It was still quiet in the tower, but Raven, sitting on the couch and reading a thick novel, knew it wouldn't last. Robin had just entered the large room that served the team both as a kitchen and a living room, ready for breakfast. Clad in his typical and, in her opinion, disgracefully coloured outfit, the teen hero didn't see Beast Boy's note for the simple reason that Raven ultimately decided it would be more prudent if her quick-tempered leader didn't read the letter, since the description concerning him was not very flattering.
The half-demon briefly debated informing him of the absence of two teamates, but the probable scream following it would not fail to rudely wake Cyborg up. Raven prefered waiting until he was awake, it was fairer. And, of course, the later Robin started shrieking, the more she could read.
'And it is definitely the most important.' She concluded, turning a page of her book.
----
"I think I know what the matter is." Killer Moth said, causing the two heroes to stop sipping their drinks. They were currently sitting at the terrace of a café, on their own. The other customers previously sitting outside had quickly retreated inside the store and even the waiters were not confident about approaching such strange creatures. They nonetheless were able to order a few drinks and three meals, making up for the breakfast the teens missed. Being encased in ice slowed his organism down, so a single snack was enough for the villain.
"Really?" Beast Boy hastily asked, pleased at the prospect of Silkie getting cured.
"Yes. You see, your pet misses his true home, and his grief starts to have repercussions on its own organism. You should give him back to me, he would feel better..." Killer Moth told them, trying his best to look innocent and to sound credible. The Titans' skeptical expressions made him question his acting skills.
"Are you sure to be completely truthful, Killer Moth?" He frenetically nodded. "I do not believe you."
"I tried..." He shrugged. "Actually, Larva M-Three-Nineteen shows the symptoms of an indigestion. A few of my other larvas had such trouble, but his own seems odd. What have you been feeding him?"
"Well... a little of everything we found. Tofu, Zorka Berries; he doesn't monstruously mutate after eating those anymore; anything cooked with those berries... He also seems fond of that blue, creepy and alive-looking stuff there's in the fridge. And I think he likes soy milk and soda too."
The geneticist stared blankly at Beast Boy. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and eventually announced his diagnosis. "While my moths are able to eat virtually anything, larvas require more digestible foods... But I'm almost sure the trouble comes from this blue resident of your fridge."
"Is there anything you can do?"
"Certainly. However, I need access to my laboratory. And you will have to bring me this... thing in your fridge. Since I am sure the Titans will not allow me to enter." Killer Moth paused, as realization struck him. He cautiously calculated his words, a faint smirk on his face. "By the way... Where are the other Titans?"
Beast Boy and Starfire glanced at each other, they had hoped the villain wouldn't bring up this point. The green teen nodded, wordlessly telling the alien they should tell Killer Moth. "Our friends are not aware of this travel. We figured they would not agree to your liberty, even for Silkie's sake or with your promise not to terrorize the citizens." She narrowed her eyes, clearly indicating he should respect the truce.
"And they're not surprised that you're both missing?"
"I covered that." Beast Boy interrupted. "Dude, that reminds me that I wrote we would be at some mall. We should go buy some stuff or they'll get suspicious."
"I have heard Paris was the capital of what you call 'fashion'. It should not be too difficult to find something." She shoved her hand down one of her boots. Before Killer Moth could even raise an eyebrow, she had a wallet in her hand. "But first, we should pay for our meal with the European currency we received in return for dollars." She called a waiter who was courageous enough to stand near the super-powered trio.
As she paid the waiter, Killer Moth could only comtemplate his bad fortune. 'I must heal an ungrateful pet, become honest, endure her quirky speaking... I will sure have deserved this freedom...' His face bore nothing but sheer distress when he imagined their trip to the mall. 'And now, I must go shopping. If she's anything like Kitten when she's at the mall...' He shuddered. 'Slade, patron unsaint of criminals, protect me...'
----
Robin was still eating when Cyborg entered the room, yawning. The robotic teen drew near the cooking area, producing a computerized frying pan from a shelf; he had created one day when crime was low and only boredom was left for the Titans to fight. As for Raven, she had finished reading her work of fiction and was lying on the couch, enjoying the last moments of silence. The worst collateral damage currently being Robin choking on his drink, she judged it was the wisest time to inform the remaining Titans of their two teammates' absence.
"Guys." Her monotonous voice caused them to look at her, Cyborg still holding the frying pan between the shelf and the stove. "Don't expect Starfire and Beast Boy to attend breakfast, they're at the mall."
Robin almost dropped his glass when he heard the news. "What? So early?" He jumped out of his chair, his grip tightening over the goblet. "Do you realize what it means?"
"Yes." Cyborg grinned. "No grass stain to insist on tofu and as much mustard I want to go with my meat!" Raven watched him open the fridge wildly and taking out meat in such great quantities, she feared her stomach would erupt from her abdomen and run off while emiting bloodcurdling screams.
Robin interrupted the cyborg's upcoming "Booyah!" with an angry outburst. "No! I want to know why she'd bring Beast Boy to shop with her! Even going with Raven would be more logical..."
The empath growled. "I don't do shopping. She probably realized it and thought he'd accept more easily than me." She glanced at Cyborg, frying steaks after steaks. "Try to be like Cyborg and take advantage of a day without them." She jerked a thumb toward him, drowning his meal with mustard.
Robin's eyes grew wide. "You mean, Starfire won't be here today? At all?"
Raven didn't know whether to feel amused or irritated of his misery. "Probably, their trip will last many hours easily." She then muttered. "I pity the clerks..." She turned around, now facing the door. "Now if you may excuse me, I must meditate."
"Take it easy, man." Cyborg eventually said between two bites of meat. "If anything, you should be happy. Our green dude will have to endure Star's arguable fashions, not you." He chuckled at the thought of Beast Boy stuck in a fitting room, threatened to wear the oddest outfits by a Tamaranean princess.
"Still..." The Boy Wonder was not convinced. "She should have asked me rather than Beast Boy. I'm the leader, not him..."
"Maybe you're right. BB wouldn't be jealous if she chose you, after all..." He innocently whistled as his comment sunk in Robin's mind.
"I'm not jealous!" He replied, much louder than he wanted and blushing slightly.
"Sure. And Starfire is not an alien..."
"No, I mean it." Robin continued, trying very hard to diminish his flush. "Just what would I be jealous of regarding Starfire?"
Cyborg cupped his chin. "True..." His eyes studied the ceiling until they darted back to his masked leader. "But what do you mean by 'regarding Starfire', Robin?" He asked with a smirk.
----
"Dude. Now I realize why Raven doesn't go shopping with you."
At this time, our green protagonist had the unenviable role of being Starfire's personnal mannequin. And the fact that she surprisingly managed to find only the most appallingly hideous ensembles proved that fate had a twisted, very twisted sense of humour. He presently was forced to wear a pink coat, trimmed with gold linings, punctuated with cheap ersatzs of gems. If Starfire found a blonde wig, he would soon look like Kitten. This mere thought sent a chill down his spine.
"You feel like friend Raven?" She tossed a large cherry-coloured hat, embellished with a synthetic blue feather, on his head. "Does that make you ravenous?"
"Hm... no." He answered, feeling more ridiculous as the seconds went by. But he kept his protests to a minimum, he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, which were sometimes easily hurt. Plus, he didn't want to be called a 'clorbag vablernek' again, especially that she still didn't give him the translation. From time to time, he wondered if her being so easily upset was a Tamaranean thing, a royalty thing or simply a Starfire thing. He was so deep in thought, and optionally, in despair, that he didn't notice Killer Moth kneel down beside him.
"She does realize she's rummaging through the 'little girl clothing' part of the shop, doesn't she?" He asked him, nodding toward the teenaged heroine who was currently fascinated by a silk gown. Much to the changeling's distress, it seemed to be closer to his own size than to Starfire's one. "You should hope she notices it before I'm forced to call you Beast Girl." He added, smirking.
"Friend Beast Boy!" The villain cautiously slipped away as Starfire grasped the green teen's hand. "I have found the perfect attire for you!" She cheerfully shoved an outrageously fluffy scarf, the sort to be expected appearing around a top model or a snob villainess' neck, inches from his nose. His screams of agony and demands for mercy went ignored, for the alien was having too much fun playing the fashion designer. Or, from Beast Boy's point of view, playing the vicious tormentor.
Killer Moth was mentally chuckling at the torture before him when he caught a glimpse of Silkie, hiding from his k'norfka's arguable concept of entertainment. He glanced at Starfire and Beast Boy, both too taken by their activities, respectively dressing up a remotely willing victim and vainly trying to flee, to even remember his presence. He smirked again. 'Even Larva M-Three-Nineteen is oblivious now... What prevents me to snatch him and escape? Nothing. Nothing at all...'
He discreetly approached the nervous mutant worm, occasionally making sure the Titans were as oblivious as his target. He cautiously lowered his hand above Silkie, the inches separating him from his prey decreasing, slowly but surely. He resisted the urge to sneer, it was even easier than stealing some baby's candy. Killer Moth was eager to bring this ungrateful larva back home; a little re-education would not be superfluous. He now was about to close his gloved hand on his prey...
"Hey!"
The shout, seemingly coming from nowhere, caused the geneticist to promptly put the guilty arm behind his winged back. 'Failed.' He thought bitterly. Killer Moth looked at the owner of this cursed voice. It was a clerk, and his interruption captured the teens' attention, thus saving Beast Boy from a blue dress, much to his relief. The villain made a mental note to get back at this unplanned company. With the Titans around, it would sadly not go beyond him 'accidental' tripping the employee, or scare him off with a threatening face, but it would at least prove to be satisfying.
"Sorry to bother you, but your..." He struggled to find an appropriate word."...mannequin's screams are kind of frightening the customers." The clerk pointed at Beast Boy while bearing an expression of condolences for the victim.
"Really? Then I think we should be the one to apologize for such trouble." She replied politely. "I do not wish to scare your patrons any further, so I will stop dressing up my friend." Her attention focused on the clerk, she didn't see Beast Boy's exultation, glad to be freed from his torment.
"Thank you." He said, as politely as Starfire, cocking an eyebrow at her complicated speech. "However, if you ever want to disguise him again, I advise you not to choose the sector intended for little girls..."
Judging from the admiring glint in Beast Boy's eyes, Killer Moth almost expected him to raise a shrine consecrated to his savior. He rolled his multi-faceted eyes. 'Idiot.'
----
Raven had finished meditating in time for lunchtime. However she felt more alone than usual, and that wasn't caused by the lack of a green jokester and an overcheerful alien. Normally, Cyborg and Robin should be here, but she was left unaccompanied to eat her salad. She saw her leader only twice, each time clutching his communicator, occasionally furiously pushing its buttons and asking her if she saw Cyborg. 'He didn't like the whole 'shutting their communicators off' thing. And Beast Boy called me creepy...'
She stood up and walked to the sink. She intended to take a glass a water when the telepath heard something move under the sink. 'Did the blue fudge took residence under there too?' She briefly pondered, before opening the lower shelf where an unexpected sight welcomed her eyes.
"How can you fit here?" She eventually asked, hiding her surprise with an emotionless tone. Cyborg motioned her to shut up, glancing right and left as if he was some monster's prey.
"Sh! Robin must not find me!" He took Raven's cocked eyebrow as a request for an explanation. "He's been asking me to activate the secondary tracking system of the communicators!"
"And you refused. "
"Yeah, I mean, they gotta have their privacy, right?" He was answered by Raven hastily slapping the shelf door shut. "Hey?" He heard footsteps, then his female friend's voice.
"Oh, Robin. Still looking for Cyborg, I presume?" She ventured, leaning against the access to Cyborg's refuge. She preceded her leader's question. "Nope, didn't see him if you're wondering."
"It's incredible, I searched everywhere..." Visibly, he was taking his frustation out on his communication device.
"And stop crushing that poor thing, it did nothing to deserve that." Robin's annoyed departure wes her only response. She swiftly opened the shelf door and knelt down to face Cyborg.
"Sorry, I had to close both the door and the conversation." She allowed a faint smile to appear on her pale lips. "And that's nice to know someone knows what privacy is."
"It's nothing really."
"Do you plan to stay here until our 'privacy-safe' friends come back?"
"Yep." He paused. "By the way, could you give me a sandwich? I'm getting hungry..."
"Well, hiding in there would be useless if your stomach was growling..." She glanced at the fridge. "Any preference?"
"Is there a foot-long ham and beef jerky sandwich?" He asked, his eyes glistening with hope and desire. And on a less appealing note, his mouth watering.
"Forget the foot-long part." She rose and walked to the fridge. "Tell me how you managed to fit in that shelf while I prepare it, okay?" She then added, loud enough for him to hear from his odd haven.
----
"Why did you jostle this employee into the undergarment sector?" Starfire asked Killer Moth, turning her head toward him. The three of them were on their way back to Jump City, flying over the ocean. Silkie had returned to her arms, seeing how Beast Boy's hawk form couldn't hold him and that he prefered not to approach his creator too much. Starfire had even convinced the villain to carry the clothes she bought, on the pretext of his experience with Kitten's shopping. She had asked Beast Boy, but he didn't want to get anywhere near those instruments of torture.
"It was an accident." Killer Moth fought the urge to add "A meticulously planned accident, but an accident nonetheless..."
"Ah." Starfire seemed to believe him. "Anyway, I think our mission is almost over. We will soon find acure for Silkie, our fellow Titans will not question us..."
"Maybe not." Her speech was interrupted by Beast Boy's screech. "Cy and Rae probably won't question us, but Robin, as we shut off our communicators... Maybe I underestimated his paranoia..."
"I hope it doesn't mean I will go back to my icy cell. The 'deal' we had is already bad enough." Killer pointed out, while his mind was still working on a possible escape plan. A plan involving two agonizing Titans, preferably. "What do you expect me to do with my look? Win the Most Honest Citizen award?"
"With your skills, you could still be a vet."
"Speaking of missed opportunities, I bet you would have been a better pet to Starfire than Larva M-Three-Nineteen." He scoffed at Silkie and Beast Boy's outraged expressions. If the truce allowed him to mock them as much as he wanted to, perhaps it was not so bad...