Nothing much to say, except I think this is my favorite chapter title of them all. Also, we reached one hundred followers! Yes! Next milestone is 100 favorites!
Enjoy the chapter readers!
Mailbox Time!
Golem XIV: Yep, Starfire would say that I believe. Raven opens up a little this chapter, just so you know. And I'm still debating on how she'll tease him about the name. I mainly included it since that was her reaction in the show. Enjoy the chapter!
Foamsatmouth: Nice guess Foamy.
Thedas743: I'd say your thinking is right on the dot there. I wonder what it is you will try to guess… enjoy the chapter!
swemanD47: Yep, Artemis realizes it now. I wonder just how many of the others are being manipulated though? Enjoy the chapter!
NATSUxERZA 123456: Cyborg is under her personal control, Artemis was merely manipulated. And Miss Martian likely isn't, since any form of mind control or manipulation on her is almost guaranteed to fail. Ah, I see now. Changing parts of Beast Boy's own body. I might introduce that soon, since he can do it in the comics. Enjoy the chapter dude!... or dudette?
HornedGoddess: Yep, finally gave them some time together :). And I'm kind of happy that she is back to. Now she is an unknown for what I want her to do later. Enjoy the chapter!
RPGPersona: You probably do, that sentence didn't end with a question mark (LOL). Yep, finally had Raven think it through for once. She is definitely making progress. I think you might kind of recognize where I had Rage teleport the shelter. You are on the right track with your guess on who brought back a restored Terra. Who is manipulating the others in the group? And just how far does his/her hand reach? If only the demons were there. Enjoy the chapter!
Azarath Cat: Well, I wrote more :). I'm glad you appreciate the explanation! I'm willing to answer any questions anyone has! As to the team up, we'll see. Enjoy the chapter!
JP-Ryder: Zatanna is indeed part of it, but I suggest you try digging up more suspects. Those last two on the list are pretty much overused to me. So the other villain is someone else. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
CyberKoby: I guess that's up to you readers to decide where the horde is. I haven't planned that far ahead yet to be honest… and how they'll fight it, well, that is something I do have planned. Enjoy the chapter!
bearhow: Eh, it doesn't have Raven, but for a superhero show, it isn't that bad. Kind of makes me think of the Teen Titans at times. They just have to introduce Raven and Starfire in Season Three when Netflix is allowed to release it. Cross your fingers… and enjoy the chapter!
Bluedog197: I actually answer where they are at this chapter :). I think you might like where they ended up teleporting to. Stop the hunting and fighting to talk, pbth! Where's the story in that! Hope you enjoy the chapter man!
Since Last Time: 5 more fans, 7 more follows (Total: 86 fans, 101 follows) (Yeah, we did it!)
Updated: September 24, 2016 10:30 P.M.
Disclaimer: Yo man, this first rate author don't own me or any of this. So chill, and lay off my buddy Al for me. (From, Cyborg)
Chapter Fifteen: Stankball Got Your Tongue
It was day four from the time that Beast Boy and Raven had made up. Approximately nine to ten days since Trigon had been banished. And about eight days since their spat with the Justice League officially started.
The blizzard outside had stopped sometime on Day Two, but it had been because the temperature had dropped to almost -20. It was too cold for any clouds to even form, so no more snow fell from a clear blue sky.
However, since it was still very cold out, and since they had found they were now in the middle of Nunavut (Northern Province of Canada, right by the Hudson Bay) thanks to a GPS locator in Beast Boy's tablet, the two had been stuck staying indoors with each other. Not even daring to open the door to enjoy the beauty nature had to offer and risk letting out some of their precious warm air. They also wondered how the hell they had been teleported a few thousand miles north, but couldn't really guess why. Raven had muttered something about it being impossible to herself. Beast Boy had no idea since she never elaborated. For now though, they had both chosen not to dwell on it.
Now you might think things would be pretty bad since they were around each other almost 24/7, but surprisingly, it wasn't.
Things had actually been pretty calm between them, despite having to be in each other's presences all day. This was mainly because Raven had a boundless supply of books to read in her pouch. And because Beast Boy's tablet held so many different games, comics, etc on it, that he was able to keep himself busy when Raven was reading or meditating. Sometimes, he even took out his drawing book and added a random drawing to it. He didn't dare take it out though until he was sure Raven wasn't paying any attention to him whatsoever. Mainly since he found himself mainly drawing about her as of late. His excuse was because she was the only notable thing in the vicinity besides snow drifts.
Any talking that did happen between them, mainly occurred at meal times, which they tried to do at least twice a day. They didn't really talk about much, just about small things really. Nothing important, but still conversation worthy. Like what was the weirdest superpower one had ever seen, or their favorite kind of movie/book. Stuff like that.
They also tried to train each other inside the pocket home, so as to not lose their edge should a battle happen again. There were other foes they'd have to face eventually, other than a speedster and an archer. For all they knew, Superman could come crashing in through the roof. So for at least an hour each day, the two would train each other in the small space of the room.
Overall, things were pretty normal in the pocket home. With the two now getting along somewhat. It even looked like today was going to be another normal day too…
"GARFIELD!"
Well… I stand corrected.
"Yes mama?" Beast Boy said in a teasing voice. Despite how red with suppressed anger Raven already was.
"Can you guess what I found on the ground in the bathroom again this morning!?" She asked in an accusatory tone.
Beast Boy put his hand to his chin in mock thought. "Did I accidentally drop some toothpaste on the ground again?" He said in a sing song tone. He decided to toy with her.
Raven's face looked on the verge of the four eyed glare, as something encased in black appeared behind her back. "You know damn well that these things aren't toothpaste Garfield!"
Beast Boy decided to play with her some more. Despite the death factor involved. He leaned in close, mockingly examining the item her powers were holding. "I'm sorry Raven, I thought you knew guys loved to change out of their clothes once in awhile. You wouldn't want a smelly Beast on your hands now, would you?" He asked in a fake confused voice.
White hot steam blasted out of Raven's ears. "Yes, normally I would appreciate that Gar. But this is the third time I've found your stinky boxers on the floor of my bathroom this week!"
Beast Boy smiled at her. "Awwww, you've been keeping track of my undergarments for me Rae. How could I ever repay you?" He said in a sugar laced tone to her.
Raven's face was now red, for a completely different reason. She turned away, but she didn't raise her hood up. "You know what I meant Gar! You keep on leaving your clothes on the floor of my bathroom! And I have to keep on picking them up!"
Beast Boy shrugged. "Well I'm sorry Raven, but Chrome Butt didn't exactly install a washer and dryer to this thing. So I really have no other place to put it other than the pile by me here. And I know how much you hate for me to make messes." He said sarcastically, as his eyes traveled to the other pile across the room that consisted of her own leotards.
Raven sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, I guess I did say that. But can't you just put them somewhere else other than the bathroom? Like in the fire so that smell goes away!"
Beast Boy thought about his response for a second or two. Wondering if the risk of death would be worth it. He got no protest from his Beast, so he decided to say it. "Are you telling me you want the two of us to prance around in here naked soon?"
Raven turned around, her face completely shocked and beet red. Beast Boy was smiling innocently at her, even as the book Raven had been reading on her bed flew into a wall from her powers.
"WHAT!?"
He continued to smile innocently as he scratched at the back of his neck. "Well, you are asking me to throw my smelly clothes into the fire. I could very well ask the same for you Rae, since you have your own pile growing over there."
Beast Boy was unaware of the thoughts going through her mind. The main one being a certain time back in the Tower… and the second being a certain shower incident…
'Hmmm, that actually doesn't sound like a bad idea.' A voice said in Raven's mind. There were many other voices just like it.
'Gah!' Was the only response she was able to give.
"Um… Rae, are you there? You actually don't want the two of us to walk around naked here, do you?" He asked. Was that a hopeful tone in his voice?
Raven's face finally became deadpan again. "No, I'd just rather you didn't try to stink up my home while you stay here Gar."
Beast Boy sighed in relief, or regret, it was hard to tell. Maybe he took the joking a tad to far. "Fine, same for you then, but where are we supposed to put them if we have nowhere to put them dude?"
Raven threw the boxers at his face with her powers, causing him to fall back onto the ground. Right next to the small pile he had of his laundry growing in the corner of her room. An idea suddenly came to his mind when he saw it. Beast Boy smiled evilly to himself.
"I don't care where you put them, as long as I can't smell it Garfield." Raven said, as she turned around to go back into her bathroom. She still had a shower to take after all. Now that there was no death trap in the way.
A small something hit her in the back of her head. Raven felt it fall into her hood, but she couldn't tell what it had been. She put her hand behind her hand to grab it, and found it had been a pair of green socks. And boy did these smell. Her face took on a slight green tinge. Where had they come from? After a second, the green suddenly stuck out to her.
'Oh no he didn't!' Raven thought in absolute rage to herself as she turned around. Ready to tear the green changeling a new one.
Smack!
"STANKBALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" Beast Boy shouted in a commentator's voice, as the purple, black, and green odor misshapen lump of clothes hit Raven in the face. "NOW THAT HAS GOT TO SMELL FOLKS! POINT, BB!" Beast Boy shouted, as he started to do a victory dance. All while chanting, "Go Garfield! Go Garfield! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!..."
The ball very slowly, and comically, peeled off of Raven's face. Now you'd think she'd be pissed off at him and all for what he had done. Or that she'd be gagging from the horrible stench or something. But surprisingly, the four eyes were two normal amethyst ones. And instead of a scowl on her face, there was an evil smile.
'Fine. If that's what he wants to play, by hell he is really going to really learn how to play!'
Beast Boy eventually stopped dancing as he realized he was being met with silence. He had turned away from Rae during his victory dance. "Um Rae, you're not mad… are you?" He asked, as he turned back to where she had been. Only to see no one there anymore. His eyes widened, where had she went? He hadn't crossed the line this time, hadn't he?
Smack! Thwap! Kathwack!
Before he could react, he was hit with three balls of his clothes all at once. One in the head, one in the gut, and one right between his shoulder blades. His nose instantly took in the smell, and he almost passed out.
A slightly upbeat monotonous voice filled the air to the other side. "And that's three points for Raven of Azarath. Looks like BB of Earth has finally met his match." Raven said, even as she made two more stank balls from her own leotards, and one more from the remains of both their piles. She still had the small evil smile on her face.
Beast Boy finally saw her off to the side, and he had an evil smile of his own. "Oh, it is so on like Donkey Kong! Let the extreme lightning round of Stankball begin!" He shouted, before he morphed into a gorilla holding two of the balls from off the floor. He roared in challenge at her as he threw them both.
Thus came an epic face off of the best game of Stankball that anyone had ever played…
Which involved a one sided smack down on Beast Boy's part.
Beast Boy, he did the best he could in the given situation. Sure he was able to morph into any animal he wanted and all that. He could morph into the smallest of forms to dodge, and then turn into animals capable of throwing stuff at over 100 mph. Against anyone else, he could have easily won.
But the simple factor of the entire equation was that he facing a half-demoness with magic powers. Meaning she could teleport, catch his balls with her own powers, freeze him in place, etc. She could even open a portal for a stankball he threw, and open another right in front of his face hitting him with his own stankball.
If he thought Cyborg had cheated before in their games, then Raven was absolute hacking his favorite pastime.
Raven used her magic to pin his monkey body in place for the fifth time, and two stankballs hit him in the face once again. Followed by another hitting his chest. He morphed back into himself, gagging at the stench of his and Raven's clothes. His eyes were slightly watering, and his nose was begging for mercy.
"C'mon Rae! This isn't fair!" Beast Boy said in despair, as he rocketed a stankball made from her leotards at her in human form. Her hand raised up in front of her and she rolled her eyes, almost as if she was bored. Her black magic covered it and sent it back at him.
Beast Boy eeped as he changed into a cat to dodge the projectile. Then he felt Raven's magic wrap around him again! The stank ball he had just dodged, came right back around and hit him in the face! With three more right after it! Again!
The stench of the past eight or so days was filling Beast Boy's sensitive nose all the way to the brim. And he wasn't able to stand the beating he was receiving anymore. He morphed back into himself, his hands up in a gesture of mercy.
"Uncle! Uncle! I give up, okay! Mercy!" Beast Boy pleaded as Raven continued to pelt him over and over with all six of the stankballs the two had made. Raven had a bigger than normal smile on her face. Even though Beast Boy was pleading for her to stop, she could sense the happiness coming off him. And it was making her happy in return, even though it was dangerous to be happy. But all the teachings of the monks were in the back of her mind. So she didn't care for the moment.
"Raeeeeeeee!" Beast Boy said in a childish voice. Even though by now he was laughing at the amount of fun they were having.
"Are you ever going to fling your dirty smelly socks at me again Beast Boy? Or do I have to keep on hitting you with mine so you get my point." Raven said in a mocking gravelly tone. Even as a ball made from her own smelly socks hit him in the face over and over again.
"No! No! I promise! I- Ack! (Stankball in the mouth) AUGHHHHHHHH! Holy crap! This tastes disgusting! And I thought I had bad feet!" Beast Boy yelled, while he started to wipe off his tongue with his hands. Which only made it worse on his part since they had held all the stankballs. He was absolutely gagging now as he clutched comically at his throat. The stankballs had stopped their assault for some reason, yet he couldn't register it at the horrible taste in his mouth.
Then he heard it.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!...
Raven finally laughed, not chuckles, but a nice belly aching laugh. Even though it was gravelly like her voice, it made Beast Boy stop in shock as he stared at her. His mind was in the gutter. His tongue no longer mattered. 'Did Rae just… by golly... Raven just laughed! I got Raven to laugh! I made Rae laugh!' His mind felt like it was in overload just thinking that he had gotten Raven to laugh. He was feeling so happy...
But then, the stankball that had been made up of his uniforms floated into the air again. Then it was shredded by Raven's powers before his eyes. Raven's laughter came to an abrupt halt right after that. Beast Boy saw a strange look pass by her face, before she finally turned away and lifted her hood up. It had been the first time since they had made up that she covered her face.
Even though his uniforms had just been shredded, Beast Boy was looking at her confused. 'Why did she suddenly stop? Wasn't she enjoying herself just now?' It seemed like the loss of four of his uniforms did nothing to phase him in the slightest.
Raven's voice was monotonous again. "I'm going to take a shower now. I suggest you do the same Garfield. You kind of stink." Was all she said, before she walked into the bathroom.
Beast Boy stood in his spot for a moment more, before he sat down on the clothes strewn ground. 'Dude… what the hell just happened? First she was laughing, and now she's… herself?'
Twenty minutes later, he still didn't have an answer. Raven let him in to use the shower, and she had seemed normal when she did it. But she still had her hood up, and Beast Boy felt sad about that for some reason. Was it because she was uncomfortable with showing her face to him again?
As Beast Boy walked into the bathroom, he saw out of the corner of his eyes that Raven was getting in the lotus position. Obviously getting ready for meditation. Beast Boy sighed to himself as he closed the door.
'Dude, why did she just… stop? I thought she was enjoying herself. I mean, I even got her to laugh! So why is she all cold and calm again!? Doesn't she like being happy!? It doesn't make any sense!'
Even after his own shower, Beast Boy still didn't have an answer. And as Raven continued to meditate, he wondered if he would ever get an answer.
The day passed on slowly for him after that, and he tried to figure out what it could have been. He tried doing push ups on the ground to keep himself occupied mentally. This was followed by actually trying to read a book off his tablet, which he failed miserably in doing since he got bored staring at only words. He even tried bringing out his drawing book, but he couldn't get the urge to draw anything. So he had put it back into his belt only fifteen minutes after taking it out.
Raven was still above her bed meditating, even though it had been three hours since the game of Stankball. Beast Boy was trying to keep himself occupied now by playing a random game involving zombies on his tablet. But even killing large hordes with a chainsaw did little to distract his thoughts.
Finally, when Raven had stopped meditating after about six hours, the two of them were sitting down on the floor across from each other. Eating their meals which consisted of mashed potatoes with carrots. Again, a normal occurrence, besides the fact that neither of them were talking. Beast Boy was waiting for her to say something. Anything. Even a simple 'hi' or 'good evening' would have been better for him. Yet Raven stayed silent.
Finally, Beast Boy decided he was done trying wait for her to talk.
"Hey, Rae." He said.
She barely looked up from under her hood at him. Before she glanced back down at her food. Beast Boy gulped. "Do you mind telling me what happened earlier?" He asked.
Raven didn't even look up. "I lost control, simple as that." She said, before she continued eating. Beast Boy furrowed his eyes at her.
"You know that isn't what I meant Rae." Beast Boy snapped at her. Raven shrugged at his response.
"Then maybe you should try being a little more specific." She said sarcastically.
Beast Boy forced back a growl. "Alrighty then, I'll just get straight to the point just for you. Why are you suddenly all cold, silent, and emotionless now, when earlier you and me were having the funnest game of Stankball I've ever played!" Beast Boy yelled at the end.
Raven merely looked up with disinterest. "I don't do fun Beast Boy." She said, before she put another bite of food in her mouth.
Beast Boy actually did growl this time. Raven looked up from her food to see him glaring at her for once. That was certainly a change.
"To hell with that! I heard you plain as day Rae! I know a fun filled laugh when I hear it! And you, you laughed! Not chuckled, laughed! As if you actually were having fun!" He growled out.
Raven raised her left eyebrow at him. "So? It's not like it's going to happen again. So why make a big deal out of it?"
Beast Boy wanted to bang his head on something in frustration. He thought Raven was finally opening up a little, and now she was closed off again! To bad they had no table to eat on so he could bang his head on that.
"What I'm saying is that me and you had fun earlier! And now you're acting as if it never even happened! I thought you were actually enjoying yourself for once-"
Raven's hood finally fell back, Beast Boy stopped yelling as he saw the glare she was sending his way. "That's the problem Garfield. I'm not supposed to have fun. I'm not supposed to enjoy myself. I'm not supposed to… feel anything." Her glare dropped at the end as she said feel. "And there you go. Trying to get me to feel again." She muttered.
Beast Boy lost his anger. His face became saddened. "Why dude? Earlier had to be the most fun I've had in weeks… months even. So why was it not supposed to happen. Why can't you just feel more often?"
Raven let out a small sigh. "Beast Boy, you know whenever I feel, I lose control of myself. Even something small like having fun could potentially make me lose control and destroy the whole planet."
A loud outcry was heard in her mind, but she ignored it.
Beast Boy sighed as he rolled his eyes. "What about those other times though when you smiled at me? Or when you chuckled, or showed some other emotion dude? You didn't destroy the world then. Hell, you even cried once, and nothing blew up." He pointed out.
"Those times were just lucky. And the world was ending anyways then. If the monks were still here, they would have berated me and locked me in my room for even risking people's lives like that. I'm not supposed to feel."
Beast Boy wanted to argue that, but then he sighed again. A question popped up in his mind. "These monks, were they the same ones that raised you?"
Raven thought about answering the question or not, but then decided why not. If it would get him to move past what happened earlier, then he would hopefully not bring it up again. Plus, despite what her cold exterior showed, she still felt that nagging crush at the back of her mind. As if it was urging her to talk and open up to the green boy. In the hope that he would likewise open up to her
"Yes, they were the ones who raised me." Raven answered monotonously. Beast Boy looked at her weirdly.
"And they raised you to not feel anything? As in... anything?" Beast Boy pressed.
Raven nodded her head. "Yes, like I said, it was to protect others from my powers. But it was more like they trained me not to feel. Not raised me. That job was left to Azar."
Beast Boy looked at her confused, so she elaborated. "I was taught how to meditate and focus on my center to keep from feeling by Azar Garfield. She was a kind woman who always tried to teach me what she could. But like when we had to train to fight a specific villain, it was the monks who trained me to not feel when I was put in a specific situation where an emotion came up. As in, they put me in spots where I would have to keep my center as my body would try to express itself."
Beast Boy looked back down at his half finished meal, as if in thought. Raven looked down to hers too, as she felt memories stir up in her mind. Now that she was talking again, she felt like talking about them now, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to or not. Heck, she wasn't even sure if Beast Boy would want to hear about it or not.
The sound of a plate clattering on the floor made her look up to see Beast Boy looking at her. He had set his plate to the side, and was now focusing directly on her. "Can you tell me about it? How you ended up becoming… this?" He asked her.
She looked back at him confused, when she suddenly understood. She felt a gulp in her throat, and couldn't explain why she was suddenly nervous under his intense gaze. 'Stupid freaking crush…' Her passive gaze kept her emotions hidden inside, as she tried to force them back.
"Well… you know how there are certain times when you can feel like you're so deep into an emotion? That you end up becoming it." Raven decided to ask, to see if Beast Boy could understand.
He nodded. "Of course."
Raven paused. "And I don't mean that it's a mixture of any emotions Gar. It has to be only one-" She started to say.
"Raven." Beast Boy cut her off. "I understand. You have to be in a situation where you only feel the one emotion. Like Happiness when gaming, or Bravery when doing something stupid, or Fear when facing something you're deadly afraid of."
Raven let out a breath, slightly grateful that he did understand. "Correct, and that was what the monks tried to do for me. Putting me through different situations until they found the one where the most of that one emotion would try to escape. So that way I could learn to suppress it when it was at its strongest."
Beast Boy nodded at that. "Okay, I guess I can understand. Meditation would only be able to do so much if you didn't have something to test it with."
Raven had to bite her lip to keep the smile back. "For example, the monks found out that when I'm in a beautiful forest all alone, that is when my body was trying to be the most happy. So one time, they left me there for a whole day, just to meditate all by myself…" Raven trailed off.
"Did it work?" Beast Boy asked.
Raven shook her head, almost as if she was sad. "No… I was still barely a child then… instead of meditating like Azar had taught me, I had ran around throughout that forest, doing nothing but laughing and having fun at how free I was… I even talked to a few animals… and I embraced my happiness."
"That doesn't sound so bad." Beast Boy said to her. A smile had lit his face at the thought of Raven being so carefree. Gosh that seemed like such an alien concept to him.
Raven had to clench her fists. Talking about this part would be harder than she thought. "Beast Boy, I ran in a straight line all that day. So I never looked behind me once to see what was happening… not until the monks had found me… and had looked at me with disappointed faces."
Beast Boy stayed silent, not understanding.
"They were gazing in sadness behind me… When I looked behind myself, that forest, that beautiful pink forest, was completely destroyed. My powers had left nothing untouched. All those beautiful proud animals I had talked to in my childish need, were dead. So many rare plants, trees, even a weird floating strawberry were destroyed. All because I didn't try to keep my happiness in check." Raven said in her cold dead voice.
Now Beast Boy was silent for a completely different reason altogether.
"From that day on, I was never left alone in a forest again. Not that I needed it… It only took me a few days after that to keep my center whenever my body wanted to feel Happy. I had been so horrified at what it had done. I have tried to stay away from those kind of forests ever since. Because of what happened before." Raven finished.
She was expecting Beast Boy to have turned away in horror after what she had said. She had murdered a lot of trees and animals that day. He was an avid nature lover. But he was still staring right at her. Unspeaking for a little bit, as if he was thinking.
"Happy lived in a pink forest." He finally said.
Raven looked at him confused, so he elaborated. "When me and Cyborg went into your mind, we found Happy in a forest. There was a few animals I saw in the background. And I even saw that floating strawberry. Does that mean that your emoticlones realms represent the areas where you feel them the most? From the memories of the places you had to stay at?"
Raven nodded her head slightly at that, she was a little surprised he had caught on so quickly. Beast Boy thought to himself for a moment. "So why was Timid in a maze then?" He decided to ask next.
Raven had to take in a breath to calm herself before she answered. "Because in a maze, it is easy to get lost and alone if you don't know where you're going. The first time the monks placed me in a maze, I had had a bigger handle on my emotions then since I had seen what unleashing them could do. But after a while, when I got lost, I just felt so... scared… and the monks quickly found out it's when I'm lost and alone where I feel the most fear. So they had me stay in one for weeks on end having me wander in it until I could put a handle on my fear. They even had to enchant the walls so my powers wouldn't destroy them. And I didn't find the exit until I was in a state of complete calm."
'Or in a dark forest. Those places are scary too.' Echoed in her mind. Beast Boy was having different thoughts though.
'Indestructible walls, just like in her mind. I wonder if it also had that shocky ceiling. No wonder it was so scary to her.' Beast Boy thought to himself.
Beast Boy closed his eyes, as if he were imagining her scenario. Being surrounded by high walls, unable to use your powers, no hope of ever finding the exit. He shivered, it had been almost too easy to imagine. A part of his past he hid perhaps? Or maybe from the trip he took into her mind?
His green eyes opened. "Okay… how about Brave? Or those other emotions I saw revolving around you?" He asked her. Now leaning forward so he could listen better.
Raven felt her cheeks heat up slightly at all his attention now obviously being on her. Yet, Raven found the words describing what she had gone through easy to say. Almost as if it was easy to talk to Beast Boy about her own upbringing. Or maybe it was the hope that he would talk about his. She didn't know. All she knew was that in mere moments she found herself talking about all her suppressed emotions. And how she came to suppress them.
"...And the one in the orange cloak that burped was Rude… I was placed in a landfill for both her and the brown cloaked one named Sloth for only a day… easiest ones I ever learned to suppress… the one in the glasses was Knowledge… I was placed in a library, and told to read until I could get through a whole story and not show any interest… that took many months in which I read through almost the entire library... Brave had been in a Coliseum… it was here where I had to learn how to use my powers to fight without being passionate about it…" Raven said all this, and more. As she talked, it became easier and easier for her, as if she was taking a great weight off her back for each emoticlone she talked about.
Beast Boy hung on to her every word. He would nod his head every now and then. Or give a 'yes', a 'I understand', a simple 'dude', or silence whenever he imagined each scenario. Their food now sat to the side, forgotten as Raven told Beast Boy a part of herself that she had never told anyone else.
Finally, Raven ended on Affection. Describing the beach she had been left on in such detail, that Beast Boy was easily able to see it in his mind. Back then, her Affection had been for the world itself. Not to another boy, which Beast Boy had felt extremely grateful for for some reason. Even though he didn't ask, she added how she had never been allowed near other children, so she never had a chance to form a childhood crush. But she had fallen in love with the world on that beach.
Raven had just been about to continue after that, readying to explain the last thing the monks had tried to train her to suppress, when her tongue suddenly stopped. As if it had tied itself up in her mouth. Her mouth suddenly became dry, her skin paled, her eyes glazed over, her smile turned into a frown, and she almost fainted at the one memory that was suddenly coursing through her mind. Taking precedent over all the other ones. It was almost like Timid had taken control.
Beast Boy instantly look concerned. "Raven, are you okay?"
Raven bit her tongue to cut off a scream, and the pain inadvertently brought her back to reality somewhat. She saw Beast Boy staring at her in concern. Suddenly, his face was replaced by the one in her memory. The one that had been looking at her with such concern… before… before…
Her food blew up. The plate it had been on also levitated into the air. Beast Boy jumped back. Raven had turned around, her body was slightly shaking as so many different emotions tried to pass through it at the memory. She thought she had been ready to talk about all of her upbringing with the monks. If only to help Beast Boy to understand her better.. But it turned out she wasn't as prepared for this last one as she had thought. Hell, she didn't know if she could ever talk about this one.
Beast Boy opened his mouth to speak, when Raven brought her hand up in a gesture of silence. Beast Boy closed his mouth, waiting for her to recover from whatever had sparked in her memories. He could literally smell the fear that was coming off her.
'Why is our mate so scared?'
'I'm not sure Beast.' He was too riled up to correct the Beast's terminology on his friend.
After a long moment, Raven's plate gently returned to the ground. And when she turned around, she no longer looked pale, but there was still a look of fear hidden deep within her eyes.
"It's getting late Garfield." She said in a shaky monotone to him.
"But…" Beast Boy started to say. When he saw how tired she looked now. She must have used a lot of effort to calm herself down. He nodded his head. "Fine, but can we continue with this conversation tomorrow?"
Raven shuddered a little at that. Beast Boy backpedaled. "I mean, only if you want to Rae. I mean… ugh. Dude. If you're comfortable talking about it. It doesn't really matter if you want to talk to me about it or not."
Raven nodded her head at that. But her eyes seemed to be miles away. Living through another time. "Sure… tomorrow… we'll see."
With that, Raven walked over to her bed. Not even bothering to float, or take off her cloak as she fell asleep on top of the blankets. Beast Boy looked at her weirdly.
'What is up with her?'
'Maybe it is her trying to suppress the memory of the past?'
'Well, yeah. I understand that Beast. I've had the same reaction before when an unpleasant memory came up. But not to the point where it frightened me like what it did to her.
'Then maybe our mate has dealt with something far worse master.'
Beast Boy shuddered at the thought. He and his Beast knew just how messed up his life had been. With the Justice League altercation just being the latest thing on its bucket list of the universe's way of making his life suck. But before that, he had been through so much, most of it he even refused to talk about. If Raven had gone through something worse…
'Let's just try to wait till tomorrow Beast.'
'And if she isn't ready to talk about it master?'
'... Let's just wait until we have to deal with that hurdle.'
The Beast stayed silent after that. And Beast Boy sighed as he turned into a kitten again. He bounded across the green carpet onto his pillow. Doing the same routine as before to fluff it up.
He curled up onto the pillow. Listening to the sound of Raven's slow breathing. Yet, he couldn't help but feel something was off. Like it was the calm before the storm or something. His whole body was tensed, as if something was supposed to happen, and his body had to be awake for it. Were they about to be attacked? Was something bad going to happen? Was he just feeling suspicious of what Raven hadn't said to him?
'I must be imagining things.'
The green kitten tried to relax as it fell asleep. But even on its short journey to dreamland, it didn't feel quite right. That feeling of tension never leaving as his body tried to rest.
Within moments after he fell asleep, he was awoken by a loud scream.
Author's Notes:
Ha! Gotta love cliffhangers!
So… can anyone guess what Raven must have been thinking about? And do you like the way I explain how her emoticlones realms came to be? I doubt people have thought about it that way before. But still, what memory would be bad enough that it could unbalance even Raven? Trigon is out of the picture now, so it has to be something else...
Till Next Time
Allen
