(The wait between this chapter and the previous one was long because I have some other commitments I'm dealing with. The updates will become more regular in time. Pretty soon, I hope. I've scaled back the time a bit between Mentors and this sequel, 4 months is more reasonable than 2 years. So, without further ado, I present the two new Titans within this chapter, I hope you like them! ~RavensMind~)
Chapter 2 – Oh, the Intro...
Waking from her deep sleep, Raven slowly lifted her head as Robin gently shook her awake.
"Someone better be dead," Raven said groggily.
"They should be, but no… Beast Boy is on the line," Robin said, handing Raven her communicator.
"And you didn't hang up because….?" Raven asked.
"Raven…" Robin started.
"Fine," she said as she brought the communicator to her face to see Beast Boy staring back.
"Hey Rae, what's up?" Beast Boy asked enthusiastically.
"Your time on this planet. What do you want?" Raven asked, annoyed.
"Terra said that the new Titans will be at the tower soon, but uh…I want to know what they're like first," Beast Boy said.
"You woke me up…so you could learn something you'd know soon anyway?" Raven asked, angrily.
"Uh…yeah," Beast Boy said, wishing he hadn't called.
With that, Raven ended the call, and tossed the communicator to the end of the bed. Slowly laying her head down once more, she curled up, preparing to fall back asleep, until Robin nudged her carefully.
"What now?" she groaned.
"I just want you to know that next time he calls, I'm blocking the transmission for the next hundred years," he said.
"Must be my birthday," she said, giving a low chuckle.
"Yours and mine," he said, putting an arm around her.
"So…can I go back to sleep now?" she asked.
"Not yet. I wanted to ask you something," he said.
"Fine..." she said, her eyes opening fully.
"Where do you see this going? I mean, we can't stay here forever," he said.
"I don't know I was planning on learning from Azar for some time so that we could be better prepared. Do you have a problem with staying here?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm in Batman's shadow..." he said.
"If that bothered you, why didn't you mention it before we came here?" she asked, twisting around to face him.
"You wanted to leave the tower quickly, I was worried about you, and I thought we'd be safe here until we dealt with whatever was trying to hurt us," he explained.
"I see... What do you want Robin?" she asked.
"I don't want to be here, working under him," he said.
Sitting up, Robin crossed his arms and sighed. As his mind began to sink into itself, he felt Raven prod it with a mental finger, directing it to her. She sat up and put an arm around him, feeling his discomfort.
"Then we'll leave...just find a suitable alternative," she said.
"Just like that?" he asked.
"Why not? There is nothing holding us here," she said, gently massaging his shoulder.
"You're handling this better than I thought you would and-. That feels really good..." he said, commenting on the massage.
"If it does, you're more tense than you seem. I think we both need to move on from our pasts, maybe there's something more that we could do besides move," Raven said.
"Like?" Robin asked.
"Maybe an image change would help you forget what's bothering you if we do move," she said.
"It's funny you mentioned that, I've been thinking about it lately...and you," he said.
"Oh? And what might I have to do with it?" she asked.
"Since we'll be doing this together, we should have a united image. So...how does 'Nightwing' sound to you?" he asked, smiling at her.
"Very complimentary and...complementary," she said, chuckling a little.
"I thought you'd like that," he said with an even wider smile.
"So, 'Nightwing,' you'd better get ready. Azar wants me to meditate with you more, it will help focus this new power I learned from her," she said.
"What new power?" he asked.
"Let's just say this power makes it so this bird cannot be caged," she said, giving a small grin.
"That sounds useful, but... I'm worried about this, I'm worried you'll go too far to learn so much," he said.
"If I do...I swear I will tell you. I need you to keep me grounded and safe, even from my own mind," she said, looking away as she ceased massaging his shoulder.
"I'll do whatever it takes. So, should we start meditating?" he asked.
"Of course," she said.
Climbing out from under the sheets and covers, they sat upon the bed, facing one another. Each assumed the proper position and began levitating off the bed. Hovering in the air, Raven and Robin chanted their mantra as one. Finding repose, they allowed their minds to intersect, soothing the thoughts and feelings running through each of them. Raven extended to Robin through their flowing connection a single thought. Robin smiled, as Raven had now dubbed this mediation session as "Nightwing's Birthday".
Driving in from the warm summer heat, Cyborg let the T Car roll to a halt within the garage at Titans Tower. Closing the garage door, he turned to the first recruit, who was sitting uncomfortably in the passenger seat. They had had a rather extensive conversation on the way to the tower, mostly regarding the Titans' style of living and various procedures involved with managing the city. Cyborg was the first to get to know the new Titans and he tried to make them feel as welcome as he could, considering what Beast Boy might do to ruin that feeling.
The first recruit, Valora, a young woman about Beast Boy's age, was odd - to say the very least. She had the power to confuse or petrify enemies with various illusions. She was aided in flying with a jetpack given to her by one of her close reasons. Along with the various powers that created these illusions, she could defend herself with a staff infused with this power of illusion. More than this, she did not say, instead - she opted to give a demonstration later.
In the backseat behind her, the other recruit sat impatiently. The Razor, as he called himself, was Terra's age. He fought with a veracity that set him apart from the other candidates. His physical prowess was well-known to underworld, as he was one of the few who still chose to fight with a sword. Cyborg had asked about the peculiar blade, but Razor wouldn't give him any details on it.
"So, here she is - our tower. You guys ready to meet the team?" Cyborg asked.
"Yeah, thanks for picking us up - I could've flown," Valora said.
"And miss a chance to drive my baby cross country? No way," Cyborg said.
"I still say you should add a turret on the back," Razor said.
"I'll think about it. Now grab your stuff and let's go see the others," Cyborg said, getting out of the car.
Collecting their things, Valora and Razor followed Cyborg into the elevator.
"I think you guys'll fit in fine here," Cyborg said, as he hit the button to take them to the living room floor.
Meanwhile, Starfire was pacing in her room, somehow unable to get Robin's image out of her head. Occasionally, Raven appeared in that image, and it only served to enrage her further. This wasn't right, she thought. Nothing was normal; everything was slipping away from her. She needed to get Robin away from Raven and back into her arms. Starfire remembered Trigon's followers, and how desperate they were to get a hold of Raven. She dared to wonder if they might be willing to help. There was a rush of air that drifted past her ear and she thought she heard a faint voice mutter: "...so, the cult of regret recruits another follower...strike 2..."
(So, these new characters will be around. I have the plot almost completely figured out, just a few questions I'd like to answer for myself first. The next update will be on the 21st of July. Sorry for the long waits, I'm busier than usual this summer. More to come. And since this is the intro for the OCs, I'd appreciate more feedback on this chapter than usual. Thank you! ~RavensMind~)