Disclaimer: Characters here are property of their owners, none of which happen to be me.

Initial Notes: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A Cup of Sugar, pt.5

The TV went silent as Jinx clicked the remote with her heel, "Now that we've had our daily dose of drama, lets get to work!"

Lips curling in a slight grin, Raven simply nodded and pulled out a notebook, before noticing that the girl opposite her hadn't moved. Looking back up, she noted that Jinx had pulled out the two paperbacks, somewhat aged and yellowing along their page's edges, and a small pad of her own. Sitting and looking through the windows a moment, the Thief snapped back to the here and now and grinned. "First things first; you have no idea how to study. So we'll work on that, figure out how to fix it, then move on.

"So, Raven, when you do sit down to do your assignments, what do you do?"

Considering the question a moment, the empath sat her pen down. "Usually, if it's one that requires answered questions and the like, I read over it, and answer what I know. After I go back and find the others via the material or notes I took," feeling supremely nervous at the quirky witch thinking she was doing things wrong, or worse, laugh about it, Raven fidgeted with her hand, running a finger along the bandages there.

Nodding, Jinx considered the dusky-skinned girl sitting nearby. "Distractions or whatnot as you study? I imagine you do alright in quiet, do you keep resources on hand? Think ahead about things like that.?"

Bantering back and forth, Jinx came to the conclusion that in all practicality, Raven had good study skills and habits, it was just a lack of reference and ground material. "Alright, so... I have to ask. How did you get placed into Stanford? Don't take it the wrong way! I just wonder, without any kind of testing or background."

Shrugging, Raven considered it a valid question. "It's alright, I don't mind. There's a program, I think started by the JLA, that teen heroes in "service" for a year, get a stipend to go to college."

"Sort of like a Upcoming Heroes Scholarship program? That's handy," Jinx noted, figuring it had to be something of that nature, considering the former Titan's living situation. "Alright then, what I see is this... You lack basic knowledge and references, that are built on for more complex topics," counting off points, she made a note of each in her notebook.

"One; Calculus. You need some boosters in precalc. That one's a killer, and next semester will absolutely rock your GPA if you're not prepared.

"Two; History. You've got a good grasp of ancient and world topics, but the modern ones are lacking. That's simple enough, we get you some cram notes for highschool grade exams in the modern topics.

"Three; Writing. We need to get you some reference and templates for proper notation and essay form. Once you get that, it'll help in the other topics.

"These are the basics. Once we get those covered, we can move on to other things with a bit more strength," biting her lip, Jinx felt the weight of this project and found it a rather daunting one. She was likely to loose points herself, in the time and effort it'd take to get Raven up to speed. Considering this, she almost cut back on the amount of her own time she'd spend on it, put paused, her pen mid-tap.

She'd agreed to help. If she didn't do her best, then not only would she know it, and it'd ride her conscience, but Raven would surely not do as well, and although she didn't owe the Titan anything, cheating another for her own benefit had taken less an appealing draw. Call it a circumstance of her situation, but since she'd parted ways with the Hive, she'd been making up for her bad karma where she could.

"Are you sure... we can do this?" Raven's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and Jinx looked up and grinned slightly. The Titan seemed pleasantly daunted – good, as if she took this too lightly, they'd fail.

Nodding, the bad luck charm flipped a page. "Yep. We can, it's just going to be hard," raising a brow, she regarded the young woman sharing her couch. "Are you up for it?"

Raven signaled her affirmative immediately, gratitude evident on her features. "I am. I... really want to make the best of this chance. And I hate failing."

Laughing quietly, Jinx nodded in understanding, "Just don't loose focus. It's not about pass or fail, in the end but how much you've learned. Sure grades are set up to reflect that, a measure of your retention and all, but the bottom line is if you actually learn it, or just manage to go through the motions real well.

"That's part two of this." Pausing, Jinx looked up and met Raven's eyes steadily. "I'll be honest with you, Rae. I can't get you fully up to speed in the time left before exams."

Blinking, the Titan sighed, disappointment evident on her features. "If that's so... why go forward? Won't I fail anyway?"

"Nope. Because studying and cramming information into that cute little head of yours isn't the only thing we'll be doing," standing, Jinx considered her options and felt that she did need a bit more help in this than she could manage herself. "Be right back, I need to get some things in order. Look over those novels while I do so," seeing the mix of curiosity and confusion on Raven's features, Jinx hoped she'd not bitten off more than she could manage.

Out of earshot from the Titan, she pulled out her cell and dialed a familiar number. "Yoko? Hey, about that favor you owe me...

"I owe you a favor? Isn't it the other way around," Yoko added, voice quiet despite the closed state of the library.

Smirking, Jinx leaned on railing of the kitchen's deck, looking up into the perfect blue of the sky. "Of course not, I keep track, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"

"Gracious?"

"Tip: wear a helmet for the next few weeks."

Sighing, the girl on the other side of the phone put aside their verbal sparring. "So what is it I can help with, Jenny?"

"I need to get access to the archives and library from home. And I don't mean the usual intranet access on the main college site," the sky wheeled slowly overhead, the reassuring blue dome reminding her that no matter what happened, there'd be another day to work, to live. The thought made her smile, if a bit ruefully.

Yoko paused, thinking about what was being asked. "I think... yeah. I think we have virtual private network access for staff and special approval situations. I take it you want to bypass all that?"

"Probably. I don't really have the luxury of time for all the red tape. I'll probably get the wheels running for an official mainline soon, but till it's approved, I need a back door."

"I'll see what I can do," Yoko answered, making Jinx's already slight smile grow. "Now, for my payment..." the smile faded slightly.

"I suppose this being one of those possible 'get-you-fired' situations, I should at least show some gratitude," the former Thief said, albeit grudgingly.

A brief pause, punctuated by a quiet laugh from the other side told her Yoko agreed. "How about... tomorrow after my shift you take me out for coffee, then?"

Nodding to herself, Jinx thought about it and figured time would allow her to do so without much loss in study opportunities with the Titan. "Sure, where'd you have in mind?"

The smile in Yoko's voice was unmistakable, when she answered. "Second and Arbor, quiet place you seem fond of... and dress nice. I like my dates to be pretty. See you then."

After getting herself somewhat excited about going to the small shop with Raven earlier, Jinx was pleased she'd get to go none the less soon. It took a few moments, however, for the last few words Yoko had said to register.

"...date?" Blinking, the Thief looked at her phone hard a moment, thinking perhaps she'd misheard the quiet librarian. Reviewing the conversation again, she shook off the unreal aspect of one of her closest friends, someone she'd grown used to being able to kid with and say anything to, asking her out.

The fact that said friend was female wasn't low on the list of reasons why this was striking her as rather awkward. All the mock flirting she'd done with the girl over the last few months of knowing her flashed through Jinx's mind, and she winced realizing that perhaps she'd been sending her friend the wrong signals.

Paling, she remembered the conversation earlier that day. "Well. Fuck."

Still, Yoko was a pretty girl... for a girl. Scrubbing a hand through her hair, Jinx dismissed the bothersome thoughts for later; she still had Raven's issues to deal with first and foremost. Especially considering she was still waiting, on the former Thief's couch.

Dashing back inside, she found the Titan quietly engrossed in one of the paperbacks she'd picked up that morning. "What do you think?"

Looking up, the Titan furrowed a brow and sighed, using a finger to mark her place. "It's odd. Style is nice, the work is expressive... but he writes women somewhat unrealistically. I mean especially for the time during which he wrote, you'd never find-"

Jinx cut her off there, holding up a hand. "It's not about that, though. Forget the time frame, this is science fiction. What do you bring out of it, when you distance the book from the time it was written in?"

The Titan mulled this over, looking at the cover once more. A woman, arms up and staring above her, stood upon a half shell, her hair swirling about her to conceal her modesty. The image made her color rise very slightly, "She's strong. From what I can gather so far, she's intelligent and strong."

"It's a good beginning," Jinx replied, sitting back beside the Titan. "In the other book, there's a few more characters I want you to get familiar with. You don't have to read it cover to cover, but specifically I want you to pay attention to Zebidiah. He's your teacher for a lesson soon."

Raising a brow, the Titan nodded and grinned slightly, as she penned something down. "So does this mean I get to bring you apples? You're giving me assignments and now I have reading to do, should I call you professor?"

"Don't you dare," the Thief threatened, before pulling out some more of the resources she'd collected that day. "For now, we're going to lay some supports to build on. Take this," handing the Titan a ratty looking workbook, Jinx pulled out a text that seemed to match it. "We're going to work first on bringing you up to date in modern history."

Such began their work in earnest, as for the next few hours Jinx learned that Raven wasn't just bright – she was brilliant. Absorbing information at a startling pace, the former Thief dismissed her earlier worries that she'd have trouble teaching the girl, at least when it came to Raven's ability to retain data. They'd managed to get most of the data for Europe and north Africa done before Raven's stomach growled noisily, making both girls pause and laugh.

"As good a time as any, pack up you – class dismissed," Jinx said, stretching before flopping back onto her couch. Her guest stretched as well, all be it more modestly. Lazing there, Jinx couldn't help but recall the phone call only a few hours previous. Obviously not being able to talk to Yoko regarding it, at least not till tomorrow, she bit the bullet and resolved to ask her present company, "Hey, before you head off... could I talk to you a sec?"

Nodding, Raven finished packing up the novels and her study material. "Sure, what is it?"

Shifting her head side to side, the quirky witch considered how to word things. "Well, hm. I have a friend, and we flirt back and forth sometimes. Mostly it's all in fun – I mean she is cute and all, but I've never-"

"She?" Raven interrupted, raising a brow.

Jinx paled, not really planning on letting that shoe drop till later, but realizing it was done, let it be. "Yeah, she." Shrugging, the Thief went on, "Anyway, she's probably the closest friend I have at the moment, and well," sighing, she paused again, grasping for words. It was odd talking to the Titan, especially about this, but really she needed to vent to someone, and with a warm body local, it just made things easier. "I really don't want things to get weird. I don't have a good track record for long relationships."

Raven sat quietly, before shaking her head slowly. "I don't know what to say, really. Other than I'm likely the worst person to ask about such things." Settling her pack on the ground, she settled more comfortably on the couch and regarded the prone Thief with some amusement. Something in her, probably her go-for-broke nature made her feel more at ease, despite their history. Regardless she wasn't ready to reference her own relationships for relevance, "Very limited experience, you see."

"I know, just... gah. It's weird. I mean we flirt sometimes, we joke around. I didn't think she was taking me seriously – maybe she isn't, but it's different now."

"Are you sure she's thinking of this as seriously as you're taking it?"

"She did call it a date," Jinx answered, sighing. Her mind went back to the last few days, her interactions with Yoko and the peculiar way that their friendship had progressed. In truth she was wholly at fault, but it wasn't something she had experience with either. Yoko was small and adorable, and it just seemed natural to flirt with her.

That train of thought derailed her heavily, and she jerked upright, eyes wide. She pored over her memory, remembering the night before when Raven had been searching for the remote, body laid across her own. Her color rose sharply. "Raven, do you believe it possible to suddenly develop an attraction to the same sex?"

"Suddenly, as in not having one previously?" Considering the question, she shrugged and shook her head. "I'm really not sure. I suppose so? I don't know." Something seemed to be eating at the Titan, and Jinx was nervous she was making her uncomfortable, so stilling her roving mind the former Thief picked up the remote and clicked on the television, for the first time since she's owned the condo.

Raven noticed the gesture, and sat quietly, watching with the unsettled girl beside her. Jinx's mind was a wreck, unsure of even the simplest things suddenly. Questions flooded her thoughts, from her own awkward relationships with friends, mostly male and platonic, to the one romantic dalliance she's been in, with Kid Flash. Memories of Wally made her wince, but through it all she kept stealing small looks to the Titan sharing the couch with her. She'd really had precious few female friends, either in the Hive or out. Her thoughts turned to the possibility she'd always been attracted to women, given the possibility which she just lacked. Suddenly analyzing her own motivations through a microscope, she noted that her eyes tended to linger along the Titan's face, and often her neck.

The sound of the Titan's voice jerked her back to the here and now, "I've wondered something, but never really had a chance to ask... it's a bit invasive I suppose." Raven fidgeted slightly, looking to her host for any signs that this line of question wouldn't be welcome. Jinx simply nodded, figuring that it was only fair with her own rather odd query.

"After... well after you left the Tower, we never really heard from Flash again. He went back East, but we never got much information on... well you." Suddenly finding her words less than adequate, Raven stalled, frustration apparent on her features. "And him."

With a heavy sigh, Jinx looked to her through one half open eye. "So you want to know how that went." It was more a statement than question, not surprising in the former operative's mind considering. She'd want to know what happened to a teammate as well, were they to suddenly up and leave, then reappear a few months down the line, broken inside.

Standing, Jinx walked from one end of her rug to the other, memories clouding her vision as she touched on them. "After I walked out, he of course caught up," She laughed bitterly at this. "Go figure. Anyway, so we talked. It really wasn't much of a secret we were an item, and he was a big talker anyway, at times. I didn't mind," finding a place to lean, she rested against the wall, not wanting to sit and talk about this. Sometimes she needed to move, to think.

It was rare for her to think about this, outside of sparring against a sandbag.

"We went... away. No other way to say it. I wanted far away from everything. No Titans, no Hive, no Bay area. It was like a honeymoon, really. Went on and on..." she smiled, remembering those days. Idyllic. Rare. Fleeting.

"Time caught up. He... Wally was a driven one. He needed to be a hero. Have you ever met someone like that? Maybe it was his life, growing up with The Flash. Maybe it was just a consequence of being young, like the rest of us. Why doesn't matter. He had to go back, eventually.

"But I wouldn't." Bitterness was something she'd gotten used to, gotten used to being made of, forged by, and driven before. It laced her voice, now. "He needed to be a hero. But he didn't need me," smiling at Raven, the former Thief didn't note the recoil as the weight of her emotions settled on the Titan like focused light. "He left. Promises, pretty words, time, all the things we'd been. But what he wanted was that spotlight. That rush." Raven tried to say something, but it seemed less like she was an audience to Jinx's words so much as a bystander during a storm "It's funny too... I think it is anyway. You only get one shot at some things. Some things you can never take back, never have again. I gave up... a lot. To him.

"And he walked away. Didn't even speed off, like it was all that important, for all his words. He walked." Smiling mirthlessly at her guest, she wiped at her eyes, stinging a bit in the afternoon sun. "Sorry. But there you go."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea," at a loss, the dusky-skinned girl stood, moving to the Thief's side. Before she'd realized what she was doing, she'd wrapped her arms around the taller girl, and pulled her head down to her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she murmured again, slipping her fingers through candyfloss hair.

Jinx didn't know why the Titan had come to her, but at the moment she also didn't care. The memories hurt, more than she'd thought they could. She left them behind so long ago, it felt like. A lifetime – hers had passed since then. She'd remade herself, put those things behind her and yet it still cut to her heart to remember them. She gripped at Raven's shirt, bunching it in her hands and before she'd realized it, her sobs were wracking her, the Titan's arms around her the only thing keeping her standing. "I miss him," She said, not sure if it was truth. Maybe she missed the future she'd seen in him. Missed the life they'd had, carefree and warm.

Nodding against the other girl's ear, Raven made small soothing noises, stopping for a moment to take a breath she started singing, quietly. Jinx recognized the song as the one from earlier, Raven's nursery rhyme. Calming, she listened, a feeling of irony washing over her again, as the cadence of her breathing settled into the song's time.

Here she was, trying to tutor the Titan and get her college life sorted out, while Raven mended her broken heart. Pulling back after some small time, she grinned at Raven, sniffling. "You sing nice."

Raven laughed quietly, reaching up to wipe at Jinx's eyes with a shirt sleeve. "Lots of practice in the shower," Stepping back, she let her arms fall, suddenly feeling a bit awkward in the taller girl's embrace. It was warm, comfortable even. She'd not realized human contact, even in sorrow could be so comforting. It was a small stab of guilt that she'd taken some pleasure from Jinx's pain that made her let the girl go, despite the desire to do nothing of the sort. "I... are you going to be ok?"

"Oh, yeah I'll be fine. This is nothing," Jinx quipped, breaking the moment by sniffling again. They both laughed, moving away from the small place on the wall that had held them. Raven turned to her bag and gathered it up, looking to the door with a small pang of annoyance.

"I think I'll be busy tomorrow, till late afternoon. Labs," she said, trying to sort her schedule by memory. "I'll probably be done by eight."

Nodding, Jinx walked the Titan to her door, resisting the urge to sniffle again. "That's fine, I have that thing with Yoko. Uhm," feeling a bit awkward, the Thief looked to her guest, naked hope on her face. "Would you mind-"

"I'll be by at around eight thirty," Raven answered with a wry smile. "You can tell me all about it." She'd managed to get halfway through the door, when two strong arms wrapped themselves around her, stopping her in her tracks as a warm breath of air washed over her ear. Her eyes widened then half shut...

"Thank you," Jinx sighed, hugging the Titan. She was grateful for her, her quiet solidity. How odd, she thought quietly, but didn't pull away. Raven slipped a hand free and rested it on one of Jinx's, wrapped around her waist, till the taller girl drew back, blushing slightly and smiling.

"See you tomorrow," Raven said lamely, as Jinx nodded and shut her door.

With a head full of cotton, the Titan made her way home in the afternoon glow.

I oOo I

"Why is this so weird," Jinx muttered, for likely the fifth time that day. She'd made it back home at three, and was in the process of deciding if she wanted to snack a bit, to dull her hunger or just wait and be a pig when her date played out.

She still felt awkward, thinking of it like that. She'd missed Yoko at lunch, as the slight girl hadn't been in the library, but there was a cute little note in the fridge on her own packed meal that let her know she was looking forward to tonight.

Preoccupied all day with things to come, she'd nearly tripped over people's feet going to and from lectures, forgotten her recorder once, and then spaced out so badly she had to ask someone for their lecture notes.

Scrubbing at her hair, she growled and threw herself into a chair. "Damnit, why did my best friend have to ask me out?" A snarky little voice, her own, answered that perhaps she shouldn't have been biting her ear on a daily basis, if she intended on the girl not getting ideas. "Shut up, you! Like you know anything..." sighing, she leaned forward, her forehead making solid contact with the marble countertop.

"Ow."

Passing the time, she spent an hour working on plans for further lessons with Raven. She also put in orders for the other other books she'd need, talking to librarians in other universities to grant loans or scans of the material she needed. Idly, she wondered if this method would be something Raven would actually agree to, but in the end it wasn't an immoral situation so much as simply unorthodox.

Satisfied that things were in order, she glanced at a clock and winced slightly. "Almost took too much time there," she muttered, dashing up the stairs to put on clothes for her evening.

The cafe wasn't upscale, more casual. Picking through clothes, she tried to remember the last time she'd been on a proper date. Brow furrowing, she discarded those thoughts. Sighing, she peered around in her closet before deciding to simply vary a theme, as it seemed that Yoko had liked the outfit she wore on the town earlier. Short skirt, mid-thigh and a sleeveless blouse, she pulled out, but looked at critically. Rifling through a drawer, she came up with a collar to match the belt, grinning lopsidedly. "Hope this doesn't start any awkward S&M conversations..." Shrugging, she felt the outfit was fine. It suited her, which was what mattered.

Putting her hair up in a pair of tails, she checked the clock and scooped up her pack on the way out of the bedroom. Not a purse kind of girl, she tended to just vary the size of her backpack. This one was a small messenger, maybe big enough to put a pair of textbooks in.

The trip downtown went by in a blur, the train it's usual non-event. Downtown itself was a bit busier than she liked, but the noise and bustle wasn't unpleasant. She made it to the corner of Arbor and Second fifteen minutes early and decided to check if Yoko had beat her here.

"Excuse me," She tapped the host on the shoulder, startling the young man.

"Sorry! Game night," he said abashed. "Table for...?"

"Checking to see if my d – uh. Frie... Date." Sighing, she shook her head, smiling apologetically. "Date. Is here yet. Small girl, about so high," Gesturing, she wondered at the man's drifting attention, as she held her hand up to Yoko's height. "Small, cute, and Asian."

"I'm cute?" Slipping under her outstretched hand, Yoko grinned up at the startled Thief, as the cafe's host laughed quietly. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Rolling her eyes, Jinx relaxed. Yoko's sense of humor never seemed to dim, and it was nice to remember that no matter what the outing was called, she was still one of the nicest people she knew, as well as her best friend. "Such a brat. Table for two."

They took a seat by one of the second story windows, giving them a nice view of the street below. The game was playing, a local team she figured with the number of people there, but most of them were downstairs while the upper tier was left mostly quiet. "Kinda busy out, did you make it ok?"

"Oh yeah, I parked by the hospital. The deck there," Jinx had forgotten that Yoko drove, something she sometimes overlooked in people she knew. Her own limitations in such things caused her to occasionally forget such seemingly mundane items.

They ordered drinks, the shorter girl surprising her by starting off the night with a margarita. When Jinx raised a brow, she grinned, holding up her menu to whisper behind it, "how am I supposed to be taken advantage of if I'm not drunk?"

Blushing heavily, she earned another round of happy laughter from her date.

Drinks came and went, Jinx having a few of her own. Food was light but tasty, toasted sandwiches for them both. Yoko seemed to smile more as the night wore on, often looking out over the street with a content expression. "Jenny, want to go for a walk?"

Head a bit hazy from the few drinks she'd had, Jinx had to admit a bit of fresh air seemed like a nice idea. "Sure, sounds stellar," grinning she settled their tab and held out her and to her date, "come along little girl; there's candy in my van."

"Ooh," Yoko purred, curling into Jinx's side with a grin as the taller girl led her out into the crisp nighttime air. They both breathed deep, taking in the cool air before looking to one another, laughing. "Take me to the fountain," Yoko murmured, grinning as she hugged Jinx's arm.

Nodding, the Thief got her bearings, the cool of the early night clearing her mind slightly. She noticed the warm pressure of Yoko's body wrapped around her arm and fought the urge to twitch her hand, the sensation not unpleasant. Swallowing a small catch in her throat, she lead the tipsy girl to their destination. "Yoko, what made you ask me out?"

Looking up at her date's catlike eyes, she grinned, "Mm, I like being 'round you. You're fun. Being tall and strong is a bonus," she quipped, poking at Jinx's rather solid bicep. Blushing furiously, the Thief looked away.

She liked being as active and fit as she was, it was a comfortable habit, one she'd not soon abandon. Yet some things bothered her about it. One, she seemed to garner some odd looks for her trim physique, something she had to admit may lead some to assume the wrong thing. Stereotypes being what they were. Second, her diet and activity level kept her trim, in other ways. Even as short as she was, Yoko's figure was more pronounced than her own. She wasn't boyish – not at all, but even former terrorist agents got self conscious when billboards made you feel like you were fifteen again. It took her a moment to realize Yoko had slipped an arm around her waist, her hand resting along her hip as she'd walked, preoccupied. Looking down at the slightly bouncing head of brown hair beside her, she smiled slightly.

Perhaps there were worse things than being on a date with someone that liked your company and thought you were attractive.

The fountain surprised them, as it was laying quiescent till they walked by, when it suddenly sprang to life. Yoko squeaked and cuddled closer, making Jinx laugh. "You're shameless, you know?"

"Says the girl who's always tackling me in the library," Yoko replied, looking up with a wry grin. She held Jinx's gaze for a few moments, before a small cool hand reached up, pulling the Thief's lips to her own with a gentle tug at her collar.

Her hand may have been cool, but her lips, breath were warm. Still tasting strongly of salt, Jinx gave in to temptation and licked the other girl's lips, eliciting a small, barely-voiced moan. "Unfair," Yoko breathed, making Jinx's spine tingle.

Sighing, the Thief broke the kiss, looking to Yoko's eyes. She saw something she'd missed those other times in the library, joking around and spending time at odd points. There was an intensity there. A focus. She shivered. "You know, that was the first time I've kissed a girl," she admitted, proud that her blush wasn't quite rivaling her hair. Yet.

Favoring her with a startled expression, Yoko paused, sitting on a familiar bench. "First?" Blinking, the girl seemed to look through Jinx a moment before her eyes widened. "You're... uh."

"Hm. Wondering," she answered the half-question, leaning down to quiet her date's anxieties the nicest way she could think of. Small arms snaked around her shoulders as the slighter girl breathed a sigh between Jinx's lips.

This kiss went on, a bit longer perhaps than either had intended. When Jinx finally opened her eyes again, she found they'd acquired a small audience of glances. "Maybe if we're going to keep that up, we should go somewhere less public," she managed, before realizing what precisely those words would mean. Stuttering, she was silenced by Yoko's quiet laugh.

"Oh, that was funny... it's ok. I want to sit a bit longer though," looking to the splashing fountain, she seemed to get a wistful expression on her face. "I've always lived here. In this town. This fountain was put in when I was younger, and I've played here since." Looking around, she pointed to the shop beside the candy shop, where Willy worked. "There, was a small ramen shop. I used to go there all the time."

Jinx looked around, trying to picture the are through Yoko's eyes. "It must have been nice, being able to come out here anytime," her own voice a bit strained, the former Thief tried not to let bitterness into her voice.

"Tell me about when you were younger, Jenny?" Yoko asked, her eyes glinting in the early afternoon gloom.

A small cold hand seemed to grip at Jinx's heart at the question. She realized with a growing sense of sadness that as nice as this moment was... there was a world between them that wouldn't let such simple things, companionship and closeness, happen without a cost. "I..." she let her voice trail off, mouth working silently. "I don't know if I can," she finally managed, her eyes veiled by her hair, head lowered.

Yoko looked at her, blinking slowly. "I'm... sorry. Was that a bad question?" She squeaked again as the taller girl took her hand and pulled her up abruptly, an apologetic grin on her face.

"No, but I need – if... I should explain something if you really mean this." Jinx managed to choke out, her mind a wicked conflict of ideas and emotions. She liked Yoko. Liked her company, the way she smelled, the cool small hands she seemed to like holding onto her with. Her voice and her lips... but she wasn't a fool. Yoko had no idea who she really was.

Perhaps it was time to change that.

A/N: And you thought it'd be a Raven/Jinx romance. I'm not giving anything away – you'll have to either wait and see, or step away. Patience. Life has never been something to simply speed you to the goal.