100. Those Black Eyes part 2
Creeeak!
The apartment door opened.
Janice and a bleary-eyed Tiffany and Hope behind her looked up.
"Allright, Lisa. We're here. What's up—YEEP!"
I yanked Janice in and then the other two.
"For the love of casserole, Lisa! What's going on—"
"Shhhhhh!" I hissed. I quietly closed the door and shoved the three towards my bedroom. "My sister's home……"
"And…like…what? Is she recording her latest album or something?! Why're we whispering—"
"Just get the Hell in there!" I grumbled, shoving the three in through the doorframe. I held the doorknob, looked cautiously out the wide window of my living room, then dashed in behind my three friends. I locked the door behind me.
"Not that I mind being locked in your room and stuff……," Janice folded her arms and smirked. "But what's gotten into your brain pan?"
I wrung my hands and looked at them nervously. I had my glass eye back in—of course—but the old glaze was back. "Did anyone see you on the way over here?"
"Not many people look for an outdated Volvo under the shade of midnight, Lisa……"
"Did YOU see anyone, then?"
"Uhm……," Tiffany blinked. "Where're you going with this, Lisa? Surely you didn't wake us up this late at night for an eye exam."
"Oooh! It's an impromptu club meeting!" Hope bounced. "You're ready to show your pic of Beast Boy and Beast Girl kicking Slade in the posterior!!"
"Starfire and Raven making love with razor blades?!"
"NO!!!" I quickly covered my mouth after my outburst, winced, and tried to go on nonchalantly. "Haven't you heard the news?"
"I had the radio on while brushing my hair out," Tiffany said. "Couldn't hear music for crap. Janice's reception is just about as bad as her fashion statement."
"Love you too, Tiff."
"I'm serious! Did you catch any of the news?"
"Yeah…something about someone escaped from prison."
"It's Fang," I droned.
The three fangirls murmured.
I wandered over to the one window in my room and peered out nervously through the edge of the curtains. "I saw him. He's wandering the buildingsides around here and the Titans are after him." I spun and looked at the three. "Are you SURE that you didn't see anything?"
Silence.
"I……um……er……"
"What, Hope??"
The girl simpered. "I-I could have sworn……I thought there was a spider in the car. Ya know? Like a second sense. Then I realized I was gazing tiredly up out the rear window. I-I could have seen Fang on the side of a building and just didn't interpret it right in my head. Brrrrrr……is he really out of jail already?"
"Worse than that," I took a deep breath. "He's almost got one of the Titans."
The girls gasped.
"Who??"
"No way…"
"That……meanie!!"
"Look," I held my hands out. "I'm sorry to get you all into this. But if I contact the police, I could draw too much attention and Fang could find the Titan! And there's no way to get in contact with his teammates and—"
"Lisa??" Janice's eyes narrowed. "Just what are you talking about?"
I gulped. I ran a hand through my chocolate brown bangs. "I……I-I've gotten a bit involved in this whole mess……"
"What whole mess?"
I glanced at the sketches of Noir along the wall. I glanced back at my friends.
""Fang, for one."
Janice's jaw dropped in concern and shock. "You met Fang?! D-Did he hurt you or anything?!"
"No…I-I'm quite alright. Luckily."
"That's crazy!" Tiffany remarked. "If you ran into Fang, you couldn't possibly have survived unless…"
"A Titan saved your ass."
I sweat and bit my lips. "Y-Yeah……and about that—"
"Really?! Who?!"
"Was it Robin?! Please tell me it was Robin!!" Tiffany rushed over and grasped my wrist. "Did he touch your hands?! If so…m-mind if I lick your fingers?" Her eyes were pleading and glistening.
"Ewww!! Screw off!"
"Pleeeeeease?!"
"It's not like that at all!! It's m-much more complicated! Just listen—"
Suddenly…
"Hey Lisa," Hope smiled pleasantly and pointed at the closet. "Your closet door is out of place."
I looked at her. I gasped. "No, Hope! Don't—"
She was already opening it to set the door…and naturally it happened.
FWOOOMP!!!!
Noir's stiff, paralyzed body fell down chest-forward and pinned the poor Hope to the floor.
"AAAAIEEEE!!!" she shrieked and writhed under the weight of him. "Molestation!! Molestation!!"
"Actually, Hope, it's 'rape'," Janice uttered.
"Rape!! Rape!!"
"Shut the Hell up! It's not rape!!" I scurried over and literally rolled Noir off of her.
Hope panted, jumped over the bed, and hid with her eyes poking up from the other side. "How……how……who……"
I sat on my knees and boredly explained: "So I went up to the rooftop when I thought I smelled something funny. Turns out it was Fang. Fang attacked me. Noir dove in at the last second and saved my life. A fight happened. And……um……his shades fell off and just when he was blinded, Fang paralyzed him. I somehow was able to knock Fang out and I brought Noir here. But more than likely, Fang's back and he's looking all around this building to find Noir. And when he does…it'll be a sad day for a Titan."
"Whoahhhhh," Tiffany exclaimed. She bent over and looked at the paralyzed boy. "So……like……is he dead?"
"No! He's paralyzed! Didn't I say that?!"
Tiffany looked up at Janice and smirked. "I hear that guys are erect when they die."
"The hell do I care?"
"HE'S NOT FRIGGIN' DEAD!"
"Hey…," Hope stood up from behind the bed. "It's Noir!"
"It IS Noir……cool."
A beat.
"Um……what's he doing here again?"
I smacked my forehead. "Didn't I just tell you?? I went up on the rooftop and—"
"But how'd you get him down here?" Janice asked.
I bit my lip. "I kinda sorta dragged him."
"Dragged?" Hope asked.
Tiffany was running a hand through his hair. "Man…look at his do!"
"Tiff!!"
"It's so silky……"
I all but kicked her off of him. "Knock it off, will ya?! He's alive and breathing, ya know!! He's aware of just about everything that's going on as we speak!"
"Just……he's paralyzed."
"Duh!"
"How long does that stuff last?"
Hope searched her mental databanks. "Less than a day, for sure. Remember when Francine Winters and Charlie Kent got zapped by Fang at the 'Date With Destiny' prom? They lasted about seven hours."
"It's rumored that Robin was zapped by the stuff at some time," Janice said. "But he was supposedly back on his feet in under three hours."
Tiffany beamed. "That's my boy!"
Everyone groaned.
A beat.
We suddenly realized that when 'everyone' groaned……it was all five of us.
Hope trembled. "I think he just did something…"
I rushed over and pulled at Noir's shoulders. I turned him over.
His lips were open in a pant. Desperate for air. The fall must have knocked his lungs out.
"He's coming to!" Tiffany remarked.
"You dolt!! He was always coming to!! He's just now getting control of his lips back!"
"Oooh…"
"Knock it off."
Janice leaned over me. "Hey there, champ. How's it going?"
Noir's teeth grit. His clenched eyes flinched. But they remained tightly shut.
"Well……most of his nerves are still fried," Janice said. "That or he's really enjoying something right now and he's not letting us in on his secret! Hahahaha!"
I frowned. "Not funny! Someone help me get him off the floor."
"And where should we put him?!"
"Somewhere decent."
Tiffany blinked. "The bed?"
Silence.
"M-My reading chair will do," I blushed.
"All right…"
"Gimme a hand here."
"Gladly—"
"Not you, Tiff. Janice."
"Oh. Sure thing!"
"Heave…"
"Ho!!"
Together, Janice and I hoisted the boy to his feet and sat him in the chair. Well, we didn't 'sit' him per se. He was too stiff with Fang's paralysis to have his legs bent. It's more accurate to say that he was leaning against the back of the reading chair with a huge space between his butt and the chair seat.
Silence.
"Well……at least he's 'comfortable' now," Janice smirked.
"Oh hush. It'll do for the moment."
"So…like…don't you guys think this is way too creepy?"
"How do you mean, Tiff?"
"Look!! Can't you see?!"
"Uh………yeah……"
"It's a Titan! A true, flesh and blood Titan!"
"Hello, Mr. Noir," Hope blushed. "Sorry about earlier. Don't worry. We won't hurt you. We're big fans."
I looked boredly at Hope. "I think he got that part, girl."
Tiffany walked forward and narrowed her eyes. "Why doesn't he talk? His lips are moving, right?"
"Duh. Noir's the mute Titan. He slashes with his sword and asks questions later!"
"Poor thing. He can hear us, right?"
"Uh……I think so."
"HEY MR. NOIR!!" Tiffany bellowed, making us plug our ears and wince. "IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE SAYING, CLICK YOUR TEETH TOGETHER ONCE FOR 'YES' AND TWICE FOR 'NO'."
"I don't think that's necessary, Tiff," Janice groaned. "Just wait for his hands to get better and—"
"His hands? What for?"
"He does sign-language, you dunce!"
"I know that!! But does anyone here understand it??"
"I do," Hope raised her hand. She blushed. "I took some classes in high school."
"Hey…you were there at that Titan autograph thingy in the field day!"
"What? So were you, Tiff!"
"And I never got to see Robin! They stopped the session when I was the third in line!! Pfft!" Tiffany folded her arms. "I could almost……smell his musky scent." A beat. "What sort of aftershave do you suppose he uses?"
"Pfft!" Janice cackled. "You've seen Robin!! He's a small fry! He'd be lucky to have to shave, much less have a grown up man's—"
"Ahem," I cleared my throat. "In case you nutcases haven't noticed…we have a situation here."
"Quite a handsome situation too," Tiffany rolled her eyes.
"A little less nymphomania and a little more respect, please," I grumbled.
"Fine, Lisa. Speak your peace."
"While we ramble on and on…there's a mutant creep outside this building trying to find Noir as we speak!"
"Eeek!" Hope exclaimed. "I hate spiders…especially when they've served prison time!"
"What do you suggest we do?" Janice asked. "Drive Noir out of here or something? Get him to the police department or even the Tower?!?!"
"No," I shook my head. "Fang's too smart for that, I'm sure. He'd spot us and try to take Noir away."
"And just why's it so important that we keep Noir and Fang separated?!" Tiffany remarked.
"I heard Fang," I said. "He kept going on and on about revenge! I think he wants to make Noir suffer in order to get back at the Titans for imprisoning him!"
"Come into my parlor, said the Fang to the Noir……"
"Exactly."
"It's probably best that we keep him here," Hope said. "He's been safe so far, right? And once his paralysis wears off…then he'd be in the condition to fend for himself! L-Like before!"
"Perhaps," I nodded.
"Wait a second…," Janice pointed. "Isn't he missing something?"
"His shades?" Tiffany asked.
"His sword."
I glanced over at Noir against the chair. His empty scabbard.
"Aw shit…," I palmed my fist. "How could I not notice……"
"What?"
"He dropped it on the rooftop. When he was paralyzed." I bit my lip. "I think I remember seeing it dropping somewhere besides the stairwell top. Where this annoying light flickered."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Well, poor Noir wouldn't be……so badass without his sword, right?"
A beat.
"Uh uh…," Tiffany shook her head. "Nobody's going up there for that thing! Not with Fang present and……er…somewhat accounted for!"
"But wh-what if Fang comes inside and we don't have Noir's sword?" Hope stammered.
Silence.
Then……
Footsteps.
Tiffany gasped. "Fang!!"
Hope shivered. "A mutant freak!!"
I craned my ear. I frowned. "Worse. My sister!"
Everyone jolted.
A beat.
"Hide him!!"
"Quick!!"
"Can't let my sister in on it!"
"Why not—"
"Trust me!!"
Janice and I tilted Noir up, spun and pivoted him into the closet, and stuffed him inside.
"What about us?!"
"Good point," I nodded. I grabbed Hope first—the tiniest—and shoved her into the boy's chest.
"Eeek!!"
Then went Tiffany…and then Janice.
Three fangirls and a superhero entangled with school clothes.
"If I hear so much as a breath…," I pointed, "…there'll be an impromptu clitoridectomy tonight..."
Tiffany blinked. She pointed at Noir. "B-But what about him—?"
THWUMP!!!
I slammed the closet door shut and brushed my hands off.
"Whatever…"
Right on cue, there was a knock on the bedroom door.
I took a deep breath. Opened the door to my sister. And smiled innocently. "H-Hey there, Sis."
She looked at me funny. Then at the lights on in the room.
A beat.
"What's up?" I asked, my head leaning to the side.
"What are you doing?"
"Exercises." I blinked.
"Whatever. Look, I got a phone call from a business partner."
I pouted. "Aww…not the Kobayashi Suites thing again."
"You hush up about that! This thing's important! With that last skyscraper of Kobayashi blown away by Slade…the businessman's willing to dig into his pockets and assure himself a final foothold in this City. We're lucky that I've been chosen to deal with it. I'm sorry to make these late night exits…but it's for the best of us. You and me, Lisa. We deserve better than this apartment."
"I understand," I moaned. "So…like…does that mean you're leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm leaving," she sighed, struggling to hold up a coat and fiddling around in her purse. "I should be back by noon. You'll stay out of trouble, right?"
Th-Thump! (From the closet).
I winced.
My sister froze. A suspicious eye trailed up.
"What was that?"
I swallowed. I took a breath. I leaned against the doorway and said: "Well……Sis……truth is, I ran into a giant spider person on the rooftop who was after a Titan whom I now have presently hidden in my closet squished up against my three best friends after dark."
"………"
"………"
"………pfft!!" she shook her head and headed for the apartment door. "You and your wyrd dreams."
I smiled pitifully. "I get it by being sarcastic."
"You didn't have to tell me," she opened the door and waved. "Get to bed soon. Sisterly advice. The world wasn't built on exercising."
I suddenly blurted: "Be careful…"
She looked at me funny. "For what?"
I gulped. I shrugged. "Raccoons?"
She rolled her eyes and was gone.
I sighed.
I closed the bedroom door and headed back to the closet. I opened it up and my friends practically spilled out, Janice first.
"Gawd!! Like…it smells like a tannery in there!!"
"Gee, Lisa. What's with you and leather?"
"I dunno…I rather like it."
"Hush up…all of you…," I reached inside and pulled the stiff-as-a-board Noir back out. "There's more here at stake than my fashion statement."
"Why'd you have to play the charade with your sister?"
"Shouldn't you have gone to her first?!"
"You don't know here like I do," I muttered. "She would have shrieked at the sight of Noir and gone straight to the police."
"And the problem with doing that is……………?"
"Duh! If police come here…Fang will follow them to the Titan!"
"Oh."
"Well, he could fight Fang off!!"
I let Noir fall on the bed. "Not yet, he can't," I said. I walked briskly across the room and put my shoes on. "And furthermore……not without his sword."
"Oh, wait now!" Janice gripped my shoulder. "Girl…girl…girl! You can't be serious!"
"I'm never serious."
"That's a lie."
"Damn right it is," I nodded. I went over to the door. "You prissies stay here and watch over him. If any part of him starts to move again…lemme know. We can then gauge how soon it is till the paralysis wears off."
"HEY!!" Janice barked.
I paused. I looked at her.
She had her hands on her hips. "I'm not a prissy!"
::::::::::::
"I said I wasn't a prissy," Janice whispered. "I didn't say I was Sigourney-Frickin'-Weaver."
"Shhhh!" I hissed. "I need to get a good look…" I slowly raised my head up and looked from the fire escape across the gravel of the familiar rooftop. There was no shadow. No disturbance. No Fang.
"So…you see the sword or not?"
I elbowed her.
"Ow!!" she uttered hoarsely. "Jeez…whack the lesbian, win a prize!"
"I've got to do this quietly. Or else I'm gonna have a lot of quiet from here on out."
"You're gonna volunteer at the library?"
"I'll be dead."
"Same difference."
"There!" I pointed with a hiss.
The light was flickering on again besides the stairwell. A familiar black sword rested on the rooftop.
I took a deep breath.
"Janice?"
"Yeah, Lisa?"
"Before I do this……I just want you to know."
"What?"
"I used Winona Ryder as a body type model for my Raven and Starfire commission I'm doing for you."
"Hey…no harm done. There'll be plenty of years left to kill you, right?"
I bit my lip. "We'll see."
I rushed out.
I power-walked.
I crouched like a panther.
I panted.
I reached the stairwell.
I
flung my arm down.
I scooped up the sword.
I exhaled.
I swiveled around.
I scurried back to the fire escape.
I stumbled once…
I recovered.
I hopped and skipped and--
"Whew!!" I nestled myself besides Janice on the metal platform and hugged the wooden sword to my heaving chest. "Groucho Marx, eat your heart out……"
The light to the stairwell top flickered off in the distance.
"You look like you just completed the Tour de France with one too many testicle."
"Stuff it, Janice. We gotta get back down."
"Gladly…"
She was about to descend—
"Wait!" I gripped her shoulder, gasping.
She froze.
A beat.
"Wh-What is it?" she whispered.
My glazed eyes darted towards the adjacent rooftops. "Don't you hear it?"
Her eyes narroed.
Silence.
"I'm afraid I don't—"
"Shhh!!" I insisted.
Janice craned her ear.
This time she too heard it. The sound of a pitter-pattering. Like tiny pebbles down a water spout.
Waterspout……
"It's him…," I murmured.
Janice slowly turned around.
She and I both saw an eight-legged shadow one block down against a buildingfront.
"Jumping Josephus!" Janice exclaimed. She yanked me by the collar.
"Ackies!!"
"We're going!!" she descended with me hobbling along behind with the sword. "We're going…we're going…we're going…we're going…we're going!!"
"Wait up!! My feet aren't as…er…footful as yours!!"
We rushed down.
The spider shadow hopped from building top to building top. Casually coming closer. Searching…
"Go go go go go go go go go!!" Janice chanted.
I whined, sweated, and rushed on her heels.
We reached the platform by my apartment window. We dashed in.
::::::::::::
I shut the window closed behind us. We crouched besides a couch. Watching. Waiting.
"…………"
"…………"
"…………"
"…………"
A shadow passed on the opposite side of the avenue.
Loud pitter patters. Clamorings. And--
WOOOOSH!!! CL-CL-CL-CL-CLANK!!! Fang scurried down the wall of our building. And he was gone.
I sighed.
"That was close…," Janice shuddered.
"Thanks, girl," I remarked to her with a slight grin. "You were really hoofing it to get us away from that creep, weren't you?"
"Yup!" Janice hobbled up to her feet and ran across the apartment. "Gotta go to the bathroom BAD!!"
"Whaaat?! Why you selfish little pri—"
CLUMP!!!
The door was closed and I could hear her using the toilet beyond with a satisfied sigh.
I rolled my one good eye and made for the bedroom.
"I swear…one of these days I'm gonna rip out her bladder and shove it down her—"
I opened the door.
I
immediately froze.
My right eye blinked incredulously.
Tiffany and Hope turned to look at me. Between them stood the paralyzed Noir, his lips expressing displeasure. He had a sunhat with flowers atop his head and a pink blouse draped around his shoulders.
"Um……," I droned, "…okay. What the Hell?"
"Well…you see," Tiffany played with her fingers and blushed. "It started out like this—"
Hope pointed, "Tiffany said that with his long black hair and stuff he kinda sorta looked like Liv Tyler. And I said 'fat chance of that'."
"And so we found some stuff of your sis and thought it would help prove my point."
"And then we started thinking: 'You know, he'd look good in pink and—'"
"You morons!!" I rushed forward.
"I tried to talk Tiffany out of it in the beginning!!" Hope exclaimed. "And it's not like he's in the position to complain!!"
"I mean…," I stammered and yanked the articles off him. "You went through my sister's stuff?!"
"Hey, your sister has good taste!" Tiffany retorted.
"Gotta admit," Hope giggled. "He looked pretty good with the fur coat."
"You kidding?? I'd throw paint on him if I saw him in the streets without a coat!! That hair looks positively like he ripped it off of a horse's rump!!"
There was a shrill whistle.
The three of us jumped.
We looked at Noir.
The Titan's lips pursed. With his eyes still stuck closed, he moved his neck…motioning for one of us to step closer.
My jaw dropped. "He can……move his neck??"
"Oh yeah…," Hope blushed. "And some of his fingers. I found that out when I was putting on the dance gloves."
"That's a good sign, right?" Tiffany remarked. "He can walk a straight line pretty soon, can he?"
"I dunno," I remarked, staring at him in awe. "Is there anything else he can move?"
WHOOOSH!!! His left leg suddenly twitched upwards, kneeing Tiffany in the rear. WHUMP!!
"AAAIEE!!"
Hope giggled.
Tiffany growled. "Why you fresh little wookie!!"
Noir's lips curved into a smile.
"Well, he has a sense of humor at least," Hope said.
I did something I hadn't done in a long time. Not even when talking with Alan.
I giggled.
Tiffany and Hope looked at me funny.
"Um……is Lisa still among us?"
I cleared my throat…blushing. "Um…he seems to be……vastly improving."
Janice walked into the room, shaking still-wet hands from washing them. "Hey there, guys. Did a bird just get run over or something? What the hell's going on?"
"Lisa was giggling."
Janice gasped. "The fourth and a half horsewoman! Lisa laughed! Locusts are supposed to fly out of God's butt and destroy us all or something!"
"He's getting back to normal…slowly," I uttered. "That's a good thing."
Again, his neck moved…motioning for one of us to step closer.
"I think he wants to say something…," Hope said.
"He can't move his hands yet," Tiffany remarked. "So no finger language."
I stepped forward. I spoke quietly: "Hello, Mr. Noir. Um…i-is there something you're wishing to tell us?"
He swallowed. His lips moved dramatically…slowly.
I raised my right eyebrow.
His lips repeated the same motion. His mouth turned small as if he was saying 'moo', then grinned wide with a lapping tongue like he was doing a fonze impression.
"The Hell……?"
Tiffany blinked. "'Moo' 'gay'?"
"'Money'?" Hope remarked.
I shook my head. "No…I don't think so."
Noir repeated. I could hear a breath coming out of his lips. Pure air. No voice whatsoever. There wasn't even a flexing of his skin where the 'X' shaped scar was……
"'Myrkblade'……," Janice remarked.
Hope's jaw dropped. "Of course! The name of his sword! That's what the magazine says it's called!"
"Good going, Janice!" Tiffany beamed. "Lucky guess?"
Janice smiled proudly. "I have a way with lips."
"Oye……"
Noir summoned some gargantuan effort and nodded his head.
"So…he wants Myrkblade."
I stared at him.
"………………………Lisa?"
"Oh! R-Right……ahem," I blushed and slowly handed him the blade, hilt first.
His fingers slowly closed around it…brushing up against mine.
I looked at him.
His closed-eye face tilted in my direction.
I cleared my throat and stepped back, letting him have his swords.
His body still stiff, he clenched his fingers tightly around the hilt. He leaned what he could of his head back and breathed in through his nostrils. He seemed to shake and strain for a second…and then relaxed. Suddenly, a dark mist like smoke oozed into existence around the contours of his wooden blade.
Hope gasped and jumped back, hiding behind Janice with a childish tremble. God, she was adorable…
"Looks like he's enjoying himself," Tiffany smirked.
"He's……," I narrowed my good eye. "…………meditating."
"How do you know?"
"Well, what else could he be doing?"
'I dunno…," Janice shrugged. "Getting one Hell of a buzz?"
I turned from the half-smoking Titan and faced my friends with a sarcastic glare of glaze. "If you were in his position right now, would you be so pleased?"
"All stiff and helpless and surrounded by fangirls?"
"………"
"Eh."
I turned and looked at him again. Even though we all knew he was paralyzed, there was an awkward optical illusion of his stance being that of strength and vigor as he leaned upright against the bedpost with the sword in his one good hand. His head tilted back and he breathed slowly as he let the smoke course slowly up his body…rejuvenating his muscles I guess……
"I think he's doing some self-repair thing," I said. A beat. "And I think it's gonna take a while."
"Yeah," Tiffany nodded. She blinked. "Anybody got popcorn?"
::::::::::::
Later…
Much later…
We had a candle or two lit. The less light that Fang could see from outside the window, the better—I thought.
All four of us girls sat cross-legged on the floor in a line. We all stared at the dark Titan. And—yes—Tiffany had popcorn.
The smoke energy had crept up Noir's arm and over his torso and down to his knees. His entire body was almost covered. The sword would gradually fluctuate as if it was a dancing flag of obsidian in some unseen wind. Subtly, limbs and body parts covered by the smoke would begin to flex and move. It was a process that went over a long period of time…but somehow seemed to be the fastest any of the Titans could possibly manage, given the circumstances. Noir was quite obviously the master of his domain.
"Wow……," Hope muttered. She stared across the dimly lit interior at the smoke covered figure. "What do you supposed he's thinking right now?"
Tiffany munched. "Baywatch? Underwear catalogues?"
"I'm serious! It's like he's doing some sort of zen meditation stuff!" Hope glanced at me. "You know what I mean, Lisa?"
I snapped out of it. I looked at her funny. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Cuz you seem to be into that sort of stuff."
"Eh??"
"Well aren't you?"
"I'm not into anything spiritual. Give me a Bible and I'll give you a football punting record."
"You gotta admit," Janice smirked. "What he's doing looks pretty freakin' cool."
The smoke slowly drifted down his legs. He breathed slowly, and with each heave of the lungs the smoke field warbled.
"Most artistic fart I've ever seen," Tiffany smirked between popcorn.
"Tiff!"
"What?! Just look at it!"
Hope sighed and leaned a smiling chin on her hand. "It's just so……so cool."
"What is?"
"To have a superhero. I mean, right here. This is the guy who slew Slade, ya know? At least that's how the rumors go."
I nodded listlessly. "He's also the guy who went psycho, called himself 'Wyldecarde', and tried hunting down all the Titans. You remember that?"
"Yeah…I do," Hope hugged her legs and rocked back and forth. "But I don't care."
"You don't?"
She giggled. "Lisa, does he strike you as a bad guy?"
"…………"
"Cuz he looks A-Okay to me!"
I took a breath and leaned forward. My one good eye squinted and I scanned the features and characteristics and quirks of this Titan who just happened to fall into our midst. I eyed the dark strands of his hair. The dark shadows around his clenched eyelids. The dark smoke encircling him like a body shield.
He was almost one with the shadows. Only the faint rays of light emanating from our candles broke through his figure. And everything beneath his razor-edged blackness was soft and vulnerable. He was a human being. Flesh and blood. Tears and sweat.
I could almost smell him from far away. And it was a smell I recognized before. A smell I tried to blot out with pungent orders of nightmares layered one atop of the other throughout the years. The smell of goodness…
I sighed. The socket around my glass eye suddenly felt irritated. I gritted my teeth.
The world was annoying. It was full of morons. Cheaters and beaters. The dozens of despots that had murdered God in my eyes on countless occasions. I was never much of a religious girl. Instead of God, I worshiped heroes. Heroes like the Titans. Like Noir.
But I didn't always worship him. Like God……like God…I truly hated him.
I thought of that fateful moment hours ago on the rooftop. I thought of how close I was to dying. Furthermore, I thought of how close Noir was to perishing. And if need be…I could have been the one to finish him. I could have been a God myself, once. A Goddess. But here I was. Here he was.
He was peaceful. He was serene and tranquil. He was paralyzed. Never once did he try slashing our heads off. Sure, he kicked Tiffany in the butt—but that was just saving me the trouble. None of our lives were threatened once by the Wyldecarde. And it angered me. I wanted to run up, grab a candle, and stab him in the eye. But I did no such thing. I just sat there and sulked.
And sulked……
"I wonder if he has a family…," Hope murmured. God, she was such a romantic. "Of all the stuff that happened to him…you think he'd need people to fall back on."
"He's got the Titans, doesn't he?"
"I know, Janice. But…even the other Titans. I wonder if they have families."
"Who would let their kid jump around the City and kick bad guy ass?"
"Well, if parents let their kids go to public school……"
'Good point."
Suddenly, Noir's body lurched.
Hope gasped. Tiffany nearly choked on a popcorn kernel.
Noir's mouth clenched tightly. His head shot back. Smoke warbled around his limbs, covered his entire body, constricted, and then exploded.
FLASH!!!!
Our hair flew. We flinched. The candles flickered.
Silence……
"…………," Noir exhaled and fell to his knees. He then slumped back against the side of the bed, his hand dropping Myrkblade. THWUMP!!! He collapsed…no longer stiff.
Hope and I scurried over and held him up into a partial sitting position.
Janice walked over, folded her arms, and smirked: "Well…………it was good for him. Was it good for us too?"
"Is he hurt??" Hope asked.
"Hardly," I muttered. I ran a hand across his forehead and down his neck. "He just……freed himself of the paralysis with that dark cloud meditation thingy."
"I was gonna say…," Tiffany munched and smirked. "Cuz if he spent all that time just to pass a kidney stone, then this has been a waste of a night!"
"Seriously, Tiffany—why don't you take that mouth of yours and shove it up your—"
Something happened suddenly between Hope and I. Two orbs snapped open. Black orbs.
"Eeeep!!" Hope gasped and fell back.
I held my breath and caught the weight of Noir. I looked down. Panting.
Two black eyes were looking up at me. Twitchingly human. Moist and real.
My lips parted.
The black eyes narrowed. Then blinked. Then thinned as Noir stirred in my grasp.
I helped him up and sat him with his back to the bed.
He gasped for breath and winced. He looked like he was on the verge of something either very painful or very exhausting. But at least he wasn't a living corpse of a numb Titan.
"That smoke meditation thingy of his must have been like a marathon!" Tiffany exclaimed.
"M-Mr. Noir," I fumbled for words. "Can you move?"
He looked wearily at me. Two black pearls. Tired pearls. He gulped, panted, and raised his hands. Limply he motioned something.
I bit my lip. I glanced over at Hope. "Hey. Beast Girl. Do your paw-reading."
"Uhhh……"
"……"
'Oh! R-Right……," Hope nervously stepped over and sat in front of Noir.
Noir hand-signed.
Hope watched.
"Well?" Janice leaned over. "What's he saying?"
Hope narrowed her eyes. "Either he wants to use a phone or he's telling us that he's full of duck meat."
"Wonderful," Tiffany rolled her eyes.
"The phone part……," Janice glanced at me. "Perhaps he wants to contact the other Titans?" A beat. "A communicator!"
I winced. "I-I kinda sorta dropped his from the fire escape while bringing him here."
Noir took a deep breath.
"Lemme see if I can reach him," Hope said. She hand signed something with fidgeting fingers.
Noir looked at her dazedly. He raised a confused eyebrow.
Hope bit her lip. "Then again…"
"Okay, little girl. You're obviously of no help here," Janice said. She walked forward. "Mr. Noir?"
He struggled to lift his head and look at her.
"Do you understand morse code?"
He slowly…difficultly…nodded.
"Well, that sucks. Cuz I don't," Janice smirked.
Noir seemed annoyed.
I frowned. I grabbed his hands, bent all but his middle finger back, and held his wrist reverse towards Janice.
The girl laughed.
"More constructive stuff, please," I grumbled.
"Hey!" Tiffany brightened. "His sword! Muckblow!"
"Myrkblade."
"Whatever," the blonde pointed. "Put it in his hand. It helped him earlier, didn't it?"
I looked at Noir. "That sound like a good idea to get you back on your feet, Mr. Noir?"
He just stared at me. Glazed.
Glazed…
I seemed entranced…
"I don't think we're seriously communicating here," Tiffany murmured.
Noir struggled to regain control of his hands.
I shifted his arms upwards to give him a boost.
He swiftly hand-signed something.
"Got that, Hope?" Janice asked.
"I think so…," Hope blinked. "Something about 'me' and 'outside'."
"Huh??"
"He wants out of here," Janice remarked.
"But what good will that do?!" I exclaimed suddenly. I gathered everyone's attention, including the boy's. "Fang's out there, remember?! If we dump you outside…he could pounce on you and stuff! Not good!"
He gulped his scarred throat.
He hand-signed again.
"Again…," Hope said. "Something about 'me' and 'outside'. Though there was a bit of 'you' and 'danger' involved."
"We chose to protect you!" I exclaimed.
Tiffany blinked. "We did?"
I continued: "Don't think that just because you're a Titan that you can order us around! Look at yourself! You can't fight! You're like a wet noodle!"
"Typical," Janice smirked.
"Who asked you?!?!"
Noir reached a hand up and gripped my wrist.
I looked at him.
His black eyes narrowed. Those eyes that I had been so right about. And suddenly I wished I wasn't.
He struggled to lift his other arm. He pointed at Myrkblade.
I looked at Tiffany. I nodded.
The girl picked up the blade and handed it to Noir.
Noir stared……………
A beat.
Tiffany blushed. She turned around so that the hilt was at his fingertips.
He 'bowed' his head and limply gripped the weapon. He took a deep breath. He summoned smoke back up his limbs. Slowly—with shuddering muscles—he stood up.
I let go of him.
He hobbled on one leg…on two…then collapsed across the floor.
THWUMP!!!!
He winced, his teeth gritting.
Janice bit her lip. "Wow…I swoon."
I moaned and knelt besides Noir. "Look…are you stubborn or what?! I already told you!! You're in no position to go anywhere or fight anyone!!"
He took a deep breath as I helped him back into a sitting position. He looked at me strange.
"And don't give me that look!" I barked, trying not to shy away from my own angry reflection in his shades. "You're gonna have to trust us! We're not some obsessed fan girls! We're human beings—the citizens of this City—and whether you like it or not we're gonna protect you!"
He blinked at me. He slowly turned his head and pointed at the wall.
"Uh oh…," Tiffany hid a giggle.
I looked at my wall. I saw the dozens of Noir sketches on it. I bit my lip.
Slowly, he tilted his face and looked at me.
I blushed furiously. "Well…ahem………y-yeah……not too obsessed at least."
He looked at me. "……………………………" He smiled.
I raised my good eyebrow. Should I have felt touched?
"!!!!" suddenly he flinched.
Hope clasped her hands together worriedly.
Noir cringed and shook against me. He shivered for some awkward reason. His black eyes closed.
"He looks…………," Tiffany blinked, "…………cold??"
"There're goosebumps on his arms," Janice remarked.
"Are you okay??" I asked. "What's wrong? Fang's paralysis seeping back in or something?"
He shook his head furiously. He clenched his teeth so that they stopped chattering. Struggling against the numbness, he raised his right hand over to his left arm. To where the flesh met the metal.
I looked at his arm. I looked at him. "What's wrong??"
He tried gripping the metal disc where the prosthetic was attached. He was squeezing his fingers and trying to twist. But nothing was being accomplished.
"He wants it off, I think," Tiffany said.
I gulped. I reached a hand down and gripped the metal disc.
He shook his head. He pointed to the far side of his prosthetic.
I moved my fingers accordingly.
He nodded.
I squeezed in.
He squeezed in.
CL-CLINK!!! POP!!! HISSSSSSSSSsssssssss………
Hope gasped.
The hand came off.
Noir's shivering stop.
He relaxed against me and the side of the bed with a sigh. He shook his long-haired head once and seemed to have quite a bit of strength returned.
"Okay……," Tiffany stared. "Wyrd……"
I held the hand out like it was a dead rat and dropped it to the carpet. PLOP!! "How come I never thought of sketching that…," I murmured.
"No good," Janice shook her head. "Nowhere on the wrist to slit!"
"Go to Hell, Janice."
"Hehehe…love you too, Lisa."
Noir tried getting up again.
"Hang on…," I helped him up.
He sat on the edge of the bed. Gathering his breath. He wiped his brow with his right hand, then flexed his fingers. A beat. He looked across the candlelit room. His black eyes scanned the desk.
"So…what do we do now?" Tiffany remarked.
Hope shrugged. "Pass the time till he can swing his sword and call it a night?"
"I know how we can pass the time!" Tiffany beamed. She rushed over and all but smothered her grinning smile in Noir's face. "Tell me…do you and Robin share the same lockerroom?"
Noir had a confused, disgusted look on his face.
"If you do…got any towels of his you could—I dunno—donate to a good cause—"
Hope reached up and planted her hand over the girl's mouth. She simpered. "Don't mind her. She hasn't been fixed yet."
Noir smirked bitterly. He looked over at me. He pointed at the desk and charaded a 'pencil' in his hand.
"He wants to write something down," Hope remarked.
Janice had his metal hand in her grasp and was looking it over. "With our luck, he's probably right handed," she smirked.
"Hang on…," I walked over to the desk.
"Heaven forbid Lisa should run out of pads of paper and pencil!" Tiffany smirked.
"Nuts to you. I'm always prepared."
"I can see that. And I pity you!"
"Hehehehe!"
I frowned at the girls. I looked over at Noir and tossed over the pad and pencil. "There. Eat your heart out."
He 'bowed' his head. He whipped out the pencil and scribbled on the paper.
All of us girls craned our necks to see. Janice too.
He finished writing. He looked at us with his black eyes. He held up the pad.
It read:
'Can I have help using the bathroom?'
All of us winced at the same time.
A pause…and then he removed his thumb, uncovering the last piece of scribbling:
'j/k'
"Ohhhhhh."
"Whew."
"Lordy."
"Heheheheh…"
He smirked.
"The kid's a regular jackass," Janice smirked. "He'd look good in blood."
"Anything SERIOUS you'd like to convey to us, Noir?" I asked.
He looked directly at me. He scribbled. He held up the pad.
'Thank you.'
I blinked.
Tiffany playfully poked me in the back while Hope smilingly chanted: "Awwwww."
"Pffft," I glared at him and folded my arms. "Sappy little dick."
He smirked proudly.
"You thirsty, Mr. Titan?" Hope asked.
He blinked at her. He looked at me.
I raised my eyebrows.
Silence.
Noir scribbled. He held the pad up.
'Absolutely'.
"Poor thing," Hope sulked. She brightened and looked at me. "Hey Lisa! Where's your sis' lemonade?"
"In the refrigerator, silly. Why?"
"Why do you think?"
I groaned and rolled my good eye. "Fine. But not too much. Who knows what liquid intake could do to his body so soon after recovering from Fang's touch."
"I'll go with you," Tiffany said. "I'm thirsty too!"
"After all that popcorn, who could blame you?!"
"Let me follow along!"
Janice looked at me. Then smirked. "Uhhh…me too, girls." She followed the two out the bedroom door. "Somebody's gotta watch over you two munchkins."
"And be quiet about it!" I hissed. "Fang's all around the buildingsides, ya know!"
Janice looked back at me and Noir. "I don't think we're the ones that need to be in control of things." She winked. She shut the door behind her.
Noir and I were together. Alone. In a bedroom. With candles lit. And adoring sketches strung up along the wall.
Naturally, I blushed. And naturally, I cursed the name of Janice inside my head.
"Just what is she insinuating?" I shook my head and looked at Noir.
'How did you lose your eye?'
I recoiled with a gasp. I looked unbelieving at his pad…then him.
Noir stared. His black eyes curious…innocent.
I frowned. "None of your damn business!" I spat.
He blinked. He scribbled.
'None of theirs either?'
My lips parted. I narrowed my good eye.
How did he know?? How could he possibly have known……?
As if reading my mind, he scribbled and held up another sheet of the pad.
'I make a habit out of careful observance. Robin taught me many tricks.'
I took a breath. "Well……wouldn't you and Tiffany have a lot to talk about?"
He smirked.
I smirked.
A beat.
I frowned.
"Look. I saved you. Remember that? Don't think you can be all…all………I dunno……vigilante and aloof and stuff."
He shrugged.
I folded my arms.
"I bet you feel pretty flattered right about now."
He raised an eyebrow.
I smirked. "Surrounded by fangirls. Physically helpless. One of your freakin' hands is missing, for crying out loud."
He shrugged.
I took a step forward, eyeing him suspiciously.
"You know……you've always been a mystery to this City. Especially after Wyldecarde's reign……"
He took a deep breath at that.
"Tell me," I smirked. "How can I know you're even more trustworthy than Fang?!"
A pause.
He looked at me for a while.
Then he scribbled.
Then he held the pad out before me:
"What's the sound of one hand clapping?"
I did a double take. "The Hell is that supposed to mean?!"
He kept holding it up.
I looked at his missing left hand. I uttered: "Oh, what?! Is that some godawful, holier-than-thou truth that somehow YOU know?!"
He smirked.
"Stop smiling, dammit!!" I stamped my foot down like a little girl and sighed. I murmured: "It makes it so much harder……"
I lowered my eye. I took a deep breath. When I looked back, he had another pad up and out:
"Why do you hate me, Lisa?"
My lips parted. "I……I………I……"
He stared quietly. Patiently. There was a gentleness all about him. As if—through the blades and darkness—there was something worth hugging.
I gulped.
"It's too complicated. Even for a strange hero such as you……," I hugged myself and faced away. A beat. "Your arm…"
He glanced at his metal prosthetic. I was on the floor from where Janice dropped it.
"……just because it's like that doesn't change anything."
He looked at me.
"For me, that is. Maybe not for the Titans."
He smirked slightly. It was more out of confusion than anything, I guess. He looked at the dozens of sketches of himself. Sketches that—even to my surprise—were remarkably accurate.
I bit my lip.
"I know…," I answered him as if telepathically prompted. "I've done a lot. And I don't know why." A beat. "I don't know why I keep drawing and thinking of you……"
A beat.
I spun around hard and glared at him. "Just the same……I don't know why you ever even lost your arm. You didn't need to. Why?!"
He stared at me.
Silence.
I sighed.
"I'm sorry, Noir. I rescued you from Fang and all you get is some bitchy girl with a shitty life and nothing to give you but confused angst and remorse," I rubbed my shoulders as if I was suddenly cold. "Not much of a welcome party for a hero like you. Forgive me if I don't applaud your presence or something…even if I have two hands of my own."
A beat.
Suddenly, Noir jerked up in his seat.
I looked at him, curious.
He furiously scribbled on his pad and held up for me in ugly, rushed handwriting: 'I must leave you. He's here.'
I gasped. "Who's here?"
Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open.
Hope bounded in, followed by Tiffany and Janice.
"Lisa! We've got a problem!"
I narrowed my good eye. "What sort of problem??"
Tiffany hurriedly blew out the candles while Janice and Hope rushed over and shoved Noir and myself to the ground.
"Ackies!!"
WHUMP!! THUMP!!
All five of us hid amidst the shadows over the carpet. Huddled. Silent.
The scurrying figure of an eight-legged fiend wandered past the bedroom window.
CL-CL-CL-CL-CLANK!!!
The multiple footsteps rattled across the wall from the outside and came to a stop……just besides my bedroom window.
I gulped and looked at Noir.
"Sorry……but……gotta save the how-do-you-dos for later……maybe even the afterlife."
He reached his right hand across the carpet and gripped Myrkblade.
And……damn it…for a second there, I actually felt safer……