I do not own any D.C. Comics characters. (Just covering all the basis here.)
Robin was sitting in the café again, but he was not in a good mood. He was sitting next to both the red headed girl, who he had found out her name was Anny, and Captain Marvel. He had wanted to talk to Anny alone today, but Cap had been stubborn on the fact that he had to sit with them. So instead of talking to Anny about his feelings, he got to sit there and talk about the poetry and stories being shared while people were gawking at him and Captain Marvel. He was glad they had not told people that he visited this place; otherwise it would be over run with crazy fan girls. He was glad Cap had turned himself into a kid so they could sneak into the place without being spotted, but that's all he was happy about with Billy around.
"Hey Robin," Cap said, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "Do you want something to eat, because I'm starving."
"I'm not paying for anything," Robin whispered back, knowing that Cap was probably trying to mooch.
"Ok, I guess I'm just getting something for me then." As he walked over to the snack counter to order Robin saw this as a chance to talk to Anny without him interfering.
"Sorry about Captain Marvel Anny, he can be a bit of a handful."
"Don't worry about it, he's actually quite nice. I mean, he has let us talk about the literature without interrupting." Robin nodded. He was glad Cap had let them talk, but he wished they could talk in private.
"Ya well, I had been hopeful that we could talk about, you know…"
"Your friends," she finished for him. He nodded, looking down at his feet in shame. He really shouldn't burden this girl with his troubles; she didn't need to know all the pain he had been through.
"It's ok, you know." She was smiling at him.
"What's ok," he asked, confused.
"I really don't mind talking about your friends. That is why you looked so depressed, because you didn't want to make me listen to all of the horrible things that have happened to you?" She had read him like a book, just like Starfire had been able too.
"Ya, that's why. It's just that…"
"Hey Robin, I got you and Anny a sandwich." Of course he came back now, right when they were beginning to really talk about his feelings.
"Thanks Captain," Anny giggled; she had always found Captain Marvel cute, even if he was a ten year old boy. Robin nodded with a fake smile on his face, taking the sandwich from Billy. They ate their sandwiches as they listened to more poetry, then Anny stood up.
"I didn't know you were going to speak today" Robin said surprised, Anny hadn't spoken the other day.
"Well this is open mic, and I have been coming here longer than you have." Robin blushed at this, embarrassed that he had said anything. Captain Marvel started patting him on the back.
"Don't worry; we've all said stupid things around people we like." This caught Robin off guard.
"I-I don't like her, we're just friends," he stammered. There was no way he could like this girl, he had just met her.
"Sure you don't," Marvel said sarcastically. "Look, I may only be ten, but I have been around enough adults that I've picked up a thing or two. But if you say you don't like her then I'll believe you. Now be quite, Anny is starting." Robin looked at the stage as Anny grabbed the mic and began to read off of a piece of paper in her lap.
"The dove cried out for help, but the raven sat by and watched. The raven cried out for help, but the eagle sat by and watched. The eagle cried out for help, but the vulture sat by and watched. The vulture smiled, for he had dinner. For it is in others pain and misery he is filled. Why is this, the world asks. The vulture replies, because the world is full of pain and misery, leaving behind carcasses of the once joyful people. These people were hurt by those unwilling to help when they needed help the most. In this world there must be someone to clean it of these carcasses, and that is my job. It is I who clean the earth. It is I who rid it of pain and misery. Then the vulture asks the people of the earth a question, what is your pain?"
With that she left the stage, and left Robin stunned. He had not expected something that would hit him so close to the heart. He had so much pain, and he wished it would go away; so where was his vulture? He had watched as he had failed people who needed his help, so he had died inside; now he needed something to purge him of these feelings, his vulture. But, maybe he had already found it. Maybe his vulture was Anny; she had after all said she would talk to him about all the things he had lived through. He smiled to himself, maybe he was on the road to recovery; just maybe.
"That was beautiful and emotional," said a crying Captain Marvel. This was earning stares from the others in the café; they seemed surprised to see a Justice League member crying. This caused both Robin and Anny to turn a deep red, embarrassed by the show Cap was giving.
"Thank you Mr. Marvel, but you really shouldn't be crying. It wasn't that good." Anny looked down at her feet; she had received a moderate clap, which meant her poem was ok. She wished it had been better.
"What are you talking about, it was a great poem." Robin was surprised at Anny's reaction; he had thought her poem was one of the best he had ever heard. "It really hit home with me, it was amazing. If these people don't like it then they're idiots." He gave her a kind smile; he really meant the words he had said. She smiled back and hugged him. His words had cheered her up tremendously and she wanted to thank him.
"Hey, do you want to grab a bite to eat; my treat?" This took Robin by surprise, he wasn't expecting this. His delayed response brought a frown to Anny's face.
"If you don't want to I get it." She turned to leave when he responded.
"Wait, where exactly would we be going?" She turned around with a smile so big it dwarfed her face.
"Oh I know the best pizza place ever," she exclaimed. With this she grabbed Robin's arm and dragged him out the door with Captain Marvel on their tale shouting,
"Wait up!"
They hopped on Robin's motorcycle, Anny saying she took the subway to get everywhere.
"Hold on tight," he warned her.
"Hold on to what," she asked, looking for some sort of handle.
"It's either me or the air, and I'm pretty sure that air is unreliable." He flashed a famous Robin grin before speeding off, her arms wrapped around him. She directed him on where to go with him bobbing and weaving through traffic. When Anny told him to stop they were in front of a run down building with boards on the windows.
"Um Anny, are you sure this is the place?" He was very confused, where was the door?
"Absolutely, they can't have everyone knowing about it so they keep it hidden." She waked up to a group of trashcans and crawled behind them. Curious, Robin followed and discovered Anny crawling through a small wooden hatch. He followed her in and found the hatch led to a spacious hallway. When he turned he saw that Captain Marvel was having trouble crawling through the hatch, Robin saw this as a chance to loose him.
"Hey Cap, I don't think you'll fit through as an adult, you need to power down." He nodded and backed out of the hatch. Once his head cleared the space Robin shut the door and locked it, finding that the inside was actually made of metal.
"Wow, they really don't want a lot of people finding out about this place."
"Yeah, if a bunch of people found out about it then they would always have a line that would never end." They started walking down the hallway when Robin had a question form in his mind.
"How did you find out about this place? I mean if it's such a big secret then how do you know?" He was now questioning her motives on bringing him here; it was just in his nature to question things.
"Friends," she replied simply. When they reached the door she knocked. A burly man opened the door, giving them a menacing stare.
"Password," he growled.
"Deck of Card's" Anny said. With that the man opened the door for them, and to Robin's surprise there was another door they had to go through. When Anny opened that door Robin was hit with a blast of blaring music, good smelling food, and smoke.
"Oh, I forgot to mention this is also a club." With this she walked up to the bar tender and ordered their pizza. Robin walked over to a booth in the corner, watching people dance and smoke. It was clear there were teens all over the place, and it was also clear that some of them were drinking. When Anny returned she had a beer in her hand.
"What," she asked at Robin's disapproving glare.
"This is a club that allows teens to drink. What do you think," he growled. At this Anny laughed.
"Oh this is rich, you actually think they let teens drink alcohol? They have a finger print scanner that can tell if you're legal or not, there is no way a teen could get alcohol in this place." She was wiping a tear from her eye, was it really that funny?
"What if an older person gives it to a minor," he drilled.
"They wouldn't, not unless they never want to be admitted back in here ever again. Trust me, after you taste the pizza you'll see why no one wants to be kicked out." Robin grumbled an ok and waited for the pizza to come. When the waiter arrived she was also carrying two drinks.
"I have a medium pepperoni pizza and two cokes."
"That's us," Anny said, paying the lady and then handing a slice Robin. "Try it," she urged. He shrugged his shoulders, how good could a slice of pizza be?
Really good, extremely good, it was the best damn pizza he had ever had in his entire life good. Anny watched his eyes go wide
"I told you so." She had, and now he was glad he came.
"I see why you say no one would give a minor a drink here." He wouldn't want to miss out on this pizza, no one would. He and Anny demolished the pizza in a few minutes.
"I don't think I've ever eaten a pizza that fast before," he laughed.
"Well you've never had Joke House pizza before have you?" She was laughing too.
"Why is this place called the Joke House," Robin asked. It was a weird name for a club.
"Because they have comedians here every night at ten, and on Saturdays it's open mic night." She was smiling, Robin was having a good time and so was she.
"What is with you and open mic?"
"I guess I just like hearing what other people have to say, and sharing what I have to say as well. Hey, wana dance?" Robin smiled and followed her to the dance floor.
…
A few hours later he and Anny crawled out of the club laughing to find a very upset Captain Marvel outside.
"What's up Cap," Robin asked, snickering little.
"I've been out here since noon waiting for you guys, and it's now four. What could possibly be in there that would take four hours?" He was giving them a stern look that Robin knew if he was Superman they would have been fried to a crisp.
"There may be a teen club in there," Anny said innocently, smiling a little.
"Well what ever is in there doesn't matter, because Robin has to go home now, Batman's orders." Robin didn't even try arguing. When you had Captain Marvel this mad, you were in serious trouble. Robin hugged Anny goodbye before driving home with Marvel flying over him.
…...
When Robin walked into Wayne manor he expected to be in trouble with Bruce, but on the contrary Bruce had something to tell him.
"Dick you are going to attend therapy with Black Canary." At this Robin just nodded, not caring. Right now he was happy, in bliss. He laughed a little as he walked up to his room to take a nap.
…
"Mr. J, are you her," came the Jersey accent of the one and only Harley Quinn.
"Of Course I am toots, now tell me; is the plan in place?" The unmistakable voice of Joker came from the dark as he stepped up behind Harley, taking her in a hug from behind.
"It is going right on schedule Mr. J, maybe even a bit ahead. Did the client pay up?"
"Oh he paid up quite handsomely. With any luck we may kill two birds with one stone my dear." The Joker laughed at his own joke, pulling Harley along with him as he walked back into the shadows.