Nightshade
Raven searched through many of the tomes at first, but quickly realized they were almost entirely written in long forgotten languages. She then moved on to the books and discovered that many of them are written in Latin, a language she was not very fluent in. She sighed and settled back on the chair in the library. It was then that she decided to truly think about how she could help this boy, preferably without getting too involved in his life.
'If I were to take on such responsibility, then I would have to bring him to Jump City at least. Then what would I do with him?' She began the train of thoughts. 'I might try to convince my team into taking him in for a little while,' But her mind wandered back to her earlier thought about what Robin would do. 'Perhaps that isn't the best option, but I can't leave him alone,' Raven stopped for a moment as she felt her stomach growl. Right now, she could go for some pizza.
'FOCUS!' She screamed into her mind with enough force to throw a couple of dusty tomes from their home on the shelves to the ground.
'If I were to bring him back with me without talking to my team, there will be hell to pay. Robin won't be happy with me,' She thought to herself.
Raven looked around the room, but failed to find Clockwork anywhere. She got up from her chair and went to the glass vail room hoping to find him. When she didn't, she mumbled under her breath, "Where are you, Clockwork?"
"Right behind you," came the rasp of the elder ghost.
Raven stiffened, but didn't jump at the sound of his voice.
"I know I said I would give you an answer when I recovered, but I realized this task is much bigger than myself…" Raven began.
"I sense a but coming after you statement," Clockwork bluntly pointed out the obvious.
She sighed, "But, I'm going to have to talk with my team." She paused before asking the most important bit of information, "How long will he be out?"
Clockwork looked deep in thought, before coming to a definitive, "About a day, maybe less."
"Is there a way for you to bring me back to my world so I can talk to the Titans? I want to take him, but I need to know what arrangements I'll have to make before he comes with me," Raven explained.
"So, you will take him on?" Clockwork asked quizzically.
"I will look after him, hopefully I won't be alone in this endeavor," Raven stated in agreement.
Clockwork raised his staff and slammed it onto the ground. The whole world shifted many different shades of green until there was a pop. They were back on the Titans Tower once more, and for the first time Raven was happy to see the moon and any other color than green.
"I will return here with Danny when you call me again. I will be watching, I hope beyond hope that the decision that is reached is amicable to all parties," Clockwork stopped. "I am truly sorry Raven Roth," the ghost finished.
"Why?" Raven asked, almost taken aback.
"I am sorry to have manipulated you, to have used you like this for my own ends. If you ever have need me, I will be there for you. Just know that you are not alone in this big world," Clockwork stated.
Raven frowned, but before she could say anything clockwork slammed his staff back on the ground. "Time IN!" He cried as he vanished in a cloud of green.
Raven shivered as she felt the whole world shift and begin to move again. She shook her head, then moved to the stairway access. She walked down the stairs slowly, almost as if dragging her feet. She looked at the ground, and for the first time noticed a necklace with a big C with a W behind it.
'I hope this wasn't just some hallucination,' she thought as she reached Robins door. She knew the boy wonder got very little sleep, and what little he did get was always restless. The man was clearly going a mile a minute, and she could only hope it wouldn't be strait into a brick wall.
Three knocks. Most times three knocks are quick and deliberate, however these three knocks seemed to drag on for a while. The door slid open to a half-dressed Robin, who groggily asked, "What is it?"
"I need to talk with everyone in the morning," Raven merely said.
Robin looked at her for a moment, before looking at a clock on the wall. "Is everything okay?" Robin asked with mild concern in his voice.
"I'm hoping that this is all a hallucination from lack of sleep, but I figure it won't hurt to tell you this. I was contacted by a ghost," Raven started only for Robin to cut her off.
"Are ghosts real?" He asked her. He knew that she was the team's only magic user, not to mention she seemed to know these things.
"They are, but there aren't a ton of them in the world. Most of the more benevolent ghosts simply have unfinished business in the world and pass on after their purpose is fulfilled. The less common are manifestations of obsession that can manipulate the world around them. The least common are so powerful that they take a visible form that any who observe them can see. Until recent events, there were rumors of an extinct race of ghost that are masters of both life and death…" Raven said ominously.
Robin absorbed this new information before asking, "Where did you get that necklace?"
"The ghost gave it to me," Raven answered.
"Go rest. If you still have it on in the morning, then what happened must have been real," Robin rationalized.
Raven nodded. She could always count on Robin being logical enough to tell her what was what. She went back to her room and fell to her bed; quickly she fell asleep.
NS :Fenton Works: NS
Maddie came to in her kitchen with a bit of a headache. She gazed from her empty glass to her watch on her wrist. It was now Five Thirty, and she had spent a good bit of time drinking before blacking out. She got up from her spot and slowly went through the kitchen to the stairs before a sickening feeling hit her stomach. She ran through the hall to the guest bathroom and threw up.
Jazz's alarm went off after about thirty seconds of Maddie brushing her teeth. As she spit out the paste in her mouth, Jazz's foot falls echoed down the steps. Maddie threw water on her face and smelled her own breath. Her eyes were clearly reddened from a night of drinking, but she hoped Jazz wouldn't read into it too much.
Maddie left the bathroom and checked for Jazz. She could hear her in the kitchen, so she snuck upstairs. As she made it half way, the floor board creaked. 'Damn these stairs' Maddie thought.
Jazz stuck her head out from the kitchen and said, "Morning mom."
"Morning sunshine, I'm gunna hit the hay. Spent the whole night in the lab trying to get an experiment to work," Maddie lied.
"Okay mom," Jazz said silently.
Maddie went all the way upstairs and then went strait to her room, she fell onto her bed and passed out; clearly oblivious to what she did the night before.
NS :Titans Tower: NS
Raven woke up and immediately felt her hand dart to the necklace. It was still around her neck, and even worse she felt a piece of paper in her hand. She read the three words on the page, and felt the blood drain from her face, "Last Night Happened, CW" She crumpled the paper and went to the bathroom attached to her room.
After a nice long and hot shower, she put on her blue outfit and cloak. She left her hood down as she float through the corridors, the necklace still around her. She reached Robins room and knocked once.
The door opened to a fully dressed Dick Greyson, only thing that gave away it was Robin to the common man was the eye mask. He looked at her and more said than asked, "Staff meeting?"
Raven gave a single nod before the two of them went to the living area to see Beast Boy and Cyborg both in the living room relaxing.
"Staff meeting everybody!" Robin called throughout the living area.
"Aww come on! Two in one-week Robin!" Came the childish complaint from Beast Boy.
"It's not my call this time, Raven has something important to tell us. Vic hit the curtains and keep the minutes," Robin said.
The 'curtains' was actually glass that would reflect light with the press of a button. The idea was to keep privacy from people trying to spy on them while they were on their down time.
With the curtains closed and everybody gathering around the table, Starfire asked, "What joyous news do you bring us today Raven?"
Raven took a deep breadth before saying, "I was contacted last night by a being from the other side."
Beast Boy leaned over to Cyborg and said, "Make sure to mark 3 seconds to crazy in the minutes." Cyborg simply shook his head at the comment.
"This is serious Gar," Raven said monotone. "I was contacted by a ghost last night, and was brought to their dimension last night. The ghost had me heal an injured boy there," Raven informed.
"Dunno if you were informed Rave, but ghosts aren't real!" Beast Boy retorted.
A black rope appeared around Beast Boys mouth, then Raven said, "All manner of supernatural beings exists in different planes of existence. Normally they can't interact with other dimensions, but the one that brought me to his domain could." Raven paused and let the ropes disappear.
"Alright, what happened next Raven?" Came the calm voice of Starfire, clearly enthralled by the adventure.
"I healed the boy, and was told that he was a newly turned and very rare type of ghost. This ghost is said to be the master of life and death, according to rumors and hearsay," Raven said.
"You mentioned this type of ghost last night Ray, but could it be true?" Robin asked.
"Every tall tale has a nugget of truth somewhere in it," Raven merely stated before continuing. "The ghost called himself the Clockwork Ghost of Time. He told me with the betrayal of his family, he would fall into events that would bring the destruction of the earth," Raven said grimly.
Robins eyes narrowed under his mask as she finished. "Why would this ghost of time help an evil being? Could he be acting in such a way that helps lead the world to chaos?" Robin asked.
"He seemed to genuinely want to take this boy off the path of hatred, so he asked me to help him. I agreed to keep an eye on him, to help him grow into a better person," Raven said.
Cyborg looked at her with concern before asking, "He asked you to do this? It seems a lot to ask for any one person."
Raven nodded and said, "The ghost of time, Clockwork, looked into the future. He said that taking the boy in would lead to an uncertain future to be sure, but one where the boy has a chance to do good."
Starfire seemed to show glee at the thought of another member, Beast Boy kept himself from laughing at this like it were a joke he just wasn't in on, but both Robin and Cyborg were worried even if one of them didn't show it.
"Are you going to leave the Titans?" Robins voice asked, piercing the silence.
This was something that Raven hadn't considered. She could leave for a while to do this task, but was cut off by Beast boy.
"We all have had a side project of sorts, Rob. You still help Batman when needed, Cyborg assists the Justice League, hell I'm even still on the Doom Patrol!" Beast Boy rationalized.
Raven shook her head, "I wouldn't leave permanently. If at all possible, I won't be leaving at all."
Robin nodded but asked, "What are you asking of us then Raven?"
"I want to make a home for the boy. One where he could be with people that are like him, of sorts. One where he could grow to use his powers for good," Raven said, almost sounding idealistic.
Robin nodded and said, "I think that if we were to take on another Titan, we would need to be absolutely certain that he won't be like her…"
Everyone looked down for a moment, but it was Raven how broke the silence this time. "Perhaps not a Titan then, but somewhere where he could at least heal. He can't go back to his home though. That would be the worst thing for him right now," She declared.
"Alright, Raven. Before we put this to a vote, does anyone have any concerns right now?" Robin asked.
Each raised their hand, even Robin. Raven lead the questions with, "We will go clockwise then starting with Vic and ending with Rob."
Cyborg nodded and began first, "What are this boys' powers? I mean what can ghosts even do?"
"I haven't a clue, but he has within him the power to potentially destroy the planet in the future so we may have to test his powers out," Raven capitulated. She could almost see his mind running thousands of calculations on how this could blow up the whole building.
Beast Boy then asked, "If he has to stay here, how do we do this? I mean, if he's a ghost can't he just float through the wall or something?"
"We're just going to have to put things out in the open with him. Tell him that it's better for him to not be back home right now," Raven said.
"What is this boys name?" Came the voice of Starfire.
"His name is Danny Phantom, and before you ask, I don't think it would be a good idea to ask how he died. I doubt he would like to talk about it, and yes I do know how he died," Raven answered that last bit to Robin.
Now it was Robins turn, the one that Raven almost dreaded. "Firstly, I would like to interview him. Nothing accusatory mind you but just as a get to know you kind of thing. Next, he is definitely a security risk. He could have access to massive amounts of data on not just us but parts of the league. What are the safe and unsafe zones for him? Where are we going to board him?" Robin asked just a portion of the myriad of potential questions in his mind. Each more demanding that the last.
"I would think you'd go crazy if you don't interview him, we will have to keep our eyes on him during the day and keep motion sensors on him at night. I'm thinking he will have to use Terra's old room," Raven answered.
Robin nodded at her answers, before saying, "Any more for Raven?" When nobody else spoke up, he asked, "Anybody opposed?"
Robin didn't vote; he knew that Beast Boy and Star wouldn't vote against her plan and Victor would. That is exactly what ended up happening too. It wasn't because of some sentiment for this Danny Phantom, but instead because he trusted Raven's judgement.
"Now that all the heavy stuff is passed, what's with the jewelry Rave? Trying to make a fashion statement?" Beast Boy snickered.
End of chapter.
SEE I CAN KEEP MY PROMISES! Uploaded before 10 PM EST! Anyway, I know that I usually don't write long form chapters but this time I felt the need to give the whole events with the team at once. I'm going to try to keep these around 2k to 3k at worst cases. Also leave it to BB to try and bring the tension down amiright?
Story word count: 2634
Total word count: 2712