Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!
Chapter 3
Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.
He continued his trek, walking carefully through the verdant plain, ever alert. Despite the lush beauty of the rolling grasslands which surrounded him, with breathtaking swathes of flowers tantalizing the eye and the occasional tree offering shade, he knew that enemies could literally appear from nowhere if he wasn't careful.
He was almost at his destination, though - almost at the meeting place.
"Ahhh . . ." He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally spotted the monolith which his cavalcade of companions traditionally used to locate one another. As he closed in, his crimson robes, trimmed with fabric of glittering gold rustling through the tall grass, he could see that one of his companions was already present.
Though most would have hesitated nervously at the imposing sight of his teammate, he strode forward with nary a pause. The person before him, if indeed the term 'person' applied, towered over him, easily topping eight feet. The pair of horns that tipped the beast's shaggy, bovine head added nearly another two feet to its already intimidating height. Though, considering the intensely muscled frame of the monster, with arms as thick as his waist and hooves of chiselled obsidian . . . not to mention the wicked looking double bladed axe at its side, the horns weren't all that imposing.
Unfortunately, for all of the walking mountain of muscles' immense strength and boundless ferocity, the glowing words hanging above the Tauren's head revealing his name to be: 'IFraggedUrMom', would forever prevent anyone from taking him seriously.
The massive minotaur waved a meaty hand in greeting as it noticed his approach.
"Yo, Mousse, long time no see!"
Mousse, or as he was known in this realm, 'Death_Raven, Blood Elf Sorcerer Supreme', nodded in reply. He had, as of recently, considered changing his name to Steel-Mallard, but wasn't sure how. Certainly, Death_Raven was an excellent name, but he was no longer so comfortable with it, considering why he had chosen it. Luckily, 'HeWhoPlansToMurderRaven,' had already been taken, so he'd settled for the more innocuous title.
Meh, he'd live with it.
"Hail, mighty and noble Tauren. It has been many moons since last we parted ways," Death_Raven finally replied. He suppressed his smirk as much as possible, since he knew how much Gizmo hated it when people spoke 'In Character'.
"Oh, don't even start with that RP crap, Mousse! I'm here to splatter things with tree trunks, not pretend to be some namby pamby fairy from another world."
Sorcerer Mousse shook his head slowly, smiling helplessly. "You've never quite grasped the spirit of the 'role' playing part of the game, have you, Giz?"
The Tauren waved in disgust. "What's to know? You roll the dice and stuff happens. This game just cuts out the useless dice and paper junk."
The Blood Elf's smile flowed into a condescending /smirk. "You're absolutely right. We wouldn't want anyone using their imaginations. Heaven forbid."
"Pffft. Who needs imagination when you got a fifty six inch HD screen hooked up to a computer with enough RAM to lay siege to a good sized castle?"
"Please tell me you two aren't going on about that again."
The Tauren and the Blood Elf both turned in response to the pleasant, though not at all lyrical voice of the Night Elf that casually strolled around the monolith. True to the female's nature, she went unseen until she wished it otherwise.
Naomi_Alicia_Benton, Seventeenth level Rogue Extraordinaire flowed across the distance, her ebon cloak doing more accentuating than concealing by far. The sly Night Elf gave the two of them a quick once over before a rare, genuine smile graced her lips.
"It's good to see you again, Mousse . . . such as it is, anyways."
Sorcerer Mousse nodded fondly. "Tell me about it. Heh, you can probably imagine my surprise at my old HIVE communicator suddenly ringing in the middle of the night. I honestly never thought I'd hear from you again after you and your boys went rogue . . . no pun intended."
Rogue Nabiki rolled her eyes. "As funny as usual Mousse, i.e: Not at all. Honestly, I hadn't really planned on keeping too many ties to the past either, but after getting that message from Jinx that she was heading our way, I was suddenly inspired to play again."
Warrior Gizmo chuckled madly. "It'll be good to see the old scarecrow again. Say, you think the whole crew will show?"
The Blood Elf shrugged doubtfully. "I wouldn't get my hopes up. I'm surprised I made it on, considering my schedule, and I can hardly imagine Jinx has a steady internet connection with what she's doing."
Their Night Elf leader leaned towards him, obviously interested. "Reeeaally? And what exactly is your schedule lately? And how exactly do you know what Jinx is doing with her time again?"
Sorcerer Mousse tugged at his collars, sweating fireballs. Damn woman! Could he not even make minor slips without her picking up on them?
"Umm . . . ah – I don't know what she's doing. I mean, we all saw her leave with you, but she obviously isn't with you now, so who knows what she could be doing?" He ended with a few weak chuckles.
Rogue Nabiki shot him a look that promised she would pry his darkest secrets from the very depths of his soul with those rusty hooks he had planned to use on Raven, but that she didn't feel like it at the moment. He shuffled a little closer to the towering Tauren, feeling much less fearful of the potential Happy Meal than the mercenary woman before him.
"Hey, speak of the devil!" boomed the Tauren Warrior.
The minotaur pointed excitedly to the east, indicating a new figure approaching their position. The figure soon resolved itself into the graceful, flowing form of a blue skinned female humanoid, made all the more alluring for her obvious inhumanity. The familiar Draenei Priestess waved excitedly as she closed in on their position.
"Hey, Guys!" cried the Priestess labelled 'Hecate'. A moment later, she joined their circle, smile positively beaming before she latched onto the Tauren's arm in a crushing embrace . . . or, in this case, the complete opposite of that.
"Hey, Giz! It's been way too long."
The large Warrior blushed right through his shaggy coat, rubbing the back of his neck at the overly mushy greeting. Hecate then spun gracefully back to the center of the gang.
"So, did you guys miss me?" the Priestess asked teasingly.
Sorcerer Mousse scratched his chin, chuckling to himself. "Four or five times, if I recall, Jinx."
Priestess Jinx stuck her tongue out in his direction before giggling impishly. "It'll be a lot more fun hanging out now that you aren't out to kill me, or that Shampoo hussy isn't around to get in the way."
The haughty Blood Elf prepared to retort to the sorceress' – um, Priestess' 'Hussy' accusation, if only by rote, when the Roguish Nabiki seemed to literally materialize between them.
"What's this I hear? Big mean Mousse trying to kill cute little Jinx? That sounds like a pretty neat trick for someone that hasn't seen her since the Academy . . ."
Oh crap! It felt like his gold trimmed collar was hell bent on strangling him right then and there. Of all the people in the world, Nabiki was the last one he wanted to be able to connect him back to Luthor. Even with his new salary, there was no way he'd be able to afford it.
Seductively, the Night Elf sidled up between the Sorcerer and the Priestess. "Now, where do you suppose something like that could have happened?"
The Blood Elf's mind was racing now, his over taxed brain straining for a suitable, believable lie, when-
"Oh, it's no big deal, Biki. Me and Happi swung by Japan for a few weeks of training. One of our raids happened to be through Shampoo's dresser. To be honest, I was surprised there was actually any underwear in her room to steal-"
"Hey!"
"Needless to say," Priestess Jinx continued, ignoring his outburst. "When the inevitable fight happened, it was me and Happi versus Mousse and Shampoo, so you can imagine how proud he must be of that little encounter."
To the Sorcerer's eternal relief, the Rogue named Naomi_Alicia_Benton nodded in agreement, apparently buying the blue skinned Draenei's story.
Feeling a little emboldened, the Blood Elf shrugged. "I can honestly say that I wish more people defeated Shampoo and I like Jinx did."
The Priestess giggled shamelessly at the memory.
Which was about the time that Warrior Gizmo groaned loudly, out of the blue. "Sheesh! Are you pit-munchers done blabbing yet? I'm here to play, so let's go!"
To the Blood Elf's side, the Draenei looked around inquisitively. "But we're still down one. Isn't he coming?"
Rogue Nabiki shrugged helplessly. "I sent the message. Whether he got it or not, that's anyone's guess."
Priestess Jinx pouted cutely. "Awww, but it just won't be the same without him."
"Nay! It most assuredly would not, fair Maiden of the Cloth!"
The quartet turned as one to greet the final member of their team striding proudly through the verdant field to join them. The dashing male's silver armor gleamed in the sun and the bejeweled broadsword that hung easily from his back glittered like a thousand tiny stars. The glowing title above his head named him 'Miyam0t0_Mu5a5hi'.
A moment later, the majestic Human was among them and he gallantly removed the massive, winged helm from his head, revealing chiselled, aristocratic features.
"Well met my . . ." The Human took a moment to regard them all. ". . . my not entirely noble compatriots. Miyamoto Musashi, Eighteenth level Paladin of the Holy Light and Rising Star of the Alliance has arrived."
Rogue Nabiki smiled, obviously in spite of herself. "I have to admit, I'm surprised you actually came out, Kunou-baby.
"Yeah, what's up with that, Tatie? I'd heard from Biki that you'd gone hero on us," Priestess Jinx asked curiously.
"Indeed, my noble personage has joined the illustrious legion of those who would protect our fair world. Thusly, you can imagine my surprise when, scarcely even a week since last my teammates and I faced Nabiki and her minions-"
"Hey!"
"-in battle, I didst receive her request to partake of this most entertaining past time. Indeed, I honestly know not why I even retained the communicator of my villainous past, in retrospect."
Sorcerer Mousse chuckled easily. "Heh, are you sure you should be here, Kunou? Isn't gaming with your arch nemesis a conflict of interest?"
Paladin Kunou waved off his concern. "Bah! What know I of such lawyer speak? As long as we retain a discreet line betwixt our professional lives and our personal lives, I see little harm in such a virtual endeavor."
"Exactly!" the Draenei agreed emphatically. "I mean, just cuz I'm not exactly a nice girl doesn't mean I can't hang out with heroes, does it?"
Rogue Nabiki smirked evilly. "If by heroes, you mean Ryouga, and if by hang out you mean make out, then it's all good."
'Hecate's' scandalized protest was drowned out by the uproarious laughter of her companions.
Finally, the Blood Elf Sorcerer put out a hand to try to stop the laughter. "Okay, okay. I think we've all had enough fun at the expense of Jinx's fang fetish-"
"Hey!"
"-But why don't we get down to business? . . . Speaking of which, what was it we were going to do again?"
Immediately, everyone turned to the lovely Night Elf whom served as their (Behind the scenes) leader. The smile on her face let them all know that she knew exactly what the plan was.
"Alright, we got our work cut out for us on this one, so it's a good thing you actually showed up, Kunou."
The Human Paladin's chest swelled with pride.
"Yeah, no one draws Aggro like Kunou," chirped the massive Tauren Warrior.
Sorcerer Mousse shrugged. "That's Kunou for you, always finding uses for his real world talents."
"Do you mock me, servant of evil?"
"No, no . . . it's scarcely necessary."
"Churlish knave-"
"Okay, boys, that enough," Rogue Nabiki cut in. "Now, we're after the Zodiac Gloves for Jinx's Priestess, which means we have to complete the 'Look to the Stars' quest. Gizmo?"
The mighty Tauren strode forward. "Okay, I checked the game sites and got the walkthrough and the FAQ's, so this shouldn't be too bad. Of course, first thing we gotta do is find Zzarc' Vul and-"
The Blood Elf looked to the Draenei, who looked to the Human who looked back to the Blood Elf. In unspoken agreement, Paladin Kunou spoke the words that were on all of their minds.
"Cease thy prattling, Bovine! We desire not spoilers, but seek the challenge of battling the unknown! Let us embark on our quest forthwith!"
Okay, so maybe he paraphrased what was on all of their minds, but he managed to get the point across. The Tauren pouted sadly, but the Priestess and the Sorcerer nodded ruthlessly.
"Yeah, I don't have all night to play, you know?" the Blood Elf added for effect.
Rogue Nabiki let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, let's go fight an Ogre without a game plan again. I do so love traveling with ghosts."
Priestess Jinx smirked victoriously. "Alright, off to almost certain doom!"
Sorcerer Mousse was more than happy to let their resident Paladin charge forward to lead their stalwart group to glory. The Tauren followed close behind, not wanting to miss out on a single XP. Rather more sedately, the Blood Elf fell in line with the sashaying forms of the Draenei and the Night Elf.
"Oh, by they way," the Priestess asked the Rogue, out of the blue. "It's still alright for me and Happi to swing by your place, right Nabiki? He just wants to make a quick stop in Gotham, but that's it."
Rogue Nabiki grimaced visibly. "Do you have to bring Happosai?"
The Draenei replied with a weary sigh.
"Ah, c'mon, Biki. Happi isn't that bad."
As soon as the words were uttered, the entire World seemed to grind to a shuddering halt. Mousse was so shocked that he hit the wrong key and his Blood Elf broke out into a funky, if highly inappropriate dance.
Everyone turned to regard the Priestess; Paladin Kunou with jaw slack, Warrior Gizmo with eyes wide, Rogue Nabiki as pale as a ghost . . . and Sorcerer Mousse with hips gyrating suggestively . . .
"Oh, what tragedy to befall such a young and tender flower of womanhood," lamented the Paladin melodramatically.
"N-not-not so bad?" the Sorcerer stuttered in disbelief.
The Rogue simply stared into nothingness, the utter paradox of Jinx's words shutting down her brain's higher functions. "She . . . she's lost her mind . . ."
The mighty Tauren Gizmo looked to Jinx, then to the three shell shocked adventurers. Then, in a most casual manner, he shrugged.
"Meh, I always figured Jinx would snap first."
"Hey!"
Darkness surrounded her, laying over her perceptions like a shroud of ebon velvet. The darkness was familiar . . . and yet not, like a memory clinging to the very edge of her mind, or a word dangling from the tip of her tongue, refusing to reveal itself. What did this darkness signify? Was she dreaming? Was she blind? Had she somehow been inexplicably transmogrified into a stone statue, only to suffer the unimaginable horror of retaining her consciousness, doomed to go slowly mad as her mind railed against her unnatural and unending captivity-
No, wait, her eyelids were just closed.
Feeling a bit silly, Terra forced open her unbelievably heavy eyelids, struggling against the immense bulk of her lengthy eyelashes every millimeter of the way. That exhausting task out of the way, she began to take in her surroundings. Wherever she was, it was vaguely familiar, though dimly lit.
She was thankful for that last small blessing, as even the moonlight filtering through the far bank of windows was causing her glistening blue eyes to water.
The next thing she noticed was a dull throbbing pounding away at the forefront of her brain. Great, I don't know where I am, why I' m here, or how I got here, but now I have a migraine, too?
She lifted her hand to rub her pulsating temples . . . or, at least she tried to. She could barely even budge the treacherous limb. It felt like she had been working out for three days straight; she might as well have had a lead pipe lashed to her shoulder for all of the good it was doing her at the moment. She imagined her legs were going to be in pretty much the same condition, so she didn't waste her time trying to sit up.
Instead, the young woman started to take in her surroundings to see if she could garner any clues as to her current situation.
Let's see . . .
Windows . . . not really useful.
Beds, a lot of them.
Curtains, hanging between the beds, none of them drawn though.
A machine that goes ping . . .
Well, it certainly looked like she was in a hospital, if that hospital had been torn from the set of a Star Trek episode. Her weary blue eyes continued their trek across the room for more clues-
A gloved hand, curled tightly around her left hand.
Well, now I'm getting somewhere.
The hand was attached to a narrow wrist, wrapped in a black, stretch material. The wrist, in turn, was connected to a wiry arm which ran up to a lightly muscled shoulder.
And there, resting silently on the mattress beside her was an unkempt tangle of emerald hair. She felt certain that the sight of green hair should have struck her as odd, instead she found herself smiling fondly. Reaching out as gently as possible (considering the uncoordinated condition of her arm), she carefully brushed the oddly hued locks away to reveal the sleeping face of a green skinned boy, a line of drool running down his cheek to soak into the sheets.
Terra giggled in amusement at the adorable sight, but did so silently to avoid waking her erstwhile companion. She wasn't left wondering too long, though, as a familiar name came tumbling to center stage in her mind.
Beast Boy . . .
The smile on her pale lips widened as memories of the emerald shape shifter began to flow forth unbidden. It was all a jumble, flashes of vision and snippets of conversations, all half remembered, but there were some that stood out keenly. She remembered sitting on the shore of a small island, skipping stones. She remembered riding bumper cars, and fighting giant mechanical worms, and silly jokes and eating pie . . . and very nearly a kiss . . .
Her smile faded at that as other memories began to return to her. These memories felt more like nightmares, though only worse, since she had a gnawing chill in her gut that told her they had all happened as well. She remembered yelling at the green boy, running away from the tower, lying to her friends over and over again. The image of an earthen chasm closing down on the emerald changeling played over and over in her mind, the look of betrayal in his eyes burning her like a pair of brands . . . which was quite fitting, as her final memories were of fire . . .
Terra's entire body shivered at those last memories.
She gazed back down at the emerald boy holding her hand with such fierce tenderness. Her first instinct was to try slipping her hand from his and escaping the tower. She had no idea what had happened, her memories ending sharply with those searing curtains of flame.
Terra honestly had no idea how she could have survived the hellish flames of her mind's eye, or even if she had deserved to survive. The things she had done for Slade . . . The things she had done to her friends. What had happened to her? Who knew how long she might have been unconscious? A minute, an hour, a day?
Were they just helping her so they could send her to prison?
She looked down to the changeling dozing at her side.
No, she decided.
Even at the very end, he had never given up on her. There was no way he would let anything like that happen to her.
She found the strength to dash a tear from her eye. How could he possibly be so kind to her after what she had done? She didn't deserve his friendship and she knew it. She didn't deserve any kind of friendship after what she'd done.
Gently pulling, she tried to slide her fingers from Beast Boy's gloved hand. Her efforts only caused the boy's grip to tighten unconsciously. Beast Boy shifted slightly, mumbling something she couldn't quite make out, but didn't quite wake up.
He never did like to let things go, no matter how bad they were for him, she mused silently.
Just how long had the emerald changeling been at her side, waiting for her to wake up? Judging by the drool stain slowly spreading across the mattress, she'd guess hours. The blonde bulldozer shifted a few inches away from the slightly gross sign of devotion, before returning her gaze to the sleeping boy.
She lost track of how long she simply took in the adorable sight of the sleeping hero. One could easily forget he was such selfless person, such a fierce and implacable warrior when the situation called for it . . .
He was so perfect in her eyes; brave, generous, funny, really cute. What he could possibly see in someone as fractured and screwed up as her, she had no idea. Still, at the very least he deserved more than her sneaking out of the tower without even saying goodbye.
She stretched a weak smile across her lips and gently squeezed the hand so warmly wrapped around her own.
"Beast Boy," she whispered hoarsely.
"Unh . . . wha . . ." Beast Boy's eyes blinked rapidly for several seconds as his head rose sluggishly from the mattress. The drool soaked sheets clung to his cheek for several inches before finally releasing their slimy grip.
Terra giggled lightly as she watched his eyes roam around and decided to speed up the process. Everyone knew how bad Beast Boy could be in the morning.
"Beast Boy," she gently coaxed the boy, squeezing his hand again.
Like two ball bearings drawn to lodestone, his eyes found her, nearly doubling in size as they did.
Here it comes, she mused, He'll make some goofy joke about 'sleeping' with me, we'll both laugh, and things'll appear to be just like old tim-
Except that wasn't what happened at all. Beast Boy just continued to stare at her, like she was his own personal oasis, or something, and – and were those tears forming in the corners of his eyes?
She was even more surprised, though pleasantly, when the changeling sprang forward and wrapped her in a Starfire Grade Hug.
"Terra! I – I – you're alright! Ah – I – oh man! I've been imagining this moment forever, and now look at me, babbling like a moron!" Beast Boy babbled.
Terra returned the crushing embrace with all the strength she could muster, but looked at her companion oddly.
"Beast Boy, calm down." She chuckled weakly. "Sheesh, you're making it sound like you never thought you'd see me again."
If anything, the hug grew stronger, more intense, almost painful. Apparently her best friend had been working out in her absence, but she endured his enhanced physique as stoically as she could.
"I-it's just it's been so long . . . We weren't sure we'd ever get you back, b-but I never lost hope! I never gave up on you!" The desperate tone in the changeling's voice would have been touching at any other time. Now, it only filled her with a building sense of anxiety.
She let out a nervous chuckle. "W-what are you talking about? Was . . . was I in a coma or something? How long have I been asleep: a day . . . a week?"
The look in his eyes, that strange mixture of regret, guilt, hope and joy only made her feel worse.
". . . longer?" she asked hesitantly.
Beast Boy finally released her from his death grip and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, pushing her out to arm's length. Absently, she noticed that her changeling's once thin, ropey arms had developed some very noticeable muscle tone.
"Terra, what's the last thing you remember?"
The Geokinetic hero didn't like where the question was going, or the tone he asked it in.
"Well, it's all fuzzy, disjointed. I'm not really sure which things happened first, but – I remember fighting Slade . . . and you . . ."
She looked down, averting her eyes to the far wall, but if her friend possessed even a shred of anger at her betrayal, he was hiding it well.
"Do you remember anything after that?"
She could feel her forehead crinkling up as she concentrated on trying to muddle out the actual sequence of events in her jumbled memory.
"There was . . . an explosion – no, an eruption! I remember someone yelling 'volcano', and then you were asking me . . . asking me something." She hated not being able to remember everything. For a moment, she actually imagined what it would be like to nor remember anything at all, to have a clean slate . . .
"I was asking you to come with me, but- but-"
"But I had to stay . . . right?" She felt a strange sense of déjà vu wash over her saying those words, but quickly brushed it off.
Beast Boy nodded, a proud expression on his face.
"Yeah, you did. No matter what you might have done wrong, what lies Slade used to twist you up inside, when it came down to it . . . you did the right thing."
She smiled then, though it was a smile of more show than substance. Sure, it was nice of him to say, but she couldn't remember making that decision. Would she make it again, given the choice, or was Beast Boy's noble ideal of her self-sacrifice all a foolish delusion?
"What happened next?" She asked the question even though she was certain she didn't want to know the answer.
He hesitated for a long, long moment; she could almost see the struggle going on in his head to put what he was thinking into words. "You saved us, Terra. Not just me, or the Titans, but everyone in the whole city. You beat Slade and you saved us all . . ."
Terra looked away, staring vacantly at the far window. Everyone in the city? The city that I had personally emptied of every living thing? Saving an empty city hardly seemed like the noble act her friend was trying to make it.
"-But – but it was too much. The volcano was too huge. None of us can explain what happened next, but somehow, using so much of your power . . . you . . . you-"
She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and turned back to match his gaze. Several strands of her blonde hair dropped down in a curtain before her right eye, but she couldn't be bothered to brush it away.
"It's okay, Beast Boy, you can tell me."
The young man took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then-
"Somehow, you turned yourself into a statue. We didn't know how, or why, or how to turn you back, or even if you could turn back, and then-"
"Wait – stop. What?" Turned into a statue? She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she said as much. "Turned into a statue? What are you talking about?"
Beast Boy took another deep, calming breath.
"Your power, somehow it turned your whole body to stone. Maybe to protect you, but none of us are really sure."
Terra stared ahead blankly, her mind vainly trying to process what she'd just been told. A statue? Was that possible? How had it happened? How had she survived? How did the Titans revive her? There was one question that dwarfed all the others combined, though.
"H-how long?"
This time the changeling squeezed her hand, holding on like a lifeline.
"Terra . . . you've been gone for nearly ten months."
With a loud rustle of paper, Robin flipped the Newspaper open to the financial section. He'd flashed through the comics, but weekday papers never had anything good, and with Cyborg out, the sports section was still laying abandoned on the couch beside him.
As was customary of his reading the financial section, the detective in training first scanned the headings for any mention of Wayne Enterprises. Next, he perused for any company or bank foolish enough to publicly mention some kind of large cash transfer, or announce some potentially dangerous piece of technology just begging to fall into the wrong hands.
Sure, he hadn't actually caught anyone like that yet, but he just knew that the day he forgot to check would be the day that the Joker's funny pages stuck together and the loony stumbled across some perfect target.
Next, he did a quick check of his stocks.
Hmmmm, Tenzoma is up two more points.
He smiled at that. The small technology firm had been a toss-away purchase, considering he hardly knew anything about it, but its continued growth was always nice to see. It almost made up for his Enron decision a few years back . . .
All of his important chores out of the way, the caped crusader (in training) finally kicked back to read the big story of the day-
A second later, he groaned in disgust. He quickly turned back over the couch to look at his companion who was busy behind the kitchen counter making some food for their restless patient patroller.
In a fit of annoyance, Robin slapped the page, indicating the large picture of a fishing boat displayed at its center.
"Would you look at this? The fishing industry is crying out for a handout from the government. They're claiming that no one has been catching any fish for the past week."
Kasumi looked up at him, tilting her head inquisitively. "You make it sound like helping all of those poor fishermen isn't a good idea."
Robin kicked himself mentally. He'd forgotten who he was complaining to.
"Well, I wouldn't put it like that. It's just that these guys have been over fishing for decades, and now that the damage they're causing to the ocean starts catching up to them, they suddenly cry foul. They're almost as bad as the Ja—" His jaw clicked shut as he remembered just who he was talking to . . . again. He just stared at the lovely Japanese woman, sweating bullets and brain racing. ". . . lllllaapenos peppers . . . Yeah, I hate those things!"
He groaned loudly in his own head. Idiot! That had easily been his worst dodge ever. He only hoped he hadn't offended her too-
"Actually, it's pronounced Jalapenos, Robin," she explained politely.
The polite smile she wore might as well have been a poker face. He had no clue if she was being serious, or just teasing him again. Rather than fight it, though, he decided to roll with it.
"That's what I said, Jalapenos," he replied, vainly trying to hide his smile.
"No, it's-" Kasumi released a weary sigh. "Never mind."
Success! Robin cheered internally. Yet another artful dodge from the Boy Won-
"I'll have to remember not to make those stuffed peppers you ate so many of last week anymore. Oh well, I'm off to take these snacks to Beast Boy."
Then, before he even had the chance to retract his statement, the older woman glided over to and was whisked away by the elevator. He could only stare at the cold steel of the elevator doors in shock.
N-no more stuffed peppers?
Robin dropped to his knees and raised his arms to the heavens.
"Nooooooo!"
Terra could only stare, wide eyed as Beast Boy continued to tell her of the fate that had befallen her. It was hard to pay attention to what he was actually saying, though. She was still trying to grasp the enormity of what had happened.
Tent months? As a statue? On one hand, it sounded like the most horrible fate imaginable . . . but on the other, her confinement had passed literally in the blink of an eye for her. She was ten months out of touch now, but – but was that really such a bad thing?
Sure, it was ten months that she could never get back, time she could have spent apologizing and atoning. Now, though, time had done all of that for her. The Titans had had ten months to recover from her betrayal, ten months of missing her, ten months to remember the good times and forget the bad . . .
Terra had never felt lower in her life. It was too much to reconcile. She hadn't even had time to fully come to grips with what she'd done, but her friends had already forgiven and forgotten long ago. How could she deal with that when she could still see the looks of betrayal on the Titan's faces like it was yesterday?
Heck, for her, it practically was.
"-hat treatment didn't work either, and after we saw how reckless some of those researchers were to prove their theories right, we just upped and kicked the entire S.T.A.R. labs crew out of your cave."
Yet another failure in a string of failures, at least, that seemed to be the gist of her companion's exposition. The recently unpetrified hero – villain – whatever, let out a deep sigh.
"Beast Boy, really," she cut in as politely as she could. She offered the green teen a weak smile. "I appreciate everything you guys did to try to help me, really, I do-" Though I don't understand it. "-but could you please get to the point?"
Beast Boy smiled and offered her an embarrassed chuckle. "Yeah, I guess it is a pretty long story. You'll like this next part, though, cuz this is where we finally meet Ryo, and that finally starts the ball rollin' on gettin' you back to normal."
She shot him an inquisitive glance. He was talking like that name should mean anything to her. "Who's Ryo?"
An excited look spread across the changelings face and his hands rose up in anticipation of a vivid retelling/reenactment-
"Ryouga, actually. Hibiki Ryouga, and he is the very sweet young man that that worked so hard to help you."
Terra turned quickly at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open at what she saw. An older woman, Asian most likely, was standing in the doorway. The woman possessed a classic, subdued beauty and her wide smile radiated warmth and kindness.
Of course, it wasn't the lady that caused Terra's reaction, so much as the plate of steaming veggies held in her hands.
The narrow framed blonde did her best to disguise her naked lust for the scrumptious looking food. It was hard, though, as the delectable aroma it was giving off had her right on the precipice of drooling like a sleeping Beast Boy.
"H-hello," Terra began uncertainly. "Umm, I don't think we've met. I'm Terra." She stuck out her hand for a handshake.
The woman's smile seemed to warm another ten degrees or so. She then appeared to glide across the room to join them in a display of poise and grace that made the young hero shamefully envious. Rather than take the offered hand, the lady placed the tray of food on the bed between her and Beast Boy before bowing politely.
"My name is Tendo Kasumi, though I hope you'll simply call me Kasumi. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Terra."
Feeling a little silly sitting there with her hand sticking out, Terra quickly and casually retracted it to run her fingers through her hair. "Thanks, it's – ah . . . nice to meet you too, Kasumi."
Kasumi rose from her shallow bow, her head tilting to the side as she considered the bedridden girl.
"You're even prettier than I imagined." A twinkle filled the older woman's eyes. "I bet you must have to beat off the young men with a stick."
Terra's cheeks flushed red at the teasing compliment. Involuntarily, her eyes slid over to Beast Boy. "Well, I haven't had to use a stick yet, though I have thought about it with one boy."
Beast Boy immediately pulled down on his eyelid and blew a raspberry at her, even as the Tendo woman giggled in amusement. The young hero wished her own giggle would sound even half as light and airy as Kasumi's someday.
"So, I don't want to be rude or anything, but . . . umm, what exactly do you do here? Are you the Titan's new nurse or something?" Terra just couldn't imagine the stunning, sweet woman before her out at night battling the forces of evil.
An amused laugh burst forth from Beast Boy. "Ha! Kas, here is way more than that! She's like the Titan's Big Sister, or something." He turned to Kasumi. "Right?"
Kasumi just stared at him. Terra made a face as well. "Kas?" she asked incredulously.
The changeling looked from Kasumi, to Terra and back again before sighing. "That one's not gonna stick either, is it?"
With a surprisingly supportive smile on her face, Kasumi shook her head from side to side. "I appreciate your desire to find a nickname for me, but I'm quite happy with you calling me Kasumi, Ga-mmph!"
"No!"
Terra's eyes nearly bugged out of her head when Beast Boy suddenly lunged forward, clamping his hands over Kasumi's mouth. The blonde could only stare as he looked around in panic, before turning back to the Tendo woman. The ponytail wearing brunette was simply staring ahead, wide eyed. The expression on the Asian woman's face was one of complete incomprehension.
A second later, Beast Boy looked to Terra, then back to Kasumi as well. Instantly, a look of horror spread across the emerald boy's face as he realized exactly what he was doing. In a flash, he released Kasumi's mouth and swung his arms behind his back, as if hiding the appendages would make them think he hadn't been responsible.
"I am so sorry, Kasumi. I totally didn't mean to-"
He was cut off by a single finger being pressed to his lips. With her other hand, Kasumi gently touched her slightly reddened cheek, a faint smile forming.
"That's alright-" If it had been anyone else, Terra imagined that smile would have been called sly. "-Beast Boy. I've seen people do that quite often, just . . . never to me. It really was quite silly!"
Terra joined the older woman in giggling at the absurdity of it all. She would definitely have to ask Kasumi what Beast Boy was so eager to hide later. It had to be something juicy.
It was at that moment, that Terra's body chose to betray her. Her tiny tummy, unable to resist such proximity to such ridiculously good smelling food, began to rumble with the ferocity of a prehistoric beast. The slight blonde's face instantly went beet red as her companion's shot her amused looks.
"Ummm . . .sorry," Terra muttered shyly.
Rather than laugh, though, Kasumi just smiled all the more warmly. "My, you must be famished. Why don't I go make you something to eat? I'm sure that Beast Boy will be more than happy to share his snacks with you while you wait."
Both females cast their gazes upon the green male. Beast Boy looked to the plate, then to Terra, then the plate, then Terra, then the pla-
"Beast Boy!" Terra scowled darkly at the teen changeling.
Beast Boy instantly reverted to nervous laughter. "I'm just teasing, Terra!" He ran a hand through his hair in an unfamiliar gesture, before pushing the plate a little closer to her. "It's all yours; I don't mind . . . even if Kasumi's cooking is totally, jaw droppingly awesome . . . and she did make it for me, but, no! It's all good! Eat u-"
"Beast Boy!"
"Beast Boy . . ."
"Just kidding! Just kidding!"
Terra rolled her eyes, even as she reached down and popped a piece of steamed broccoli into her mouth-
"Oh. Wow . . ."
About three seconds later, Terra suddenly realized that she was licking the plate with fevered intensity. She noticed the odd glances she was getting from her companions. Beast Boy looked more heartbroken than shocked, and the brunette was wearing an odd, almost fond expression. Slowly, Terra lowered the sparkling plate back to the bed, feeling her cheeks starting to burn again. "Ummm, sorry about that, guess I was hungrier than I thought."
Beast Boy vainly tried to hide the fact that he was dashing his tears of anguish. Kasumi, on the other hand, let out a light, airy laugh which filled the room with joy.
"It's quite alright. You just reminded me of someone else, then. Now that I know how hungry you are, though, I should definitely make you something tasty to eat."
Terra looked away, feeling a little guilty. "Only if it's not too much trouble . . ."
"Not at all. In fact, I'll fetch Robin as well." Kasumi laughed in amusement. "I was enjoying talking to you so much, that I hadn't even thought to call him."
That made Terra think for a moment. "Only Robin? Where's everyone else? And whatever happened to this Ryouga person that helped me?"
Beast Boy chuckled, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Well, we kinda didn't figure you'd be waking up for at least a day or two, so Robin gave Cy, Star, Rae and Ryo the night off as a reward for all the hard work they did helpin' you. I think they're out having dinner or something."
The idea of Raven and Starfire out for dinner with a pair of handsome boys (she assumed) brought a smile to her lips. She could only imagine how happy Star would be, and how awkward Raven would be acting.
Kasumi tapped a finger to her chin. "I should really call them back, too. They'd be very excited."
"No!" Terra blurted quickly. "Please don't spoil their evening on my account. I'll still be here when they get back."
"You sure about that, Terra? Star'll probably be way cranked at us for not calling her the second you woke up." Beast Boy looked more than slightly worried at the prospect.
Terra smirked evilly. "Well, then you'd already be in trouble, wouldn't you?"
The look on Beast Boy's face was more than worth feeling bad for teasing him. Still, there were so many questions she wanted to ask. Hesitantly, she turned to Kasumi.
"This guy that saved me . . . Ryouga. Can you tell me what he's like?"
Kasumi considered her question for a moment, drawing a graceful finger down her cheek. "Well, I'll do my best. You see, Ryouga can be as complex as he can be simple, an-"
"-nd that's when Mousse and I pointed behind them and yelled 'Look, a woman's breasts!'"
Cyborg's Dr. Pepper nearly shot out his nose as Ryouga continued his story. The titanium Titan could barely contain his mirth long enough to ask, "And they fell for that? I mean, you guys were fighting in the middle of nowhere!"
Ryouga nodded, a wide fanged grin on his face. "Hook, line and sinker! Those guys turned around so fast I thought they'd get whiplash."
"What did you do next?" asked an enthralled Starfire.
The wanderer gestured excitedly with his arms. "We dropped a pair of boulders on their heads and hightailed it out of there! We didn't have time to deal with those two since Ranma was still fighting their leader."
Cyborg burst into laughter again. The mental image was just too freakin' hilarious. Their darkly dressed companion didn't seem quite as impressed, though.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Obviously. And what was the point of this story again?"
Running his hand through his hair, Ryouga chuckled weakly. "To explain to Cyborg that there are people even worse than me when it comes to dealing with breasts, after the whole Terra thing. I mean, I know I'm not the most socially educated guy out there, but that kind of thing happens in Nerima more than you might think."
Raven shot the young man a pointed glance. "And the two of you believed that somehow a lengthy discussion centered around the topic of breasts would be appropriate given your current company?"
Cyborg scratched the human half of his head. "What are ya talkin' 'bout, Rae?" He gestured to the numerous empty tables around the table they had chosen on the Pizza place's balcony. "Just the four of us here, so we ain't gonna offend anyone. 'Sides, not like I ever get the chance to talk about this with BB or Robbie."
For some reason, Starfire and Raven exchanged a very flat, inscrutable set of looks. Fortunately, Cyborg had no idea what it could mean, so he swung back to Ryouga. "So, Ryo, my man. Did ya ever see Girl Ranma sans shirt?"
"Cyborg, please!" Raven's outburst was quickly followed by a disturbed glance from Starfire.
"Even by my standards . . . that is just plain creepy. You are aware that Ranma is male, correct?"
Cyborg shrugged, trying to hide his amusement at their reactions. "What? He's pretty hot when he's a she. Besides, living vicariously through Ryouga is all I've got. I don't live in the Land of the Rising Shirts like he did. Right buddy?"
He dropped a companionable arm around the fanged boy's shoulders, tactfully ignoring the green tint the guy's face had taken since the mention of Ranma making one fine lady.
The cyborg met the female's withering gazes with his most winning smile, until Raven finally let out a defeated sigh. "What is it with men and breasts, anyway? I have simply never understood the fascination with what is essentially a developed pair of mammary glands."
Cyborg and Ryouga quickly shot each other a look, just daring the other to say what was racing through their minds. Luckily, the martial artist's keen survival instincts and the cybernetic teen's self preservation protocols were in fine form that night and clamped their respective jaws shut.
Starfire, on the other hand, looked to be tackling the question seriously, tapping an elegant finger to her chin as she thought. "Perhaps the human species propensity for covering their bodies at all times, coupled with highly ingrained social stigmas repressing their sexual desires so ruthlessly, has led the male sex to come to idolize the attribute which is the most easily identifiable physical characteristic of the female sex?"
Cyborg, Ryouga and Raven could only stare at the flame haired Tamaranian for a long moment. Slowly, Cyborg nodded. "Ummmm, yeah, what she said . . ."
Raven leaned forward, eyeing her closest friend oddly. "That was an . . . extremely specific answer. You sound like you know quite a lot about the subject."
The titanium Titan had absolutely no clue if the violet eyed girl had spun any innuendo on that question, and apparently neither did Starfire.
"Oh, yes, friend Raven. On my home world of Tamaran, my people are far more open in the expression of our feelings for one another, both emotionally and physically. Also, due to the rather uniform climate of our planet, clothing never came to be viewed as the necessity it has become here. If you recall, your earthly concept of modesty was quite unusual to me for many days after my arrival on your planet."
Even as Cyborg felt his own cheeks begin to burn at the deeply repressed memories (repressed by Robin's boot, as the little guy had ruthlessly ambushed anyone that had tried to take advantage), he calmly reached over and clamped his fingers down on Ryouga's nose as his face went red as a tomato.
Even Raven couldn't maintain her usual pallor, her cheeks tingeing in embarrassment. "Yes, I believe everyone remembers those days . . ."
"Bud I doughd yow peepow were a wawwiow wace?" asked a confused Ryouga. Apparently the fanged boy didn't mind the cybernetic assist, since he had yet to remove Cyborg's hand from his nose.
Starfire giggled in amusement at the pair of them, before drawing a finger down her cheek in thought once more. "What would be the homo sapien expression . . . 'All toil and no recreation makes Jack a blunted adolescent?'"
Cyborg finally released his friend's nose, if only so he could scratch his own head. Now what quote had she mangled this ti- Oh wait, now he got it.
"That's . . . close enough, Starfire," muttered Raven, "Now, can we please change the top-"
Beep, beep, beep sounded Cyborg's arm, startling the large teen. He lifted the blinking limb before shooting a wry smile to Raven and chuckling. "Your wish is my command, apparently."
In return, she rolled her violet eyes. "Just answer it already."
He chuckled again, before turning his attention back to the flashing panel in his arm. His smile faded a bit; if he was being contacted it was likely one of only a few options. A) A good emergency, like Terra waking up. B) A bad emergency, like Doomsday happening to wander through town, or-
"Hey there, Sparky! How's my favorite home appliance doing?"
-or a pleasant surprise. Cyborg's smile returned in full force. "Yo, Bumble Bee, pollinate any good flowers lately?"
Around the table, Ryouga chuckled, Starfire giggled and Raven rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.
The tiny digital representation of Bumble Bee's lovely dark skinned face looked around inquisitively at the sounds of mirth. "What's going on over there? You guys having a party?"
Cyborg considered that for a moment. "Actually, yeah. We kind of are. Me, Ryo, Rae and Star got the night off, so we're out for dinner. Here, let me put ya on conference call."
With a few deft touches to the screen on his arm, the communicators of the three Titan's sitting around the table began to beep as well. Starfire was the first to open hers, doing so with great enthusiasm. "Greetings, my dear friend Bumble Bee! It has been too long since we have enjoyed your company."
Raven opened hers with a rather flat expression. "Bumble Bee."
And then, of course, there was Ryouga, whose eyes lit up like a kid in a candy story. "Hi, BB! How are things going on the east coast? Ukyo and Kunou aren't driving you buggy, are they?"
Both Cyborg and Raven groaned at the horrible pun, but Bumble Bee laughed in genuine amusement. "Ha! No more than you did in our Advanced Anarchy class. Don't think I've forgotten that incident."
Instantly, Ryouga burst into boisterous laughter, ending with wiping a tear from his eye. "Ahh . . . the look on your face was completely worth the horribly disproportionate revenge."
Everyone else at the table was torn between staring at Ryouga and their communicators in confusion. The whole thing reeked of inside joke, and from the looks on the two girl's faces, they were feeling just as left out as Cyborg was.
"So, Bumble Bee, is there something you needed?" Raven asked, maybe just a little sharply.
If Bumble Bee caught the tone, she ignored it completely. "Oh, yeah. Nothing big, though. We've had a few run ins with the Hive Five. Nothing we couldn't handle, but I was gonna ask Sparky to help upgrade our security to keep Kyd Wykkyd from just waltzing into our tower."
Everyone turned to Ryouga. "Kyd Wykkyd?" asked Cyborg for them.
The Lost Boy shrugged. "Teleporter." He then looked back to his communicator. "You guys are tangling with Nabiki? Hey, the next time you see her, can you remind her she still owes me ten dollars from our bet?"
The winged girl laughed brightly. "Oh, sure. I'll try to fit it in between the punching and the kicking."
Cyborg, Raven and Starfire shared another look.
"Bet?" asked Cyborg, apparently their spokesperson.
Ryouga and Bumble Bee suddenly began to chuckle and giggle conspiratorially.
"It's nothing," they chimed in eerie coordination.
Raven's lips curved down into a very subtle frown. "Are you sure that it's wise to be acting so casually regarding a group of ruthless criminals?"
This time, it was Bumble Bee and Ryouga that shared a flat, inscrutable look. If Cyborg didn't know better, he'd almost swear that the duo looked offended. Odd, that. He didn't get the chance to inquire, though.
"Anyway, Sparky, that can wait. So what's going on with you four? You guys on a double date? If so, which of those fine ladies is on your arm, Cyborg?"
Cyborg chuckled helplessly, shooting a nervous glance across the table. "It ain't like that, Bee."
If anything, the sly smile on the girl's dark lips became even more so. "Really? Does this mean my Yaoi dreams are coming true and you and Ryo are an item now?"
"Gah!"
"No way!"
"Certainly not!"
"Bumble Bee . . ."
The bee clad girl's laughter sounded in surround sound, flowing from all four of their communicators. "Fine, fine, I'm just teasing, you guys. I'm sure you four are enjoying sophisticated and witty conversation on a wide range of topics."
Starfire recovered quickly and nodded excitedly. "Indeed. We were just discussing the reasons why Earth males are so preoccupied with the mammary glands of the female sex."
Raven instantly dropped her face into her hand. "Starfire . . ." she moaned agonizingly.
But it was already too late; Cyborg could already see the wicked twinkle forming in the digitally present female's eyes. Slowly, Bumble Bee shook her head from side to side. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, girls. You should both know that breasts aren't what gets a guys attention, it's all about the booty."
This time Cyborg's Dr. Pepper did shoot out his nose! He was so caught off guard that he nearly fell backwards out of his seat. Ryouga, Raven and Starfire, on the other hand, all stared at their communicators in confusion.
"Boo-tee?" asked Starfire, "Is that some form of human footwear?"
Bumble Bee burst out into laughter, even as Cyborg slowly dragged himself back into his seat. The dark skinned girl then nodded amiably. "It can be, if you get kicked there hard enough. I'm talking about your bottom, people. Your derriere? Posterior?"
"We get it," stated Raven dangerously.
Bumble Bee's smile grew even wider. "Well, I knew you would, Raven. After all, you're draggin' a pretty good wagon yourself."
Raven glared back through the communicator. "Only through the context of this conversation do I understand your meaning, though I wish I didn't."
Starfire, who had been deep in thought this whole time, suddenly perked up, a look of understanding on her face. "Ah! I believe I comprehend what you are speaking of." A self conscious look flitted across her face. "Are you stating that there is not enough of the junk in my trunk?"
This time Ryouga joined Cyborg in collapsing to the ground, strangled guffaws dying in their throats.
Bumble Bee shook her head sadly. "Sorry, girl. Your orange butt is so narrow it could cut glass."
Starfire donned a puzzled look. "Cut glass? But my posterior bone ridges detached with the completion of my transformation."
Cyborg could already see the question forming in his fallen comrade's eyes, but he was laughing too hard to even try answering. At this rate, he was going to have to divert extra power to his life support systems just to keep his lungs from failing-
"Alright, that is enough." Raven's statement cut through the boy's laughter like a knife. Instantly, both young men were back in their seats and sitting up straight. Raven glared at both of them, then back to the communicator. "This conversation has gone from being merely inane to completely uncomfortable. If there is nothing else, Bumble Bee, we were in the middle of something here."
Still giggling wickedly under her breath, Bumble Bee nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah, yeah, I get you." Before she signed off, though, she turned her attention to Ryouga's screen. "Before I forget, Ryouga, give me a call later on, after you get back in. There's something else I wanted to ask you. You too, Sparky, we still gotta go over that security stuff."
Both guys nodded quickly, and then all four of their communicators blinked off at the same time.
Slowly, all four Titan's looked up at each other. Raven, surprisingly, was the first to speak. Even more surprisingly, there was a small little smile on her lips. "That. Was. Mortifying. But still, it's not every day that we are treated to the sight of soda spewing out of your nose, Cyborg."
Cyborg nodded, gingerly holding his poor nose. "Tell me about it! That stuff burns like fire!"
Ryouga shook his head ruefully. "I think letting her work with Ukyou was a mistake. I don't know how, but I can just feel that this was all her fault somehow."
Starfire giggled adorably. "That is hardly a rational statement. However, it might benefit us to trans-locate our continuing celebration to a different venue."
The Tamaranian swept out her arm, indicating the four or five tables worth of people out on the far reaches of the balcony, not to mention a number of waiters, all staring at the four of them like they were completely insane.
A low groan came from the hooded Titan. "So much for our reputations . . . I certainly hope this doesn't get back to Robin."
Cyborg chuckled, waving off her concern. "Oh, don't worry, Raven. I'm sure it's all cool. Still, might not be a bad idea to mosey on; we are done eating after all."
"So where to, then? Back to the Tower?" asked Ryouga.
Starfire shook her head quickly. "No! I am having too much of the fun to return yet. We should endeavor to find another activity to partake of."
Raven didn't look so convinced. "I don't know. It is getting kind of late . . ."
"Aw, don't be a wet blanket, Rae. I know, let's check out a movie," Cyborg suggested excitedly. "Since this is Ryo's party, we can even let him choose what we see, that way we don't have to waste time arguing."
Starfire nodded excitedly, while Raven looked somewhat more reluctant. Ryouga seemed to be considering the option carefully. "Well . . . if I remember from when Kori and I went to the movies a few days ago, there were a few movies playing that didn't look too bad. I dunno, seems like a good idea to me."
By consensus, the group rose to their feet. Cyborg quickly dumped a small stack of bills on the table, then dropped a glass on them so the wind wouldn't carry them away. As soon as they were ready to leave, Starfire quickly latched onto Ryouga's arm and began to drag the lost boy from the pizzeria, excitedly making suggestions on what they should see. Cyborg only prayed to the heavens above that the fanged martial artist didn't take any of them.
It was about then, that the cybernetic teen noticed Raven still hanging back by the table, inconspicuously watching the departing pair of warriors out of the corner of her eye. Sighing to himself, Cyborg strolled over to the cloaked girl and dropped a hand on her shoulder. He must have caught her off guard, as she looked up at him with a small start.
"It's nothing," she stated quickly.
He just smiled supportively. "I know, I know. The odds of Ryouga actually picking a good movie are pretty astronomical, but hey, Robin's footing the entire bill, so at least you can get some free food out of the deal."
The young woman shot him a brief thankful glance, likely for not making a big production of the whole thing. Then she was slowly gliding forward after the departing duo. Cyborg fell into step with her easily and together they made their way back to the car.
"You know," he stated absently as they walked. "I should probably get Star to sit shotgun with me. That way she won't be able to bend Ryo's ear about what movie we should see the whole trip."
Though she tried to hide it, Raven's smile grew just a fraction of an inch. "You know, there was a Broadway adaptation I've had my eye on. It was about a barber that had a propensity for-"
Cyborg looked down at the lovely little lady at his side incredulously. He wanted to help her out, really he did, but it appeared that there was only one real decision he could make. Putting a hand up to his mouth, he shouted forward to the distant pair ahead of them-
"Ryo, you got shotgun!"