"Ooooh! Well lookie-here!" His titanium shoulders shuffle and shift in the background. A cackling voice of electronic laughter echoes across the Main Room. "'To Cyborg, for your birthday'. Now ain't that just peachy! I didn't know any y'all knew my birthday was tomorrow!"

Silence….

"Hello?" His voice continues to echo in lonesome harmonics because he is the only body in the room.

Well…almost…

"Keep it down…," I mutter and flip a page in my novel. Vampire Princess On Ice… …or something. I sit at the kitchen counter across the way with my chin propped up by two pale hands as I pour myself ever so fervently into my book. "The world is a large enough place that if you need to announce your jubilation—" I drone "—you needn't choose to do it so loudly here."

"But this is just spankin' sweet! Now who's the chump who thought of giving me something on today of all days?" Cyborg smirks, parading around in his metallic palms a slender package wrapped in silverish, reflective paper. "All it says is 'To Cyborg, for your birthday'! Doesn't say who it's from! Now talk about anonymous lovvvve! Ha ha HA!"

"Boy do you sound jubilant," I roll my eyes without rolling so much as to see him. "Could you please, just—"

"Open it up and share it with you? Sure thing, cutie!"

"Nnnngh….don't call me cutie—"

"It's a small Tower! Now who do you think would have done something as silly as tried to send me something as a silent benefactor? I don't have all that many to choose from!"

"I don't know, Cyborg, and I don't care…"

"Pffft! Nuts to you, Missy Nihilistette!" He squats down right beside me…well, two stools down…. "I gotta figure out who it was! Hmmm.. …. …Robin? Nah, he'd think doing something like this would be fruity. B.B.? Naw, he can't afford much. Starfire's a dead-give away, but Terra--?"

"Just open it already so you can leave me—and my book—in peace," I grumble, flipping a page.

There is a pathetic pause as his red eye glistens and his human eye bounces around to flutter onto my figure. And then he smirks: "It wasn't you by any chance, huh, Rae?"

"Heh…. …"

"Was that a giggle?"

"I still reserve laughter for the most extreme excuses of absurdity."

"But—"

"I don't give gifts, Cyborg," I finally turn to glare at him. "Just the same as I don't expect to receive any."

"Well, Raven, I think that's just a sad way to live your life."

"I'm sure you think a lot of things….."

He shrugs, then brightens as he rubs his hands together—"Well, enough friggin' suspense! Happy Birthday to Cyyyyy!"—and rips the fabric apart.

I sigh, shake my head, and flip another page. I swear—for a moment—that I'm plunging once again deeply into the content of my pages when suddenly--

"BOO-YA!"

My whole body shakes. I nearly collapse off the stool.

Dear Azar!

"Just in time for Spring Break!" Cyborg grins one….two….three crescent moons in conflict with Newtonian light physics and whips out from the package the source of his jubilation. A gold, glittering, immaculate chain necklace. Just large enough to frame his upper body…. ..but not overly-huge to be tacky, gaudy, or laughable. "Ha ha ha ha! Now ain't that rich! Talk 'bout your bling-bling, girl!"

"….excuse me?"

"Yeah—Ha!—this is just the kind of thing I've always wanted to have when hangin' with my homies!"

"Congratulations," I drone. "You're black."

"And there ain't no goin' back!" Cyborg stands up proudly and sports the chain around his neck. "Hmmm… …kinda pointless when it's against a metal chest…"

I bite my lip. "Erm…."

"But it's a damn good excuse for me to whip out my hoodie from the high school days! Haha—Boo ya! Kickin' it old-school style! Feels like I'm back in the flesh again! Ha HA!"

"Boy…," I murmur. I subconsciously push back my stubborn strand of blue hair and gaze off. "….don't you sound happy…."

"Cuz this is the most perfect gift I could ask for! It's just so… ..haha—it's bling, baby! Makes me forget I'm a stressed-out superhero in real life, ya dig?"

"Good. You're happy. Now just…. …I dunno… …shut up about it and leave me alone…."

"Aww, come on, girl! I'm just so thrilled that someone actually thought about my birthday!"

"Then stop filling the Tower up with your racket and just.. ….just go out with some people and have fun or something….," I drone and flip another page. "My headache's gone past Defcon Three…."

He squints at me coyly, fingering the glittering chain around his neck. "You sure you have no clue who the anonymous sender is on this fine, feathered evening?"

"Ask me again, and you'll lose your ears you need to hear an answer," I grumble, my temple throbbing.

"Heh… ..Very well, cutie," he shrugs with a smirk. "As a matter of fact, I do intend to spend a night on the town with this thing!"

"Good….," I read, read, read….

Then Cyborg's metal fingers graze a white tag hanging off the rear clasp of the chain. He whistles, shakes his head, smirks, and looks at me: "Ya know, Rae, for future reference.. ….When you're givin' somebody a gift, it's usually a good idea to take off the price tag…."

"Oh." I breathe. "I'm sorry, I guess I forgot to----" I wince. Teeth gritting. My whole body in mid-jerk.

Cyborg grins… ….grins….

"…. … …. ….. …. ….. … …. …. … …," the stool squeaks as I get up, clap my book shut, and shuffle off towards the elevator. "I'll be in my room." I drone.

"Heh heh heh….," Cyborg winks and gives a thumb's up. "Naturally, girl."

There are parts of my body that are burning red-on-pale. Fortunately, I reach the opening elevator faster than Cyborg can say anything more. Unfortunately, there is a certain Tamaranian standing inside.

"Friend Raven! Are you going down—"

"Yes." I practically jam my fist onto the 'down' arrow and the doors close, sealing off the noise of a drunkenly chuckling Cyborg. I let out a sigh in the descending car, hug my book, and slump against a wall.

"Dearest friend, is there something troubling you?" Starfire asks with a sympathetic look on her face.

"Nnnngh… ..N-Nothing, Star…," I swallow the redness away, push my stubborn strand up out of my forehead again, and exhale. "Cyborg just… .. …j-just got a white elephant gift from someone or something." I shrug superficially. "Who knows…."

"I see… …and yet I do not understand…," the Tamaranian murmurs.

"It's fine. I just… …need to be somewhere peaceful where I can read."

She smiles at me from behind. "You are always 'looking for places to read'."

"Shut up."

"Hehehehe…."

Silence………

Starfire hugs herself, leans against the opposite wall, and smiles gently to corners of the place. "That reminds me ever so faintly of this same time a few months ago when I received a package of one dozen exquisite mustard bottles at the door to my room…."

"…. ….," I glance aside at her. "Really?"

"Mmmm… …Indeed. Such nectar was well received. The delightful beverage assisted me wondrously throughout a long, stressful week of battling Slade's minions."

"Hmmm… ….lucky you…"

She glances up. "Although, Raven, it would have been infinitely times more delightful if the mustard bottles had been shrouded in customary Terran 'gift wrapping paper'."

I shrug. "Sorry. I was short on time that day and—Great Azar, not again!.!.!"

"Heheheheheheheheeee!"

I brought my book to my forehead.

Whap! Whap! Whap!

"Eep! Raven! Don't!"

WHAP!