Chapter 19: Girls Night Out
Terra was cautiously moving through the dark halls, eyes and ears peeled for even the slightest sound or movement. But nothing came up, other than the floorboards creaking under her feet with each step taken. Suddenly, a dark shape slammed into her from the side, knocking her through a door and into a bedroom.
Barely had she gotten back up when a burning bottle was thrown inside with her, setting the whole room ablaze. Panic overcame her, and that panic caused her to use her geomancer powers to erect a shield, completely forgetting for a second that she was on the second floor of an abandoned building with the structural integrity of a card house.
As her rock cover smashed through the floor, the whole room ended up collapsing, sending a screaming Terra falling down to the first floor. The second her back made contact with the hard floor, the dark shape from before dived down the hole with a drawn sword. Terra barely rolled clear as the sword impaled the floor she had occupied a second earlier.
Desperation fueling her actions, Terra threw herself back up while ripping huge chunks out of the ground and lobbed them at her attacker. In a display of agility, the attacker weaved past every single projectile before closing in for the kill. Terra ducked underneath a swing, jumped back to avoid a thrust, nearly got beheaded before rock stopped the blade and ended up getting a fist to her guts before a boot catapulted her through a flimsy wall.
The fire was starting to spread all over the building, and Terra was forced to squint as smoke got in her eyes from her position on the floor. She could at least see good enough to detect the gun being aimed at her and rolled clear as three bullets impacted against the floor. Another section of the floor was ripped up and thrown at her attacker, who seemed to disappear into the smoke and fire.
She had no idea if her attack had been successful or not, but had no time to linger as the fire grew worse by the minute. So she made a run for it, hoping to find an exit. But just as she was about to round a corner, a fist came flying around said corner and nailed her right in the face, sending her back to the floor. The attacker from before then stepped around the corner, sword drawn and ready to taste blood.
But Terra was not down for the count just yet as the ground the attacker was standing on got launched into the air and taking its unwilling passenger with it. The attacker was sent crashing through a wall, but quickly rolled back up and threw a grenade at Terra, who brought up a rock shield just as the grenade went off. Barely had the noise from the explosion dimmed when the attacker somersaulted right over Terra's little barricade.
A desperate hand-to-hand battle erupted as Terra tried to defend herself in the face of a multitude of kicks and punches raining down on her. Dodging, blocking, ducking, blocking again, sidestepping, dodging and more, yet still she felt more than once a stinging hit land on her. The fight ended when a fake hit to her right side distracted her and left her open to receive an uppercut to her chin.
For a few precious seconds, Terra had the feeling of floating in the air. Then, that feeling came crashing down along with her body, knocking the wind out of her. She was about to push herself back up, but stopped when a black blade was poised to pierce her heart. letting her eyes slowly wander up the blade, she was met with her attacker, cloak and hood concealing the person's identity.
"You lose," her attacker, a distinctly female voice establishing her gender, said with a strong hint of disappointment in her voice. "Deactivate simulation," she suddenly called out, the environment instantly responding by dissolving into light before turning into a large dome shaped room. With the simulation over, she pulled back her hood to expose her violet hair and ashen grey skin.
"Seriously, Terra, this is getting kinda old. I'm training with you to help improve both our skills, not to rack up victory points with each round," Raven complained as she sheathed her sword and offered a helping hand for Terra. The girl accepted the hand, but kept her eyes firmly locked on the floor. With both hands placed on her hips, Raven sent a stern glare at Terra.
"Seriously, girl, you've been like this for almost a week now. What's bugging you so much that you can barely focus on training?" she asked, both in irritation and concern.
"Yes, I would also like to know that," a third voice announced, gaining both girls' attention. Stepping out of the shadows like a damn wraith, Slade emerged with his cold eye locked firmly on Terra.
"You're falling behind in your training, apprentice," he pointed out with that infernally calm voice that still somehow sounded threatening. His words caused Terra to fidget nervously under his gaze.
"It's nothing, I just need to…"
"I'm not interested in hearing your excuses on the matter. I had high hopes for you when I made you my apprentice, so I expect you not to disappoint me," he reprimanded her harshly, making her feel even more miserable than before along with the added bonus of making Raven narrow her eyes in hostility towards Slade.
"You're dismissed," no further motivation was needed as Terra rushed out of the simulation room, probably heading to her room to sulk in the darkness. Her departure was observed by both Slade and Raven.
"You know, hurting her self-esteem is not the best way to motivate her to work harder," Raven pointed out, receiving a fierce glare from Slade.
"How I train my apprentice is my own business, and does not concern you," he growled out. Slade never liked it when someone questioned his methods. But Raven was not planning on backing down on this one.
"I can help," she offered. While still looking untroubled on the outside, Slade was a bit surprised and intrigued. From what he had gathered on Raven during her time working for him, he had taken her for someone who cared for no one but herself. Yet here she was, offering to help his apprentice.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked in curiosity. But what he received in answer was a mischievous smile from Raven.
"Sorry, girl secret. But what do you have to lose in letting me at least try?" she made a good point there. If her plan worked, problem solved. If it did not work, he would just push Terra harder.
"Very well," he finally gave his consent. But that playful twinkle in Raven's eyes made Slade wonder if this perhaps was a bad idea.
As expected, Terra had fled to her room the moment she had left the holographic room. Currently she was sitting in a corner of her room in complete darkness, having not bothered to turn on the lights. The reason for her depression? Beast Boy. Even though she knew it was childish to keep brooding about it, the fact was that his words had carved deeper than even he had probably expected.
Every time she thought of the Titans, that hurt and betrayed face of his would pop up, followed by his furious words, and it was tearing her apart on the inside. Anger, shame, hurt, depression. They all swelled up in Terra every time her thoughts strayed to Beast Boy. She loved him, she really did, and he shredded her heart without a second thought. Of course, a small part of her kept reminding her that she did betray them and only had herself to blame.
Her silent moment of self-pity was suddenly interrupted when the door opened up, temporarily blinding her as the light from the hallway clashed with the darkness in her room.
"Practicing your night vision again?" the all too familiar voice of Raven asked sarcastically from the doorway. "You know, I don't think that can be very good for your eyes. Have you tried using old fashioned night vision goggles?" her attempts at humor did not help Terra in the slightest, who just groaned in annoyance.
"Please, Raven. I just want to be left alone," she pleaded with her, hoping she would just give up and go away. No such luck for her.
"Sorry, no can do. Not when my friend is so depressed she can't even hold her own in a fight," she announced with conviction. She could hear how Raven advanced on her, but did not even bother to raise her head. God, she just wanted to be left alone, to wallow in her misery.
"I'm not interested," she muttered. By now, Raven was standing right in front of Terra, and she could just feel the playful smile she had on her lips.
"Funny, I don't recall ever saying that you had a choice in the matter," she commented humorously, right before Terra felt herself getting hauled up on her feet and dragged towards the door. Damn, for having such a petite figure, Raven had some serious muscles if she could drag Terra like she was a five year old.
"While normally I would suggest a change of clothes, I suspect you wouldn't be interested either way and we're on a time table as it is. I have no idea how long they'll keep open, and I don't want to waste a single second," Raven ranted on, confusing the hell out of Terra.
"Stop, stop! Just what are you talking about? What is going on?" Terra protested as she finally got a good look at Raven for the first time. And boy, was she shocked by what she was seeing. Raven had completely ditched her combat attire. Now she was wearing tight blue jeans that hugged her rear and legs real nice, a black spaghetti strap top exposing a teasing amount of cleavage and heeled sandals.
Definitively not the image you would expect when thinking about Raven, the cocky mercenary with a love for guns. Terra's question only caused Raven's already wide grin to grow even larger as she glanced back at her, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"Three words for you; girls night out!" she announced gleefully as she took off running, dragging a hapless Terra after her.
'Damn that girl,' that was the dominating thought in Slade's mind as his security cameras showed Raven speeding away on her motorcycle with Terra sitting behind her. When he agreed to let Raven try out her plan, this was not what he had in mind.
"Your plan had better work, Raven," he muttered to himself as he turned away from the monitors and walked away. "And they both had better be home before 11, or there will be hell to pay,"
After a good twenty minute ride through the streets of Jump City, during which Terra had screamed and begged Raven to slow down, they finally came to a stop outside a club. Terra could not have possibly been able to jump off the motorcycle faster at that point, to Raven's great amusement. Her top was currently covered by a leather jacket she had thrown on before they had departed.
"What's the matter? Don't like driving?" she asked teasingly, to which Terra narrowed her eyes at her.
"I've got no problem with driving, but what you were doing was suicide!" she screeched indignantly. Raven's way of answering was by bursting out laughing while strolling past a fuming Terra.
"Come on now, blondie. I don't feel like standing out here all night." She called over her shoulder. Terra wordlessly followed, though her eyes were brimming with questions. Chief among those was 'What kind of place is this?'. As they were about to enter the club, a burly man blocked their way, glaring down at them from behind a pair of sunglasses. But Raven just smiled seductively at him, and Terra wisely let her do all the talking.
"Long time no see, handsome. We're not too late, are we?" Raven asked playfully. The stone hard façade of the guard held out for about five more seconds before it disintegrated into a small smile. Without a word spoken, he stepped aside and opened the door for them. Raven blew him a kiss before she dragged Terra inside.
They were met with the rhythmic beat of music vibrating through the building as they entered, Raven hanging up her jacket on a hook along the way. The two carefully navigated their way through the dancing crowd until they reached the bar, Raven smiling widely while Terra looked a bit unsure.
"What exactly are we doing here, Raven?" Terra asked, having to lean closer to Raven in order to be heard without shouting. Raven slung her arm over her shoulder in response.
"What do you think? We're here to have fun!" she exclaimed as she took a set at the bar. "I'll have a beer," she called out to the barman, who eyed her dubiously.
"I.D," he demanded of her, not wanting to accidentally give alcohol to a minor. Raven quickly brought out an I.D. card and handed it to the barman. It was obvious to Terra that it was a fake, for the simple reasons that it named her "Rachel Roth" and listed her as eighteen years of age. At least the barman seemed to buy it, as with a nonchalant shrug he handed it back to her and turned to Terra, obviously waiting for her order.
"A soda, please?" with just a nod of his head, he quickly brought out the ordered drinks to the two girls before leaving to attend some other guest. But while Raven was more than happy to gulp down her drink, Terra still looked a bit down. That was unacceptable in Raven's eyes.
"Oh come on now, girl. Loosen up a bit and try to enjoy yourself," she said while nudging Terra. Though still a bit dubious, she seemed to take Raven's words under consideration as she took a gulp from her soda. Eh, what the heck? Might as well give it a try,' she thought as a small smile spread across her face.
About half an hour later, Raven had managed to drag Terra out on the dance floor, and the two of them were wildly moving around with the rest of the crowd. Well, at least Terra assumed that Raven was doing the same, since the girl just vanished into the crowd after a while, leaving Terra alone. But for the moment, she was having too much fun to care that much.
"Hey, Terra!" speak of the devil, it seemed like Raven was back from wherever she went. But as Terra turned to face her wild friend, she found her dragging two boys along. And as Terra found at closer inspection, they were both delicious eye candy.
"I found some dance partners for us here," she announced as she let go off the boys and strolled over to Terra, who for her part was blushing a bit in embarrassment.
"That's not necessary, I like to dance alone," Terra tried to object, but Raven was not taking no for an answer as she gently forced Terra to look back at the grinning pair of hotties patiently waiting for them.
"Come on now, girl. Don't tell me you're going to say no to such a treat," Raven pressed on with a seductive smirk. Inwardly, Terra groaned at Raven's persistence. God, she could be stubborn as hell sometimes!
"No, seriously, it's not necessary," Terra futilely tried, but was thoroughly ignored by Raven who gave an irritated huff.
"Fine, have it your way," she said before she literally shoved Terra into the arms of the blonde guy. Face red as a tomato from her action, Terra was never even given a chance to complain to Raven as she dragged the black haired guy away, laughing wickedly at Terra's embarrassment.
"Raven, I'm so going to kill you for this," she muttered quietly to herself before her eyes found themselves drawn to the smiling face of the hot guy whose arms she had been pushed into.
"Pushy friend?" he asked knowingly. Had her face not already been as red as it could possibly get, Terra would have blushed now.
"Something like that," she admitted, mentally making up intricate plans on how best to torture Raven before killing her in the most painful way possible.
"If you'd prefer, I could leave you be. I just thought it was a shame to see such a beautiful girl dancing by herself," he commented with the kind of smile that sent girls swooning. But Terra was made of sterner stuff than that, so all she did was give a hesitant smile.
"No, that's not necessary. I'd love a little company," she said. They both said nothing more, just started dancing together to the rhythm of the music. 'This is not so bad after all. I might just forgive that infuriating bird later,' Terra thought amusedly.
An hour later, and both Raven and Terra had withdrawn from the dance floor, their partners having gone home for the evening. Terra's had even asked for her phone number before departing, while Raven's was blushing up a storm as Raven had a smutty grin on her face.
Terra did not even want to know.
Currently, they had taken up residence at one of the tables set up along the walls, each with a drink in their hands and laughing at funny and embarrassing stories they entertained each other with.
"Oh, you should have been there, Terra. The look on bird boy's face when he saw me at the prom was absolutely priceless," Raven managed to force out between gales of laughter.
"I can imagine, if those videos you released are anything to go by," Terra said while trying to control her giggles.
"But it was a shame that I could not hang around long enough to see his face when he found the note I left behind. By God, what I would have given to know what went through his head then," Raven mourned mockingly, causing Terra to snort in laughter. But their little moment was ruined when a trio of burly men stepped up to their table. And they all reeked of alcohol and had an air of arrogance to them.
"Hey, girls. Care for some charming company?" the biggest, and by default their leader given their lack of intelligence, asked with what was supposed to be a charming smile. It made him look more like a disfigured ogre. Terra was instantly on high alert, her jerk/bully alarm going off in her head.
"I'd love to, actually. So if you happen to see any such company around her, could you please give them directions to our table?" Raven shot back with an air of nonchalance as she leaned back in her seat, looking completely untroubled by the three hairless gorillas looming above her.
"Now don't be so rude, we can be quite charming, once you get to know us," the leader countered as he uninvitingly took a seat. "And I'd love to get to know you two quite intimately," the oh so subtle hint (note the sarcasm) did not pass by the girls unnoticed. But while Terra looked ready to strangle the man, Raven still had an air of superiority to her.
"Sorry, boys. I don't think you have what it takes to keep up with me," she replied rather bluntly. That at least seemed to put a dent in the jerk's ego as he frowned at Raven.
"Oh? And how would you know?" he asked, to which Raven smiled her taunting smile that let Terra know that someone was going to walk away either with a battered pride or a battered body. Most likely both when she thought about it.
"I learned long ago that boys like you only get those beefy muscles to compensate for another small part," that did it, Terra could not stop from snorting in laughter before she clamped a hand over her mouth. And as expected, the idiot did not take the insult well as he now glared murderously at Raven.
"I think someone needs to teach you some manners, little girl," he growled at her. Yet still Raven looked untroubled as she slowly rose from her seat.
"Obviously you are either the densest idiot I've ever had the misfortune of crossing, or you're brand new around here, 'cause I've never met a mere bully like you who thought that they could beat me," she commented with a predatory gleam in her eyes that caused the guy to take a few involuntary steps back.
It was pretty obvious at that point that a brawl was imminent, as Raven cracked her knuckles while wearing a vicious grin on her lips. But as she stepped towards her first target, the knucklehead who tried to hit on her, a restraining hand was placed on her shoulder.
"Don't even think about doing it, Raven," Terra ordered sternly. It caught Raven by surprise as she spun around to stare at Terra in disbelief. But that stern expression Terra had been wearing quickly melted away to be replaced by a wicked smile.
"'Cause I call dibs on the first blow," that statement was punctuated by a powerful kick in between the jerk's legs, dealing a fatal blow to his crown jewels. He instantly went down with a high pitched shriek of pain. Raven herself only smirked in satisfaction before she threw herself into the fray as well.
(A small tip here. I played the song "Banana Splits" by the Dickies here. I found that it fitted quite nice.)
What followed was probably something that could not be fully explained, as within seconds after the first blow had been struck, someone had shouted "FREE FOR ALL!" and suddenly everyone was fighting everyone all across the club.
Raven herself delivered an uppercut to one guy before spinning around with a kick to the back of another one. She leaped over a third and swept his legs from under him while ramming her elbow into the stomach of another. Someone tried to charge right at her, but she picked up a beer bottle from a table and smashed it straight into is face.
"What a waste," she commented sadly as she threw away the destroyed bottle. A spinning kick sent another guy flying, a punch knocked a screeching girl flat on her back and an elbow sent another guy off to la la land. Three guys suddenly charged her at the same time, and Raven leaped right over a table before kicking said table straight into them.
Their disorientation allowed Raven to charge in and knock them out with a flurry of jabs. She followed up with a roundhouse kick straight in the face of someone who just got in her way before ducking under a drunken swing from a second attacker and slammed both fists into his stomach. He ended up vomiting up whatever he had been eating and drinking before a blow to the head knocked him out.
"Now this is what I call fun!" Raven shouted gleefully as she jumped up on a table and used the elevation to send a spinning kick that knocked three guys out, one with a broken nose. A somersault later and Raven was in a position to deliver a fist to a male's anatomy and a kick to the knee of a second. Another was knocked out with a double blow to the head.
Terra meanwhile was dealing out her fair share of beatings as she stomped on a guy's foot before kneeing him between the legs. Someone tried to hit her with a chair, but she ducked under it and smashed her fist into his gut and finished it up with a blow to the back of his neck as he doubled over in pain.
Another grabbed her from behind while a guy with a baseball bat (where did he get that one from, anyway?) charged from the front. But she smashed her head back into the face of the one holding her, crushing his nose and causing him to let go. She then ducked under the baseball swing meant for her, causing it to hit the other guy.
The one with the baseball was never given a chance to recover as a kick slammed into his knee and he fell screaming to the floor. A roundhouse kick later from Terra and he was out like a candle.
Yet another guy came up behind her, this one armed with a knife. But he never got far before Raven swept his feet from under him and rammed her heel into his stomach (bear in mind, those are high heels).
"I think it's about time we got going now," Raven commented jovially as she nonchalantly smashed her elbow into the face of the nearest drunkard.
"If you say so," Terra said while grabbing a guy's fist and slammed it back in his face. A chuckle from Raven followed her words.
"Do I detect a hint of disappointment in your voice?" she asked teasingly, ducking under a wild swing midsentence and knocked the attacker out with an uppercut. A mischievous smile spread across Terra's face.
"Maybe," she offered cryptically, drawing out more laughter from her violet haired friend. She was about to make a comment of her own, when the sound of sirens reached their ears.
"Shit! Cops are here. Now it's definitively time to hightail it outta here." Raven said as she grabbed hold of Terra and dragged her towards the backdoor. Around them, the fighting mob had devolved into complete pandemonium as police officers barged in with weapons drawn.
In the chaos that followed, no one noticed the absence of two young girls.
An hour later, after one heck of a run across the city, we find both Terra and Raven perched atop a skyscraper overlooking Titans Tower.
"Soooo… did you have fun or did I just waste countless hours on a lost cause?" Raven asked with a teasing grin, one that Terra could not help but mimic.
"As much as I hate giving you an ego boost, I must admit that it was fun," she admitted, causing Raven to pump her fist in the air.
"And Raven scores yet again with her awesomeness!" she proclaimed as loudly as possibly, receiving a playful shove from Terra.
"Shut up, you airhead," she said. That only drew out more laughter from Raven.
"That's the best you can come up with?" she teased. Terra snorted and turned away like a child with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Oh, mature, girl, real mature," Raven said while poking her back. Terra still refused to look at her. A mistake on her part, for she would have received a fair warning of what was coming if she had seen the impish grin spreading across Raven's face.
Fast as lightning, her hands darted forward and squeezed Terra's sides, causing her to let out a surprised yelp while instinctively scooting away from the attacking appendages. She whirled around in shock to glare at the still impishly grinning Raven.
"I thought I'd told you not to do that. You know how ticklish I am," she protested, but Raven looked completely guilt free.
"But why should I listen? It's such a fun weakness to exploit," she defended innocently. While wishing she could continue to act angry towards Raven, Terra could not keep it up any longer and let out a light chuckle while shaking her head.
"You're hopeless, Rae," she muttered. A frown appeared on Raven's face upon hearing her old nickname from her time at H.I.V.E. Academy.
"Where did you pick up that awful nickname?" Raven asked suspiciously. A confused look was the answer she received.
"Nowhere. I just came up with it right now," now it was Terra's turn to grin impishly at Raven. "Not something you like to be called?" in the face of this new fiend that dared use that horrid nickname, Raven let out a groan while burying her face in her hands.
"When the hell did you get such a cruel streak in you?" she asked in fake despair. Terra just giggled at her.
"Well, I've learned from the best," she admitted teasingly while nudging Raven, who for her part shook her head in resignation while sporting an amused smile of her own. But their little moment of joy was promptly ruined when Terra's eyes found themselves drawn to Titans Tower, standing like a solitary guardian out in the bay.
The memories of what had transpired between her and the Titans came rushing back with a vengeance, and her good mood was shredded by depression yet again. Naturally, Raven noticed the sudden change in her friend.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked in concern. Terra's first instinct was the say the usual "I'm fine" that everyone used when they did not want to bother others with their troubles. She shot down that idea within moments. Raven would easily see through her lie and would not stop pester her until she told the truth.
Just one of the many qualities that made Raven a highly annoying, but dependable friend.
"Not really. Haven't been okay since I left the Titans," more like betrayed them. "I just can't shake the guilt off, no matter what I do," silence stretched out between them after her little admission. Finally, Raven reached into a bag she had brought along and took out two cans of beer, offering one to Terra.
While first planning to decline the drink, given she was still a minor, she then had second thoughts about it. An alcoholic beverage might be just the thing she needed right now. Plus, drinking alcohol while still not being of age was obviously the least she had to worry about. Wordlessly, she accepted the beer and popped it open.
"There's more than just guilt eating away at you, isn't there?" Raven suddenly inquired before she could even take a gulp. A slight flinch from Terra was all the confirmation Raven needed on the subject.
"Nothing gets past you," Terra noted dryly. So she told her of what had transpired while Raven had been fighting the Titans, of how Terra had tried to save Beast Boy by luring him away from the tower, only to run straight into Slade. Her voice nearly cracked as she described what happened inside the house of mirrors.
"And in the end, he said to me that Slade was right, that I didn't have any friends. Even after he promised that he would always be my friend," the hurt in her voice was impossible to miss, and Raven felt her anger building up and being aimed straight at Beast Boy like a bullet.
"Terra, do you remember that promise I made to you before you infiltrated the Titans?" she asked.
"Remember. They hurt you, and I swear to God I'll hurt them so badly that their great grandchildren will feel it," Terra quoted from memory. Raven nodded her head slowly as she glared at Titans Tower.
"And I intend to keep that promise. That little shrimp has hurt your feelings, and I plan to hurt him so badly that he'll be crawling back to you begging for forgiveness," there was steel in her voice that told Terra that Raven was dead serious here. But without warning, Raven slung her arm over Terra's shoulder.
"And for the record, Terra, he was completely wrong," a confused look from Terra had Raven elaborating. "The Titans may have turned their backs on you, but you're still my friend," a moment of stunned silence followed her words, before Terra's face split into a grin.
"So you better get used to it, blondie. 'Cause you're stuck with me no matter what," Raven teased with a grin in place.
"Oh, the horror," Terra said in mock fear. They ended up bursting out laughing together after that. Seemingly just remembering the can of beer still clutched in her hand, she raised it at Raven in a toast.
"To friendship," she announced upon catching sight of Raven's confused look. A small chuckle slipped out of Raven's throat as she too raised her beer.
"To friendship," she repeated before they both took a large gulp of beer. Terra immediately made a face upon tasting the drink.
"It tastes bitter," she declared, eliciting even more laughter from Raven.
"It's more of a taste you have to get used to," she revealed. Terra looked at Raven, then back at the beer, then back at Raven and then back at the beer before giving a nonchalant shrug and took another swig. Raven just shook her head as she continued drinking as well.