Chapter Nine: Night of Dreams
Robin and Starfire walked to their cabins on 'C' deck, feeling somewhat soiled. They had ridden the exercise bikes for an hour, racing each other; the bikes were linking to a device that looked like the face of a clock, but showed one's progress on a track. They raced like children bent on outdoing the other. Over an hour had passed before they finished their exercise. Now they felt invigorated.
"I hope Raven unlocked the door for me." Starfire said. "I am in need of a shower!"
Robin took out the key for his room. "If your room is locked, you could use mine."
She glanced at him. "That is very kind of you, Robin!"
She tried her door, opening it. "Oh! Well, it looks like I shall have to pass on your offer."
She opened her door and gasped. "Robin!" she whispered. "Look at this!" She was smiling.
Robin joined her. He looked in and saw Raven asleep on the bed while Cyborg was asleep on a chair.
"Cute, is it not?" said Starfire.
"Guess Raven was more tired than she thought." Robin said. "Come on, let's wash up. Try not to wake them up."
As they were about to go into their respective rooms, Terra and Beast Boy showed up.
"Hey dudes, what's happening?" he exclaimed.
"You should've seen the game we played!" Terra said. "Man, I kicked Beast Boy's ass all over!"
He scoffed. "Hey, tennis just isn't my game?"
"And that's why you kept playing?"
"Hey you two," Robin said. "Mind keeping it down? We have sleepers here."
He pointed in the girls' room. Terra and Beast Boy looked inside.
"Oh! Right!" Terra whispered. "Don't worry we'll be very quiet!"
The Titans quietly got their showering supplies, taking effort not to wake up their sleeping friends. For the girls, it was awkward. Neither felt comfortable undressing in their room with Cyborg in there. Robin compromised. He and Beast Boy would change first, then when they left for the shower, the girls would use their room. They would do the same after they finished.
Half an hour later, the Titans had finished showering. Unfortunately, the only clothes they had were the one's they brought with. To freshen them up, they sprayed on some on the complimentary perfumes they had in their rooms.
"Great." said Beast Boy as he waited outside the room while the girls dressed. "I smell like a girl."
Robin laughed at him. "It adds character to you! Besides, it's better than smelling like gym socks."
Beast Boy nodded. "If you say so."
The girls came out of the room. Robin judged from their smell that they used a great deal more perfume than he and Beast Boy did.
"A little liberal with the atomizer, huh?" Robin said, smiling. Terra stuck her tongue out at him.
"Should we awaken Cyborg and Raven?" asked Starfire.
Robin nodded and went in the other room. Cyborg was snoring lightly. He shook him awake.
"Huh? What? Oh, morning Robin!" he said.
"I think it's evening." he replied
Cyborg checked his internal clock. "You're right, it's almost six thirty. I'll wake up Raven."
Terra stepped from behind Robin. "No, I'll take care of that!" she said.
She walked as quietly as she could to the sleeping mystic. She waved her hand in front of her face, getting no reaction. Satisfied that Raven was fast asleep, Terra stood to one side of the mystic and got close to her ear. She winked at the other Titans.
"Oh god, I can't watch." Cyborg said.
Terra took a deep breath. "Wake up!" she screamed.
Raven's eyes snapped open and she nearly fell of the bed in a panic. She tried to catch her breath. Terra, meanwhile, was on the floor, laughing.
"Terra!" Raven exclaimed. "You dumb little shit! I ought to send you to another dimension!" She stood up and straightened her hair and dress.
"I think it's about time for dinner." Cyborg said.
"Yeah, you're right." she replied. "Well, time to play hostess again, I guess."
She walked out of the room, Cyborg and Terra behind her. She closed and locked the door.
"Ready, Tim?" she asked.
"Lead the way, ma'am!" Robin replied, taking Starfire's arm in his own.
Beast Boy did the same with Terra. Sighing, Raven started for the staircase.
"Oh, and no teasing this time, okay Raven?" Beast Boy said.
"Sure, no problem." she replied. Now that she had meditated, she felt more in control of her emotions and did not desire to play any jokes on the changeling.
They got to the landing on 'D' deck and entered the reception room.
"Say, Rachel?" Cyborg whispered. "You know you're the only lady who's not holding anyone's arm?"
"So?" she replied.
"So, don't you think you out to take an arm so you can blend in?" He offered his arm to her.
She regarded it for a moment, and then put her own arm in it.
"That's better!" he said, making her blush. The maître d' arrived.
"Table for six, please?" Cyborg said. He nodded and led them to the dining hall.
After an enjoyable dinner, which lasted over an hour, the Titans left for the Promenade Deck, outside of 'A' deck.
"Say, you guys," Raven said. "There's a dance being held tonight in the dining hall. I thought all might be interested." The Titans stared at her in awe.
"Whoa, I think Raven's new identity is going to her head! She's becoming a new person!"
She scoffed. "Look, I just want us to have fun, okay? Besides, I think we deserve it."
Starfire practically beamed with happiness. "Oh, that sounds wonderful! We must go to that dance, Tim!"
He nodded. "Sure, Kori, we'll be there. Rachel, what time is it held?"
Raven consulted a copy of a brochure she had. "About nine, so we better get there before the dance floor gets too crowded. I say another half hour or so."
To pass the time, they wondered leisurely around the Promenade Deck, conversing amongst themselves. At a quarter to nine, the Titans left the Promenade Deck for 'D' deck. There, it was a rich, social atmosphere, with over a hundred people inside. The ship's band was present, warming up for the night's performance.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Beast Boy said.
"What?" Terra asked.
"Just listen to the music they're getting ready to play! It's so old fashioned!"
Raven scoffed. "They're playing the latest thing for this time, like stuff from the nineties."
"Yeah, the 1890's!"
"Exactly!"
"Whoa, did you just make a joke, Raven?"
"I guess I did, didn't I?"
She and Cyborg walked into the crowd. Starfire was about to follow them, but Robin stopped her.
"We can handle ourselves now. Come on, let's find a spot!" Giggling, she accompanied Robin.
Terra and Beast Boy worked their way into the crowd too, settling on an area.
After welcoming the crowd, the band began to play. Beast Boy was unsure how to dance along with the music, so Terra had to help him. Eventually, he got the hang of it. Raven needed Cyborg's assistance in managing her moves, for she wasn't much of a dancer either. Robin and Starfire, on the other hand, were naturals at dancing, mixing right in with the crowd.
The dancing lasted for nearly an hour and a half. As the crowd dispersed, the Titans went to various spots on the weather decks to enjoy the night. Terra and Beast Boy found a place on the foreword end of the Promenade deck. Robin and Starfire went to the port side of the boat deck, outside of the First Class Lounge. Raven and Cyborg went to the base of the aft mast.
"Beautiful night, huh?" Terra asked Beast Boy, after a few minutes of admiring the night sky.
"Sure is." he said. He then stared at Terra, admiring her. She started back at him.
"What?" she asked.
"Remember the last time we were this close?"
"Yeah. The day I betrayed all of you." Tears began to well up in her eyes.
He held her by her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that memory up."
"It's okay. It's part of my past. My regrettable past."
"So leave the past behind! Look forward to your future! Your future with us, with me!"
She stared at him, wiping her tears away. "A future with you?" She smiled. "I'd like that!"
Beast Boy smiled back. "Of course, we're only about fourteen, so we got a while to go before anything definite."
She nodded at him. "If what happens between us now is any indication of what the future holds, then I'm in this for the long run!"
She hugged him tightly. He embraced her as well. Without relinquishing their hold on each other, they stared into each other's face. Beast Boy saw how the starlight reflected beautifully off Terra's eyes. She looked so lovely. Terra admired Beast Boy's features, dimly lit by the ship's lighting. They came closer to each other until they finally kissed a deep, long, passionate kiss.
At the base of the mast, Raven and Cyborg loitered, unsure of how to spend the night.
"I could always turn in for a recharge." said the half robot hero.
"Sure you don't want to enjoy the night?" Raven said. "It is quite lovely."
Cyborg smiled at her. "I like how you changed."
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since we defeated Trigon, you've been less moody, more receptive to the beauty of nature."
"Oh, I've always been receptive to it. I just haven't been so open about it."
"Why's that?"
"I always had to keep myself under control, not letting strong feelings. Now that I'm no longer the portal for my father, I can be more open."
"But you still have to meditate?"
She nodded. "My powers are linked to my emotions. If my emotions get out of hand, then my powers will too. So, I still have to control my emotions to control my powers."
"That's a pretty raw deal."
She shrugged. "It's a living." She leaned against the mast.
"Think we'll get out of this alive?" Cyborg asked her.
"We have a chance."
He nodded. "You're a woman of few words. I like that."
"It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" she laughed.
Cyborg walked to her. "You still have dreams about that? The thing with you ending the world?"
"No, why?"
"Just curious."
She sighed. "I can control my dreams through meditation."
"Really? So you can dream about whatever you want to?"
"Well, not always. But I can keep my mind off things like what you said. It's pointless to worry about it when it has already happened. I mostly dream about stuff that hasn't happened, like making up my own scenarios."
"You actually remember your dreams?"
"Not entirely. But I get a general idea what they were about."
"I see. So tell, you ever have an embarrassing dream?"
"Um, like what?"
"It happens to some people. They dream they're, well, naked."
"Oh. Um, not that I recall. Have you?"
"Not since I became what I am now."
"I see. That makes sense."
"That's one of the few things about dreams that does make sense. They sort of adapt to the real world." He sighed.
Raven stared at him. An odd desire came over her as she admired him in the dim light. She approached him slowly. Cyborg stared back at her and stood up straight. She paused in her approach. He closed the distance between them coming within arm's reach. She stared into his eyes, of which she knew only one was real. Without thinking, she reached behind his head, pulled him close and kissed him. They pulled apart slowly. Then, she gasped and ran to the railing.
"I'm sorry, Cyborg. I shouldn't have done that."
"Why not?" he asked.
"It was wrong."
"No more wrong that what Starfire and Robin do. Or Beast Boy and Terra for that matter."
"I know, but it doesn't feel right. I'm sorry." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Cy."
She left for her room, leaving Cyborg standing alone. He sat down on one of the benches and started to cry.
Robin and Starfire stared at the sky for what seemed ages.
"On Tamaran right now, my k'norfka is a young boy, perhaps your age. My parents are most likely not even born yet. My sister and I are not even a glimmer in my people's future."
"Reminiscing, Star?" Robin asked.
"Yes, I suppose I am. Sorry."
"There's nothing wrong with that. Its kind of neat to hear what things were like in this time on your world."
"What are things like now with your family?"
"I don't know. My dad never told me much about my past."
"What do you suppose our home is like?"
"What, Titans Tower?"
"That and the city."
"Oh. Well, the tower obviously isn't built yet. And the city is more than likely a small town."
"Sounds lovely."
"You see beauty in nearly everything, don't you, Kori?"
"I try to. And I often succeed!"
"So I see. That's what I love about you Kori."
"You know Tim, when we return home, I will have a most difficult time adjusting back to calling you Robin all the time."
"And I'll have to get used to calling you Starfire again."
"Oh, you can continue to call me Kori Anders. No one will know any better."
"I like that idea. Sounds good!"
"Too bad I can not still call you Tim when we return."
"I know, but there's too great a chance someone will hear that name, put two and two together and figure me and Bruce Wayne out."
"I look forward to a day we do not have to worry about such a thing."
"So do I. Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to live in a world were the Titans aren't needed."
"A world such as this one?"
"Well, living in the past isn't exactly what I had in mind. Besides, more violent stuff is supposed to happen in the future, a few years from now."
"Oh, I see. That is most regrettable."
"Look, let's not worry about that now, okay Kori? We're here, right now, on this ship of dreams! Let's enjoy, okay?"
Starfire nodded. She gave Robin a powerful hug and kissed him hard on the mouth.
"That was enjoyable!" he said afterward.
"There is more where that came from." she said, kissing him again.
He lost himself in the kiss, unaware of his surroundings. For the moment, there was just him and Starfire and the ship. He wished it could stay that way. Only if he and the other Titans succeeded tomorrow night would the dream that was the Titanic continue to live.