Clay frisbee
"Robin, well done!" exclaimed Starfire.
One might have thought it unusual to hear this from a girl who had just had a clay plate smash against her forehead. But this was no ordinary girl with no ordinary forehead, and to match, the activity in which she and Robin were engaged was no ordinary game.
Robin smiled confidently. He was having a blast and benefiting from a great workout. At the same time, he thought to himself: This would look ridiculous to anyone else….
Indeed, it was ridiculous: Starfire was bored of shooting clay plates, and Robin was bored of hurling his boomerangs at targets. This naturally evolved into their latest pastime – clay frisbee. Robin and Starfire would stand about ten meters apart near the edge of the Titan's island on some flat, packed down dirt. Robin's goal was to hit Starfire with a clay plate; Starfire's was to stand still and shatter said plate mid flight using a lone starbolt.
Throwing was something that came naturally to Robin. From a young age he'd been taught the art of hurling boomerangs accurately and powerfully. But even after putting incredible curves and spins on the plates, which, to his credit, he was not used to throwing, he couldn't connect after numerous tries. Starfire's aim had become frighteningly accurate in recent times.
Robin requested the use of two plates against a corresponding number of bolts. Starfire agreed, and after seven or eight tries, Robin finally hit his mark.
"Uh… thanks," responded Robin with what was almost a dry chuckle. He casually strutted up to Starfire and looked down at the scattered bits of clay at her feet, marvelling. "Thing never stood a chance…."
"You are damned if you do, and you are damned if you do not!" said Starfire, in her trademarked broken english.
"That would be fair assessment," agreed Robin. "Well said, Star."
Starfire seemed lost in thought for a moment.
…
Moments….
…
"Starfire?" queried Robin. "Are you…"
Starfire looked up and smiled. Robin could tell that it was one of her "I'm okay. Really…" grins that concealed anything from mild distraction to severe unhappiness.
Good thing she doesn't make a living off that poker face, thought Robin.
They stared at each other for another moment amidst the hot midsummer breeze before Robin bent over, scraped away the clay bits from a patch of dirt, sat down and crossed his legs. They initiated eye contact for a few seconds before Starfire plopped down in front of him, crushing some clay under her rear to a fine grey powder. The two sat together, seemingly taking in the surroundings. There were barely a few puffs of white in the blue sky, and the lake was particularly peaceful today. None of the Titans had been doing much lately – crime seemed to be snoozing in the sweltering heat of summer.
"If it makes you feel better, please do." This Robin said with only the utmost sincerity to his best friend, whose company he seemed to enjoy more with the passing of time.
Starfire inhaled and exhaled deeply before speaking. "You reminded me of someone who used to be a good friend, that is all. And worse… some old regrets."
Robin pondered for a moment. "I'm sorry if I said anything to…"
"No," interrupted Starfire with a raised voice. "Do not be sorry. Please, Robin, do not be sorry."
Robin wore a solemn look, not knowing what to say.
Starfire closed her eyes and searched through her memories. She found herself on her home planet of Tamaran at fourteen years of age, only a few months before she came to earth. She could smell the rich, hard odour of her royal Tamaranian cuisine. She felt the harsh sands of Tamaran blowing across the desert, scathing her skin. She saw hundreds of orange skinned people – her people.
At last she reached the most sensitive, private memories - those of her sister, Blackfire.
"Before I came to earth, Robin..."
With those words she began to recount her most bittersweet memories of, as Robin later told himself, all that she didn't say.