Two updates in one day!

The tussle—it was far too short and one-sided to be called a fight—had allowed the female Titans to let off some steam, which turned out to be a good thing, because the first thing Ben Brooks had done when he could get up was run crying to the principal.

"We're out of here," Jinx had said, and the group had split—the Glee Club in one direction, the Titans in another.

"We'll just have to deal with the mess tomorrow," Robin said once they were far enough away that they could no longer see the school.

"Yeah, but running away from the authorities? Never gets old." Jinx rolled her eyes at the sharp look the Boy Wonder shot her. "Relax, Rob. I'm not turning villain again." They turned a corner, and Raven slowed to a walk, then stopped completely.

Running away had been fun. Too much fun. She was allowing herself more and more leeway when it came to her emotions, and that wasn't a good thing. She willed her mind back to calmness and serenity, breathing in and out in a rhythm as natural as blinking was to others.

"Where are we?" Speedy broke into her thoughts—too easily, she grumbled—as he bumped into her, then caught her around the shoulders as she stumbled. "Whoa there, Rae."

"Raven," she said, pushing away and looking around. "And if I'm not mistaken, Wally and Jin—Jen, should be answering that." The quick change in name was almost too late, and she gave herself a mental shake. This could not happen at school tomorrow.

Jinx halted, then turned, a sheepish look on her face. "So, we found a place," she said, "Affordable. Kind of."

Robin narrowed his eyes. "Meaning?"

"We can get in if you pull one of your superhacking tricks," Wally put in. He was making his most pleading face, the one that even Beast Boy's kitten face couldn't match. Raven hid a smirk as he clutched at Robin's arms. "Please, Dick? It's the only decent place within miles."

"He's right," Jinx supplied, running her hands through her hair, "We searched for hours. Lima isn't exactly tourist town, and the only other options are seedy motels and ridiculously expensive apartments."

Robin shrugged. "Name?"

Wally's grin split his face in half, it was so big. "You're the best, Robbie. I knew there was something underneath that follow-the-rules uptight rich kid you always pretended to be."

"Thanks," Robin's voice was dry, but there was affection in it. Raven didn't know just how far back the two went, but Wally was easy to like and easier to love, despite his annoying streak.

"So," Wally grinned, "How do you all feel about living in the Flamingo Casino for a couple days?"

And, his annoying streak had just overshot anything good feelings she had left towards him. Wally gulped, stepping behind Jinx as the half-demoness' eyes darkened. "What," Raven said softly, "Made you think that a casino, of all places, would be a good choice?"

Wally shrank even farther behind his girlfriend, a heady feat considering that he was taller. "Um," he said, "It's really cool?"

"Wrong answer."

TGTGTGTGTG

After a couple minutes of Jinx flatly refusing to let Raven at her boyfriend, the empath had finally calmed down enough so that her face no longer screamed bloody murder. She turned on Jinx. "Why in the name of the seven hells did you agree to this? A casino? We're supposed to be keeping a low profile, and the best living quarters you can find us belong to a place chock full of rich, fat, lecherous old men and their trust-fund brats?"

"Hey," Robin and Speedy said simultaneously. They glanced at each other, then back at Raven, who'd raised both eyebrows.

"Who's the one who needed the newest model of every single luxury car in the Titan garage?" Raven asked, looking pointedly at her leader.

Robin shrugged. "They're good for our image."

"Case in point," Raven turned back to Jinx, who looked stubbornly back at her.

"Listen, Raven, since we're here, why not lighten up a little? Have some fun? We can work to save the world and get back to our universe tomorrow, but for tonight, let's just unwind. Have a few beers. Dance a little." Her tone had went from stubborn to cajoling by the last phrase, and Raven felt her anger dissipate, despite herself.

It was no secret that Jinx loved to dance, and the few Teen Titans parties that both girls had attended had shown Raven just how good the pink-hair witch was at shaking up the dance floor.

And really, a little more fun couldn't hurt, right?

"Fine," she said, turning on her heel, "Let's go."

"Aww, Rae-Rae, you are the sweetest," Jinx cooed, wrapping an arm around the smaller girl's waist. "And slightly bipolar," she murmured, turning her face away so that the boys couldn't read her lips, "What's up?"

Had someone asked her to rank those she felt comfortable opening up to before Wally had gotten them into this mess, Jinx would not have been very high up on the list—but right now, she was pretty much the only option. She was positive she didn't want to drag Robin into her head any more than he already was, and Speedy didn't need to get involved. Wally wasn't even an option, which left his volatile, surprisingly perceptive girlfriend.

She waited until the boys passed them, Wally excitedly leading the way, before turning back to Jinx. Explaining her concerns helped a bit, especially since she felt that the pink-haired witch could relate.

"So, you're scared that you won't be able to go back to the emotionless, in-control Raven we all knew and loved?" Jinx asked when she finished.

Raven nodded, keeping a wary eye out for the Titan boys, who were still up ahead, arguing about something or another. Judging by the looks Wally kept throwing back and the way Robin and Speedy refused to so much as turn, she'd bet anything that it was about the topic of her current conversation.

Well, boys, you can just keep wondering.

Jinx stretched. "To be honest, Rae, I really don't see the problem. You've managed fine so far, and you're not going to forget a lifetime's worth of training after a couple days. Like I said before, use this time to loosen up and live a little. When are you going to have another chance?"

It was a good question. Assuming that the Monkey Master didn't do anything drastic—and, judging by their encounters with him thus far, he probably wouldn't—they'd be gone in a week at most. She let a smile, a real smile, stretch over her face, reveling in the sensation.

"You're right."

Jinx grinned. "Of course I am. Which means, of course, that you won't object to a little fun tonight, right?"

"Depends what kind you mean," Raven said, rising to the faint challenge in the other girl's voice.

"Nothing illegal," Jinx inspected her nails, "A couple dances, a makeover. Girl stuff."

"Enough whispering," Wally was running back to them, and even without his powers, he was pretty fast. Raven didn't answer, but shot Jinx a small smile.

TGTGTGTG

The Flamingo's Casino turned out to be ridiculously pink, feathery, and expensive. After Speedy charmed away the woman working the Information Table and Robin hacked into the computer, even he had to whistle at the amount of money "the Grayson's" were paying. The computer beeped as it produced five keycards, and Robin grabbed them before beating a hasty retreat.

"Third floor," he said, passing out the keys to the other Titans.

"That was ridiculously easy," Raven pointed out, "Are you sure no one got suspicious?"

Robin grinned. "Civilians unused to drama don't expect anything unless it beats them in the face. I just looked like I knew what I was doing, and everyone else thought so too." He led them to an elevator, ushering the group inside. Speedy joined them, the woman no where in sight.

"Told her that something was leaking in the bathroom," Speedy explained, hitting the "close" button before anyone else could join them, "She went to call a janitor."

"Here," Wally handed him a key, and Speedy took it with a grin.

"Sweet. How many rooms did you score?"

"Yeah, about that." If Raven hadn't known better, she would have thought Robin looked almost—abashed. "The place is packed, and I only managed to book one room."