Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I vaguely wonder how long this story is going to be. Can't be much longer can it?
"Awr we dere yet?" Beast Boy complains. The changeling sits on a floating disk of dark energy, watching the scenery go by.
"No we ain't! So quit your whining!" Rude snaps.
"Sowwy, it just don look like wes making pwogwess." Beast Boy sighs.
"It doesn't?" Brave sounds confused.
"Ya. We hasn't passd any fuhney arch tings." The shapeshifter says.
"You are not aware of how Nevermore works, are you?" Knowledge asks.
"Waben don let me in hewr oftan." Beast Boy says, crossing his arms. "Dis is her miwnd afta awll."
"Fair point." Knowledge pushed up her spectacles as she continues. "Allow me to explain. Raven's mind is split into ten domains: one for each emoticlone, the entry point, and the forbidden door area. The layout of these domains is changed depending on where you wish to go. Unless you are just visiting (a rare thing indeed), you will never find your destination as the first domain you find, aside from the entry point, and you will not always need to venture through an arch. The first time you were here you wanted to find the forbidden door correct?"
Beast Boy nods.
"The reason you had to go through Happy's domain as well as Timid's was so you could be tested. If Happy and Timid did not trust you, you would have a much harder time getting to your destination." Beast Boy nods his head again, showing he understood. "However, no matter your destination, you will always need to pass through either Timid's domain or Brave's. They are the guardians of Raven's mind, anyone who hasn't been tested already will need to pass through at least one of them. Timid's maze is fashioned to trap anyone she doesn't trust, and Brave is the strongest fighter along with her domain being filled with monsters."
"So Waben's mind twis to stop intwudas by usink Timdis and Bwav?"
"Yes." Knowledge says, catching her breath after her long speech. "Occasionally Rage is used instead, but that is only if Raven's subconscious is one hundred percent sure that the intruder means Raven harm."
"Wow..." The changeling's eyes are wide and his mouth hangs open in awe. "I wiss ma mine was dat good at stoppan stuff."
"You don't have a lifetime of mental conditioning on your side." Knowledge muses "However, your animalistic tendencies can be an advantage in mental defense. Sheer stubbornness combined with human intelligence."
"I think "intelligence" might be a stretch." Rude snickers.
"Yeah." Beast Boy admits. Rude looks somewhat remorseful, she had only been joking. Her worries are dispelled upon hearing his next words. "More like "genius!"" The changeling grins broadly. Happy gives a small giggle, and Rude allows a small smile to steal over her features.
"Debatable." Brave jokes, elbowing Beast Boy lightly in the stomach. He sticks his tongue out at her.
Knowledge shakes her head slightly. "We're almost there."
The group approaches the volcanic region. From off in the distance Rage's voice can be heard swearing at and insulting a certain magician. The group's approach slows, none of them want to deal with Rage in her current state.
"Who wants to go in first?" Brave asks weakly.
"Says the supposedly brave one." Rude mutters sarcastically.
"What? You want to go first?" Happy giggles.
Rude pales. "No thank you!"
"I go firs!" Beast Boy volunteers. Everyone looks at him in surprise except for Timid; she was expecting this.
"B-Be careful Beast Boy." She whispers.
"I don need to! Wage won huwrt meh." He says confidently. He waddles around a boulder and disappears from the sight of the emoticlones. They all share nervous looks.
###
The four Titans return home. One of them is shrunk, one is hysterical, one is soaked in mustard and saliva, and the last is content, for she is full.
Immediately upon entering their tower, Robin announces "I'm taking a shower!" and walks off quickly.
Cyborg's laughter eventually dies off, Raven storms off to her room, and Starfire bemoans the loss of her human mustard provider.
In a few minutes Robin walks back in, clean, to the dismay of Starfire. "That didn't go well." He says, grimacing.
"No kiddin, now Rae's joined BB on the young side." Cyborg jokes, trying to remove some of the seriousness from the situation. 'The last thing this team needs is the leader beating himself up over a failure.' He thinks to himself.
"Friend Raven is sooooo cute! I wish Beast Boy were here, the two of them would look very much the adorable together!" Starfire gushes.
"They might be cute, but we need to cure them of their condition as soon as possible." Robin says, suddenly businesslike.
"Yeah, but what do we do? If we couldn't beat Mumbo with all five of us, how do we beat him with three?" Cyborg asks, worried.
"We've been playing his game. We have to start choosing our own battlefields, stick together rather than go in one at a time." Robin explains, creating a strategy in his head.
"Why couldn't he have figured this out before?" Cyborg whines to himself.
"Please Robin, I thought Jump city was our choice for a field of battle?" Starfire asks, confused.
"Normally, yes, but in this case our foe uses the battlefield to his advantage much more than we can. So we need a place to limit his creativity." Robin says this half to Starfire and half to himself.
"Not many places like that." Cyborg notes.
"If we can't find one, than we'll just have to make one." Growls Robin.
"Right then. When do we start looking?" Cyborg asks, raring to go despite their recent defeat.
"I think we should wait until tomorrow." Robin says. "We're all tired, not to mention hungry."
"Alright, but we gotta do something soon. I'm going a bit crazy, as funny as this entire situation is, I want this over with soon." Cyborg admits.
"Agreed. I too wish our friends to return to normal." Says Starfire.
"But first." Cyborg grins. "I'm making dinner! Time for steak!"
###
"I don't WANT to calm down!" Roars the red-cloaked emoticlone.
"You has to. I knowes yous is mawd, but Waben will lose contwol if yous stays mad. Tings will tart to bweak. So pwese twy to cam doon." Beast Boy pleads, putting on "the face".
"Mumbo must pay!" Rage hisses. "I shall not calm until he is taken down."
The changeling watches the angry emoticlone for a moment before making a plan. "Fine, keep thwowing a tantwum wike a big bahbey."
Rage spun around to face him. "What did you say?!"
"Yous is a bahbey, Was! Wah!" Beast Boy pretended to cry and dramatically rubs his hands under his eyes to wipe away imaginary tears.
Rage's face grows red. The shapeshifter swears he can see steam coming out of the girl's ears.
"You little..." She seethes. Her hands are partially stretched out with clawed hands towards Beast Boy.
'Mission complete.' Thinks the changeling.
###
"Mumbo must be taken down." Raven seethes. "It's all his fault I'm like this! His fault and Beast Boy's!"
Raven stops short. "Wait, why am I blaming Beast Boy? Have I become so used to blaming him that I think everything is his fault?" Her eyes become sad and downcast. "What sort of friend am I? I blame the only person who incessantly tries to include me for something he didn't do."
Contrary to popular belief, Raven is not blind to the reason Beast Boy bothers her. She just chooses to keep up her facade of reclusiveness, and so that she doesn't get emotion dragged out of her and cause damage. (Despite the fact she's been having mood swings and nothing bad has happened, not very good at noticing these things, is she?)
"Speaking of Beast Boy, where has he been for the last little while?" She ponders. "He disappeared when the HIVE attacked... Why can't I remember where he went?"
The empath sits down on her bed, fighting guilt while wracking her brain to remember just what happened to Beast Boy.
###
"I guess that worked..." Brave says slowly, observing the scene. The emoticlones had heard Rage yelling at Beast Boy and had come to help. Rage had faltered within a few seconds of her yelling, and Timid had broken down, crying about being a bad friend.
"Not exactwy what I had pwanned." Beast Boy admits. He is sitting beside Timid, stroking her head to calm her.
"What WAS your plan exactly?" Asks Knowledge, crossing her arms.
"Waben id aways wowwying aboud her powahs destwoying tings, buh when she geh mad at me, noting evah bweaks. So I wad twying to mak her mad at me, not Muhbo." The changeling explains.
"That's... Pretty smart. I never noticed that. But I think you have your priorities wrong." Knowledge scolds.
A confused look crosses Beast Boy's face. "Wahs mowr impowtan dan stopan tuff fwom gehtan bwown up?"
"Catching Mumbo." Rage growls.
"Finding a cure." Rude suggests.
"Not thinking badly of you for something that isn't your fault." Timid whimpers.
"Making sure you aren't in danger." Knowledge adds. Beast Boy is about to protest that Raven's powers have never actually hurt him or anyone aside from villains when she loses control, but Happy pipes up.
"Being happy!" She cries, "playing games and being with friends!"
"Food."
...
Everyone's heads turn to face the newest arrival: a brown-cloaked emoticlone.
"Hi Wazy!" Beast Boy says, waving a little hand.
"Sloth actually." The girl corrects, "but hey, whatever floats your boat." She floats over to the group and flops down with her head in Beast Boy's lap. "Do you guys know how long it took to get over here?" She sighs. "And I did it all to remind you that food is more important than anything else." Sloth pauses as she considers the changeling she is laying on. "Well, almost anything."
Happy giggles, Brave sighs, but grins, Rude just rolls her eyes, Rage shifts uncomfortably, Knowledge wipes her glasses, clearing the fog from them, and Timid tries to hide behind Beast Boy.
Sloth takes a lazy look around. "Man, Affection is gonna be annoyed that no one told her 'bout this little gathering."
"We're gonna have to go check on her though, I don't imagine she took our sudden case of dwarfism well." Rude mutters.
Brave pumps the air. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's roll!"
"I-I don't think that's a good idea." Timid whimpers. "Wh-What if h-he finds out?"
"It will be a relief. I'm tired of badgering Rae about it." Brave huffs.
"It would improve Raven's mental state." Knowledge mentions.
"I might not be used as much if he finds out, but hey, I really wouldn't care." Rude mentions casually.
"What she said." Mutters Rage.
"If it turns out well everyone would be happy, happy!" Squeals the pink emoticlone.
"We would need to move around more." Sloth complains. "Though... Some of Raven's "rest" might be quite a bit more... Enjoyable." A sly grin break out over her face.
Timid, who had been horrified as she listened to everyone, almost fainted upon hearing Sloth.
"Honestly, you're worse than Affection. Well... When she's not acting extreme." Brave rolls her eyes.
"I think SOMEONE here might not mind extreme." Sloth says, looking up at the changeling.
"Umm..." Is his only reply, he doesn't really know what to say. 'At least she acknowledged you were here listening to everything.' He thinks to himself.
Knowledge coughs. "If we're quite done slinging around obscure phrases, we should go now."
"Aye, aye captain!" Happy cries, springing to attention. Everyone starts following Knowledge, weather by flying or disk-riding.
Chapter 11 complete. Onward to Affection! She's going to be slightly...Unstable. It seems Raven is starting to remember what happened. I explained before why she forgot, in case you didn't know.