"………….."
"………….."
Robin's glove moves.
He pauses.
He lowers the glove again.
"……………"
His hand moves again. Quicker this time. He picks up his last rook and moves it two spaces over to block my queen from taking out his knight.
I stare from my end of the chess table. We sit at the edge of the Main Room. The brown and black board rests on a small platform between us. The noonday sun softly settles in.
"…………..," I eye my queen. I look at how easy it is to take his rook. And yet, at the same time, moving my queen into the attack could possibly be taking the bait of some silent and deadly strategy on the part of the Boy Wonder. I could remove my queen, but that would give Robin's rook even space to strike at my inner defenses and take out my king. I could, perhaps, surrender the queen to his rook and let my bishop take his piece out while protecting my king. But doing so could put far too many of my tableside's pieces in jeopardy. And there is yet one knight left whom I can sacrifice for the rook as well, assuming of course Robin is so intent on taking out my queen.
Upon this last thought, I realize that a minute and a half has passed. Robin sits squarely before me. Eyemask thin. His chin leaning on two gloved fists. Staring at the board. Staring….
"……………"
I take a deep breath. I move a pawn of mine one space forward on the far side of the chessboard, away from the friction. That leaves my queen helplessly open. And Robin knows it.
The matriarch is always expendable. The number one rule of life.
"……………..," Robin stares at my chess pieces. There is a slight twisting motion to his eyebrows.
I stare at him. I wonder if he'll say anything. Anything about my move. It would go against everything I think I know about Robin for him to say something.
And indeed he doesn't. He moves his rook in and takes out my queen. Always on the offensive. He stares coolly with his gloves to his chin again.
"………..," I stare at the chessboard now.
With my queen gone, all I have now is a rook and a couple of pawns to keep my king safe. My bishop is on the far side of the playing field. If I coordinate it just right, I may be able to box in Robin's rook, take it out and eliminate one of his pawns as well, and then redouble on the offensive with losing only one pawn of my own and try to take out his king efficiently and….
"Say, Raven?"
My forehead tenses. I keep cool.
I drone in response: "Hmm?"
"Has Starfire told you why she likes me?"
"…………..," I blink. "…………." I look blankly up at him. "Starfire likes you?"
There is ever so slightly a twinge to his neck muscles. Any response in his eye muscles is hidden by his mask.
"I….I'm beginning to think that she does."
"Has she said anything to you about it?"
"To me?"
"Yeah…."
"No, Robin," I drone. I look at the chess game. I think about the chess game. "Why do you ask me?"
"Well, you're the only other girl in this Tower."
"So?"
"………"
"………I-I sorta figured that she would have shared such with you."
"If she did, such sharing would undoubtedly be in my confidence," I say.
"I understand. I don't mean to pry."
"Are you under the assumption that Starfire likes you?" I reach for a pawn.
"Yes. I'm worried about it."
My finger stops halfway. I raise an eyebrow. "Worried?"
He tilts his head up at me slightly. "Starfire is…..very open. She's emotional and sanguine. I wouldn't want to give her the wrong impression."
"Have you talked to her about it?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I wanted to be more sure of whether or not she feels about me more than pure friendship. If I assumed right and I approached her on it, I would have to know how serious she was. If I assumed right and I approached her about it…"
"I think your ego can handle it, Robin…," I drone and move my pawn over to block his rook. Again, exposing….
He looks at me. "I know. But I'm worried more for Starfire. I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings."
"As a friend, right?"
"Yes. And as a team leader."
"I wouldn't want her emotionally hurt…and thus affecting the way she fights alongside the rest of the team."
"Well, then….," I utter monotonously. "Glad I could be of help."
Robin shrugs and reaches for the chess pieces. "I figured you were the best person to ask about such things."
"Hmm?"
"I mean….you are rather neutral when it comes to…."
My brow furrows and I lean my head to the side. "What do you mean, 'neutral'?"
I don't expect him to answer that. And he doesn't. But what I also didn't expect was the the twenty seconds of silence he let ensue as if it could somehow wash over what he just didn't say. And once that twenty seconds are done, he moves his rook again and takes out my pawn.
"……," I look at the growingly few pieces I have left.
Why do I always do it?
Why do I always let my pieces die?
In ten seconds of brashness, I grab my bishop from far across the board and take out Robin's bishop.
Robin then takes out my bishop with his knight.
I take out his knight with my knight.
He moves a pawn forward.
I eliminate the pawn with the knight.
And in fifteen ghastly seconds, the mayhem is over.
"………."
Robin leans back, shakes his head, and smirks. "Another stalemate….."
"Yeah….," I brush a loose blue strand out from my forehead and glanced aside with a sigh. "Another stalemate…."