She stays.
The happiest about it is Beastboy, who enjoys having another video game partner, whilst Starfire is a close second, elated to have someone to take shopping and engage in activities with her. But Robin keeps a close eye on the girl, still unsure about her.
Once she is well, Cyborg eagerly proposes taking her out to see the city. Esper's eyes at the proposition, remembering her entrance upon Jump City when she arrived, with a robot on her heels. But their eyes are pleading, begging to get out of the walls of the tower and she can't help but nod her head.
The sun blinds her, after spending so long in the dark behind the tower walls. But she finds her eyes widening and her jaw turning slack as she peers out of the window of the fast-moving T-Car, climbing over Raven in her haste to stare at the outside world. The landscape changes from silver oceans to rolling fields and to buildings that tower over her like concrete trees. She lets out a happy gasp when Cyborg opens the window and the wind rushes in, blowing back her hair. She vaguely remembers feeling her fingers take flight on the rush of air.
The car pulls into park and she's the first one out, marvelling at the sight of the world around her. It'd been so long since she'd drank in the sunlight greedily, since she'd looked at the buildings around her than simply running past them in haste to get away from the ghosts that bit at her ankles. She's pulled out of her trance by a hand tugging on her shirt sleeve.
When she fails to see over the bustling bodies to view the city, she's suddenly swept up and placed high on someone's shoulder, noticing Cyborg smirking beneath her. Her jaw slackens again as she hangs on, giggling when Beastboy complains that the metal giant had never done the action for him.
She's pulled and pushed and tugged through shops and street corners and restaurants. She doesn't mind, as she marvels at the new sights and smells and finds herself completely at home, linked arm-in-arm with the others.
It's late when they arrive back at the car, Beastboy and Cyborg excitedly shouting about a games tournament they'd witnessed during their time spent in the city, whilst Starfire and Robin animatedly talk about the encounter with a few young fans in the park earlier. Raven strides beside Esper, as quiet as always.
Whilst Cyborg fiddles with the lock for the car door, Raven feels a nudge against her shoulder. She turns to a smiling face, her hands behind her back as she bounces on her toes. Her voice flattens and her gaze turns bored beneath her purple hood. "What?"
It's only when her hands come from behind her back does she look down, to find a book in the girl's hands, dusty and slightly worn from years of use. She tries to hide the confusion in her gaze as the dark-haired girl presses it into her hands. When she lifts it to read the title, it's written in Latin.
"What's this for?" the book is heavy in her hands, and she can already tell that it's full of things she hasn't come across, as the title is unknown to her large collection of philosophies and symposium's. The girl only averts her gaze shyly. She doesn't even remember anyone giving her money, but she knows that the younger wouldn't dare do so in the company of the others. She realizes this is a way to gain her friendship. "Thank you," she stutters out.
Her gratitude is short lived, as suddenly, an overhead lamplight shatters. Robin covers Starfire as the glass falls down and confusion settles in their gaze. When they look up, Cyborg faintly growls.
Two shapes, overshadowed by the shadow of the setting sun, stand at the end. One floats on a disc, silver hair floating in waves around him. Beside him, another boy with dark blond tresses stands cockily. He's broader than the other, with bright green eyes that seem to enjoy the chaos. Illusion lowers his hand and jumps from his floating disc to stand it on its side and lean against it. They wait.
Robin wastes no time in slipping the retractable metal staff from its pouch. "Esper, get in the car," the girl is frozen to the spot, her eyes connecting with a pair of silver hues. A smile pulls at his lips. "Esper, now!"
She jumps from the spot and falls into the car, closing the door behind her. The sound of the door falling back into place and locking seems to be the starting call for the heroes to shoot forwards and attack.
The two teenagers stand their ground until suddenly, they both ricochet forwards, Illusion flying high on his silver disc. He dives straight towards Robin and Beastboy, grinning maliciously.
His companion however, doesn't dive for anyone. He stands, a few fifty metres away from the two girls and Cyborg, who readies his sonic cannon in preparation. Starfire's eyes light up and she lifts herself higher into the air, whilst Raven crouches into a defensive stance, her fists surrounded by black unwavering energy.
The boy feints a step forwards, and that's all it takes for Cyborg to take fire, along with Starfire and Raven. The shape glides through the cloud of dust and debris, dodging each strike sent towards him, as if it were a dance. When they pause in their efforts to hinder the enemy, a shape takes Cyborg by surprise and a thick soled purple and black boot is suddenly sent into his jaw. A roundhouse kick sends both girls sprawling to the ground, staring up in horror at the sight. Jinx smiles down at them.
Their horror is short lived when suddenly, the body moulds into something that isn't the petite, pink-haired girl, but the torso lengthens and broadens, until the same blond boy smiles down at them with a cheeky grin. "Guess I'm just going through a phase at the moment."
With a howl, Cyborg batters into the younger, sending them both sprawling on the ground. Behind him, Raven cups her hand around her mouth, turning to her leader who sends the butt of his staff into the silver-haired boy's forehead angrily. "Robin! This one's a Shape shifter, he can change into anyone we know!"
"A little busy at the moment!" he calls back, as he ducks down to allow Beastboy to spiral over him and transform into a Kangaroo, sending Illusion stumble back a couple of steps and the disc falls beside him. His brother in a pale green jumpsuit stumbles behind him, and he's quick to his feet. As Cyborg sends a blast from the sonic cannon to send the blond boy stumbling back again, Illusion throws up his disc, spins it on its side until it's facing the path of Cyborg's blast, shielding the other. The blast ricochets off of the chrome surface of the disc and the blast is sent spiralling the opposite way, past the group and towards – "Esper!" the blast throws itself into the car, the boom shattering the morbid silence as it throws it into the air, spiralling, until rolling onto its roof. Their breath clutches in their throats at the sight, concern floating between them. The first to break into a sprint towards the car, to find the injured passenger, is Robin.
But, before he can reach upturned vehicle, with its wheels rolling, a charred door is thrown off of the hinges as a red blast shoots out, throwing the door aside in a heap. It barely skims past Cyborg's metal arm.
She climbs out steadily, but her eyes glow red and her jaw is set in anger. Her fingers clench rage as her gaze falls on the two boys that her friends were fighting. Her fingers started to glow an ominous red, until the power inside of them it threw itself out into rings around her wrists. They seemed to circle around her hands in a dizzying dance, like the shells that orbit around an atom. Her teeth grit as she lowers herself into a slight crouch, the heels of her hands pressing together at the centre of her chest to create a half circle. Between her fingers, as she cried out in a grunting noise, a small ball of red energy flared up. It grew, until it devoured her hand.
It was a quick blast, but it threw the ground up when she released the bout of energy gathered in her palms. The dust was flung high into the air, creating a smoke screen between the five heroes and the two teenagers.
But when a shape came barrelling through the smoke like before, it didn't dive for any of them. It pushed through, as if in a hurry. The boy dodged and dived past the blows sent to him, sending them back with a large sweep of power until he came upon the girl with glowing red eyes. His hands landed on her arms.
Any cockiness or anger or conviction he held dripped away from him, and his features softened instantly as he grasped her between his hands. Green eyes stared down at her as he spoke. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Its fine, you're okay."
The words seemed to bring her out of her trance, and the colour returned back to her eyes. Her breath lodged itself into her throat, clogging any words that found their way to the surface as her gaze swept over familiar blond locks and hands that had once cradled her when she screamed at night.
His breath came in short gasps and his hands fell into her hair. He looked like a brother finding his little sister after losing her. "Oh my god, it's you. You're here. You're alive, oh my god, you're alive."
Tears spilled over her cheeks as her mouth parted, trying to form words she didn't know how to say. He kept repeating his chant until he heard the moans of her friends as they sat up, and the dust cleared. He could see Illusion raising the disc and climbing onto it expectantly. He began to tug on her arm as he turned to run back to the boy. "Come on, we have to go. We have to leave, now."
But she stayed frozen to the spot, as if her feet had sunken into the ground beneath them. His tone turned agitated as the disoriented Titans rose, their gaze setting on him. He turned to her, desperation clear on his features. "Please, we can go home."
Esper felt her body start to turn its gears, and she ripped her arm from his grasp. Her brow furrowed and she felt her heart clench at the sight of a desperate boy she didn't know. She glared at him, anger pulsating in her veins, though her voice was soft. "That place was never my home, Jason."
A foot is lodged into his jaw and a boy in red, green and yellow stands over her as he sends Jason sprawling backwards. But the boy holds quick reflexes, and as he's thrown back, he turns and lands on his toes with one hand on the ground to hold him up. His hand slaps onto his jaw and she flinches, remembering that was the last place he'd gotten hurt. Illusion snaps at him and with one look sent back to the brunette, Jason scurries away and throws himself onto the hovering platform until both rise high into the air.
It's a while before any of them dare to move, and the first to move is Robin as Esper drops to the ground in exhaustion. His arms wind around her waist, trying not to let her crumble further. "You're not a spy, I know that now."
Behind them, they hear Beastboy chuckle. "Esp sure brings a new meaning to the saying, 'seeing red' huh?"
Raven raises a hand. "OW! RAVEN!"