Solor, true to his word, charged Beast Boy first, hoping to scare the green boy into morphing into a T-Rex, but unfortunately, he was hit by Cyborg's sonic canon, knocking him off course and crashing to the ground. In retaliation, Solor started shooting fireballs at the metal teen, forcing him to retreat before his attention was drawn by Robin, who hit him from behind with his staff. Unfortunately, Solor only felt it glance off his scales, before turning at Robin with a slightly annoyed, withered glare.
"Really? You're going to try to beat my diamond hard scales with a metal stick?" he asked, raising a brow.
"Can't blame a guy for trying", Robin said with a slightly sheepish grin before he began dodging Solor's fists, avoiding getting hit with ease.
"Let's see if he can dodge a two on one," Edward said and started attacking Robin with his own fireballs. Robin yelped and dodged those as well before Starfire intervened and shot her Starbolts against Edward. She didn't know one of Edward's innate defenses would kick in, though. She watched as a starbolt hit Edward and instead of a small explosion, it spread across his scales before being absorbed.
"What in X'Hal's name?!" she exclaimed, "Did Friend Edward absorb that?
Edward chuckled, "Nice try, Starfire." A glow emerged from his claws and he returned the favor, causing her to give a startled yelp and she dove out of the way.
But, Raven chanted "Azarath metrion zinthos!" and several boulders were lifted out of the ground and aimed right at Edward! He heard the air rushing past the flying rocks and he waited until the last second and teleported to behind Raven and for him, gently knocked her off balance.
Solor, meanwhile, finally got his fight against Beast Boy's T-Rex form, managing to push against him to a standstill. "So... this is a dinosaur, huh?" he said with a grunt, pushing against him some more. "Incredible... it's too bad I wasn't alive when they were." He finally pushed with a sudden burst of energy, pushing Beast Boy off balance before delivering an uppercut against his massive jaw, knocking the changeling to the ground before he morphed back, obviously unable to continue. He couldn't help but wince a bit. "Whoops... might've overdone it there... sorry, Beast Boy."
That was when another sonic canon blast shot past him, and he used his wings to shield the next attack, since they were fully healed now. "Come on, Cyborg! Is that all you have?" he yelled to his opponent.
"Oh, you don't wanna know what else I have!" the mechanical teen said with a grin, shooting his other fist towards Solor and managing to connect with his left cheek, punching him to the side. "Booyah!"
He didn't celebrate for long as there was the sound of raw power crackling and Cyborg didn't have time to duck as a lightning bolt hit him on his shiny, metal ass causing him to yell "YEEEOOOOOWWWWW!"
"Thanks, Brother!" Solor said with a smirk, "My turn!" He hit Cyborg with a powerful uppercut that sent Cyborg into the dirt, rolling to near Beast Boy. Two Titans down, three left.
Solor turned to Starfire, smirking. "I think I have some payback to dish out. Can you handle Robin and Raven?"
"No problem", Edward said, smirking as well. "Call if you need help."
Solor let out a roar as he charged, grappling with Starfire once again as the two shot into the sky, attempting to overpower each other. Raven, meanwhile, uprooted a small tree nearby, throwing it at Edward in hopes of distracting him enough for Robin to use his ice disks to freeze him in place.
Edward saw the tree coming and whipped around, using his tail to deflect the tree. Next thing he knew, he was covered in ice and anchored to the ground.
Interesting distraction, Edward thought before he merely enlarged and morphed to his mini-dragon form, causing the ice to explode in all directions. Robin and Raven had to duck for cover. Well, Raven merely erected a shield.
Edward returned to his hybrid form and his talons glowing white released more starbolts, causing Robin to take evasive action. It allowed Raven to use her powers to capture Edward in a shell.
In fact, he tried to teleport, and for the first time in like his life, he couldn't use that trick to escape.
What in Oblivion?! he thought angrily before he remembered that she would sense his anger and calmed down.
He decided to use his Blessing of Darkness to negate the shell. It was a risky move on his part, but, necessary. It would absorb the shell, he hoped. He didn't know that was part of Raven's soul-self until the Blessing activated and as the shell was slowly drawn in, he heard Raven in distress as she fought to maintain it. She let out a strangled sound as she fought the pull.
What the hell?! he thought and forced the darkness to retreat and it stopped. The shell collapsed and he raced over to her as she fell, catching her and setting her down.
"SPAR'S OVER!" Edward called out.
"What did you do?" Robin demanded to know.
"I used one of my other blessings, Robin," Edward said, "It started to absorb that shell."
"That's part of Raven's soul self," Robin said, "that's why she's in distress. That would have done serious harm to her."
Edward's face paled as he looked at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
His body started glowing a different color ... it was green as his blessing of life kicked on. He used that to impart a healing touch to the empath. Her face relaxed as the damage to her soul self was repaired...Edward certainly was surprised at this new power.
Her eyes opened a moment later and she threw Edward off as her half-demon side erupted in anger. Her cape elongated as she grew and a second set of eyes emerged. She raised her hands, both covered in dark energy and was about to unleash a terrible wrath upon Edward.
Solor had heard the shout, and was flying back with Starfire to see what happened when he caught sight of Raven rearing her demonic powers. A wave of Darkness hit him, and he acted instinctively as he dove down, slamming into the ground between them, his Light Blessing active. He looked up at her, glaring. "I don't know what happened", he said in a very serious tone. "But you need to calm down now." Starfire said, "Friend Raven, I am sorry to do this." She grabbed Raven in a reverse bearhug to prevent further attacks, "Please do the calming of the anger." Starfire's calm and still cheerful voice started to bleed through to the angry Raven, whose powers were lashing out regardless, snapping trees, tossing boulders around.
"He tried to consume my powers!" she hissed. "My very soul is poured into them!"
Solor glanced at Edward, who only nodded, before turning back to her. "It was not done on purpose, Raven. He was unaware of what your powers do and how they work. I can only assume that he used a power that is risky for him to counter your attack, and believe me, he already feels guilty about using it in the first place. Settle down and talk to him, like you talked to me." He flexed his claws, letting them shine with his blessing. "Or... if you need to spend some energy, I'd be more than happy to fight you until you calm yourself. I may be drained when it's done, but my Blessing of Light can counter your Darkness for as long as it needs to."
The half-demon glared, but she knew attacking him like this was a bad idea. Unlike what Dr. Light had used on her before, this Light felt... different. Supernatural. Her anger wouldn't be able to quash it, and in turn, she slowly regained control over her rage. Eventually, she started shrinking, closing both pairs of eyes before reverting back to normal, albeit with a harsh glare in her violet eyes. The tendrils of power she was waving wildly retracted into her as she got Rage back under control. Solor, in turn, allowed his light to fade, glad he didn't have to fight her like that. Starfire released her as well as the tension finally broke.
Edward sighed and sat up, "Titans, have a seat, please. You too, Brother." Raven glared but complied.
"Raven, I am so sorry for that. I did not know that your very soul, your essence fuels your powers. Had I known that, I would have waited until you released me," he said, "that green glow you saw was my blessing of Life and it did something that I did not know was possible. It healed the damage to your soul powers, which is new to me. The power I tried to use is my Dark Blessing. I use that rarely because there is a risk involved on my part. It absorbs dark energy and that's what started to happen. Soon as I heard you struggling, I forced it to release the hold on your powers. I will understand if you do not want me on the team as a result of my carelessness. Just don't hold Solor responsible for my actions. Please...forgive me."
The team looked at each other, unsure what to do. Solor, however frowned. "If I am to join, he joins too", Solor said with a firm tone. "No compromises. My brother is much more powerful than I am and will be a valuable asset to your team, and no one is perfect. If that is the only reason why he would not be able to join, then I will choose to go with him."
Robin looked over at Raven. He was going to say they were both invited anyway, but after that, it was pretty much up to Raven, since she got a nasty shock during that spar. She looked at them both, her eyebrows still slanted in mild anger, before she eventually sighed. "I want to say no... but none of us were expecting those results. I'd be a hypocrite if I said that you shouldn't join because of one mistake... Azar knows I've made a good chunk of my own." She turned to Robin. "If they'll join the team, I'll support that decision. I'd rather give them a chance to prove themselves since they've tried so hard."
Robin smirked. "Then I guess that settles it... since I'm pretty sure the decision is unanimous." With affirming nods from the rest of the team, he turned to the dragons. "We'd like to invite you both to the team... and if you both prove yourself in the next 6 months, we'll make you official Titans."
Edward said, "We accept. Thank you for the opportunity, Robin. Raven, thank you for your vote of confidence as well. I promise to make it up to you."
Solor, meanwhile, gave his brother a look. "So... if we're going to be working with the team... does that mean we have to move into the tower? Not that I'm complaining... but I think our sister... Sarah is going to need to know where to find us for reports." He hoped no one would call him out for the pause while he figured out what name to call Sosfil.
"I'll let her know," Edward said, "I think it would be a good idea to relocate. I doubt that Robin wants to have to wait for us to respond on missions. And, the extra space would be better for us anyway. You see, Titans, I have to file regular progress reports with Solor's 'probation officer'. And, she's a stickler for the rules, even more than I am! I give Solor some leeway where she would drive Solor past his control, I think."
[Sarah?] Edward asked telepathically, [Come to think of it, I don't even know her human alias. It could be Asagi for all I know.]
[I panicked, I'm not good at coming up with names on the fly] Solor defended. [And knowing her, if she comes to visit us at the tower, she'll make a new human form to keep from getting recognized for her work in Japan, since Robin most likely knows a lot of the officials and who appears in photos with them thanks to his training with Batman.]
[Crap,] Edward said, [I will ask her to assume a new form.]
"All right," Robin said, "We'll set up two rooms for you, unless you wish to be roomies?"
"Up to you, Solor," Edward said, "We can continue our lessons regardless."
"My own room, please", Solor said. "I'm used to having my own space. I don't think I can stand sharing with anyone, even Edward."
Robin shrugged, "That's fine. Then we'll set up two rooms. Anything personal that you need to get from your home?"
"A few personal belongings in my case, which were delivered to me shortly after my probation began. Other than that, I don't have much to bring with me", Solor said with a shrug.
"I can pack what is vital. As the apartment was furnished when I rented it, most of that stuff has to stay. I will have to give notice as well, and, that will cost me, but, I'm good for it," Edward said.
Raven shivered, dreading the teleport back and Edward said, "Raven, I have another way of getting from place to place quickly without the cold of teleporting...or we can use your method if your powers have recovered?"
Before Raven could reply, Solor piped up. "Perhaps we should use our second ability, Brother. It's nice for them to know what you can do, since I haven't been authorized to use those yet. Plus, even if those powers have completely recovered, I'd rather we make sure, since you have perfect control over it."
Raven gave him an odd look, but soon nodded. "I think I'd like to see this alternate ability, Edward. It'll help us understand more about you both."
"All right," Edward said, "What I am going to do is cast a spell, for lack of a better term, that will open what is called a 'Tear of Oblivion'. Used properly, it opens a portal from point 'A' to point 'B' where we step into the rip in reality and emerge unharmed at the destination without the side effects of my teleportation. However, if cast without a destination in mind, the portal will literally suck the victim in and kick them out sometime in the future OR potentially a different universe. That's been used by our leaders to forever banish someone convicted of a very serious crime to ensure that they never return."
He opened the Tear using the Dragon tongue and it opened, "This will drop us off at the Tower's door."
The team eyed the portal, unsure of what to do. It was Raven who took the first step forward, into the darkness. Eventually, the rest of the Titans followed, with Edward and Jason bringing up the rear. True to his word, they arrived at the Tower doors, with Beast Boy shivering a bit.
"Well... that feels more like Raven's teleporting than cold, so I guess that's... sort of a plus?" he said, rubbing his arms.
Raven nodded. "Thanks for the lift, Edward." She then turned to Jason. "And thank you for considering my powers. I feel fine now, but I think it's best if I don't use my powers for a while."
"It was nothing", Jason said, reverting to his human form. "I simply wasn't sure, myself. Brother's healing abilities are strong, but since they've never been used on a soul before..."
"Makes sense", Cyborg stated. "I've... never known anything that could actually hurt the soul, so I guess we all got a few surprises today."
Robin nodded to the two. "We'll have someone waiting for you when you return with communicators, so you can get back in the tower no problem when you're ready to come back."
Edward nodded and gave Robin their address. "We should have things packed up in a few hours. I assume that the rooms have internet or network connections?"
Cyborg said, "You know it, dawg. When you get back, I'll hook your computer into the Tower's wifi network."
"Excellent," Edward said, "To be honest, I did not know that my Dark powers would be able to hurt your soul self, either, Raven. Now that I know, I can keep that from happening again, so, we shouldn't need to worry about that. I don't use it that much anyway. I almost used the Blessing of Light and that organic laser to punch out. I wonder if that would have done any worse or better?"
"Hopefully, we won't have to find out", Raven said curtly, before levitating inside. "I need to go meditate. I'll see you two later."
Jason watched her leave, wondering if she was okay, before shaking his head a bit. He then turned to Edward. "Well, I suppose you'll have fun setting up the computer... meanwhile, I still have yet to learn how my bloody phone works."
"You... don't know how to use a cell phone?" Cyborg asked, awestruck.
"I'm not good with technology", was Jason's only reply, as he had the decency to blush as he pouted a bit.
"Yeah, he once crashed my computer by hitting the enter key," Edward said with a chuckle.
Jason couldn't help but glare at Edward. "You had to say that right away?" He shook his head. "Come on, let's head home already so we can pack up."
"Alright, alright, sorry", Edward said with a chuckle. "We'll be back soon, Titans."
"And we'll be waiting", Robin said with a smile. Beast Boy and Cyborg bumped Edward's fist in a goodbye gesture, while Starfire gave him another hug. Afterwards, she turned to Jason, offering her hand, which he took with a small smile. And so, another Tear formed, and the two headed back to their apartment.
... only to see an irritated Sosfil waiting for them, sitting in one of Edward's chairs.
"So... care to explain what you two are doing with the Titans?" she asked, tapping her fingers against the armrest.
"We had a tryout, sister," Edward explained, "And, the rest I will put in my report as it is very good news, indeed. So care to explain why you took it upon yourself to enter my abode without permission? I allow Father because of his status as Grand Light...you have no such privilege."
"A tryout?" Sosfil sneered, "Don't tell me...those mortals are letting you join?"
"And, I need not explain myself to you."
That was the wrong thing to say as Edward's anger came to the surface. His eyes started glowing as he snarled, "GET. OUT! You conniving little wench. You dared insult my honor and pride earlier. Do not presume to ever think I will forget that slight and, you will have a reckoning some day, baby sister. We not only got a tryout, but, we are on their team. Fiilkin and I are here to pack our belongings and relocate to the Titan Tower. Now, leave before I decide to pick you up and physically remove you. and, if I do that, I will not be so nice about it. I am far stronger than you, remember that!"
"You know I will have to report this?"
"Go right on ahead. You broke into my house. I could have you arrested for illegal entry at the very least. It is not time for a report, so, you are here to do what? Rub it in? Trying to find a reason to steal Heir Potential? I would not put that past you."
"I'm surprised they let your hotheaded little brother in," she said.
"Actually, the one that had an nasty temper is Raven. There was an incident and her half-demon side came to the foreground," Edward said, "Jason managed to deflect that anger and got her to calm down. Please leave, final warning."
She got up and made for the door, "Fine, I will be by the Tower in 48 hours...you best have something ready for me."
"Change your human form, sister," Jason said, "Robin may recognize you otherwise...please and thank you in advance."
"And, do not use a Tear to invade the Tower. You shall, without fail, enter the tower like a mortal...that means by requesting permission to enter by ringing the doorbell or knocking or calling ahead. You have my number, do you not?" Edward added, his anger fading, "From now on, you best use it! I will call or send a text when my reports are ready...not before. Good day.
"Oh...since we didn't know of your human alias, Jason gave you one...Sarah. If you have a Japanese alias, that's cool, but, you will answer to Sarah while here, please."
Sosfil glared at Edward. She may be a potential heir, but she knew she couldn't get him to do what she wanted. But she cast her sight to her little brother, and gave him a very dirty look. "Don't think that I'll ever accept you, Filkiin. I have seen time and time again that you do not deserve to be the next Grand."
Edward snarled, smoke starting to pour out of his nose, "GET. THE. HELL. OUT. OF. MY. ABODE! You have insulted family honor for the last time in my presence." He started towards her to physically throw her out. She saw the intense red in his eyes as he went to his hybrid form, scales changing colors. Jason put an arm around his elder brother, "Give her a chance to leave on her own."
"And do not think that I'll be so willing to roll over and submit, sister dearest", Jason said, glaring. "Now, our eldest brother is done asking. Leave, or we will make you leave."
"Are you threatening me?" she asked, snarling. "You may lose your chance if you are."
"You are trespassing on a dragon's territory", Jason pointed out, surprising her with the calm response. "If I choose to attack you, I am well within my rights, seeing as this is also my home until we move. Now get out."
"You are also an Heir Potential, Sosfil. Should I report this, you might lose your status. Don't come back unless invited," Edward snarled and blew a puff of smoke her way. His scales slowly settled into their normal bronze color as he said, "The Circle shall be informed of this breach of Dragon and mortal law
For the first time, Sosfil couldn't believe that she hadn't been able to goad him into anger. She knew this battle was lost, and she couldn't help but give another glare to the two. Eventually, though, she muttered her spell, stepping back into the void that opened behind her.
"I hate her", Jason finally said, rooted by his own anger as his fists clenched tightly. "I hate that she thinks she can push me around simply because she's the eldest daughter."
"She was very, very close to feeling MY wrath...Your anger is intense...should mine ever erupt, Brother, it will take you and Starfire to hold me back," Edward said calmly, "I merely did not wish to destroy the building forcing her to leave short of an untargeted Tear...that would have had me on trial. No thanks!
"I will not be so generous should she invade the Tower like that. Next time, I teleport her to a place of my choosing and potentially at a TIME of my choosing."
"You mastered time teleportation?" Jason asked, his eyes widening.
"A long time ago, brother," Edward said smirking, "I rarely use that due to the possible changing of History itself. I go, observe, and leave."
Edward's anger had cooled as quickly as it was kindled and he sighed, "Thanks, man. I was moments away from paying for repairs to the outside wall. But, I am not going to tolerate her attitude any longer. Her digs at the family honor cannot be allowed to go unchallenged and she is heading towards a demand for BloodBath."
Jason looked down at his clenched fists, slowly uncurling his fingers. He was angry, that much was obvious, but fighting wasn't going to help him this time. "I'm going to gather my gems", he muttered in a low tone, heading to his room. In his younger years (which, to a dragon, would be back when he was 100), he had collected a wide variety of gems. To a human, they would sell for quite a bit. To him, they were just a pretty set of baubles. He liked to observe the separate cuts and the purities of the gems. It helped him to look at them every now and then, but he usually kept them safely in his room; he knew if he dropped one anywhere, it would be gone for good.
Edward sighed as he called the apartment manager and told him that he was giving his 30 day notice, but, that he was leaving that day. When asked, he merely said, "Jason and I were invited to join the Titans." That got the manager's attention and she asked, "I've been housing superheroes?"
"Today was our first day," Edward explained, "Did you hear of any foiled bank heists?"
"That was you?" the manager asked.
"Yep," Edward said.
"Well, I think I can prevail on the owners to let you out of the lease without penalty," she asked.
"No, thank you anyway, I will deliver a check for the amount of money remaining," Edward said.
The manager relented, "OK, that's fine. I assume you'll leave the apartment as you found it?"
"It will be move-in ready," Edward replied. "Everything will be in place."
"Then... I guess everything's all taken care of", the manager said, sighing. "You were one of the better tenants, so I hope your new career goes well for you."
"I hope that the next tenants will be just as good," Edward said, "It was a pleasure to be here...I will recommend you to others."
"Thanks," the manager said with a sigh, "When will you leave the keys?"
"Tomorrow morning," Edward said, "We may have to make several trips. as I still have to rent a moving van. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"All right," the manager said, "Take care." She disconnected.
He then called around to see if he could rent a moving van on short notice. He got lucky and found a U-Haul box truck that would hold almost everything in one trip, and what wouldn't fit could be teleported over.
After Edward finished booking everything, he looked back to Jason's room, where his younger brother finally emerged, the small, cloth bag filled with gems gripped in his hand. He couldn't help but feel pity; that bag was the only reminder he had of home. "Everything's all set up", he said. "We can start packing up and we'll be on our way within a couple hours."
Jason nodded, but remained silent. It was obvious he was still upset by Sosfil, in multiple ways. Edward considered talking to him, but the vibe he was giving was more of a silent seething, and while Edward wanted to help, when he was like this, the silence was all he could get from the younger brother. After relaying directions on what to pack, Jason got to work, starting to box things up.
I wish I could go get more of his stuff, but, he said that those gems were all he desired to have. Edward sighed.
It took a few hours to accomplish the task, then, Edward had to get the rented truck.
He made a mental note to deliver his next report in person to the Circle. Sosfil had no business entering their abode, and no business asking why they were working alongside the Teen Titans. She's lucky Edward didn't pull a Dark Blessing; she really overstepped her bounds. But that might be a moot point; since she's a potential Heir, the only one who could punish her was probably their father, and with how their relationship has been over the last thousand years or so, he might not have as much sway as he hoped he would.
Even if Feylfil couldn't really do much directly, he could remind her that one who is a potential Heiress can lose that consideration if they are being shown to not obey the laws. Entering one's abode without permission was, like in the mortal world, a crime. And to demand that another dragon explain why they were associating with mortals was not in itself a crime seeing how the Circle had many dragons on missions to the cities and countries of the world was a serious breach of common courtesy. Edward would have been within his rights under Dragon law to physically "escort" Sosfil to the door...meaning by tossing her out on her tail.
But, Sosfil had no idea what Edward was going to do to her. Her questioning his right to associate with whomever he wanted and her invasion of his abode plus all the other slights had gone on far enough. His patience with her was at an end and he would request someone else to relay the reports who was more neutral.
After getting the truck and packing up, the two dragons found themselves at the entrance of the tower, where Cyborg and Raven were waiting for them, with the larger teen holding new communicators for them. Jason stepped out first, stuffing his gems into his pants pocket before walking over, nodding curtly.
"Welcome back, you two", Cyborg said. "Here are your communicators; they'll be your ticket in and out of the tower. Without them, you can't even get in the front door without being shot at by our defenses."
Jason gave another silent nod, taking his communicator in hand. Raven raised a brow, noticing his uncharacteristically silent demeanor. "Is... everything okay?" she asked.
"Our sister discovered our interactions with you, and... well, let's just say that we don't always see eye to eye... or more like ever", Edward stated. "She tried to tempt Jason into attacking her, but he was fortunately able to keep his cool. Doesn't mean he's not upset about it; he's been quiet since. He doesn't like talking when it comes to moments like this, so just leave him alone; he'll calm down eventually."
"Considering she almost got planted into the pavement," Solor grumbled, "She's longing to take my position and wanted to see if I'd react. Unity almost united her with a one way ticket to some other location. We are protective of our homes and we don't like uninvited pests." That said, Jason went into the Tower.
Raven raised an eyebrow, sensing that Jason was still quite angry and decided to ask, "Would he be open to some meditation lessons?"
"Up to him," Edward said, "He does meditate with me, but, personally, another partner wouldn't hurt."
"Then I'll bring it up to him later", she said. "It'd be... nice to have more company when I meditate. My only company is Starfire, and while she is considerate... it's not always easy for her to sit still for too long."
"Give him about an hour or so to cool off," Edward said, "Changing the subject...what does a guy have to do to get the grand tour of the Tower?"
Cyborg smiled, clapping Edward's shoulder. "Follow me, Unity; time to get to know your new home. Hopefully, we'll find Solor and at least get him to learn the layout, too."
Raven, meanwhile, looked upward. "I think I know where he is. I sense his anger from the higher parts of the tower, heading toward the roof; if he needs time to cool off, he picked a good spot."
Edward nodded. "That he probably did; the sound of the ocean will hopefully help. Let's get going with that tour, shall we?"
Cyborg gave Edward the grand tour all right. It took a while to get to see the entire place. Raven made a point to mention that they were not to go into her room, period... and Cyborg agreed with a slightly paler expression. Edward raised an eyebrow, curious, but only nodded.
Finally at the end, they arrived at the living room, where Robin was in the kitchen, cooking. "And this is the grand finale, man; our Ops Center! This is where the Titans do everything; relax, watch tv, research, cook, hang out... you think it, we've probably done it here."
Raven felt for Solor's anger, discreetly, while Cyborg spoke of the ops center, showing Edward the last bit of the tower. She could sense he was still there, not having moved in the entire time they were giving the tour. While Unity and Cyborg were distracted, she slipped away, floating up to the ceiling and phasing through so she could check on him.
There, she saw the younger brother, sitting on the edge with his cloth bag next to him as he looked through a few of his gems. He was currently holding an amethyst up to the sun, looking through it as the light refracted and shone in the distance. She could feel him slowly calming down as he did so. Was this what he did to help calm down when he wasn't meditating?
After a moment, she cleared her throat, to announce her presence as she floated over. "Feeling better?" she asked, as she looked down at him.
"Slightly", Solor stated, putting the gem down. "I apologize... I did not want to come here in such a foul move."
"Sometimes, things fall out of our control", Raven responded. "Trust me, I know anger, if you having to pull out the big guns earlier to face my... ugly side are any indicator."
There was silence for a moment. Finally, Solor looked up at her. "How do you handle it?" he asked. "You seem like someone who doesn't lose their anger easily. What can I do to get a better handle on mine?"
Raven couldn't help but the small, tiny smirk. "I was actually planning on offering my help with your meditation. I'm required to meditate every so often, since my powers are linked to my emotions, so maybe I can pass on some tips and tricks."
Solor contemplated the offer. Normally, he'd be very against asking a human for help. However, his time with Edward has taught him that he did need to ask for aid every now and then, no matter how much he hated it. So far, nothing bad had come from it. So, after a moment, he nodded. "If you'll have me as a student, I am willing to learn."
Raven nodded, "I would ... like that. Edward's interested as well. This may be enjoyable. However, anger is a hard emotion to overcome right away. Many people have fallen to their anger, and, it consumed them utterly. You still have the time and opportunity to know when your anger is about to erupt and learn to master it, and, to use that in positive ways or redirect it towards someone or something that deserves it. I am curious? While you were gone, I sensed a spike in anger from Unity as well as you. Does he have a similar problem? I will keep it between us, if you'd like."
"My brother was angry that Sarah had broken into our apartment. She didn't steal anything, but, she was demanding to know why we were hanging out with the team," Solor said, "And, yes, his temper, while it is under far better control than mine, can be nasty. He has issues with our sister wanting to find any reason to run to our father and convince him that I am not worthy to be his Heir, and, well, earlier she made a 'Low Blow' to his pride by reminding him that she has several ... children and he has not been able to find a suitable spouse. When he became of age, the females in our clan refused to give him the time of day, pretty much saying that they'd rather die than give offspring to a 'half-breed' as some humans call non-purebloods. Since then, it's become a rather touchy subject with him."
"The rejections or the racial taunts?" Raven asked.
"Both," Solor admitted, "He was born before me and should have been named Heir long ago. Our leaders rejected it, saying that they needed a pure blood in that spot. After that, Edward left our homeland. He does return at times. Like when my mother ... died, he came back to get me, but, to offer his respects to her and paid ongoing respect for his mother. Or on the anniversary of his mother's death, he will go back to sing for her.
"But, yes, he burns at the rejections all around and, between us, he is also needing this to help show others in my homeland that he is stronger than what they think. He's incredibly strong physically, and, as you found out, his other powers are quite strong. He, however, has a more caring heart than he lets on and once he gets to know someone, he will go to Oblivion and back for them. Those who cross him ... even I do not know what will happen."
Raven thought back to Edward's hidden rage. He was very good at keeping it from others, but she could sense the tiniest thrum of anger that he buried in his heart. "Then I'd be more than happy to meditate with him as well... and if he asks, I'll help him, as well." She then motioned to the door. "In the meantime, you missed Cyborg's tour of the tower... but..." At this she paused, unsure why she wanted to do this, "... I can show you around. It shouldn't take too long, since I'm not as talkative as the others."
"I think that'd be nice", Solor said, gathering up his gems and placing them in the cloth sack again. "Where is my brother, by the way?"
"In the ops center beneath us", Raven said. "We'll stop by and say hi to the team before I give you your tour."
They headed downstairs and let Edward and the team know they were going on a tour.
Edward nodded, "Have fun, you two."
Solor raised an eyebrow, but, decided to keep his peace. The two headed for the door, with Robin raising an eyebrow as well.
"So... you think Raven offered or he asked?" he asked Beast Boy after they left.
"Probably him", the changeling said. "Raven doesn't really get along with anyone, remember? She still doesn't like my jokes."
"That's because your jokes ain't funny, string bean", Cyborg pointed out, causing the elf to glare.
"She doesn't get along with anyone?" Edward asked, frowning. "But... she offered to help Solor with his meditation...?"
"Let me clarify; Raven's not very social", Robin pointed out. "She tends to keep to herself, and she doesn't like the same stuff as us, but then again, I don't expect everyone to like everything I do. She knows what we like and she does help us in ways we wouldn't expect, but she'd much rather spend her time in her room reading than doing anything else."
"Interesting," Edward said, "It would be nice to see how interacting with her over time will help my brother with his issues. Then again, I am waiting for our ..."
"Don't jinx it!" Cyborg hollered out "Not while I am making my triple meat pasta!"
With that, the argument started between Beast Boy and Cyborg. After several minutes, Beast Boy made a minor tactical error and asked "Edward, a little help here?"
"Nope," Edward said, "Solor and I require lots of protein to keep growing and while we can and will eat non-meat items, our bodies process that differently."
"So, you eat the animals you can likely form?" Beast Boy said.
"I find them to be delicious," Edward said with a smirk, "Don't worry, green pole bean, when it is my turn to cook, I will gladly make you a non-meat version. My computer has a lot of great stuff on its hard drive. I can adapt them as necessary.
"Speaking of which," Edward said, "I need to get our stuff up to my room. I'll use a Tear of Oblivion to shorten the distance, then, I need to drive the truck back."
"I'll drive the T-Car behind you," Cyborg said, "Unless you want to come back however you like?"
"The city needs to get used to seeing me in my fighting form," Edward rationalized.
With Raven and Solor, the tour seemed to go smoothly. Raven mainly just showed him around, and he memorized the paths to learn where the gym was, the bathrooms, so on and so forth. As they were heading to his room, he noticed her name on a door.
"And that's your room, I presume?" he asked, motioning toward it with his head.
"Yep. And you're not to go in there under any circumstances", Raven ordered, glaring. "You like your privacy, and I like mine. Understand?"
The dragon nodded. He was keeping his own secrets; she was entitled to her own. Finally, they stopped at one last door.
"And this is your room", she said, showing his hero name had been etched onto the door. "Your brother's is just down the hall, just so you don't feel like you're on other ends of the entire tower."
Solor smiled, "That's fine, Raven. I knew this was a big place, but, dang."
They walked by a room marked "Terra" and Raven sighed.
"So, this is the room of the wayward candidate?" Solor noted.
"You could say that," Raven admitted, "We discovered her a few months ago battling a scorpion like creature and before we could intervene, she had lured it into a trap and used her terrakinetic powers to drop a rock bridge onto it, killing it in the process."
"Wait...I might not be familiar with some things, but, she can bend the earth to her will?" Solor asked.
"Yes," she said, "but when she was here, she lacked control. Robin offered to help her with that, but, she ran away."
"It sounds like there's more to this story", Solor pressed. "If she had simply just left, would you have been so against Unity and I joining the team when we first offered our services?"
"I don't know, to be honest," she replied, "She had only been here two days, yet, she was furious thinking that Beast Boy had told us that she lacked control. Robin merely figured things out, especially when her powers ran wild during a fight with Slade. She almost brought down a mine before Beast Boy got to her and got her to calm down. The rest, he refused to tell us."
Solor frowned. "Then I suppose she is like my people then... wanting to figure things out on her own and keeping secrets. I know that, when I was younger... I hid many mistakes from my father and sister. I suppose, to be honest, she was ashamed that she couldn't control her powers. She must have told Beast Boy in secret, but the moment someone else figured it out, she assumed he told them and flipped. Her trust, in her own eyes, was shattered."
"It's possible," Raven said, "I wonder if she will come back at some point."
"If she does, it will be either when she has thought of her situation and decides it's best for her... or if she is put up to it", Solor stated, weighing in on the options. "I would be wary of her if she shows up and has complete control. Without a teacher, that would be impossible; even my Blessing, a power I have inherited from my father, took time to control completely. And even then, it still wears me out because I have no reason to use it regularly."
"So, if she comes back, saying she's mastered her powers herself and wants to rejoin the team..."
"... then she may be trying to gain your trust for an ulterior motive", Solor concluded. "Those who cannot accept who they are and then all of a sudden be over that problem? That is usually not a good sign."
Raven had to admit, his logic was sound. And while Terra did have good control over her power most of the time, the one time they felt her lose it, it was catastrophic. The mine they were in almost collapsed, and that would have killed them all. "I'll share what you told me to Robin; that way we can be cautious if she comes back out of nowhere."
Little did they know...Solor's prediction would come to pass.