Chapter 4
- Unlikely Duos -
- Titan Tower, Raven's Room -
Weeks Later...
"... So you and Beast Boy are the only two protecting the city from the forces of evil?" Malchior asks out of the blue.
Raven sighs adamantly, "As fate would have it."
"How did this even happen?"
"Well, Cyborg for the past month has been talking over excessively about his minor league football team playing in the state championship. Being the coach and all... He has to be there for his team. So he requested the next two weeks off..."
"Football? I have never heard of this... sport."
Raven shrugs lightly, "Don't ask me about it, all I know its about throwing a ball, tackling and running."
"Sounds barbaric," Malchior comments. "So what of the other two?"
"Starfire seemed to have won some type of teen only cruise contest that she apparently signed up for at the mall. Robin being protective willingly decided to accompany her, too make sure that she doesn't get into trouble; but I think it's because he doesn't want Starfire to mingle with other boys."
"So these two are an item?"
"Robin is too proud to admit it, but apparently they are."
"Hmmm... and Beast B-" Knocking on he door interrupts Malchior.
"Raven... what'ya doing?" Beast Boy asks with a curious boredom lul.
"Reading..." she monotones annoyed.
There was a sigh behind the door, "I am sooooo bored!" Beast Boy pouts.
"Well go do something instead of bugging me."
"Like?" Beast Boy prolongs somewhat interested.
"I don't know!" she replies quickly, "Go to the flea market, China Town, the pier... anywhere!"
"Anywhere..." Beast Boy mumbles lowly before lighting up with a smile, "The CAR!"
The sound of running foot steps echoes. Raven sighs relieved, "Well that should keep him away for some time... just hope he doesn't damage Cyborg's car... too much..."
- Jump City, Flea Market -
After spending twenty minutes on attempting to parallel park perfectly, Beast boy finds himself surrounded by hundreds of people walking about, most giving a quick glance seeing him drive, by himself.
He pressed the alarm button on the remote, the car beeps, "See I am perfectly capable of driving the car!" He spots a small group of girls glancing at him as they walk by; he gives a cool smile and leans on the car. The car's alarm wails out making him jump up with a girly shriek.
He quickly fumbles for the alarm's remote. He deactivates it only too see the passing by girls giggle silently among themselves.
"I meant to do that!" He sighs shamefully seeing them disappear, "I am making a fool of myself..." he mutters to himself. He shakes off his self pity, "Okay, now time to be Mr Cool!"
He starts walking, humming to himself as he thinks...
I don't know why Cyborg freaks out so much about his car. I am a good driver, I got it here safely. Its not like anything is going to happen to it, like it getting stolen...
The car starts up after being hot wired by some random car thief, "Yeah free car!"
He stops in his tracks stricken with paranoia. He spins around looking at the car, which was still in the same spot unharmed. He turns around and continues his walk...
... getting blown up by our enemies that we sent to jail...
"It's the Titans car! Those annoying little punks will pay for meddling with my plans!" Dr Light exclaims unleashing beams of light targeted at the car.
Again he spins around to face the car and like before it remained unharmed. Once again he starts off in his walk...
... rammed by runaway big rigs...
The sound of an air horn wails out before it is followed by the loud mangling and twisting of metal.
Once again he whirls around only to see the car unharmed. He thumps his head, "Gah, nothing bad is going to happen to the car!" He walks again...
... Giant space turkeys from Saturn mistaken it as a landing pad for their Flying Sauc-
He shakes his head resisting the paranoid temptation to check the car, "I am just freaking myself out... the car will be fine."
Beast Boy continues his walk ignoring the paranoid thoughts of the car. He begins to look at the random things that the vendors sold. Most of it was random junk, hand crafted items and knock off named brand things. The scent of fresh produce came to nose and within a few steps he found himself walking among the farmers market.
"Papaya!" some older man shouted shoving a Papaya in Beast Boy's face, which forced him to stop. "Special deal just for you!" he swayed eagerly with a missing tooth smile.
Beast Boy pushed away the Papaya, "Uh no thanks..." he looked to the stand where the old man came from seeing numerous types of melons for sale.
His eyes caught the sight of Watermelons and the old man sensed this...
Quickly the old man grabs a Watermelon sets it on a wooden cutting board, "Aww yes, the juiciest and Sweetest Watermelons in all of Jump City!" With machete in hand he chops the Watermelon in half and then one half into a four pieces, "Here! Try!"
Not wanting to disappoint and seeing that it was free Beast Boy decided to humor the old man. He took a bite out of the seedless watermelon. He chewed a few times steadily slowing down with each chew before going into a frozen stare...
The old man looked at him with suspense, "Well?"
Beast Boy swallowed, "I'l be a monkey's uncle... that's the BEST Watermelon I have ever tasted!" He quickly munchies on the rest of the slice he received, "How much?!"
"For you, three dollars!"
"It's a deal!" Beast Boy exclaims digging into his pocket for his money, "Can you cut up some more?"
"Of course!"
- Titan Tower, Raven's Room -
Meanwhile...
Raven looks away from a tome she's been studying for the past hour. She gives a worrying sigh, that doesn't go unnoticed...
"Is something troubling you Raven?" Malchior asks attentively. She looks up to his light blue eyes, hesitating to reveal her trouble. He blinks softly, "You know you can tell me anything and you can also trust me with anything Raven..."
She looks away but manages to work up the nerve to speak. "I think there is something coming for me..." she reveals softly. Witch should I tell him about first? The prophecy or Seren-
"Whatever it is, I sure you are more than capable of handling yourself Raven. You have shown tremendous progress in the training that I have giving you-"
"I-I don't know..." she interrupts shaken with uncertainly.
"What is this threat? I will protect you from it, Raven. After all I defeated the Dread Dragon Rorek."
"I far worse than that..." she whispers broken.
"What can be more worse?"
She stalls. I have to tell him about the Prophecy... he must know...
She gives him a quick glance seeing the suspense in his eyes, "It's..."
"Yes?"
"The Feral Beast..." she unveils instead of the Prophecy.
"The Feral Beast? The one of the story of the Priestess?" Raven nods her reply. "Why is that? It is only a fictional character of an old tale," he adds with a puzzled look.
"Because that Priestess is my mother... and that Feral Beast is coming for me."
"That's why you hold so much interest in the story," he reveals to himself, "But surely your mother, Arella, has defeated the Feral Beast; thus you wouldn't be here..." A thought dawned on him, "Unless the Feral Beast is your father..."
I wish... would take anyone over Trigon as my father... Raven shakes her head, "No, the Feral Beast is not my father."
"That's a relief, because your mother does defeat the Feral Beast..." he spoils, "Oh my, sorry... for ruining the ending..."
She giggles, "Gee... thanks..."
"But why would the Feral Beast come for you?"
"Uh..." she stalled quickly, "My mother defeated him and is going after me instead, to defy my mother victory," she makes up on the spot.
"Well..." Malchior prolongs ruffled up slightly, "No Feral Beast will get to you, while I am around and surely this dog isn't as powerful as the Dread Dragon Rorek..."
She looks up to him warm hearten, "Will you really be around to protect me?"
"Of course, I w-" he is interrupted by the tight embracing of Raven.
"Thank you..." she speaks softly. Finally someone that I can trust...
He pats her head gently as one hand wraps around her, "I promise... nothing will get to you..."
- Jump City, Flea Market -
After eating three whole watermelons Beast Boy found himself at the end aisle of the flea market. The last row seemed to be that of oddball merchandise and random service kiosk like Cable providers and gold buyers.
Looks like that's it for the flea market, better take this watermelon back to the tower, Cyborg's gonna lo-
"Beast Boy..." a familiar voice invades his thoughts.
He stops nearly tripping over, "Was that Cero?" He looks around seeing a gypsy lady's stand with random containers holding ingredients of sorts, mantras, books, incense and jars. It was in a large pickle jar where he spotted a small black rat looking thing; or that's what it looked like at his distance.
He comes to the stand and quickly is eyed by the elderly gypsy, "Take your time... view my wares..."
He observes the jar by lifting it up to face level being face to face to the short stubby chihuahua pup of Cero looking back into his eyes.
"No way..." Beast Boy says setting the jar back down.
"Get me out of here!" Cero's small voice shouts within his mind.
He picks up the jar once more, "Why?"
"That is a rare find you hold there Green One..." the gyspy speaks from the confine of her shady cover, "You will not find another magic essence emitting rat anywhere else."
"Hmmm..." Beast Boy comments to acknowledge the gypsy woman.
Cero small little paws press against the glass jar's wall with his beady golden eyes looking into Beast Boys. "Please get me out of here..." he pleaded within Beast Boys mind. "I don't want to be in this jar anymore and this woman is driving me crazy!"
"Nah..." Beast Boy rejects setting the jar back down.
About to walk away Cero quickly scans through Beast Boys short term memory and finds his paranoia of the car from earlier...
"I will blow up Cyborg's car if you don't..." Cero warns ominously, "And you're not suppose to be driving it either."
Beast Boy freezes nearly dropping his Watermelon, he turns around with a crooked smile facing the Gypsy woman.
"You know I do have someone that would enjoy this..." he comments, "How much for the rat?"
"Fifty Dollars, and not a penny less!"
"Awww..." Beast Boy pouts forking over the money, "That's all my mon-"
The Gypsy Woman swipes his money from his hand and shoves the jar into Beast Boys grasp, "Thank you please come again, no refunds!"
"Great..." Beast Boy comments looking down upon Cero, "You owe me fifty dollars..."
"Thanks... but can you get me aut of this jar now?"
"Can't you just use that shadowy magic like Raven to get out?" he asks Cero out of the blue as he walks to the car.
"Don't you think I would've already if I could? And FYI i am a puppy! So i don't have all my powers!"
"Well that's goo-" Beast shrieks seeing the car is missing. "NO! NO! NO!" he shouts flailing his arms about, shaking the jar that Cero was in. He stood in the empty spot where the car was, "The car it's missing!"
"Owww..." Cero comments dizzily.
Beast Boy flashes an angry look to Cero, "It was you!" he accused quickly.
Cero shakes his little body, "I didn't do this... I just said I would so you would get me out of the crazy woman's grasp."
"LIAR!" Beast Boy roars with face pressed against the jar.
Cero looks around and spots the problem quickly, "Maybe if you didn't park police reserved spot only, you wouldn't have got towed in the first place."
"Huh?" Beast Boy blinks confused, "What do you mean?"
Cero motions with one of his little paws, "POLICE PARKING ONLY VIOLATORS WILL BE TOWED AT OWNERS EXPENSE," he reads the warning sign, "Can't you read?"
"Oh no! I got to get the car back!" Beast Boy says quickly, "But where?!"
"Most likely it's at the impound lot..." Cero answers, "And can you get me out of this jar already?"