
"You know what it's about?"
"I have a good idea."
"What is it? I didn't know those two had any kind of correspondence."
"If Raven wants to tell you about it, she will."
"Hmph. You're no fun."
"I'm too tiered for this, BB. Think we can chat another time?"
"Sure. Hey, good job by the way. You stopped a lot of assassins today."
"Tell me about it." Jinx rolled her eyes, "Now beat it before Raven comes back and decides to kill you."
"Yeah, yeah." Beast Boy became a sparrow again and flew out the window. Jinx shut it, then turned to the door. Opening it, she walked down to the common area, "Hey, Cassie? Can I talk to you a minute?"
"Sure. I'll be right back, Becka." Raven marked her place in her history text, then set it aside and walked down the hall with Jinx. Once back in their room, she shut the door and turned to her blonde friend, "What's up?"
"Beast Boy just delivered a note." she pointed to the desk and the white piece of paper, "It's from Speedy."
"Oh." Raven glared at it like it might explode, then walked over and grabbed it up. Unfolding it, she let her eyes scan the few words on the page. With a shrug, she wadded it up and tossed it in the garbage.
"What'd it say?" Jinx sounded devious.
"He wants to talk to me tonight at a little past midnight. You'll be on your own for a few minutes tonight."
"Okay." Jinx nodded as Raven walked back out of the room to rejoin Becka. The blonde sorceress rubbed her hands together, "Oh man... this is going to be good!"
Thursday: 00:15 - The roof of the Westmarch Apartments, across the street from WJCIE
There was a wooshing sound as Raven teleported right behind Speedy and he jumped a little as she appeared. He whirled around and panted for breath, "Jesus, Rae! Don't scare me like that!"
"You wanted to see me?" While he was dressed in his standard uniform, she was wearing simple jeans and a black tank top. He took in her curves with a light grin, but when his eyes rested on her face, he sobered up.
"Robin said you wanted to talk to me about something?"
"Robin needs to learn to mind his own business."
"You didn't tell him about us, did you?"
"Nothing specific, but he knows something went on between us last year."
"Great. Just what I need."
"Look, Roy..." she walked over to him and stood close, "It was great, okay? I told you that then, but... I can't..."
"I know. And I understand." he put a hand on her shoulder, "No relationship. Just sex. And just once." he smiled a little, "Though you're probably the best lay I've ever had, so if you want to bend that last rule..."
"Roy..." she gave him a glare and a warning tone.
"Right, right..." he smiled at her, "Though you were getting pretty friendly with that kid that was sitting on the statue earlier."
"You saw that? Christ... Becka's just trying to hook us up for the Valentines Day Dance." she rolled her eyes, "Stupid. I'm not going with anyone."
"If you change your mind on that, Roy Harper just might be in town if you need a date."
"Yeah, that'd be almost as thrilling as bringing Dick Grayson..."
"Dick would freak if you asked him to be your date."
"And Kori would kick my ass. You know they're sleeping together now?"
"No way. Dick actually got over his stupid fear of commitment and went out with her?" Raven nodded and Speedy crowed with laughter, "That's great! Can't wait to rib him about it."
"Rib away. He deserves it after setting us up like this."
"You want me to stay clear of the school, don't you?"
She sighed, "I guess not. Just... don't expect any repeat action now that you're out here."
"Aw, now that's no fun."
"Roy, really, it's just not a good idea to-" she was cut off as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. His lips found hers and he kissed her gently. She melted into him, and something inside of her bubbled up.
A nearby smoke stack exploded, and she wrenched herself away from him. Her eyes were wide and filled with shock, and he was confused by the sudden fear she was radiating.
"Rae? What's wrong?" he reached for her again, but she jerked back and brought her own hand up, slapping him across the face. Her features twisted into furry as she glared at him.
"How dare you?" she whispered, "Don't think you can just come out here and make me start feeling things and expect this mission to go off without a hitch!" he took another step closer, opening his mouth to speak, but she cut him off with a hiss, "Don't you come near me! Just... stay away from the school!" and with that, she melted down into the black portal that opened at her feet.
Speedy just stared at the spot she'd been moments before and sighed, "Way to go, Roy."
Back in the dorm room, Raven appeared and immediately stripped off her clothes. Climbing into bed wearing just her tank top and her underwear, she curled up into a ball and fought down the emotions roiling inside of her.
What were all of these feelings? She knew what love was like, since she cared deeply for all of her friends, but this was... something else. She had wanted that kiss, and feeling his soft lips on hers, it had made her feel like... something she shouldn't feel.
Running a hand across her face, she was surprised to find it coming away wet. She was crying? But why? What the hell was she feeling that was making her cry?
"Cassie?" Jinx mumbled from the bed across the room, "Are you back?" she sounded sleepy, "Hey, Cassie?" the blonde sat up as she heard a sniff, "Are you crying?" she sounded shocked.
"No, Jenny. Go back to sleep."
"You are! What did Speedy say to you? Oh, I'll kick his ass, that son of a-"
"Jenny..."
"He's gonna pay for hurting my sister-"
"Jenny..."
"I'll castrate the mother fuc-"
"I'm in love with him, Jenny."
There was ringing silence in the room for a moment, then Jinx spoke again in a strangled voice, "What?"
"I'm in love with him. I'm feeling all these new emotions that... one is romantic love, and the others are... lust... concern... and... sorrow?"
"Raven... Cassie, what are you saying?" Raven couldn't see in the dark as well as Jinx could, but she made out the shape of the other young woman as she crossed the darkened room and sat down on Raven's bed.
"I'm... saddened that I can't really tell him... that it'll just throw my powers out of control if I try to... love."
"Oh... Cassie..." Jinx scooted over and crawled under the covers with her. She wrapped her arms around the other girls head and pulled her down to her chest, "Just go ahead and cry. You know you want to."
"I do... I just don't know why..."
"It's called heartache. You'll get that when you're in love."
"I don't like it." Raven sniffed and cuddle up to her not-step-sister.
"No one does, Cassie... no one does..."
Thursday: 06:12 - The girls dorms
Jinx opened her eyes slowly, letting the dull gray light of dawn wash into her sensitive optics. She sat up and stretched, looking around when she found she wasn't in her own bed.
Raven sat next to her, leaned against the wall, staring out the window. Her violet eyes were puffy from all the crying she had done, and her hair was a mess of black strands.
"Did you sleep at all?" Jinx asked as she sat up the rest of the way.
"A little." Raven didn't turn her gaze away from the window, "Last night... you called me Cassie. And you called me your sister..."
Jinx smiled weakly, "Sorry... I just... it's what I call you most of the time, and it just came natural when I was half awake, so-"
"Thanks, Jenny. I mean it." Raven finally looked at her and smiled a weak smile of her own, "I so don't want to go to class today."
"What do you want to do?" Jinx asked tenderly with an arched an eyebrow.
Raven sighed, "I want to find Speedy, yank off his mask, stare at his beautiful blue eyes for a few hours, then make love to him again. Then I want to tell him how much I love him, and that my powers will never act up like they did last night, and nothing else will explode, and my Father wont have a better chance at entering this dimension, and that we'll live happily ever after."
"Doesn't take much to make you happy, huh?" Jinx grinned.
"It's all wishful thinking, Jen. Let's just... get ready for another long day of kicking assassin ass."
Jinx frowned, but shrugged. If Raven wanted to keep it all bottled up until the mission was over, that was just how they were going to have to play it. "Alright. You shower first though, you look like hell."
The water hit Raven's shoulders as she stood in the stall of the shower she was using. She let the near scalding water ease away the tension she was feeling. With all the new emotions rolling around in her head, she was having trouble containing her soul-self in the shell that was her body. With a growl, she shut the water off and grabbed a towel.
Drying off quickly, she wrapped the towel around her body and stormed out of the bathroom, almost plowing down Hanna. The blonde squeaked and jumped out of her way, "Shit fucking hell, Cassie!" Raven blinked. Apparently Hanna was a potty mouth early in the morning, "Kick the door open harder next time why don't you?"
"Sorry... I just had a trying night."
"What's that mean?" Hanna looked confused.
"Nothing... just... never mind. I'll deal with it."
"Okay... if you need to talk though, I'm here."
"Thanks." Raven nodded to her then hurried off to her room.
Jinx was waiting, "Took long enough."
"You could have showered too. There's four stalls in there."
"One of us needs to stay ready in case something happens to Becka."
"Guess so." Raven tossed her towel aside and pulled on some loose fitting clothing.
"Are you seriously not going to class?"
"We have a little time yet. I need to meditate."
"What about-"
"Becka will survive for an hour without me looming over her shoulder. Just hurry through your shower." Raven snapped, and the bedside alarm on Jinx's nightstand exploded.
Jinx looked over at the ruined electronic device and blinked. She turned back to Raven, "You go on then."
"Thank you." Raven turned on her heal and marched away.
Thursday: 07:25 - The roof of the girls dorms
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." Raven let out a breath, clearing her mind. Her emotions had to be suppressed. She couldn't ruin their cover by blowing things up all day. Becka still needed to be protected, and she'd be damned if Speedy was going to screw things up by making her feel... like he made her feel.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." She might be an emotionless zombie for the rest of the mission, but at least Becka would be safe. When everything was over with, she could take a few days to analyze the situation and decide on the best course of action.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." Another presence on the rooftop made her pause. Slowly bringing herself out of her trance, she opened her eyes and found herself staring into the concerned green orbs of Beast Boy.
"Garfield." she greeted him.
"Are you okay?" he sounded worried.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" he hopped forward a few inches closer to her, "You seemed really agitated when you came out here, and now you're not smiling anymore. You've gone back to that monotone you had before you started this mission, and I don't see any emotion in your eyes at all, and-"
"I was getting too relaxed. I needed to refocus." she stood up from her meditation position, "I have to get to class."
"Come on, Rae! I'm your friend! You can tell me what's going on, and-"
"I have to get to class, Garfield." she cut him off with a glare, "Be ready to follow Becka in a moment."
As she reached the roof hatch, his voice drifted over to her, "I saw you kiss him last night."
She froze, and closed her eyes. She had just regained her focus. No way was he going to take it away from her again, "He kissed me."
"And it's okay for him to kiss you but not me?"
"Don't do this now, Gar..."
"No... no. I deserve an explanation."
"If you saw him kiss me, then you saw me slap him."
"Yeah, but-"
"If you ever kiss me, expect the same treatment." she opened the hatch, "Don't let it get in the way of the mission." and she was gone.
Beast Boy sighed, then muttered, "Yeah... no problem." then mimed ripping his own heart out and punting it.
Thursday: 09:45 - The middle of English class
Raven was jotting notes on the lecture when a folded piece of paper landed in front of her. Noting Jinx's untidy scrawl across the front of it, she quickly and quietly unfolded it and read.
What's up with you today?
She growled lightly and wrote a quick reply.
Nothing. Pay attention to the lecture.
Refolding the note, she turned to her left and tossed the paper over her shoulder, where it landed perfectly on Jinx's desk. She turned back to her notes, but was only able to get one sentence down before the note landed back in front of her. With a sigh, she opened it and read it again.
You're being all emotionless again. The girls are worried. Stop it.
Raven wrote her reply and returned the note.
I had to. Roy screwed my mental state up last night, and I need focus.
The reply came a minute later.
You have to blend in though. Try to find a balance?
Raven replied quickly.
No. This is the only way. They'll get used to it.
Jinx's reply was also quick.
Like the TTs did?
Raven narrowed her eyes and jotted a reply.
Exactly.
The note was returned, and then landed in front of her again less then a minute later.
Then why is Gar glaring at you through the window?
Raven wiped her head around and looked out the window, where a green sparrow was glaring at her reproachfully. She scowled at it and turned in her seat to look back at Jinx. She received a glare as well, and the note passing stopped for the rest of the period.
Thursday: 12:15 - The middle of lunch
Jinx and Raven were sitting under a tree on one of the many benches throughout the campus. This one was in front of the cafeteria building, in easy view of the founder's statue, where William Mathews sat discussing something with a few of his friends. Jinx glared at Raven and Raven glared back.
"So you just killed all of your emotions, because you couldn't handle feeling all mushy about Roy?" Jinx shook her head, "That's pathetic, Cassie."
"No, that's practical. How would it look if every time I thought about him something blew up?" Raven scowled, "And the way I was going last night, I was thinking about nothing else but him."
"And doesn't that tell you something? Cassie, you're in love... maybe you should try embracing it rather than pushing it away."
"Oh, yeah, great idea! And let my soul-self consume my physical form, opening a portal to the dark dimension of the Eighth Demon himself, and letting him conquer this plane of existence in a matter of days?" Raven shook her head, "Emotion leads to destruction when you're me, Jenny."
"Can't you at least tell him? I mean, why make the poor guy suffer so much?"
"If he knows, he'll do the same thing you're doing now. Try to convince me to let go and just feel." Raven shook her head, "Only... I don't know if I could say no to him."
Jinx frowned and scooted closer to Raven. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she reached out with her other hand and moved Raven's chin so their eyes were locked, "We'll find a way, alright? Things will work out."
Raven smiled weakly, "Some super-villain you are. All mushy and soft." she poked Jinx in the side, and the pink eyed girl giggled, "You've lost your edge."
"I can still kick your ass in a heart beat, so don't go insulting me too much."
"Uh huh." Raven stood up and looked over to their left, where Becka was practically sitting in Chad Doxon's lap, "Becka's having a good time."
"So are we." Jinx stretched, "There hasn't been a single attempt all day."
"The other Titans are probably stopping them before they get here. As much as I hate him right now for kissing me, Speedy is good. It's like having two Robins around."
Jinx blinked up at her, "He kissed you last night?"
Raven blushed, "Yeah."
"Was it any good?" Jinx's mouth curved up into a smile.
"Not talking about this." Raven rolled her eyes as she started to walk away.
"Come on, Cassie..." Jinx caught her sleeve and gave her a meaningful look.
Raven sighed and smiled lightly, "Made me blow up a smoke stack."
"Damn."
"Yeah. I told you I wanted to boff him again... it's just... this mission." she sighed, "I'll figure it out when this is all over."
Jinx nodded, "Okay. Hey, I promise I'll stick around and be here for you to sound off against while you're trying to figure out if you really love him or-" she paused then smiled over Raven's shoulder, "Hey Ami."
Raven's eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder. Ami grinned back at her in a devilish manner, "Love who, Cassie?"
Raven turned her gaze back to Jinx, who grinned broadly. She mouthed, "I'll get you." then turned back to Ami, "No one. Jenny's being a dumb blonde."
"Speaking of dumb blondes," Ami shrugged, "Where's Hanna?"
"She was fishing for dates last I saw her." Raven pointed off past Will Mathews and crew, and her eyes lingered on the lean young man seated on the base of the statue. With a frown, she looked away.
"Okay. I need to convince her to give me her history notes. I wasn't paying attention at all today." Ami paused as she turned away, then turned back to Raven. Without warning, she threw her arms around the black haired girl and hugged her tightly, "Whatever's wrong, Cassie, we're all here to talk, and we'll all support you through it. Just know that we're here." and she dashed off with a nervous smile.
Raven watched her go, then turned back to Jinx. Holding up a hand to cut off the blonde's grinning remark, she bit out, "Shut up, Jenny."
Thursday: 18:34 - The girls dorms
Raven knocked on the door of one of the first floor singles. A moment later, it cracked open and blue eyes stared out at her, "Yes?" Rose asked.
"I was wondering if we could talk?" Raven replied in a monotone.
"Of course." Rose opened the door a little wider, "Come it, please."
Raven stepped inside the room and looked around. Rose didn't appear to have very much in the way of decoration, and only her school books lay scattered across her desk. The only object of note in the entire room was the broadsword mounted on the wall over the bed.
"Nice sword." Raven arched an eyebrow.
"It's been in the family for years." Rose walked over to her bed and sat down. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Rebecca Pullman." Raven took the desk chair and faced Rose, "She's been targeted by assassins from all over who are out for the ten million dollar bounty on her head."
Rose nodded, "I know."
Tensing up, Raven began to gather her powers, "You know?"
"It's on the internet." Rose stood up and walked over to her desk. Pushing aside some books, she revealed a laptop computer, which she flipped open. Skillfully navigating a few web pages, she came to one that proclaimed in large type that Rebecca Pullman was wanted dead for a large sum of money. Raven read it quickly.
"It doesn't say who is offering the reward..."
"No, but it mentions contacting the League of Assassins for information on the payment process. The League is very careful about not communicating with law enforcement officers. If anyone can contact them, then they can get a lead on where the money is coming from."
"You sound familiar with this process..."
"My father... isn't a good man. He's quite a bad man actually."
"I see. Are you still... in contact with your father?"
"He's not using me to get to Becka if that's what you're asking."
Raven read Rose with careful scrutiny and found her to be telling the truth, "Okay. I'll accept that for now." she leaned forward as Rose sat down again, "So... how would you like to help protect Becka?"
"That's why you're here, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Rose's blue eyes narrowed, "You're... Raven. A Teen Titan."
Raven nodded, "Yes."
"And you think I can help?"
"You're a trained assassin aren't you?"
Rose winced, "No... but I've been trained to fight. And... when I found out about the hit on Becka, I also found out about a man who might be interested in that money. I'm here to make sure he doesn't get her."
"So you're already protecting her." Raven sat back and studied her for a moment.
Rose shook her head, "Don't get me wrong... if any other assassin gets her, that's no skin off my back. I'm just here to stop one man, and one man only."
"Your father?"
"No." she shook her head, "He has nothing to do with any of this."
"Who is this assassin you're here to stop?"
"That's for me to know, only. If he comes, I'll stop him." her eyes grew cold and intense, reminding Raven so much of something she'd seen before, but couldn't quite place, "I have unfinished business with him."
Raven nodded slowly, "I guess. If I call on you for help, though, will you help?"
She nodded, "If I can."
"That's all I can ask then." Raven stood and walked to the door. She paused before leaving, "If you blow my cover, or my sisters, I'll tear out your soul. Do you understand that?"
"Of course." Rose nodded, completely serious.
"Good." and Raven was gone.
Thursday: 18:38 - The girls dorms
Jinx looked up from the upside down Book of Azar as she tried to decipher the writing inside and at the wall next to Raven's bed. There was a scraping noise coming from the room next door.
Setting the book aside, she walked to the window and opened it. Leaning out, she watched in amusement as the 2x12 board the girls used to sneak out was extended from the supply closet over to the wall. Moments later, Hanna was crawling across it, dressed in a tight blue dress that barely dropped to the midpoint of her thighs. It had spaghetti straps, and dipped low, revealing ample amounts of cleavage.
Jinx waited until the perky blonde was to the wall before calling out to her, so as not to make her fall, "Going somewhere, Hanna?"
She let out a high pitched scream, and clutched the wall, gasping for breath, "Don't scare me like that, Jenny!"
"Where are you sneaking out to all alone?" Jinx frowned.
"I'm going out to meet a guy I met last weekend." she waved it off, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Maybe I should go with you... safety in numbers and all that..."
"I'll be okay, Jen. He's a nice guy."
"Okay..." Jinx sounded uncertain, "Just... don't do anything stupid, and lay off the cocktails, okay?"
"Yes, mother..." Hanna rolled her eyes, then winked, "Don't wait up."
"I think I will, actually." Jinx winked back, "Don't be too late. Increased security and all that."
"Yeah, I know." Hanna started to lower herself off the wall, "See ya!"
"Yeah... bye." Jinx waited until Hanna had dropped the plank, and disappeared from sight before she looked up. A green falcon stared back at her from the top of the roof, and she held out an arm for it. Beast Boy swooped down and landed on her offered limb.
"Follow her for me, will ya?" she asked the green bird. It jerked it's head inside, and she stepped back into the room with it. Jumping from her arm, he became himself again.
"Why's Raven so pissy?" he asked, "I saw Speedy kiss her the last night, but she wont tell me anything about what went on between them, and no she's backslid right into the ice queen act again!"
Jinx groaned, "I know! I was making such good progress with her, and now Speedy came and fucked everything up!"
"What's up between them? Has she told you?"
"I slept with him last year." Raven said from the doorway. They both jumped and looked over at her with looks of shock. She shut the door and glared at them, "Anyone could just walk in here, Beast Boy. Get out."
Beast Boy glared back at her with a hurt expression, "So I can't kiss you, but he can fuck your brains out, huh?"
"I'm free to have sex with whomever I wish, Garfield. Now get out before your brains come out in a manner that has nothing to do with fucking."
"You're a real bitch, you know that?" Beast Boy shook his head, and turned back to Jinx, "I'll be following Hanna."
"Thanks." Jinx nodded, and smiled a little, "Get going, before you loose her."
"Sure." he smiled back, then with a frown and a glare at Raven, turned into a falcon and swooped out into the night.
Jinx walked over to her bed and grabbed a history text off of it, "I'm going to see if Becka wants to study."
"Why are you pissed at me?" Raven sighed and sat down on her own bed, rubbing her eyes.
Jinx whirled around and glared at her, "Because you just broke that poor kids heart!" she scowled, "He's right, Rae. You are a bitch."
"I don't need to hear this from everyone right now. My primary intention is completing this mission with one hundred percent efficient. Having Speedy hanging around to mess with my emotions, and Beast Boy hanging around to feel rejected and hurt, and you moping around because I'm actually asking you to do some bloody work on your assignment... it all screws everything up." She stood up and met Jinx's stare, "We're here to protect Becka's life, Jinx, not have fun and go to dances. How many more times do I have to tell you that?"
Jinx stepped forward so that she was practically nose to nose with Raven, "And how many time do I have to tell you to lighten up? The girls are noticing, Raven! Janice actually asked me if you were exhibiting signs of suicide earlier! They're not stupid, and they will figure us out if we're not careful!"
"I can't afford to let my emotions run rampant right now, Jinx. I need to maintain control so that-" she was cut off as Jinx slapped her across the face.
Raven stumbled back and brought a hand up to her red cheek. She brushed her fingers across her lips and noted that they came away red. Turning back to the blonde, she stated in a monotone, "Don't ever do that again."
Jinx slapped her again.
Raven's head jerked to the side, but this time, she lashed out with her powers shoving Jinx back. Black energies wrapped around her and squeezed. "I will not allow you to act so insubordinately, Jinx. You will follow my orders, and you will-"
A bleeping cut her off. She paused in her lecture to walk to her jewelry box and open it. Taking out the Titan communicator, she flipped it open, ignoring Jinx's strangled gasp for breath.
"What?"
"Put her down, Raven." It was Robin's voice. She looked out the window and saw him crouched on a building across from them, binoculars staring, "Let her go, and calm down."
With a thump, Raven dropped Jinx to the floor, then snapped her com unit shut. Putting it back in the box, she shut the lid and took a deep, calming breath.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't sweat it." Jinx pulled herself up and cracked her neck to the side, "I hit you first."
"But I deserved it."
"Yeah, you did." Jinx rubbed her arms to get the circulation back, "Just try to lighten up, okay? If you can control your powers like that when I've got you that pissed off, you can control them when you're happy too."
Raven opened her mouth, paused, then shut it. "Damn. You're right."
"It happens."
"Where did Hanna go?"
Jinx arched an eyebrow at the sudden change in topic, "Out to meet a boy. I have Beast Boy tailing her."
"Good." Raven sighed, "I have a bad feeling about tonight."
"Like, more assassins?" Jinx glanced out the window nervously.
"No, just..." she shook her head, "I'm worried for Hanna."
"Me too." Jinx walked over to her and hugged her lightly, "But I'm less worried about you now."
"Thanks, Jenny." Raven hugged her back, then stepped away, "Let's go find Becka."
Friday: 01:22 - The girls dorms
Jinx sat in the common area, flipping through early morning infomercials on the large TV when she heard the plank being replaced at the supply closet. Flipping off the set, she waited while it was pulled back into the building, then as the door opened and Hanna walked out into the hallway.
She moved slowly, as if she was sore, and her eyes were cast down to the floor. Her dress was riding up slightly, and her shoes were in her right hand, but other then that, the only sign she'd been out at all was her slightly tangled hair and her lightly smudged makeup. No visible bruises or cuts, and she seemed more contemplative than hurt or upset.
Shrugging, Jinx stood up and met her, "Have a good time?"
Hanna didn't seem to notice her at first, then looked up and squinted, "Jenny? Oh, hi. What's up?"
Jinx blinked, then repeated herself, "Did you have a good time tonight?"
"Oh... yeah. I guess."
Stepping forward, Jinx put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey... what's wrong?"
Shrugging out of her friends grip, Hanna just looked away and mumbled, "Nothing... just... the night didn't go how I envisioned it." she looked back at Jinx and forced a smile, "I'm just going to go sleep it off. I'll see you in the morning."
Nodding slowly, Jinx let her go, "Goodnight then."
Hanna waved over her shoulder as she quietly entered her and Becka's room. Shrugging, Jinx flipped off the common room lights and walked down to the room she shared with Raven. Opening the door, she stepped in and was greeted by the strangest sight of the day.
Raven sat on her bed, her head leaned forward against Beast Boy's stomach, and his hands were wrapped around her neck. He looked deadly serious, and Raven's shoulders were slumped in defeat.
"Okay... this doesn't feel like a makeup hug..." Jinx shut the door, "What the hell is going on?" her voice took on a frightened edge, "BB... what happened to Hanna?"
"You'd better sit down." he told her and stepped back from Raven. Jinx noticed with shock that there were tears at the corners of the other girls eyes. She didn't look so much upset as she did pissed off though.
Jinx walked over and sat down next to Raven, "Tell me." she demanded.
"Start from the beginning." Raven said quietly, "I want to hear the whole thing."
Beast Boy nodded and sat down on the floor in front of them, "You'd better cast that silence spell on the door again, Jinx. This is going to take a while."
Closing notes: Gasp! What the hell happened to Hanna? Find out next time, in:
Aside #2, Hanna's Long Night!