Disclaimer: Nothing from Teen Titans is mine.

"Speech"

Thoughts


It was silent for a moment.

They glanced at each other, pink and violet meeting momentarily, then the violet haired girl looked away, running her fingers along her throat lightly. The masked knight's scowl deepened, but before he could speak, someone else cut him off.

"We're not talking right now. She's going to get some rest. Are you going to let us in?"

"That's-"

"It's a yes or no question," Jinx folded her arms over her chest.

Richard looked around momentarily, then sighed. "I want to know what's going on. I am sure your... friend... is tired, so certainly, we may provide a place for her to rest. But you are not, I presume?"

Jinx nodded. "I'm fine. I'll tell you what I know."

Raven's eyes narrowed.

It's the only way he'll be satisfied. You know that!

I don't like the idea of you going off with him alone.

I'm probably stronger than him anyway-

He beat you last time.

I've gotten better! Besides, you really gotta rest. You can't keep this up-

I can if it means making sure nothing happens.

Nothing's going to happen. Now shush.

"All settled? Very well. Karen, do you mind finding a place for our guest to stay? Preferably somewhere close by so we can find her if we need her assistance."

He means, to keep an eye on us. Raven and Jinx exchanged another look.

"Sure. And where will you be?"

"We'll be in the conference room. I'll call a meeting after we're done talking."


"So..." Jinx shifted awkwardly in her seat, looking around.

They were at opposite ends of a large, round table, where above, the room was lit by many candles and on the table, there were a few drinks sitting there, untouched.

"Does this mean we're okay?"

"Okay?" Richard frowned. "Depends what you mean by that."

"I mean, you don't... hate us?"

The masked knight took off his helmet and sat back. I haven't forgiven her. "I am willing to work with you. To save our country from these demons."

"That's not an answer."

I don't need to explain it to you. If anyone, it would be to her. "That's irrelevant."

"It's totally relevant. We have to be able to trust each other."

"You think I would stab you in the back?"

"Something like that."

In the past, I might have. While the wounds were still fresh... but no. I have to be calmer now. I cannot be quite so rash. Victor and Karen are right. "I won't. I'm more thinking about your friend..."

"She has a name, you know."

"I'm well aware."

Jinx's eyes narrowed. "You could treat her like another person."

"I could." But she's a demon. I can't help but feel... somehow, she's behind this. She has to be. It only makes sense. "I hear she is related to the one behind this."

"Well, yes." Jinx shifted in her seat. "She's... his daughter."

Richard nodded. "At least you are honest."

"She is too."

Yeah, right. Demons are honest. One could be fooled. Perhaps you are innocent, girl. Indeed, you probably are. But she... she is a demon. She cannot be. She is fooling you, along with the rest of us. I just... it has to be. There's no way she isn't. "Perhaps."

"Ugh. Why can't you just..."

"Just what?" Trust you? Be friends with you? She killed my parents. You think that is something so easily forgotten? But no, it is not just that. I have seen her. I have seen her behavior, and the way she looks at us humans. You are a fool to trust her, girl.

"Never mind. What did you want to know?"

"Everything. Who is the demon lord behind this? What are his motives? What are your motives for fighting him? How strong is he, and how can we stop him?"

"Well..." Jinx tilted her head. "He's Rae's dad. Think you know that already. And he wants to destroy everything. Don't know much more than that. No, really, I mean it. I actually don't know. You'll have to ask Raven if you wanna know more."

"Fair enough." Of course she would know more. She's keeping secrets, even from you.

"As for how strong he is..." Jinx took a deep breath. "I don't know if he's beatable. Only Rae seems to be able to hurt him, but she can't beat him. She'll get... she'll... get killed if she fights him for too long," she blinked a few times, stumbling over her words.

"What about those birds?"

"The ravens? Well, I don't really know what they are. Only Raven knows. I always figured they were kind of just an extension of her. But maybe not. You'll have to ask her about that."

Again, keeping secrets. No matter. "And your motives?"

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, we really want to help. It's not like either of us likes seeing everything burn. And we don't endorse killing innocent people. Besides, Rae hates her dad, so obviously she wants to fight him."

"Why does she hate him?"

"He killed her mother."

"I see." Perhaps. Yes, maybe you are telling the truth. I just... I have a hard time believe she thinks the same way as you. Very well, I admit I was wrong about you, girl. I can believe that you want to help. But I don't see how you don't see it! Demons are a different breed than us humans. A sorceress is one thing, but a demon sorceress... it is impossible for her to be good. She may not be wholly evil, but she has some other motive. Something else in mind... she wants to use us. But for what?

"Is that... it?"

"Yes, it seems that I'll have to talk to your friend to learn more. I assume you can go find her yourself?"

"Yeah. Hey."

"Yes?"

"I know you guys didn't have the greatest past, but please don't hate her, okay? Please just give her a chance. Rae's not evil. She just... has a hard time expressing herself."

I'm sure she does. Richard nodded and got up, stretching. Jinx bit her lip for a moment, then, not wanting to press the issue, left.


A priest in a white cloak strolled down a path toward one of the gardens in the castle, whistling to himself. Despite appearing old and frail, he was in fairly good health and was surprisingly agile as he navigated through some of the dense shrubbery toward one of the more secluded areas of the garden, where everything was shadowed by the thick branches above his head. He looked around momentarily, then bent down to tend to one of the shrubs, clipping some of the twigs that were jutting out, before moving to the next one and inspecting it.

And after a couple moments, he looked up again as someone passed by.

"Mornin', Father."

"Good morning, Victor." The priest replied, smiling briefly. "How goes your day?"

"It has been fine, father. Although, Sir Richard is calling a meeting, so we'll see..."

"Ah. Do take care of the boy for me. He worries me sometimes."

"Of course." Victor looked up again. "If you'll excuse me, I shouldn't be late."

"Certainly."

Judging by the adornments on his cloak and clothing, it was apparent that this was not just one of the ordinary priests from the church, but actually one of the seven cardinals, four of which were gathered in the castle due to the danger from the demons' siege outside. This one, in particular, had been promoted recently when his predecessor had inexplicably died from unknown causes. But that was no cause for concern; cardinals, of all people, were the ones who should have been trustworthy.

He looked up again, the striking azure color of his eyes suddenly overshadowed by a hint of crimson.

"Give me a moment," he muttered under his breath, and looked around again.

"It is clear," a voice replied. "I checked."

"Oh, very well." The priest blinked as a large, hooded figure appeared in front of him. "What do you want?"

"I'd like you to get rid of one of those pesky titans for me, Sebastian."

"Oh? Is it finally time to kill Richard?"

"No, it'll have to be one of the others. Any one of your choice. I want you to make it look like my daughter did it, and when they start fighting, we'll wait for the right opportunity to take her."

"Or, you could just fight her yourself. You certainly have the power-"

"It would draw unwanted attention and as of right now, she can stall me for long enough for her pesky pets to drive me off. However, if she is distracted, then we may have an opportunity."

"She does seem to be on guard all the time," Sebastian Blood thought for a moment. "Perhaps, knowing your abilities, it is not unwise. But you realize that my powers are not so suited to mimicking hers. Yours would be better."

"I cannot get any closer than this, else she will be able to sense me. Even here, I must use a powerful cloaking spell, otherwise she will know. I do not intend to give her any advance warning."

"Not after what happened earlier, correct?"

Trigon hissed softly and stretched his muscles.

"Are you still healing?"

"It will take a day or two. She is stronger than I suspected. Even killing her is not so simple, but I want to see if we can capture her alive first."

Sebastian Blood frowned and clipped another bush, this one a little more roughly. "And that has already failed how many times? Why not just look for an opening to kill her?"

Trigon's hiss turned into a slight growl. "If you ever have to fight her, you'll realize why that isn't so simple, Sebastian."

"Very well, I'll take your word for it. Any suggestions?"

"Is it not obvious? Pick the one with the most authority who currently wishes to work with my daughter."

"Ah, yes. Very well then."

"A word of caution. You seem to underestimate my daughter's power. She is not weak. Remember that."

"Yes, of course." Sebastian Blood turned back to grooming the shrubs as Trigon disappeared.


*cough*

*cough cough cough*

Raven gasped and sat up, rubbing her throat. She continued coughing and gasping for air, feeling faint and dizzy. Her body shuddered for a minute or so, then she felt the pain lessen slightly and tried to lay back down, but there was a hand at her back, keeping her supported.

"Wait. Drink some water, or you won't heal."

"... Jinx? What time is it?" Her voice was still hoarse, but a little stronger than it had been before.

"Afternoon. Titans are having their meeting. And don't talk. You'll hurt yourself."

Raven rolled her eyes. "How did your talk with Richard go?"

Jinx sighed. "He obviously doesn't trust you."

"Of course not."

"Raven, I mean it. One thing goes wrong and he'll-"

"I know that."

"That's not good-"

"Then let's hope nothing goes wrong." She coughed again and grimaced. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Good. I'll... figure out a way to get Richard to trust you."

"Don't bother."

"I'm gonna try."

Raven sighed, then laid back. And closed her eyes. "Okay."

Jinx grinned. "Not like I've got anything to lose by doing it. Sleep well, Rae."


Two knights stood by each other atop the castle walls, looking down at the scorched ground below. One of them sighed and put his chin on his hands, resting his elbows on the wall while the other stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

But then, maybe there was no need to speak. Despite their differences, Victor and Richard seemed to understand each other fairly well. At least in this instance, it was clear what Richard was going to talk about, and what he was trying to convey. It was just a matter of choosing the right words. If there were any.

"What do you think?"

"I think we should give her a chance."

"She is dangerous."

"Don't need to tell me that. But she did risk her life several times to help us. I think she means good."

Richard frowned. "What about the other one?"

"Don't change the subject, Rich. We both know that the other one's fine. It's Raven who is the issue - what?"

Richard cringed slightly at the mention of Raven's name. "Nothing."

"You fear that she has some ulterior motive."

"Not just that. But yes, I do."

"Man, you gotta admit, you're biased against her-"'

"How could I not be?"

"I- that's... well, I guess I can't 'spect any less from you. But what else is it?"

"Have you ever considered the possibility that her father could somehow control her? It may happen that at some point, she loses free control over her body. If that happens..."

"It hasn't. And if he could do that, why wouldn't he have done it by now?"

"It's a possibility. Perhaps he has not had the opening, or perhaps he has not figured out a way to do it yet. Still, it stands that she is dangerous to us."

"Yeah, I won't argue with that. But man, she's still another person-"

"She is a demon, Victor. Not a human."

"And?"

Richard turned. "Is that your only response? Surely you do not believe that that should be taken lightly."

"No, but..."

"Demons," Richard seethed, "are evil, incorrigible creatures. It is simply in their blood. Her fault or not, it is just this way."

"Hey man, she's proving that what you just said might not be true-"

"Her actions in the past prove it to be true. As I said, her fault or not, it is just this way. But as you know, even demons can be purified."

"Richard, you can't possibly be thinking of-"

The other man nodded slightly. "You're right. I am considering that it would be necessary, but not at this point. As you said, let her prove that she is not wholly evil first. But in the end, purifying her soul is the only way to save her in the eyes of the Almighty."

"Oh, so now you're doing it for her good..."

"It would be simpler. And I am not going to begrudge her a chance at salvation due to her demon blood. At least we may let her be judged based on her soul's worth, not the blood of the wicked."

"How kind of you."

Richard sighed. "I mean it. I'm not going to hold my grudge into the afterlife."

"But you will hold it for now."

"It biases my judgment, sure. But I still think you lot are too quick to trust."

"We lot? Last I checked, it was only Karen and me."

"Roy and Garth seem to be won over as well. The little green one was never unfriendly with them. And Kori makes friends quickly."

"And Lady Terra?"

"She may not. I do not know."

"Hey, man. These are desperate times. We need help. And they're giving it to us."

"That, I do not deny. All I am saying is, do not let your guard down. If she choose to strike and we are not ready, then we are doomed."

"I guess you have a point. But seriously, don't you think this is getting to your head a little bit too much sometimes?"

Richard looked back out over the scorched lands, where there was nothing but ash and soot, and the charred bones of the dead littering the ground. "No."


Dream

Shadows...

It's all dark. Of course it is.

It's hot. There's fire. Somewhere. Where?

Over there. Do I go, or... no. Not yet. I have to wait. I can't fight him alone. But if I can't, who can? Ah... that's right. I'm the only one who can. Well, it's me... and them. Yes...

I can hear them. Can I? It should be... the soft cries... the wailing, it is so distant right now. It is so distant; will they make it in time? We can only hold for so long. I only have a limited amount of energy... immortal or not, I am simply not strong enough. I am the protector of this land. Ironically enough...

I am the protector, for there is no one else. Or perhaps that is not quite true. I am the mediator. And they are the protectors.

I can hear them. The cries, wailing through the darkness. Why do they cry? What does their song mean? The ethereal whispers, echoing through the air, softly... they are not the songs of birds at all... whispering to me, and I understand. It is the feeling, not the words. It is only the feeling that it evokes.

What feeling? Just stop. Wait. Listen. Listen, and let it come. What do you feel? What do I feel?

It is silent here. Now, it is not so much a sound as the essence of something, echoing in my mind. What is it? Think, and just feel it. Close your eyes. Let the darkness come. It is impossible to describe with these limited words.

...

Can you feel it? I can feel your hand in mine. You're all that I have. Don't let go. Don't leave again. I fear... I know that I cannot stop him if you are gone. We need each other... at the very least, I need you. I am sorry for being such baggage...

It is so dark, but it is not a discomfiting feeling. The darkness is unperturbed. Listen to the soft noises. Life blooms, the feeling of the energy in the air, it is all there for now. But he threatens to destroy it. I cannot let him. I cannot, but what am I to do? I am alone...

No, no. You're still here. I haven't lost you. If I had been alone, I wouldn't have gotten this far. We're still here. It has to mean something. We have to be able to stop him. We have to-

Look up. Look up!

Here they come. Their soft voices, singing through the darkness. Ah... they are apathetic, dispassionate, and yet they still heed my call. They care not one bit for our world, but they are always there to aid me...

Are they?

...

Trigon!

There is no need to scream. There is nobody to hear.

There is - wait, where are you? Where did she go? What did you do with her?! Bring her back!

She is lost to you. As is everything else. Do you see?

The darkness lifts and - no, no... where am I?

The land is bathed in fire and punctured with deep chasms. The sky, the sky... it rains fire, scorching the earth from the blooded heavens, where there is no sun, and there is no moon, but only the blackness and the crimson stars. Everything is gone...

I see. Your homeworld.

And yours.

I am nothing like you!

Are you not?

I... am not!

Calm yourself. Breathe, and listen.

As if I would ever listen to you.

I am trying to-

No! Shut up!

Do not test my patience, daughter. You are alone right now. Yes, you always have been alone, and-

No. That's not true. I have her. I have-

And where is she now?

What did you do with her? Answer me, Trigon. I'm not going to play your games.

What game? I have done nothing.

Don't test your patience? How about you don't test my patience? What... did... you... do... with... her? Tell me.

Make me.

Gladly.

...

...

...

Wait a minute. Where did they go? The ravens were just here- they were...

What have you done?!

As I said, nothing. You are alone. And this time, you don't even have your petty birds to save you.

What did you do with them?!

Ah, my little girl. Don't scream. Don't cry. There's no point. Here, there's nobody who can hear you. There's nobody to save you now. You're on your own.

I- I can still fight you. I can- mmpff- Tri-gon-

You're mine, daughter. No matter how hard you struggle, you cannot escape me. You cannot escape... you are alone... you are doomed... just like your friend...


"Jinx!" Raven sat up and gasped.

Someone stirred next to her, pressing into her body almost unconsciously. "Already mornin'?" A groggy voice sounded.

The pinkette sat up as well and squinted outside the nearby window. "Rae, it's the middle of the night..." she paused, looking at the other girl. "Something wrong?"

Raven closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, feeling the other girl's arms wrap around her.

"What happened? Bad dream?"

The violet haired girl shook her head. "That's the thing. I'm not quite sure it was. Let me think for a moment, let me..." Raven's eyes snapped open, sparkling with fear for a moment, then snapped shut again.

"Rae," Jinx's voice grew tighter, yet more worried. "What happened? You're startin' to freak me out..."

"Hold on." She's okay. Thank Azar. Maybe it really was a dream, but I have to make sure... "I'm trying to think." Are they there? Can I still reach them? Or... no. I can hear their voices. Okay. Okay, maybe everything's fine. Maybe it was just a nightmare. Trigon's not actually here, otherwise I would be able to sense him, right? Okay, everything should be fine. "I... think I'm okay?"

"You think?" Jinx's voice rose an octave. "What in the world-"

"Jinx," Raven pressed a finger to the other girl's lips. "I had a nightmare. It happens."

The pinkette seized the demoness's shoulders. "You were really freaked out. Hell, it freaked me out. Are you sure-"

"Positive." Raven sighed, then laid back, slipping out from under the covers. "Is it just me or is it a bit warm in here?"

Jinx rolled her eyes. "It's just you. You were so tired, you fell asleep in your cloak earlier. I took it off for ya, but I didn't wanna disturb you by, you know..."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You didn't want to strip me."

The other girl's cheeks colored. "Not true! Well, uh..."

"You pervert."

She earned a grin in response. "Glad you're okay now. How's your throat?"

"Changing the subject..." Raven sighed. "It's fine. A bit sore, but mostly okay." She sat up again, looking at the fuchsia eyes, glowing in the darkness. "Are you tired?"

"Mmmm... I don't know. Sorta? Being nocturnal is still your thing."

"I see." Something feels fishy. I'm not quite sure what it is, but there's some kind of... bloodlust? Not quite. Just something dangerous. "I'll let you sleep then."

Not just something dangerous, but it's not a demon either. It's not Trigon, and it's not one of his lackeys, so who else could it be? He doesn't have human followers, does he? Not here, at least. There's the Church of Blood thing in the mountains to the north, but they're a small group and I've kept an eye on them for a long time. They know I can wipe them out in an instant, so they don't do anything stupid. But it might be possible that he got some new recruits that I don't know about... better check it out.

"Raven? Earth to Raven? Hellooo?"

"What? Sorry," the demoness shook her head. "I think I need some water."

"Uhh, okay. I'm gonna go back to sleep then. Night, babe."

"Sleep well." Raven got up and threw on her cloak, leaving the room.

Jinx waited for a moment, then her eyes flew open and she frowned, putting on her clothes as well.

"C'mon, Rae. Putting on your cloak is pretty much tellin' me something's up. You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna keep me from helpin' ya."


Blood. Blood, blood. Why do I keep thinking about it? Raven floated silently through the halls, the odd feeling in the back of her mind guiding her up a flight of stairs and down another hallway. Not the Church specifically, but for some reason, Trigon seems to be one of the demon lords associated with blood. And fire, of course, but why blood? He was never the type to make a huge mess out of things. If anything, he was meticulous and clean about the way he approached things. Still is. Actually, he doesn't leave anything behind at all. Everything gets burned away.

So why blood?

Raven paused, something else prickling in the back of her mind. Who else is around me? I can sense a couple people in their rooms. Richard, to the one on the left, and two people in the one I just passed. Let's see... yes, that would be Sir Garfield and Lady... let's see if I can remember her name... ah yes, Markov. Terra Markov. What about the other ones? The one from Tamaran, and then Karen is in another. Roy and Garth are on the floor below me, and Victor is down the hall... wait. There's two other people. There's one close to Victor's room but I don't recognize him... and... hmm. Wasn't there one more? Or was I imagining things? Regardless, let me go check out the other one first. Something seems wrong- wait a minute.

Raven's eyes narrowed. I can't sense Victor anymore. I can't- shit. That means- she gritted her teeth and felt a sinking feeling in her heart. Summoning up her powers, the violet haired girl teleported down the hall and pushed open the door to Victor's room, and stepped inside.

And inhaled sharply as she saw that the whole place was covered in blood... the ceiling, the walls, most of the floor, everything. She fought the urge to vomit and approached the bed, closing her eyes. How is it possible that a human could even contain so much blood? How is it... she clenched her hands, tensing her body further. How did I let this happen? How did I not realize this in time?

She turned. "How did you manage to do this without alerting my senses, you bastard..."

Sebastian Blood closed the door behind her. "A little glamour from my lord goes a long way. That, and I don't have to use only magic to do this," he slipped out a knife from underneath his cloak.

Raven tensed further, letting her powers surge through her body. The priest shifted nervously, putting the knife away.

"Do you mean to attack me?"

The demoness's eyes blazed white. "You didn't intend to get caught, did you? You wanted to make a mess and frame me for it. And you thought you could get away with it."

His eyes narrowed. "You weren't supposed to be awake. At least, you weren't supposed to come up here for no reason-"

"You didn't count on my empathy being so strong. You didn't think I could sense you. Well, let me tell you something. You're wrong!"

She lashed out at him, throwing the priest against the wall. There was a crunching sound and he gave off a cry of pain as several of his bones snapped, but still managed to stay conscious.

"And what do you think killing me will accomplish?"

"Shut up," she spat at him and slammed him down to the floor. "I'm sick of my father and his dirty tricks. And you're just a piece of disgusting filth. Following a demon like that, knowing that he'll just destroy everything-"

"But you're a demon too, aren't you?" Blood gasped.

Raven's eyes blazed again and this time, she floated over and grabbed his throat, holding him against the wall with one black claw and holding a ball of fire in another. A pair of frightened blue eyes met two pairs of crimson ones momentarily, then the priest looked away, trying to break free of her grasp.

And then the door burst open as someone charged at her, but she didn't even look as several black tendrils emanated from her cloak, restraining him.

"Demon!"

"Be silent," she growled at him. "Richard, this filth just killed Victor-"

"Do... not... listen... to her..." Blood gasped out, but found it increasingly hard to breathe as her grip on his throat tightened.

"You demon," Richard whispered. "I was going to give you a chance, but looks like you want to blow it on the first day-"

She turned toward him with blazing eyes. "I did nothing of the sort! This is one of Trigon's lackeys, and he's trying to frame me to sow the seeds of dissent among us-"

"She's... lying-"

Raven turned again and shoved the ball of fire toward his chest, but suddenly, a hand caught her wrist holding her back.

"Rae, no! You can't!"

Surprised, Raven let go, her eyes quickly receding back to normal. "Jinx? Since when- I didn't even sense you-"

"Learned a few tricks of my own," the pinkette replied, looking worriedly at Richard. "I can do some basic cloaking spells too. But, anyway, we're gonna need him alive, right? You can get him to fess up-"

"She's a filthy liar," Richard spat. "She killed Victor! She killed Victor, and now she's going to frame one of our cardinals for it! How much nonsense do you expect me to believe?!"

The sound of footsteps broke through the knight's shouts as more people approached the room.

"What's all the commotion- holy shit-" "What the hell happened here?" "Sparky... no..." "Dude, is this for real?" "Is Sir Victor really-"

"Everyone, shut up," Raven hissed.

Seven pairs of eyes turned to her, some narrowed with suspicion, some still confused.

Raven took a deep breath and looked at the ground. "We can talk about this elsewhere, okay? Can we please just get out of here? The blood is really making me sick."

The knights glanced at each other, then began filing out of the room, but as Raven tried to pass by, Richard drew his sword and pointed it at her.

"To hell with you."

A swift thrust forward was quickly parried, then the second was kicked away as Jinx stepped forward.

"And to hell with you." Richard lunged for her, but suddenly there were two pairs of arms hold him back and he found himself unable to move. "What are you guys doing?"

"Figuring out what actually happened," Roy muttered grimly.

"You don't really think that fighting her here will get to the truth, do you?" Garth added. "Let's go outside. We don't need to be fighting over Victor's body. Our first priority should be cleaning up that room and covering up his body. Not revenge."

"You don't understand! We already know the truth! Letting that demon walk free would be like spitting on his grave! I have to-"

Karen walked up and hit the knight on the back of the head, knocking him out instantly. "Let's go, guys," she said quietly.

They glanced at each other, then carried Richard's unconscious body out of the room.


"I've sent for someone to clean up Sir Victor's room already. We've also tied up Sir Richard for now, so he doesn't do anything crazy. Now, this means we should have our undivided attention to your explanation," Garth looked at Raven, then glanced at Karen, who was looking away, oddly silent. "Karen, are you-"

"I'm fine," her voice shook a little. She looked up, then looked at Raven coldly, then away again.

It was silent for a minute. Raven chewed on her lip, fidgeting with her sleeves, withdrawing further and further into her cloak as if that would get everyone to stop staring at her, but as the minutes passed, the gazes of the knights only grew colder.

"I... had no reason to kill Victor," she whispered finally. "I genuinely did want to work with you to help take down my father. I'm sure most of you know by now, but let me say it again. I hate him. I hate him, and I don't want to see him burn this country down to the ground. I want to protect people, and that includes all of you. I really do-"

"What exactly happened?"

"I'm... not entirely sure. What I do know is that our friend here," she gestured to the unconscious body of Sebastian Blood on the floor, "somehow managed to sneak into Victor's room without me noticing. When I got there, it was already in the state you saw it in. I... I was angry, so I lost my temper and tried to kill him, but luckily Jinx was there to stop me..."

"And why would he do such a thing? He's one of our country's seven cardinals, he's-"

"He's one of Trigon's servants," Raven replied softly. "I don't know how he managed to infiltrate so high up into your church, but he works for Trigon. He wants to make us fight each other. That was the whole purpose of this... this murder. He wants you to not trust me, so that our forces will be separated, and he can destroy both of us when we are divided."

"I don't believe that," Roy muttered. "I've known Father Sebastian for a few years now. He is the nicest, most chaste man you'll ever meet. There's no way-"

"That's what Trigon wants you to believe. He's a master of deception. For all I know, he could have been deceiving this man as well, or even just controlling his mind. Either way, this is a servant of Trigon." Raven looked around as it fell silent again.

She met the gazes of some of them, some unfriendly, some still confused, and then some looking down, avoiding her, or just unfocused, staring off into blank space. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes, holding her breath.

"She seems like she's telling the truth," Terra offered. "I could believe that."

"Surely you can't- that's just preposterous-"

"I don't know, man. We kinda need her help to fight these demon guys. And if she wanted to kill any of us before, she could've done it, right?"

"Or she was just waiting for the right moment-"

"She also stepped in to help save us earlier."

"Friends, I am unsure of her story, but Sir Garfield makes the good point."

"Kori, you're too naive."

"Sir Roy, I am well-trained in watching the behavior of other people."

"There's just no possible way Sebastian would have-"

"Guys!" Jinx spoke suddenly. "Calm down. Lemme get this straight. So Kori, Garfield, and Terra, you guys think Raven might be telling the truth. And Roy and Garth, you two think she's bein' a little bitch and lying. Even though she saved your butts."

"That's irrelevant-"

"Whatever. You don't believe her."

Roy nodded, but Garth merely shrugged, looking somewhat ambivalent.

Jinx turned to Karen. "What about you? You're the only one who hasn't said anything."

The dark skinned woman looked up darkly. "In either case, it's her fault Sparky's dead. She didn't get there in time to save him. She says she wants to protect people but she can't even be bothered to save the person in the room right above her."

"Hey! That's not fair at all-"

"She's right," Raven's voice was very soft. "It is my fault I couldn't save him. I should have been more vigilant." She closed her eyes, trying not to show her frustration. "I'm sorry. I know you two had a thing, and I should have-"

"You better be sorry. Anything else you have to say?"

"I... what can I say? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let it happen."

"But it did. And you still want us to trust you? I don't know if I can anymore-"

"That's enough out of you," Jinx hissed. "She already feels bad enough, can't you see that? There's no need to rub it in like that-"

"No, Jinx. Stop. I... I guess I deserve this." Raven looked down at the ground. "I suppose I can understand if you guys don't trust me." She sighed, then disappeared into the floor.

"Bitch," Karen muttered under her breath.

Jinx looked at her sharply. "What the actual fuck? Seriously, what the hell is yelling at her going to accomplish?"

"We can't direct our hatred at the person who killed Sir Victor?" Roy retorted. "You don't seem to get it. Victor was a good friend for many years, and one of the bravest men I've ever met. You think I'm just going to sit here and be quiet while his killer walks free?" He gripped his sword. "You have got to be kidding me."

"One, Raven did not kill him," Jinx said, exasperated. "And two, don't you guys get it? If we can't fight together, then Trigon will already have won! This is exactly what he needs to do. Separate us, then beat us both while we're divided! We've got to stick together..."

"She has a point."

"Stay out of this, Garfield."

"Dude, I'm just saying-"

"And I'm just saying that this demon-"

"Roy, I think you're being overly emotional," Garth put a hand on his friend's shoulder, prompting a sharp intake of breath.

"Garth, not you too..."

"Friends, perhaps we need the 'time out' to calm down and think about this."

"There's nothing to think about."

"There is," Terra interjected. "Garfield's right. Even if she wasn't telling the whole truth, fact of the matter is, we need her. Otherwise who's going to help us fight off all these demons?"

"This is ridiculous," Roy muttered. "I'm going back to my room. If you all want to side with her, fine. But when she stabs you guys in the back, I won't need to say 'I told you so'." He stormed off down the hall before anyone could stop him.

Terra turned to Karen. "Lady Karen, I know it's hard, but-"

The dark skinned woman began walking away as well, but midway down the hall, she paused. "Maybe she didn't kill him. But she could have saved him." And she continued walking.

Jinx grimaced and sat back, leaning against the wall.

"Do not worry, pink-haired one. We will help you. They just need the cooling off time."

"My name's Jinx," the pinkette replied, closing her eyes. "And thanks. I really appreciate you standin' up for me and Rae. She really wants to help, you know."

"I don't have a hard time believing that, based on the way she's acted," Terra sat beside Jinx. "I think Garth is coming around too, right?"

The dark haired man shrugged. "I guess. I just… need some time alone," he began walking away as well.

"And Roy?" Jinx opened her eyes. "Karen's gonna hold a grudge, I guess, but she's not unreasonable."

"Roy's just upset. Richard, though..."

Jinx groaned.