These Black Eyes

by P0ST

The ongoing adventures and experiences of the Teen Titans, as witnessed through the eyes of a silent newcomer.

15. A Hive at the Opera part 4

15. A Hive at the Opera part 4

"No kidding…Killer Moth and the whole kitten caboodle? If you pardon the pun…."

"No joke, Cyborg," Beast Boy chirped into the communicator. "I saw 'em with my own eyes! He and Kitten are staking out here at the opera house and are planning to strike on the night of the final showing. I bet you every ounce of my allowance that he's got his bugs with him too!"

"Then you must not be betting too much," Cyborg said on the tiny screen.

"….excuse me?" Beast Boy blinked.

"Listen," Cyborg said, a little agitated as he looked frustratingly at something or someone off screen. "Did you actually see a hive there? A nest of those creepy crawly moths of his?"

"Well…er…not yet," Beast Boy scratched his neck.

I glanced at him and smirked slightly from where I played solitaire.

"But I did see him wander off into a crawlspace with a bunch of chemicals!" Beast Boy added. "They looked a lot like the sort of stuff we found in his house's basement last time we nabbed him."

"Until you find the hive, you're not to interfere with what he's doing, got it?" Cyborg stated.

"Awwwww….but Noir and I can handle them! I know it!!"

"No, Beast Boy. It's Robin's orders," Cyborg grunted, staring at something off screen again. "There's no telling how many bugs he might have hanging around and how capable he is of unleashing them on you two if you so much as---HEY! I SAID JUST A MINUTE! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE DYING, YA KNOW!!" He exhaled and moaned exhaustedly. "I was not programmed for this!"

"Hey Cy….everything okay?" Beast Boy remarked, sweatdropping.

"Nothing I can't handle," the android replied. "Just do as your told and we'll provide backup as soon as we can. I'm a little….busy at the moment."

A mumbling off screen.

"I said, just a minute!!" Cyborg again moaned.

"Okaaaaaaay," Beast Boy blinked. "I suppose we'll just….investigate further."

"Thanks, B.B. Truly. Hang in there man, and call us if anything else comes up."

"Over and out."

"That's my line!"

"S-Sorry."

-blip-

I raised my eyebrows and continued with solitaire.

"Bummer…," Beast Boy said, lying back with his head on the floor. Then he grinned up at the ceiling, "But non-bummer too!"

"???" I looked at him.

He turned over and smiled at me, "We get to be more heroic! Just you and me! The thorn in the side of these creeps!"

I rolled my eyes under my shades.

"No seriously!" he jumped onto the bed and struck a prose in front of the Victorian Window. "Beast Boy and Noir! Opera Detectives!! What do you think?"

I held up a 'joker' card.

"Pfft. You're no fun," Beast Boy said, jumping on the bed absent-mindedly. "So what if you're stuck here, impersonating a rich businessman's son, caught in the balance of an opera show's fate?"

I pointed at him without looking up from my cards.

"I know…I know…it was all my idea!" Beast Boy spun and landed in a sitting position on the side of the bed. "But you wait and see, it was a good idea! We've nestled in here just fine, and now we've got all the momentum we need to unearth Kitten's and Killer Moth's plot from beneath them! Well, maybe it's just Killer Moth's plot. But Kitten's got to go too! She's too….pink and…..female doggish. If you know what I mean, heheh."

I gestured out the door where Ms. Cartwright last left us.

"So? We need her more than anyone to believe that you're Mr. Allenthorpe Jr.!" Beast Boy said. "Trust me, I know a lot about women—"

I looked at him suspiciously.

"I do!" he pouted, arms crossed. "And believe me, she'll understand once all this is said and done and we've saved her opera show."

I sighed depressingly.

"Awwww…come one, Noir!" Beast Boy leaned forward and grinned. "You're a handsome guy and I'm a charming fellow! Combined, we're to die for!…Er, that is for women to die for us, ya know."

I cleared my throat.

"You should revel in the fact that you…me…er…us…WE. Yes, *we* have such an effect on girls!"

I raised my hand up to signify Cartwright's height.

"So she's a woman. Not like it's illegal or something, right?"

I blinked at him.

"How old are you anyhow? Twenty one?" Beast Boy asked.

I wanted to laugh. I composed myself and laid out three cards. A seven of hearts, a three of hearts, and a seven of diamonds.

Beast Boy read them, calculated, and looked up at me. "Seventeen?!?!"

I scratched my neck, blushing.

Beast Boy thought for a while. "Ah well…as long as you don't kiss or anything."

My black eyes bugged. I gestured emphatically and pointed out the door again.

"She just wants to have lunch with you. Big deal. You just keep her busy and—"

I pointed at myself, then Beast Boy.

A pause. "Oh right," Beast Boy blinked. "Heheh…we would have to be together on that one, wouldn't we?"

I sighed.

"Well, I'll go and spy on Kitten again BEFORE then. And maybe I'll find the whereabouts of the hive and know where to strike once the rest of the Titans are….er….unbusy."

I looked out at the night's sky through the window.

Beast Boy blinked. "Ah….yeah…sleep would be good, though."

I stood up and walked over, looking out through the glass.

Beast Boy yawned, stretched, and stood up, blinking. "Man…no rest for the weary. I tell you what, my first day morphing into a cheetah…I slept so long afterwards that my underarms grew fungus. And when your whole body's green, it stays undetected for a wh—"

Suddenly, I leapt towards the door, morphed into smoke, and blurred under the frame and down the hallway.

"……," Beast Boy blinked. "I'VE TAKEN A SHOWER SINCE THEN!!!" A beat. "Sheesh…hope he doesn't get us both in trouble!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

In mid-sprint, I whipped out Myrkstaff and headed downstairs. My intense speed combined with the shadowed hallways and rooms made me practically undetectable as I whooshed my way towards ground level and out the door. I skidded to a stop on the front, marble steps of the Westhaven Opera House. About half of the yard's grass was on fire. It lit the nearby night sky with a blinding, amber fury that ate its way through my shades and stabbed into my eyes.

I winced and looked around, hoping to find something to possibly extinguish the flames with. But at the rate of the spreading flames, it seemed best to summon others for assistance. Yet I had to be careful not to reveal my presence here or else it could ruin the Allenthorpe image and tip off Killer Moth.

It's a good thing it was night.

I turned practically invisible under the curtain of darkness and blurred over in the direction of the tents. A few workers and stagehands were camped out for the night in little sleeping tents, but it was one of the larger ones I headed for. There I found an assortment of props and structures built for the play. I looked at them, I looked at my staff, I looked at them again.

Something here has got to make some noise.

I glanced over and saw an anvil.

Ah ha!

I stepped over and swiftly collided Myrkstaff with it.

CRUNCH!!!!

The anvil—obviously made out of foam and not steel—collapsed under my strike.

"…..," I sweatdropped. I looked around for something truly solid and found the metal tent pole holding the canvas up. I rhythmically struck it with Myrkstaff, creating a loud reverberation that echoed into the night.

Soon, lantern lights and flashlights erupted from the various sleeping tents, along with aroused voices.

My work there was done.

Now for the fire.

I blurred back over to the front of the opera house and was not surprised to see the fire spreading even further. Though the waking workers would likely rush to take care of it, the disaster was still too widespread for them to handle alone. I had to do something to calm the flames at least ever so slightly until they got there.

I remembered something during my dash downstairs. I blurred into the building and ran to the base of the stairs leading to the opera boxes on the second floor. There I found a fire extinguisher on the wall. I unhooked it and—instead of returning to the entrance—I ran up to the second floor, found a window, pushed it open, and stood out on an outcropping of marble over the entrance's arch. Below me was the sea of fire, flooding outward more and more. I took a breath, lifted the extinguisher over my head, and tossed it firmly so that it embedded into the ground in the center of the flames.

I then held Myrkblade up as a javelin and charged it mightily with murk power. Smoke billowed out from my limbs and shades, forming an obsidian 'tooth' around the body of the weapon as I aimed at the fire extinguisher, gasped, and launched Myrkblade down.

WOOOOOSH!!!

The blade skewered through the heart of the metal extinguisher. A split second later, my stored up murk energy exploded outward from the wooden blade, shooting shrapnel and CO2 everywhere. The spray was powered up by the murk, and it hushed the flames in a radius of six meters; turning the blaze into a small grassfire again. Nothing the stagehands and workers couldn't handle.

I jumped, flipped, and landed in the center of the cleared, smoking ground. I picked up Myrkstaff, wiped the CO2 from its handle, and sheathed it. Out of the corner of my shades, I spotted a throng of panicked workers heading my way with buckets of water and other fire extinguishers. They were mere shadows beyond the amber foreground. One of the workers was taking her sweet time, staring from long distance at the chaotic scene. A touch of amber glinted off of transparent glasses and brown hair and I winced.

I hid invisibly in the darkness-hopefully before I could be seen, and leapt out of the blaze. It didn't even occur to me in those scant minutes of panic and adrenaline what ever could have caused the fire. But as I alighted back for 'Allenthorpe's' room in the attic of the opera house, I could have sworn I saw a dark figure in the woods—nubile and nimble—hopping off into oblivion as soon as I had made my move.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

When I reached the attic, the lights were out. Beast Boy was nowhere to be seen.

I scratched my head, shrugged, and gave up on the thought of looking for him before it even crossed my mind.

I fell into bed—one of the most comfortable beds since…..oh….last night? And I was under.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

When morning came, I was the most relaxed I'd ever been in a while. Sunlight poured in through the window, haunting my black eyes underneath my shades. Thus—for the first time in hours—I was moved to turn to my other side and face the wall. In turning, I realized I had been cuddling a relatively furry pillow. The pillow purred when I turned over, but drowsily I thought nothing of it.

That is, until the pillow stretched, lost its fur, and turned into an equally drowsy green elf that stirred, settled into the covers, and was still.

A beat.

My eyes popped open.

Beast Boy's eyes popped open.

We were practically nose-to-nose.

"WAAAAAH!!!"

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Beast Boy rolled/fell off the bed.

I jumped up on my side, my head violently contacting one of the wooden beams of the attic's ceiling. WHAM!!!!

"OOF!!!" Beast Boy fell onto the floor.

"……," I dazily fell back onto the bed, tumbled off, and landed on top of him.

WHUMP!!

"UGH!!"

Then I rolled off a few feet.

Silence….stars…

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh," Beast Boy sat up, clutching his stomach, tearing ever so slightly. "Dude. Tell me….we weren't like that….the whole night….."

We were like that the whole night.

I gestured, knowing he wouldn't understand. Maybe I just wanted God to understand. I dunno.

My freakin' head……

"My freakin' chest…," Beast Boy winced. "It was you who got in bed last. Did you not see me last night?!"

I sat up on my knees, gestured madly, and lifted the sheets—pointing under it.

"I have you know," Beast Boy lifted a finger, "…that sleeping as a feline is the best way to go!" He winced a bit at his rhyme, but nevertheless continued: "Next time you want to share a cot, just ask. And I'll find a place more visible to lay my furred head down!"

It's not like we made sleeping arrangements to begin with! Son of a--

-KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK-

Both Beast Boy and I stared at each other. In a flash we both jumped up. I tossed on the 'Allenthorpe' suit. Beast Boy made the bed. I hid Myrkstaff. Beast Boy hid his communicator.

By the second round of knocks, I stood in front of the door and Beast Boy hopped onto my shoulder.

My body sagged.

I blinked. I raised a hand and lightly bopped Beast Boy atop the head.

BONK!

"OW! What the heck—oh yeah." And he swiftly turned into a perching green parrot. Blushing.

I cracked my neck, composed myself, and opened the door.

Sandy.

"Morning rehearsals are starting soon, Mr. Allenthorpe," the brown-haired intern said. "Ms. Cartwright wanted to tell you that you're welcome to come witness them."

~Very fine idea, Miss Sandy~ Beast Boy didn't waste any time. ~Just allow me to….feed my bird and I'll be down in a second.~

"Ms. Cartwright also wanted to let you know that things are going as planned despite the mishap last night."

I knew instantly, but Beast Boy was asleep at the time. So….

~And just what happened last night?~

Sandy blinked behind her glasses. "You mean you don't know, sir?"

~No, my dear. I am in the dark. Tell me about it.~

"…….ahem," the girl cleared her throat. "The fire, sir. We were able to put it out."

~The fire??~

"Yes…we think one of the signs sparked or something last night. There was a huge grassfire in front of the opera house's entrance way. But we were all quick to put it out."

The green parrot looked at me. I cleared my throat and stayed focused on Sandy as I gestured.

Beast Boy filled my lips, ~Well…nothing to worry about then. This team here is top notch. You seem more than able to handle any mishap that may occur. I…er….f-feel safe under the same roof as you people. It's one of the major reasons I'm financing Il Trovatore here to begin with!~

Sandy stared. Then, "I guess it's only all the more special…being that this is your first time your father and yourself have worked with the Westhaven Opera House."

I wanted to pause on that for some awkward reason, but Beast Boy had other plans.

~Yes, indeed!~

Sandy slowly nodded. Then headed off, "I'll tell Ms. Cartwright that you're coming."

~You do that, dear. I look forward to the rehearsals.~

I closed the door.

Beast Boy hopped off and into Elf form.

"Okay…like. I have an idea. We go downstairs. You sit down to watch the rehearsals. Since that'll take a while and you'll be watching more than listening, that should give me time to flap off and search around Kitten's room for some more clues. What do you say?"

I absolutely hated it.

"Splendid!" Beast Boy grinned. "It's a plan of action! As your captain, I say…" and he hopped back onto my shoulder as a bird and pointed two feathers forward. "Engage!"

I rolled my black eyes and exited the room.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

On the elaborate stage, actors meandered about in the vocal representation of Leonara and Manrico and the confessions of their loves. The casting director watched from proximity. I sat in the front row, Cartwright a few seats down. Beast Boy on my shoulder. My nerves on edge.

I wonder what I should fear most? The duration of this rehearsl, or the fact that I haven't taken a shower in twenty-four hours?

I glanced over at Cartwright. She smiled and coyly looked away.

Probably both.

I looked upon the stage and spotted Kitten in the background—doing her gypsy best to stay out of focus. At one glance at me, she smiled and snuck in a wave when the casting director wasn't looking.

What had Beast Boy gotten me into?

But then again, was it all truly his fault? I was as much a part of this operation as he was. I had a great deal of responsibility involved with this position…this place…these people.

It's not as much the part of portraying a stranger that got me feeling paranoid, but the impact it could possibly have on the very people we were trying to save. I assumed that Beast Boy acquired most of his---well, some of his detective skills from Robin. And if Robin did the very same thing that we were doing on many of his quests of old, then perhaps there was something excusable to believe in.

But it truly is disturbing when you're caught in a situation full of its fair share of deceit and intrigue. Everything is up close and distant at the same time. And you can't help but feel like it's all your fault…or all your benefit. Or both at once until it becomes a sick feeling that nestles itself annoyingly in your brain and heart and sweat glands.

I glanced around the stage and audience. Sandy was nowhere to be found. And oddly enough, that made me feel better. Though I didn't know why.

A scene shift, and Kitten's presence was no longer needed. She sauntered her suddenly-docile way off stage. That was all Beast Boy needed. He pecked my ear with a beak, winked a bird eye, and flapped off in silent pursuit. I bit my lip and sat still, hoping—for once—that the next scene of rehearsals would take its sweet time. I surely wanted Beast Boy and his voice back before…before…

I glanced over at Ms. Cartwright.

..….yeah.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Kitten toe-tapped down the hallway between a stage-hand or two and scaled a flight of stairs alone.

Beast Boy switched from bird to frog to mouse to lemur to rat to bird again in his pursuit. Soon, Kitten was at her walk-in room. She glanced behind her, forcing Beast Boy to become a transparent jellyfish momentarily. Then she entered, and a slithery Beast Boy scaled under the closing door and slid into secrecy inside a shadowed corner.

As soon as Kitten was inside, she spun around—sighed dreamily—and FWUMPED onto the bed.

"Ohhhhh….he is so much like him!"

Beast Boy blinked behind turtle eyes.

Kitten looked around as if to check if the coast was clear, and reached under the neckline of her very own gypsy blouse to extract a folded photograph of none other than--

"Robby-Poo….," she cuddled the photo of the Boy Wonder to her cheek. "Why is it that we are forbidden to see each other and yet I can't stop spotting your handsome face in every man I see?!"

Beast Boy made a puking noise, covered his mouth with a paw, and retreated into the rafters of the room on bird feathers.

"Mr. Allenthorpe is sooooo much older than me," Kitten said. A pause, then a devious smile. "That's what makes it all the more naughty!! Hehehehehehehehehehehehe….Ohhhhhh Robby-Poo, do forgive me! Distance is such a tragic poison!"

"M-Maybe the casting director should give her a bigger part…," the green parrot mumbled to himself up above.

"UGH!!! I do hope *DADDY* gets done with this STUPID gig of his!" the girl growled, riding a sudden mood swing. She hid the photo back in her…in her………….she hid the photo back. "Just what IS he doing down there?!" Kitten growled and headed for the wall panel.

"!!!" Beast Boy saw an opportunity. He crawled after her as she slid open the panel and scurried down the space. The door shut loudly behind him as he found a shadowed niche to pursue her in. He didn't waste any time.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I drummed my fingers on the armrest.

I tapped my foot.

The rehearsals went on…and on…and on.

Cartwright glanced at me.

I glanced at her.

I smiled.

She smiled.

I looked away.

She looked away.

I tapped my foot.

I drummed my fingers on the armrest.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Kitten dropped down the crawlspace and into an underground cellar of sorts. She wandered off, her gypsy sandals rustling against wooden planks stretched over raw soil.

A green koala slid down a metal pole and watched after her. The mammal leapt to the ground and landed in the form of an elven Beast Boy. The changeling slid slowly in pursuit, his back against the earthen wall. He pricked his pointed ear after her and felt the resonations of her footsteps. When they grew distant, he peered around the corner, saw a distant, lit room, and crouch-walked towards it. He slid against another wall and approached the room silently. As he got into proximity of the interior, he heard voices. He listened carefully…

"Daddy?!?!" Kitten hissed. "Just what are you up to now—"

"SHHH!!" Killer Moth hacked back. "On the phone with a very important man, Kitten."

"Hmpph!"

"Ahem…sorry about that, sir." Pause. "Yes…everything's going as planned." Pause. "Who am I to know what's been going on to the opera house?! So a couple of stagehands dropped a light fixture and a fire broke out last night. It's out of my hands and into the lap of that Cartwright woman." Pause. "Why of course she's important. She keeps the focus off of our back. At least….so that nothing of our backs has been seen." Pause. "Yes…the continuing of the show is vital to our plan." Pause. "I am most grateful, sir. I'll keep you posted."

--click—

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes. "Who's he talking to……?"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I looked up at the ceiling of the opera house….the lights and the catwalks. I looked at each side of the stage. The backdrops. The curtains. I looked behind me, before me, and beside me.

No green parrot.

The rehearsals were coming to a close.

I sweatdropped.

I tapped my toe.

I drummed my fingers.

A figure to my right stood up.

I bit my lip.

I looked down.

"Mr. Allenthorpe…I was wondering…"

I looked up and smiled suavely at Ms. Cartwright.

"…were you still interested in that dinner arrangement?"

No……No…No No No No No No! God! This poor woman!

I looked behind my shoulder.

No parrot.

"You've been so quiet today….is something on your mind, sir?"

Suddenly I brightened. I reached for a pen and paper from the casting director's notes nearby. I scribbled down in neat handwriting a simple phrase that I held (proudly) up for the dark-haired woman to see.

Cartwright read it aloud: 'I have laryngitis'.

I made an apologetic face underneath my shades.

"Awww…that must be most uncomfortable, sir," Ms. Cartwright said. "How unfortunate that it would plague you at such an important visit as this."

I smiled and nodded.

"So, shall we go to the verandah? The meal's already prepared."

My smile faded. I cleared my throat. I bit my lip, my knuckles cracked.

No parrot.

I slowly stood up, grinned, and extended her my hand.

She chuckled sophisticatedly and took it.

And we went to Hell.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Was that who I think it is, Daddy?"

"Yes. You know I must confer with him every so often. It's for the sake of our task at hand."

"But you don't seriously think we're gonna let him in on the goods, huh?! That's all ours, right?!"

"Now Kitten….you know that he helped us out of prison. So as to not raise too much suspicion, we must work along with him as much as we can and---"

"I can't believe you're saying this!!" Kitten cackled. "My own dad! Nothing but a coward!!"

"Rrrrrrghh…that's enough, *daughter*…."

"No, it's not enough!! Listen to me for once!!"

Beast Boy peered around the corner. He saw Killer Moth and his daughter frowning at each other in the middle of some sort of laboratory. Giant tubes full of bubbling liquids stretched from floor to ceiling in random places. Then there was an assortment of desks full of chemical vials and experimental materials.

And yet no hive……

"Fluff it…," Beast Boy frowned. He turned into a snake and dashed under a nearby table to get closer in on the action.

"We don't need that old dirtbag on the phone!" Kitten frowned, then grinned. "Mr. Allenthorpe is ready and willing to help us out. I know it."

"Why??" Killer Moth scowled at his daughter. "Because he offered you empty promises of show business?!"

"He's young, rich, and full of himself!" Kitten spat back. "He won't know what he's investing in until one of your bugs are chewing through his liver!"

Beast Boy turned back to Elf form and watched. He twitched as something bright and pink blurred in the corner of his eyes. "Huh?"

"I keep telling you, Kitten," Killer Moth went on. "…only Daddy gets to release the moths from now on!! Be respectful of me! The last time I let you have your way---"

"That was not my fault!!!!" the girl shrieked. "Now I am an aspiring actress! Now you're gonna get a fortune from half of the nation's wealthy theatre goers! Back then, I was just a teeny-bopper, but now I've grown up!!! And I think I have more sense in me than you give me credit for, Daddy!! So give me some slack and stop dwelling on some unlucky past!!"

Just then, there was an unearthly chuckle filling the entire cave.

"Hehehehehehehehe…………" It was more like a giggle. Girl and woman combined. It made the hair rise.

"EEK!" Kitten jumped into her dad's arms and looked around fearfully. "Wh-What's that?!!"

"The way you sweat so……you know nothing about 'luck'……"

Killer Moth dropped his daughter with a THUD! and raised his fists. "Who are you?! Show yourself!!"

"Oh, I believe I already have……hehehehehehehe……"

Beast Boy sweat, trembling ever so slightly as he tried to make heads or tails out of the whole ordeal.

Kitten rubbed her rear and stood up, looking around anxiously at the shadows.

"What do you mean by that?" Killer Moth inquired. "I've never heard you before." He looked over at his daughter. "Kitten, were you followed??"

Beast Boy gasped and hid low under the table more.

"No, Daddy! H-Honest! I was alone the whole time when I came down here."

There was a streak of pink light.

Kitten shrieked.

Killer Moth let out a yell and tossed a stool across the room—only to watch it smash against a nearby wall.

The pink blurred behind him.

He spun about and kicked, only to knock over a table full of chemicals.

Giggling. Pink. Streak—TAP! (on the back)

"RRRRRAUGH!!!" Killer moth spun to punch the intruder, but found his daughter's face instead. His fist stopped just inches before possibly making contact with her gasping lips.

"Looks like fate loves to play games with you………" the voice mused.

"What sort of test is this?!?!" Killer Moth wrenched his fists. "What business do you have here in Westhaven?!"

"I'd like to call it a lottery………a lottery of talents……"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Meanwhile…up on dry earth…in the dry sun….

Ms. Cartwright and I sat under the scant shade of the verandah. She was quite busily employed in her food. I, on the other hand, didn't have much of an appetite.

In the background, workers were busily replacing the burnt earth with fresh soil from the back of a dumptruck that had been ordered in that day. The huge, heavy vehicle upended its rear frame and deposited huge loads of dirt onto a red patch where a bunch of workers were ready with shovels and other tools to smoothen it into place.

Ms. Cartwright's voice kept me in focus as she went on…and on….and on…..and….

"…and so it is I found myself here. I used to always travel with operas, but this house….this Westhaven, it captured me. It called me into its warm arms and showed me what real beauty and craftsmanship is. Once I had a real taste of it, I just couldn't let go. I wanted this place to be a part of me. The grass….the trees…the lake. Everything's so beautiful. And I get to be in charge of it all. Like Eve with a second chance. I owe so much to Mr. Anderson. And I hope you get to meet him. He should be coming here this afternoon."

I nodded.

She went on.

"Once this showing is over…Westhaven will be the Place. I mean, Il Trovatore is going to do it for us. If any play could, that's the one. You won't believe the wealthy people who have signed up for this occasion. Vreeland…Powers…Luthor…it will be a night to remember. And none of that commercial crap. There'll be no cameras for miles around. Just pure, legitimate, sophisticated entertainment. Culture at its very finest. All thanks to my life's effort, Mr. Anderson's patience, and—quite hopefully, sir—your very own support."

I gradually was staring at her. Silent.

She place a hand on my shoulder and smiled.

"We owe you, sir. The whole of us. The opera house. We won't ever make it if it's not for you and your…contribution…."

I nodded slowly, smiling weakly. I tried so hard. I couldn't feel any true joy for her. I felt so self-absorbed and guilty.

Where was that damn parrot?!

The distant dumptruck made a beeping sound.

Birds chirped in the distance.

Cicadas hummed.

"Why do you wear those sunglasses all the time, sir?"

I looked up at her.

She smiled and reached for them. "Take them off…I'm sure your eyes suit you just fine."

I gasped and pushed her hand back. The action was so sudden, in nearly frightened her.

It frightened me too. My cover was at risk. I cleared my throat and gestured…paused…paused…and paused some more.

"Heheheh," Ms. Cartwright chuckled. "I'm sorry to ask questions. It must be hard for you to talk without your voice and all."

I blinked at her from behind the shades.

"Laryngitis can be quite an annoyance, can't it?"

Duh……I'd forgotten!

I grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

She chuckled.

I sniffed forth a laugh.

And….

Silence.

"It means so much to me….your generosity, sir."

I looked away to hide my grimace while I imagined all the ways I was going to kill Beast Boy…

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The changeling sensed fear in the room. Perhaps it was his own. He shivered ever so slightly as the pink streak flew past Killer Moth again, taunting him. Making the costumed villain growl and grasp the air only to find nothing. Kitten was gradually having enough of it. She shouted forth into the empty ends of the cave:

"If this is a joke, nobody's smiling, idiot!!"

The stranger's voice chuckled from the far end of the chamber.

"Who am I to expect you to smile, Kitten? I've heard of a 'cat without a grin'……" A figure barely came into focus in the corner. A female figure. In the faint light of Killer Moth's evil instruments, the first noticeable thing was a pearly-white smile. "But a 'grin without a cat'……" The lips of the smile pursed as it faced their way. "……I've seen that already. And as luck would have it…I'm about to see it again. HA!!"

The figure flung a hand, and out from the wrist came two blindingly bright pieces of dice. They landed facing up with a five and a two before exploding in puffs of corrosive, pink gas.

Killer Moth and Kitten fell back, startled.

Beast Boy placed a hand over his mouth, scurried into a mouse, and found safety under another table across the way.

Through the curtain of gas, a nimble figure flipped and landed atop a desk, her hands on her hips.

Killer Moth coughed, hacked, and looked up through his mask. "You???"

Beast Boy glanced up too. His eyes widened.

"You seem to have known me," Jinx smiled, leisurely regarding the two from up high with pink cat eyes. But seemingly ignorant of BB. "What fortune is this? Hehehehe."

The man in the costume stood up, growling. "I thought the Titans locked you hired hulks of trash away!"

"Believe me," Jinx cocked her pink head and tossed a hand at him girlishly. "The feeling is mutual…"

"Our business is ours and ours alone…," the masculine villain retorted. "Go and bother some other criminal. I hear Slade is lonely this time of year."

"Oh puhhh-lease," Jinx sat down on the edge of the table and crossed her legs…dangling. "So possessive, Killer Moth? No wonder you drag that little, worthless doll of yours around. Must be terrifying to wake up to empty nest syndrome."

"Hey! Don't talk to my dad like that!" Kitten frowned. "Only I can talk to him like that!!"

Killer Moth stretched a hand out in front of his teen offspring and glared further at Jinx. "I think you more than get the picture. Get out of here before I sick the whole hive on you!"

Jinx chuckled and leaned her chin forward on two hands. "But that's where it gets interesting. I am a part of H.I.V.E.. Only my H.I.V.E. is of the intelligent gene pool. We took our interests in this opera house showing of Il Trovatore long before you did. And we intend to get all the profit that you get from your planned endeavor."

"Preposterous!" Killer Moth shook his fist. "You will not even see a single dime!" With that he charged at the young sorceress.

Beast Boy watched.

Kitten gasped.

Effortlessly, Jinx reached down, gripped the sides of the desk with her hands, jolted, and somersaulted forward. She landed with her feet impacting squarely with Killer Moth's shoulders. She shoved her weight into him, using his body as a spring board. No sooner, Jinx flipped, aimed her fingers at the villain, and shot a pulse of pink hex energy upside down and in mid air before landing with one last flip and a pose.

CRASH!!!!!

Killer Moth tripped as a result of the hex blast and sailed straight through another desk, spilling more chemicals.

Kitten gasped.

"What's the matter, Mothballs?" Jinx quirped. "Losing your grip on things?"

Killer Moth rubbed his head through his mask and groaned.

Kitten growled like the brat she was and charged Jinx, arms flailing.

Jinx sidestepped her, twirled, and threw a pink beam at the back of Kitten's head with one graceful wrist.

The blonde girl's hair leapt up like a burning bush and sank down in front of her face. "EEK!!" As a result, the girl kept running blindly till she slammed head-on into the rock wall of the room and collapsed with an "OOF!"

"Forgive me if I say that your hair color betrays you," Jinx smiled.

"What…..d-do you want….with us??" Killer Moth panted-growled.

"I want you to realize…," Jinx trailed off. She flipped towards the other side of the room and merely shrugged her shoulders. The act produced two slices of pink light. As a result, two chairs collapsed at the same time on opposite sides of the room. "You are not calling the shots here anymore." She jumped, twirled, and spun into the center of the room. Boards in the floor cracked. Fissures formed in the rock walls surrounding them. "H.I.V.E. has been watching you all along, and sent me as their messenger to warn you…" She slid across the room and leapt up with a split before twirling like an ice-skater and ending in a tai-chi like pose with deceiving, pink grace. Alas, a huge glass encasement of fluids exploded…sending shards and liquid everywhere. Beast Boy gasped and scooted away from the chemicals at the last second.

"Give us a share of the profits…," Jinx narrowed her cat eyes upon Killer Moth in the distance. "Or else."

Having practically pulled his wings off and bitten his fingernails at the chaos occurring within his workstation, a horrified Killer Moth stammered at the witch girl: "Just what good does H.I.V.E. make off of something like this?! I thought your organization was filthy rich enough as it is!!"

"Either you'll comply….or the opera will suffer the consequences."

"How do you mean?"

"Did I not tell you beforehand?" Jinx smiled. "I've shown you already……"

Killer Moth stared at her…then gasped. "You! It was you!! You've been behind the recent sabotage!"

Beast Boy muttered to himself. "Sabotage………," Images of fires and falling light fixtures blurred through his head. "So it was her……"

"These silly few days past have been nothing but a lottery of talents," Jinx reemphasized. She paced cutely across the room, one foot in front of the other. "Fate plays its hand and that hand shows up in random ways. It's like the world of show business itself. 'Fairness' is a word. The eye of the beholder is a very fickle thing. And—like life and death—who are we to guess as to the trends of its whimsical ways?"

The pink-haired girl spun and faced Killer Moth directly. "I'll make one prediction that I can guarantee is true. If you so much as try to resist H.I.V.E. in this matter…fate will not smile upon the Final Showing of Il Trovatore. I'll spin heads here so fast with calamity that they'll be at a loss for breath—much less words. And where will your precious hostage ransom be without hostages? Simple! Where will your hostages be without a show? There will be no show…for there will be no good fortune on account of me! And, thusly, on account of you! For being a stupid buffoon who doesn't know a good threat when he hears it!"

She spun—leapt—and perched on a tableside. "So…then….Killer Mockery. Care to press your luck?" she winked a cat eye at him and his dazed daughter.

Killer Moth was obstinate. He crossed his arms. "You don't scare me…witch…"

Kitten gulped.

Beast Boy gulped.

Jinx blinked. "…………………Very well then."

Killer Moth grinned.

"Though it's only fair to let you know…," Jinx yawned. "Ms. Cartwright got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. She looked in the mirror, saw her pretty face and for once felt young again. It's funny what amusing thoughts go through your head on the exact day that you die…"

Killer Moth's grin disappeared. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh…it's not like the papers will over exaggerate it or anything tomorrow," Jinx said nonchalantly, fluffing her pink hair with a flexing hand. "Things are about as exciting as they get when you get crushed alive under a verandah and run over by a dumptruck all in one minute!"

Beast Boy gasped. He looked directly at the exit. He looked back at Jinx.

Killer Moth turned pale. "What…e-exactly are you saying….?"

"Oh…I'm sorry!" Jinx made a 'sympathetic' face. "Did you earlier tell your 'mystery partner' on the phone that Cartwright's unwitting existence was important to your evil plot at hand? Jee…I had no idea! Too bad…I already made my itinerary to kinda sorta kill her in the next thirty seconds. Oh well. Bye now! Hehe!"

"No…WAIT!!!"

Jinx spun, tossed down a pair of dice, and disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

"Daddy! She's gonna waste that stupid woman! Where will our plans be now?!"

"In the garbage!" Killer Moth sweat, panicking. "Go up there, now! Warn her!!"

Kitten made a comical, mad dash for the exit.

But Beast Boy was already way ahead of her by twenty seconds….

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"My mother always told me…," Ms. Cartwright mused, smiling at the sky beyond the verandah's edges. "…that if I put my heart and soul into something…no matter how fantastical…I could make my dream come true, along with the dreams of others. Funny how she's helped me all these years. Even after she left this Earth…"

I was actually listening by now…. intently. Funny what time does to you…and exposure.

"One thing I've always admired about Il Trovatore…," she continued to absentmindedly share. "Is how it explores the issues of the mysteries imbued upon a child by his or her parents. It can affect generations further along forever. Quite remarkable…and sometimes, quite tragic."

I nodded slightly. Through the corner of my shades, I detected a flash of pink. Curious, I looked off towards the working crew. I caught sight of the dumptruck. Suddenly, the entire vehicle flashed a bright pink…shook…and rolled backwards toward us at an alarming momentum.

"!!!!" I stood up, my mouth slightly agape. I watched in incredulity as the vehicle rolled dangerously towards us from a long way's off. Before I could turn and 'gesture' something---

"AAAH!!" Ms. Cartwright shrieked.

I glanced over.

A pink light flashed between us. Then I realized…the ceiling of the verandah was simultaneously caving in.

Ms. Cartwright's work blouse had gotten caught in a nail sticking out from her bench. She struggled to get free as the roof came tumbling down.

Overwhelmed by the constant chaos from all sides, my eyes blurred into smoke and my fists produced murk as I dove desperately towards her body.

CRASH!!!!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The green Titan leapt up the passage way, rhinoed out of the wall panel, tigered out of Kitten's room, ostriched down the second floor hallway, monkey-leapt out of an open window, eagled down to the ground, crouched into an armadillo, and cheetahed around the perimeter of the opera house. When he reached open view of the verandah…there was no verandah left. He jumped up and switched to elf form as he stared—shock—at the collapsed roof and wooden rubble. Suddenly—to his further dismay—a huge, hulking dumptruck slammed into the pile of debris with pure, accelerated abandon.

SMASH!!!!!!!

A feeling of horror, disgust, and pain shot through the green elf's body so intensively that he grabbed the space of flesh over his heart and warbled forth: "NOIR!!!!!"