Author's Note: Why Starbolt Five as a name? Well, it was meant to be a couple of cute little oneshotty type things of instances. Starbolt Five came from Ya-ssui and one of her anons who asked for a picture of Starfire and Tamaranain Robin high-fiving... and the impending explosion which caused it. I thought it was a catchy name, so asked permission and bam. The high five itself might come in someday. (picture available on Tumblr)

So, it's not because there'll be only five chapters. I don't know how many chapters there will be, because reasons of plot bus.

Bizarre Bazaar

Robin watched Starfire typing on a console, bored out of his mind. He wanted to explore, he wanted to see this market, he wanted to meet cool alien races, but all Starfire looked like she wanted to do was sit at a console and type.

They were in a small, box-like room with two doors. One door was the hatch they'd come through, the other Robin had no clue. Starfire wasn't allowing them through.

He tried reading over Starfire's shoulder, but he couldn't understand most of the words. It seemed to be a conglomerate, some of the words appeared Tamaranian, while others he couldn't decipher.

He tried to be patient. This was Starfire, after all. She wasn't one to just sit at the computer when there was shopping to be done. He was the one who preferred to work. Time whittled away, Starfire's concentration still on the console. Robin tried juggling starbolts and found via singed eyebrows and soot marks on the ceiling, it wasn't a good idea. He couldn't 'catch' the bolt once it had left his hand, nor did they adhere to the gravity of the room.

Finally sick of waiting, he asked, "Whatcha doing?"

"Kazator Prime is a large station," Starfire replied without looking at him. "Many levels with various shops. I have completed all the pre-ordering this system allows and I am currently checking for products I wish to view before purchase and plotting routes to get to them so we may make our way through here with haste."

That surprised him. "Don't feel like just browsing? Taking in the sights? Having a smoothie?"

Now she glanced at him and frowned. "Robin, we are not at the mall. It would be very dangerous to browse here."

He blinked. "It would? Why?"

"So many different cultures all squashed in together, you would inadvertently insult someone by wriggling your left eyebrow in a sexual manner."

He burst into laughter. Starfire didn't. He swallowed what laughter he could, choking. "You're kidding."

"No, I am not." She turned back to the console. "I am nearly finished. Most of our purchases can be ordered on the line, but there are several I must see before purchase."

He heaved in a bored sigh.

"Grocery shopping on your planet is as mundane," Starfire pointed out.

"But aliens, Star. C'mon, please? Can't we just go and have a look around?"

"It is dangerous. Be patient, I am almost finished."

He huffed and sat in the air, his arms crossed on his chest. "Since when were you the sensible one?"

Starfire paused, her fingers hovering over the console. They clenched into fists and then she spun to face him, her hands on her lap. "Robin, may I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Do you feel… different?"

He blinked at her, then grinned. "Well yeah, I feel great!"

"Not physically. Mentally. Emotionally."

"No. Why?" He frowned. "Am I acting different?"

She bit her lip as she studied him. "Perhaps… it is the novelty of the powers which is giving a false impression."

Robin considered her. "What do you mean?"

"It does not matter," she said, turning.

"Obviously it does matter," Robin said. "If you think there's a problem with—"

With a few more keystrokes, she closed the screen. "We can go."

He forgot what he was talking about in lieu of excitement. Bounding over to the hatch, he completely missed the stricken expression on Starfire's face.

TTTTT

"What's this?" Robin asked.

"Automated tri-ocular enhancement applicator."

"Tri, as in three eyes?"

"Yes."

"And enhancement meaning…?"

Starfire giggled. "The equivalent of Earthen makeup."

"Oh! Cool!" Robin lifted the device to study it, but did not press it against his mask. "Do you have one? For two eyes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to borrow it?"

He laughed. "Just asking."

"I do." She beamed. "As does Raven. As do all the girls in the Titans as well as and Speedy and Aqualad. It was my gift to them last Christmas."

He placed the device back on the shelf. "We could make a fortune marketing something like that on Earth."

"I find it not as fun as applying the makeup with friends," Starfire commented.

Robin shrugged. "I suppose that would have merit. What about this? Some sort of automated nail enhancement device?"

Starfire snatched his hand and pulled it away from the odd-looking device. "That will incinerate your hand."

Robin's hands went behind his back. "Not touching! Why is it even on the same table?"

"Because it is for Nevaskians," Starfire replied. "They have three eyes and their skin is reptilian, they require clippers for their claws, but that particular device cannot tell the difference between claw and bone."

Robin looked at all the potentially dangerous equipment the merchant was selling. "Why are we even over here?"

Starfire laughed. "Because you insisted on seeing these devices. Some things are as mundane as they appear."

"Or dangerous!"

Starfire wove her arm through Robin's elbow and tugged him away. "Indeed."

"What about over there?" Robin asked, gesturing with his chin, having spotted another stall of interesting looking machines. "Can I touch those devices?"

Starfire followed his gaze and laughed. "I do not think you would like them."

"They look pretty cool. All those buttons and knobs, they have to do something awesome. C'mon Star, we're here to have fun, let's have a play." He tugged her arm.

Her cheeks went yellow and she avoided looking at him. "Those are self-pleasure devices."

Robin about-faced, pulling Starfire with him. "Righty-o then. Moving on!"

Starfire laughed.

TTTTT

"Um… are you sure?"

Starfire watched him, her expression carefully neutral. "I am certain."

Robin eyed the item she held out to him. "But… it's wriggling."

"That is how you know it is fresh."

He reached forward a finger and poked the jelly-like appendage. "And we're going to… eat this."

"Indeed."

"Star, while I appreciate the thought, I've tried your food before and I really don't feel like enduring another week of digestive trouble."

"You are Tamaranian," Starfire reminded him with a small smile. "You shall not have any trouble."

He took the stick and held it as though it was about to attack him any second. "Star, I don't know about this."

She took a slurping bite out of hers. It didn't shriek like he expected it to, its little tentacle thingies kept wiggling. "If it makes you feel more comfortable," Starfire said. "It is a cutting from a fungus. It is not sentient."

"I don't think that makes me feel any better."

She tilted her head to regard him. "You were the one who wished to come to this stall and purchase one."

"I thought they were pets."

Starfire's eyebrow shot up and she giggled. "Do you think them cute?"

He regarded them. "Not as cute as Silkie, but… yeah… kinda."

"Will you call him Squishy?" she asked, teasing him.

Robin laughed.

She patted his upper arm. "I am sorry, we do not have the facilities to keep it as a pet. They will grow to encompass an entire planet."

With a teasing smile he said, "So… it's for the good of all mankind I eat this?"

She laughed. "Yes."

Screwing up his face, he took a bite and chewed. "Oh. My. God."

Her smile was sly. "Good?"

Nodding and chewing at the same time, he said, "There's a party in my mouth."

With an indulgent smile, Starfire said, "Let us go. There is still much to do."

He bounced to keep up with her. "Can we get more later?"

"If you like."

Robin found the bazaar simply astounding. The inner tube of the space station was empty, allowing for all manner of gravity defying creatures to journey from deck to deck without using the automated systems. Different levels catered for difference races and Starfire's was such she could journey to many of the levels for her wares.

Some levels were crammed with customers, big and small, while other seemed to be catering the more decadent customer.

So many different times of people. Robin was surprised at the lack of humanoid aliens, all the one's he'd met previously had looked like him (Superman, Hawk Girl, Starfire, to name a few). But here… there were insects and jelly-like creatures, there were beings with eight limbs or multiple eyestalks, there were things with wings (feathered, leathered, or insect), things without visible legs, things encased in metal exoskeletons.

He was very careful not to stare long at any being (he made the mistake of staring at a slug-fish-otter creature too long and Starfire had to bail him out from being eaten).

There were several Green Lanterns of various species floating around too, although most of them seemed to be on-duty. Robin wondered if Earth's Green Lantern had ever come here.

Starfire floated up and over the railing into the centre of the station. She twirled and rose upward and Robin, still munching on his fungus, bounced up to follow her. And flew straight into someone.

Robin immediately apologised, backing away. "I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to flying and—"

A woman. Silver skinned, dark blue suit, red star on her chest. Vernathian. Like Val-yor. She gave him the once over and she wrinkled her nose. "Oh, disgusting. I've been contaminated by a filthy troq."

Robin blinked. "Excuse me?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "It's deaf as well as dumb." She raised her voice, her speech both slow and mocking. "Filthy. Disgusting. Troq."

Robin's hand balled into a fist which he heaved toward the woman's face.

Starfire caught his arm, interposing herself between the woman and Robin, with her back on the woman. "Robin. Leave it."

"How dare you," the woman spat and turned to her Vernathain friends. "Did you see? The troq tried to harm me."

Robin resisted, pushing against the hand on his chest. "She just called me—"

One of the other Vernathain's said, "He's pale for a Troq. Must be a diluted spawn."

"I know," Starfire soothed and forced Robin backward. "But look down."

"He's trying to fight you, Pelithrior. Look at him."

"Doesn't know his place," Pelithrior goaded. "We'll have to teach him."

Robin gripped Starfire's wrist. "How can you just expect me to take that—"

Starfire got right in his face. "Look. Down."

He glanced down. A whole group of them, looking like Val-yor. They rose slowly, as if expecting to intervene. His blood sung. He wanted to fight. Hands curling around starbolts, he snarled, "We can take 'em."

"Undoubtedly," Starfire said, her finger spreading over his heart. "But I would rather not. Please."

The sound of her voice caused Robin to focus on Starfire instead of the woman antagonising them.

"Please," she imported. "The moral ground is ours." Her eyes flicked up and to the left. "If they attack then I will release you, but they offer nothing but uneducated words."

"And the words of friends are those which truly mattered," he said, recalling Starfire's dealings with Val-yor.

"Exactly."

Keeping her back to the woman in what Robin guess was a social snub, Starfire lifted straight up, pulling Robin with her. He could hear the woman taunting them from below, ranting about being kept on a leash, but the sudden flash of up-skirt caught his attention. The singing in his blood turned from violence to something else so fast he gasped.

"What?" Starfire asked, glancing down.

He flicked his eyes to meet hers, glad he wore his mask and she couldn't see where he'd been looking. "Nothing."

X'hal, how did she manage the extreme emotional flippage and not appear insane?