Ah, and here we have Chapter 7. And just to let you know so you don't walk in with confusion, this is in Arsenal's view point and this is during the four hour wait Raven was going through. I hoped to write that clearly in this chapter, but just in case.
Arsenal didn't expect to see her so soon. Sure, he was in Jump City and he was in a bookstore so it wasn't that odd. If he was back home in Steel City he would probably be more shock then he was at the moment but still, seeing her had him pause in his steps. His original intention when he walked into the bookstore was to chat up the chick that had just walked in. He wasn't going to try to hit on her. While he didn't mind having a one night stand, he was on a timed schedule. He planned on hitting on a few girls, getting him and Aqualad something to eat from a seafood restaurant, really getting Aqualad's food from the burger joint so he wouldn't have to deal with the complaining because listening to Aqualad's eating-seafood rant was like a broken record, and finally convincing Robin to join him on his mission so they can catch the preps quickly.
When he entered the bookstore, he took a perimeter check as per usual when his eyes landed on familiar deep violet hair. It would be amazing if any other regular human else was able to see her tucked away in the back of the café, but he was a regular human in a group of superpower teens. If he was to keep up with his team, he had to heighten everything about himself.
Him being able to see Raven from that distance has to be child's play because his life depended on it.
With a new purpose, he sauntered over to his fellow teammate who sat with her back towards him. When he was close enough to smell the faint scent of her tea he called out to her. She turned, her hair waving and wrapping to the left of her face from the speed, a slight shimmer of joy in her eyes until they locked on him and dimmed a bit.
He wasn't going to take that to heart.
"So, what are you doing here?"
Her eyebrow went up in a way that would make him question his own intelligence before she answered, "Obviously I'm leaping through the eternal flaming hoop of justice."
He smirked as her usual deadpan and sarcastic self seemed to return and he took the other chair at the table.
"I believe the real question is why are you here." She paused with a look as if she was contemplating the next thing she was about to say. "In Jump City I mean, not at the bookstore."
"And here I was hoping you would be excited to see me Rae Rae."
He almost laughed at how quickly her face frowned before she returned to her book.
"It's Raven, not Rae and definitely not Rae Rae."
"That didn't answer my question Dear Raven."
She peeked up at him from over her book, her eyebrows furrowed harder. "You didn't answer my question either so I believe we're even. Also, for the love of Azar, it's Raven." He wanted to smile and run from that glare at the same time. He settled for chuckling as she returned to her book.
"Can't a guy just relax in a different city without relaxing?"
He didn't find it rude when she didn't answer him; it was just another charm of Raven.
"I'm going on a mission soon that requires the upmost of stealth. Bee won't let me go without a partner and I don't want her down two men if I can help it. I'm hoping Robin would join me since he counts himself as the definition of stealth."
"Of course you're going to mess with him first by suggesting to take Starfire so he can run around the tower with his head chopped off about you hitting on his girlfriend."
He chuckled at her quick response as he leaned on the table.
"You know me so well. So, want to tell me why you're here?"
She didn't seem to want to answer him too quickly and he didn't mind. He began drumming his fingers as he got a closer look at Raven's outfit. He rarely saw her outside of her leotard, if he was to ever see her outside of battles and team missions. What she was wearing at the moment seemed so Raven with how much it covered but also a little daring. He saw that long slit long before he greeted her and he will admit she had some amazing legs.
It must have been his unwavering staring and the fact that he didn't seem to have anything other to do beside watching her and drumming his finger that annoyed her. He would count her annoyance on the drumming fingers more than the stare since with every beat her fingers began gripping her book tighter. With a slam of her book, she closed her it and placed it beside her cup before turning her glare on him until he stopped drumming.
"If I must tell you, I'm waiting on a friend."
He smirked. "Now we're getting somewhere. When will this friend show up? I'm interested in meeting the friend who got you to dress up."
"He's actually two hours late."
He almost laughed because that had to be a joke. He couldn't think of a person who would actually make the dark mistress of the Titans wait. That person either had massive balls or they didn't understand how dire of a situation they'd gotten themselves into. He really was going to laugh until he remembered how bright her eyes were when he called to her earlier. He leaned his head on one of his arms as he addressed her. "Two hours? That says something."
There goes her eyebrow again. "What?"
"That you care for him, maybe even love him, and he doesn't see it yet. Explains why you look like you're about to cry."
Her cup breaks and she reaches for her book before tea spilled on it. He'd admit that he did feel a little guilty. He hadn't meant to upset her enough that she'd break her cup, but he wasn't going to dance around what he knew. And he knew a woman in love, whether it was returned or not. It gave him a new look at her. He knew she experienced emotions just like everybody else, but he wasn't around her as much as her teammates. When he did see her, her face was either battle ready or fixed in its regular impassive look as she was reading a book.
Right now, she was clutching her book to her chest as she wouldn't make eye contact with him. It was actually heartbreaking to see.
"I am not about to cry."
He opened his mouth, ready to argue that she couldn't fool him when he noticed her grip on the book tightening as she looked further away from him. With a sigh, he decided he would drop the subject for the moment.
"Raven, I know you're part big scary demon that could easily destroy this planet if she so pleases, but you're also part human girl, with emotions and feelings."
"Same thing."
He chuckled. Even when heartbroken, she still had enough in her to make a smart comment.
"Yes, I know it is which is why you're letting me buy you a new cup of tea. I really don't want to see our big bad demon cry. Aren't your tears high in acidity or something?"
She whipped her head up and glared him in his eyes, but he happened to notice the slightest jut of her bottom lip. "My tears are not high in acidity. I've gotten a lot of stuff from my father, but acid tears are not one of them." He chuckled again at her quickness before getting up from his seat.
"I'll be right back."
She waved him off and he made his way to the counter. He wasn't exactly sure what it was that she ordered, just a faint scent of the liquid, but he figured he could wing it. If he went for the classics green tea or oolong he shouldn't do too badly. He got to the counter as he stared at the various names for tea that didn't say green or oolong when a cup was placed in his face.
"I heard the mug break. This is for Raven."
The barista said all of this to him without taking his eyes off of Raven. Arsenal could see the distant look in the barista's eyes and he knew what the man was wishing. He also knew that the barista had hoped she would be the one to come get the readymade fresh cup of tea but he wasn't going to look the giving tree in the mouth. He took the cup and made his way back to Raven. The table was cleared of its previous mess, which he figured was Raven's doing, and he placed the cup down.
"Thank you." She picked up the cup and took a whiff from it before she began drinking it. He was just happy that she was looking at him again.
"You know Rae," he sat back down in his seat as he continued; "you really need a vacation. You seem stressed."
She had paused in her drinking with her eyebrow rose, ready to reply but he plowed on. "I don't think I've ever seen you relax aside from reading, which, yes, can be very therapeutic, but it's more of a routine for you." He knew he had her full attention when she sat her tea down but never removed her gaze from him.
He felt himself smile.
"In fact, you should go somewhere fun and relaxing, like Hawaii or Colombia." He heard her snort at that.
"As if Nightwing would be okay with that. We just took a vacation some weeks ago."
"Yes, but did you really get to relax, or were you bothered on every chance you sat down to read your book? I wouldn't really call that a vacation, Raven."
She didn't respond, but he already knew how she would respond.
"I'm sure with the right wording I'll be able to get you to Colombia. You just have to leave Nightwing to me."
She chuckled with what he would call her disbelief laugh as she picked up her tea and took another sip.
"If you're really able to convince Nightwing to let me go to Colombia I'll immediately pack my bags."
Oh, how he loved a challenge.
"You have my word as an arrow shooting hero that I will get you there with your leader's full permission."
He held out his hand for her which she promptly rolled her eyes out but took none the less and he shook it.
"I'll hold you to that, Raven"
And that is the end of Chapter 7. I do hope you enjoyed a bit of Arsenal's point of view before we switched back to Changeling. So, read and review and thank you for reading.