Hey everybody! I know it's been a while, but what can I say? I'm sure all your live are just as busy as mine. First off, the number of reviews for the last chapter wasn't bad, but could be better. It could very well be that I omitted the 'R at the end, but what can I do now? I expect an unmitigated flood of reviews on this one. They are fuel for my mind. Without them I will wither up and…explode! Speaking of which, Enjoy!
I do not own the Teen Titans or "The Cask of Amontillado", but my original characters do not only belong to me, they are a part of me. Real deep right?
Ch 5: First Impressions
The four were frozen in place, unable to close their mouths or avert their eyes from the sight before them. In the doorway to the bedroom wing stood a tall, dark skinned teenager, with the physique of a bodybuilder. He was grinning widely and had his fists on his hips. He wore a skintight dark gray T-shirt, loose black cargo pants, black sneakers, and a black, short brimmed hat.
"Whoa, Cy…" Beast boy said. "Dude, you look-"
"Unplugged…well, again." Raven finished.
"You fixed your holo-generators?" Robin asked.
"Well, sorta." Cyborg replied.
"Friend Cyborg, why have you done this?" Starfire asked curiously.
"Please, call me Victor. At least for tonight anyway." Cyborg said looking at his own hands, which actually looked, and almost felt, human for the first time in a long while. "I just don't want to be a freak tonight."
"Uhhh, hello?!" Beast Boy said pointing at himself. "Green, pointy ears?! I have a few abnormalities myself."
"I just don't want to freak her out." Cyborg said quietly.
"You won't. Emily isn't exactly normal herself. I think you'll be able to relate to her more than you know." Raven said putting a hand on his shoulder. "Whoa!" she yelped pulling her hand back, but then poking his shoulder again. "What did you do?" This actually made Cyborg grin.
"Feels real, don't it? I made a few improvements on the last model." He said proudly showing them the rings "The new system projects a much higher resolution hologram and also increase the resistively of my outermost circuitry to produce the same amount of heat the average human body produces. I also covered my body in a thin, transparent, silicon-based layer I designed to resemble human skin." He said flexing his right arm. "Not too shabby, huh?"
"You really outdid yourself." Robin said. "All for one date?"
"No! It's also…They can…" he stuttered nervously, but then sighed. "Well, I originally made it to replace the ones I broke, but I really want this to go well." Beast Boy, Raven, Robin, and Starfire all exchanged glances. Starfire, however, was the first to approach him
"Even though I have never met this girl, if she is friends with Raven and Beast Boy then I am sure she will like you even without the disguise. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we prefer the original."
"I told you last time Star." Cyborg said, beginning to sound angry. "This is the original."
"It's not to us." Beast Boy said "As a matter of fact, this is the first time we've met Victor. But if you want her to meet Victor instead of Cyborg, then that's your choice and we're not gonna stop you." The others nodded, but Starfire did so slowly, almost sadly. "Alright then." Beast Boy said rolling up his left sleeve and looking at his watch attached to a wide, black, leather wristband. "Crap, guys we're late!"
"Everyone gather around me." Raven said quickly. After they had all crowded around her, she enveloped them in a sphere of dark energy. When the sphere receded, they were in the garage. Cyborg got in the driver's seat of the T-Car and Raven and Beast Boy got in the back. Robin, however, was just standing there. Starfire stood beside him, not really sure what to do. Cyborg shot her a questioning look. She mere shrugged.
"Hey Robin! You comin' or what?" Cyborg shouted. A mischievous grin spread across his face. He grabbed Starfire's hand and pulled her over to his motorcycle. Getting on, he picked up the extra black helmet that sat beside the bike and handed it to her. She stared at it for a moment, and then smiled and took it. As she put it on and got on the back, Robin put his own red helmet on and started up the motorcycle. Revving the engine, Robin looked sideways at Cyborg and gave him a two finger salute. Cyborg grinned, started the T-Car, and hit a small blue button on the dashboard that opened the large armored doors, revealing the long stretch of paved road that shot towards the Jump City skyline and a breathtaking sunset. Peeling out, the T-Car flew out of the garage, followed closely by Robin and Starfire. It was a fairly uneventful trip, that is if you ignored Beast Boy constantly yelling at Cyborg for missing turns due t his own ambiguous directions and Cyborg's verbal counter attacks consisting mostly of 'Don't make me come back there!' which was actually well within his capabilities thanks to the T-Car's autopilot system. It was dark by the time they finally found their way down the nearly deserted street that Beast Boy had led them to. About halfway down the block there was a small, dimly lit alley.
"There it is dude!" Beast Boy shouted as he pointed out the left side.
"You sure this time?" Cyborg asked irritably. "Cus you've said that at least five times in the last ten minutes."
"What if I told you that that was it?" Raven asked him. Cyborg quickly began to pull over. "Isn't it easier when we do things my way?" Raven asked Beast Boy.
"It's not as fun." he said pouting. Cyborg parked the T-Car across from the alley and Robin stopped his motorcycle behind him.
"This is the place?" Cyborg asked skeptically.
"No, that is." Raven said pointing down the alley to a door with a white sign over it. Cyborg didn't look convinced.
"Don't worry dude." Beast Boy said to him. "It's even better inside." The three got out of the car and began to cross the street. As they walked, Cyborg took a small, blue and white remote out of his pocket and turned on the cars security system which lowered armor plating over the windows and wheels.
"A little paranoid?" Beast Boy asked.
"No, that's what this setting is for." Cyborg said pressing another button on the remote which caused two swiveling laser cannons to pop out of the hood of the T-Car, begin to emit a high pitched whirring sound, and pivot towards Beast Boy who let out a quiet eep.
"Point taken." he said
Robin and Starfire got off the bike and Robin put their helmets in a compartment beneath the seat. They then crossed the street, arm in arm, and began to walk down the alley with their friends towards the rusty, iron door at the end. The white sign above the door was illuminated by a light fixture above it.
"Friends, I am not familiar with this term 'Amontillado'. What does it mean?" Starfire asked as they stood before the door.
"Yeah, I was gonna ask about that too." Cyborg said. Raven Turned and smiled at them.
"Amontillado is from a gothic horror story about passion ruling over reason. It teaches both the dangers and sheer power of letting ones' emotions dominate logic." Raven said smiling" It's also happens to be one of my favorites."
"Can you guess why she likes it?" Beast Boy said as he knocked. The slat in the door slid open and a pair of grey eyes stared out at them. "Sup J.D.?"
"Beast Boy!" J.D. yelled as the door flew open and he grabbed Beast Boy and pulled him into a crushing hug.
"Little happy to see me big guy?" Beast Boy croaked from under the tremendous teenager's arms. J.D., himself, didn't really fit the usual profile of Amontillado patrons with exception to the love of black. At six foot six and three hundred pounds he looked more like an offensive lineman than a Goth. His style, however, said otherwise. He had on black boots, large black jeans with a chain hanging down the right side, a baggy black sleeveless, and a black studded leather band on each wrist. His nose ring, numerous ear piercings, and black spiked Mohawk also did little to the contrary.
"Hey! Where's my hug?" Raven asked with a smile.
"Sorry Rae." J.D. said as he set Beast Boy down and gave Raven a gentle hug. "So who are these freaks?" he said grinning at the three people behind Beast Boy and Raven.
"Freaks!?" Cyborg yelled. "This guy is calling us freaks?! I guess they don't have a lot of mirrors in this little club of yours, do they?!"
"You're really good at this 'first impression thing', aren't you?" J.D. said, glaring at Cyborg, but then cracking a grin. "HAHAHA, I like this guy!" he said slapping Cyborg hard on the back and motioning everyone else inside. "C'mon, I'll introduce you to everyone else." he said as he led the way through the doorway. Raven and Beast Boy walked in just behind him with Cyborg following a few feet behind and Robin and Starfire just behind him. Beyond the door there was a long, dark hallway with an old pair of metal doors at the end.
"Robin, what is this place?" Starfire asked as they were walking down the hallway.
"I think it's a gothic café. It's a place where Raven and people like her get together and…well…sulk I guess."
"Well it frightens me." she said squeezing his arm tighter.
"I spent most of my childhood in a dark, dank cave periodically emerging to physically subdue psychopaths, petty thugs who had a hundred pounds on me, and heavily armed terrorists and, I hate to admit it, but it scares me too." he said quietly squeezing back.
When J.D. reached the doors he pushed them both open. Beyond the doors was the large, dungeon like room that composed most of Amontillado. The usual patrons were dispersantly seated at the many café-style tables and were listening to the dismal imagery of an especially lanky, pale boy on the stage holding a small bongo drum standing on the small stage in the corner of the room.
"Hey Mark!" J.D. yelled. At this a teenage boy wearing sleek, black rollerblades and holding a circular serving tray under his arm came out of a pair of two-way doors on the left side of the room and skated up to the group. He looked pretty much the same as always. His short, disheveled, black hair was the same. His tight black jeans and like T-shirt with a disenchanted, frowning smiley face spray painted on the front in white weren't all that unusual for him either.
"Hi Mark." Raven said as she gave him a hug; a hug that, not surprisingly, went unreturned. While Raven hugged him, Mark exchanged a nod with Beast Boy. "So where's Em?" Raven asked after relinquishing him. He responded with a simple nod in the direction of the two-way doors. Almost as if on cue, the slender, pale girl walked out. Aside from her significantly longer hair, a playfully fiendish expression, and accented feminine features, she was the mirror image of her brother. They had the same dark, messy hair and disturbingly ice-blue eyes. She had woven the length of her long, black hair up the back of her head thorough her own pulled back hair. It splayed out; making a disheveled Mohawk that looked almost natural. (Sorry about the long description, but a girl I know did her hair like this and I thought I was so cool.) The black eyeliner and lipstick did little more than to make her look creepier than all get out, but somehow added to her roughish charm. She wore a very tight black tank top under a small, black hoodie that had been cut just below her chest and had its sleeves cut off below her shoulders like a T-Shirt. She also had a black miniskirt over a pair of black compression shorts that went down to her shins. A wide, white leather belt with a black rose belt buckle hung askew off her hips. Her huge black leather boots looked to be several sizes too big, but didn't seem to inhibit her movement in the least. A small silver watch hung loosely off her left wrist and a few black and white rubber bracelets around her right. She noticed the group standing by the door and came over.
"Interesting little group you've pulled together Raven." she said with her usual grin.
"Only the best and brightest." Raven said with a smile, before giving her a quick hug.
"And how's grass stain here been." Emily said, turning her attention to Beast Boy who dawned his own wry smile.
"Not too bad, but-"
"WHERE DO YOU GET OFF!?" Cyborg interrupted in a raised tone.
"Cyborg, no!" Raven said sharply, but he ignored her.
"I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO GETS TO CALL HIM GRASS STAIN!" Emil didn't say anything, but simply stared and grinned at him. "AND NOW THE CREEPY GIRL IS STARING AT ME! SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT"S UP WITH HER! I DON"T EVEN KNOW HER NAME AND SHE"S ALREADY RUBBIN ME THE WRONG WAY!"
"Dude, you have to learn that when Raven tells you not to do something, you shouldn't do it." Beast Boy said. "This…" he said extending his arm towards her. "…is your date." Cyborg's mouth fell open and Emily giggled.
"Name's Emily." she said grinning and putting a hand on her hip. "Nice to meet you."
Man, I really gave Cyborg anger issues didn't I? Well, it will get better. He usually has a lot of anger issues anyway right? Oh well. Still no word on the illustrations, and its really starting to get on my nerves. I'll see either about getting on this guys case of finding somebody new. Hope you like the story. Please don't for get to review, comment, R&R and anything else you could possibly call it! Next one should be good. Peace and Love.