These Black Eyes

by P0ST

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

108. Charley Horse

108. Charley Horse

"This just in. Breaking news from the Eastern District of the City. A three-alarm fire is consuming the Venderson Apartment complex on Eighty-Second Street. Most of the families were evacuated prior to the heavy blazes. But city officials and eyewitnesses claim that there may still be some residents trapped in the upper stories above the blaze. At present, the City's Eastern Fire Department is busying its entire crew in the elimination of the fires. Jason Llevenson is at the scene right now, reporting. Jason?"

"Thank you, Marilyn. Right now I'm standing two blocks south of the apartment highrise on Eighty-Second Street! The police have erected a blockade keeping citizens away from the firefighting, being that the flames are so intense. Look at the shot behind me and—as you can see—the entire fourth, fifth, and sixth floors are absolutely engulfed in fire. The plume of smoke is rising higher and higher and can certainly be seen by any open spot in the City. They've got up to four firetrucks out here right now and are attempting to hoes the inferno down. And reports are in that there may be families on the top levels. But at this moment, the City is unable to send in any form of air support for rescue. All the firefighters can do now is hope to cool down these raging fires quickly enough so that there'll be solid enough of a building left to lift a ladder to and rescue some suffocated citizens. This is a very old apartment building and it wasn't built to support fires of this magnitude---wait!! What was that?! Was it---Starfire!! The Titans! The Titans are here!!"

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

SWOOOOOSH!!!

In a green streak, Starfire flew over the blaze and smoke. She dipped down into the blackness in the air and narrowed her green eyes. As she flew forward and the fogginess cleared, the distinct figures of nearly two dozen panicked individuals atop the apartment building's roof came into view. They waved their arms at her and cried out for help.

The Tamaranian girl gasped. She pulled out her communicator in mid-flight. "This is Starfire!! I have performed reconnaissance! Families are present on the top of the building!!"

"Good job, Starfire! Wait for my signal!" Robin's voice exclaimed.

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

The Boy Wonder stood perched on the ledge of a building across the way. He spoke into his communicator. "Beast Boy. Where are you??"

"Closing in on Starfire's location!"

"The two of you are gonna have to make a lot of trips. You can carry a little more than Starfire if you plan it right. But in order to get the people out, we're gonna need Raven. How many did you see, Starfire?"

"Nearly a morthag!"

"What??"

"Two earth dozens!!"

"Er….okay. We're definitely gonna need Raven."

SWOOOSH!!!

I blurred up the buildingside and flipped to a landing on the rooftop. I stood and looked at Robin.

He nodded back at me and continued talking into the communicator.

"Raven. You read me?"

"I guess you could say that."

Robin raised an eyebrow above his mask.

"Traffic sucks."

"Yeah, well fire sucks. Get over here quickly so that there's no more 'suck'."

"You're talking to the wrong Titan."

"Cyborg??"

"On it, man!!"

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

Raven glared at the android Titan. "I told you that you should have taken Fifty-Eighth avenue…"

Cyborg gritted his teeth while gripping the wheel of the T-Car. "Sorry. I didn't invent soccer moms and their incessant need to drive caravans down the streets of downtown when there're three-alarm fires raging." HONK!!! HONK!!! "MOVE IT, WOMAN!!! IT'S NOT LIKE YOUR KID'S GOT A WELL-KNOWN LEAGUE TO TRY OUT FOR WHEN SHE GROWS UP!!!"

Raven sweatdropped. "Perhaps….I should drive."

Cyborg chuckled. "Girl, you haven't got a license!"

"Perhaps not…," Raven raised her fingers to her temples. "Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…."

"Uh….Rae?? What are you chanting for—WHOAH!! Rae!! Ask before you lift next time!!"

The T-Car's wheels spun in the air as the vehicle was lifted up and 'flew' via dark telekinesis over the crowded streets and towards the distant plume of smoke and fire blocks away.

"Relax…," a gray-eyed Raven droned. "I won't scratch your car against an oxygen molecule."

Cyborg scrunched back in his seat, protectively stroking the leather interior of his 'baby'. "The only thing scratched up is your head! This has GOT to be violating some sort of code of city no-fly-zone ordinance or something!"

"And walking around shopping when fully aware that your arm is a living weapon of mass destruction is any safer?"

"Touche'," Cyborg shrugged. He pointed up out the windshield. "There's the apartment complex!"

"Good, we're on time," Raven said. She extended her wrist forward. "I'm taking us in."

"You're what?!?!"

"Let Robin know. We can't waste anytime while carting people off when there's a building that can collapse beneath them at any second."

Cyborg bit his lip as he whipped out a communicator. "Better not get any soot on the paintjob…"

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

SWOOOOOSH!!!

The T-Car hovered sideways through the smoke and embers. A flock of citizens gasped and parted ways as the Titan vehicle settled down on the rooftop. Cyborg rolled his window down and grinned outward.

"Got exact change??"

"The Titans!!"

"We're saved!"

"Please…help us!!"

Cyborg raised a finger. "One at a time! I can maybe take four in the first trip. Er…make that five. Who's first?"

"Mr. Titan!" a man took a little girl by the hand and pushed her ahead. "Our children first!"

Cyborg bit his lip. He looked over at Raven. "But….I-I don't have any child seats!"

She whapped his skull with her hand.

"Ow!!"

"Let them in," Raven nodded to the adult citizens.

Cyborg opened the rear doors as a bunch of frightened children filed into the back.

Raven spoke into a communicator. "Robin…we're making our first trip. Let Starfire and Beast Boy in!"

"Roger that! Star! B.B.! Move!"

Cyborg closed the doors and looked at Raven. "Gas, please?"

She glared. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and---

SWOOOSH!!!

The T-Car floated off on a curtain of black. As it glided away, Starfire and Beast Boy flew in. Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl and grabbed two adults at once. Starfire picked up and old woman and rescued her.

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

"Makin' our rounds!" Beast Boy's voice managed to utter over the communication lines. "Come fly on the Beast Boy express!!"

"Robin…how does the building look from where you and Noir are?!"

"Still standing, Star. Though I wouldn't give it more than ten minutes left," Robin replied through the communicator.

I took a deep breath and watched anxiously through my shades. My head turned as I followed the drifting motion of the airborne T-Car.

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

The kids in the back of the T-Car wailed and wailed.

"Waaaaaah!!"

"We're scaaaaaared!!"

"I want my Mommmmmmy!!!"

Raven gritted her teeth, trying her best amidst the squealing to concentrate.

Cyborg sweatdropped. He put on a brave smile and turned to look back at the kids. "Don't worry, little squirts!! Everything will be allright! The Titans are here!!"

"Waaaaaaaaah!!!!"

"Mommy!!! Daddy!!!!"

Raven grunted. "Make them…….be quiet……"

"Hey kids! How about a song?! The wheels in Raven's head go round and round! Round and round! Round and round! The wheels in Raven's head go round and round! All the live long—"

The T-Car lurched.

Raven turned red.

"That isn't helping!!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!"

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

SWOOOOOSH!!!

Starfire flew back for the next citizen to be picked up.

Beast Boy was right behind her.

"Are you okay, girl?" and old man inquired as the Tamaranian touched down. "You're carrying an awful lot of weight."

Starfire smiled. "More than capable of doing so, sir. My natural Tamaranian strength affords me the ability to—"

CRUMBLE!!!!

A huge crack broke in the rooftop's structure. Smoke poured up out of it and glowed orange from below.

Starfire and a handful of citizens gasped.

Beast Boy momentarily turned into elf form. "Less lip and more launch, Star!!" He turned back into a pterodactyl and carried two trembling residents off.

"I apologize for the brevity of our conversation!" Starfire said. She picked up the old man and hoisted him away as the T-Car made its second trip.

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

Robin looked through a pair of….er…..'bird' binoculars or something.

"How many left??" Robin asked.

"We've got the last of them. Raven's bringing us back. We kinda had to cram the backseat of my baby…but whatever sacrifices are needed, ya know?"

The Boy Wonder lowered his binoculars, grinning. "Well done, team! Consider this day in the bag!" He smirked over at me. "Should have just called it a barbecue."

I simpered.

Then Cyborg's voice: "No! Wait!! There's one left!!"

Robin gasped. "No way!" He leaned over and glanced the buildingtop's way. He looked through his binoculars again as I rushed up and stood beside him.

A soot-covered man hobbled up the stairwell on the far side of the building. He gripped his chest. He leaned over and wheezed. Dramatically, he limped across the rooftop and waved for help.

"Star?! Beast Boy?!?!"

"We're kinda busy in transit at the moment!!"

Robin looked at the T-Car. It was only halfway towards its destination and moving slowly.

"M-Maybe one of them will have time to go get him…," Robin sweated.

As if on cue, a huge crack formed in the rooftop. The man gasped from afar and slumped down to his rear. Flames ate up from the sides of the rooftop and smoke billowed upwards like mad. A commotion of shock and worry rose from the firefighters and onlookers below.

This was definitely bad….

"Then again…," Robin immediately whipped out his grappling hook. But he didn't even need me to hold him back. The Boy Wonder looked around…but there was absolutely nothing nearby for him to swing off of to get to the buildingtop. And the man had to be rescued. Immediately.

"Crud!!" Robin exclaimed.

He looked at me.

I spun around.

I looked at a huge radio antenna on the top of our building beside us. I took a deep breath, motioned at it, and pointed at myself…then pointed at the burning building.

"Can you make it?!?!" Robin asked.

I nodded furiously.

"It's gonna be a blind jump with all that smoke!" he exclaimed. He whipped out a fan of arctic-white discs. "I'll try to clear the way for you some!"

I nodded and started to pulse murk through my system.

"Go!!!"

He didn't need to tell me twice. I blurred. I ran up the antenna. I reached the tip. I pulsed murk and bounced off. Flipping, I flew through the air and across the street. I sailed at the smoke-covered rooftop of the apartment below.

"Nnnngh!!" Robin shouted and flung three discs at once.

SWIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!!!

The projectiles soared past me and sunk hard into the raging fires creeping their way up.

POW!!!!

FFFFFFFFFFTTTT!!!!!

A puff of white mist kissed me with icicle lips.

I gritted my teeth and sailed through the crystal veil.

The smoke danced past me as if it was my own murk and suddenly there was a stretch of black rooftop.

I landed with a grunt and rolled forward.

I heard a coughing noise.

I looked up.

The man was on his knees, hacking his lungs out from smoke inhalation. He took one look at me with watery eyes and managed: "Just my luck! They sent a ninja!" he smiled weakly.

I smiled back.

CRAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

I gasped.

The ceiling beneath was breaking in two. It was hot and orange underneath.

"There goes home sweet home," he hacked.

SWOOOOSH!!

I blurred over, scooped him up in my arms, and leapt the two of us over the side of the building just as the structure began to shatter.

We fell down the length of the building. Our fall was racing against the crumbling heap.

I twirled our bodies about in mid-descent and unsheathed Myrkbalde with a free hand.

CHIIIING!!!

I jabbed it into the building side.

CRUNCH—SNKKKKKKKKKKKKKT!!!!

Sparks flew as I slowed our descent.

The crumbling started to catch up with us.

I gritted my teeth and kicked off the blurred building side with my feet.

WHUMP!!!

W-WOOSH!!

We flipped off the building side and plummeted to the asphalt street below.

I twirled Myrkblade in my arm, held my breath, and launched it downward like a javeling.

SWIIIISH-CLANK!!

It stuck in the asphalt and exploded upward towards us a fountain of murk.

I absorbed it into our legs and flexed my free fingers.

Concentrating, I manipulated the fountain so that it lowered us smoothly to the ground.

Once we contacted asphalt, I yanked Myrkblade out and dashed the two of us outside the range of the falling debris as the flaming building finally collapsed in on itself.

CRUNNNNNNNNCH!!!

I lowered him to his feet besides a couple of paramedics beyond the line of firefighters. As they carted him off for a checkup and treatment, I leaned on my sword and panted heavily for breath.

Starfire touched down beside me while Robin swung in from the nearby building.

"Hehehehe!! Glorious performance!"

"Great job, Noir," Robin patted my back. "You have good legs."

I stopped panting.

I looked at him funny.

His eyemask twisted. "Er….," he raised his gloves. "I didn't mean it like that!"

I smirked mockingly and limped off Tower-borne.

"I didn't! I didn't—aww for crying out loud, you're worse than Beast Boy!!"

I chuckled breathily and waved without looking.

Robin folded his arms and pouted.

Starfire blinked. "He does have nice legs…."

Robin glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

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

"Wooo! Man….I'd say this grants us the rest of the day off!" Cyborg remarked with a stretch as they entered the Main Room.

"Nothing's ever guaranteed, Cyborg," Robin said. He trotted over to the Main Computer and sat down. "In any event of an emergency it's our duty to—"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Cyborg waved a hand and marched straight to the fridge. "Who wants a sandwich??"

"Oooh! Oooh!" Beast Boy hopped over. "I do!!"

"……with bologna?"

Beast Boy froze. He sunk into a limping frown and marched away. "Meanie…."

"Heheheh…"

I moved my neck around, snapping and popping my joints. I flexed my jaw and sighed. A beat. I smiled. I hand-signed across the way.

Cyborg eyed me amidst gathering preparations for his snack. "Don't ask me. Ask Robin!"

"Ask me what?"

"He says he's going on a walk."

"Fine by me," Robin gestured with a single hand. "Just keep a communicator with you, allright? Lord knows we all don't want a repeat of the laundry incident."

I blushed.

"Man…must you always mention that?" Cyborg chuckled with a shaking of his head.

"Where are you travailing on going, Noir?" Starfire asked pleasantly.

I shrugged and spun my finger around.

"Anywhere the finger takes him," Raven droned.

"Man….you sure do love going on those walks of yours," Beast Boy scratched his head. "Must be a lone ranger type of thing. You always strike me as a solo dude, Noir."

I smirked.

And then….

"May I go with you, Noir?" Starfire asked.

Robin swiveled around curiously.

I looked at her. I smiled and nodded.

"Okay….maybe I was wrong about the 'loner' part," Beast Boy smirked.

"You two just gonna take a walk together?" Robin asked.

"We have done it before! Around the City!! Hehehehe…you remember that, do you not, Noir?"

I nodded…remembering how we ended up at the funeral home. I sighed.

"It is most interesting to see the City from a….," Starfire paused for thought. Then she spoke, "….miniature perspective."

Raven lifted an eyebrow. "You mean…as not a heroine?"

Starfire beamed. "Yes. Indeed."

"Sounds pretty relaxing, actually," Cyborg was already munching a hastily prepared sandwich. He gulped and smiled. "Hey guys…mind if I come along too?"

I looked at Cyborg. I shrugged and nodded with a smile.

"Three's a crowd," Beast Boy chuckled. "'Loner' is about halfway down the toilet now."

"Ever since I built the T-Car, I've missed hoofing it," Cyborg gestured. He took another bite, swallowed, and patted his stomach. "Heck…I'm practically out of shape with all of this driving around on my butt that I've been doing as of late!"

Raven eyed him. "You look okay to me."

"Don't I, though?"

"………"

"Heheheheheh."

"Glorious!" Starfire clasped her hands together and smiled. "I shall enjoy this walk! A most wondrous threesome!"

Beast Boy cleared his throat.

Starfire looked curiously at him.

"What?"

"Where will you all go exactly?" Robin asked.

Cyborg and Starfire looked at me.

I sighed.

"Didn't he already answer that question?" Raven asked.

"So all you want to do is wander around aimlessly in the City just for the sake of wandering around aimlessly in the City?" the Boy Wonder asked.

I bit my lip.

"Just what type of pastime is that?" he further inquired.

"….."

He stood up, smiling. "I think I'd like to find out."

"Hehehehe!" Starfire smiled. "A foursome!"

Beast Boy cleared his throat again.

Robin cracked his knuckles then leaned his hands on his hips. "I used to walk around the streets of Gotham all the time. I had the place down like the back of my hand. I still don't have this City one hundred percent memorized, and I feel like it's a crime!"

"This isn't a field trip for college or something, man," Cyborg gestured.

"Then what is it?"

Three Titans stared at me.

I gestured crazily at them, helpless.

"Well, I hate to be the last one to join a party," Beast Boy smiled and hopped into the center of attention. "I'm in too!"

"Hee!! A fives---"

"Star, we get the picture," Raven droned.

"This is certainly a friendly endeavor!" Starfire held her arms out. "Will you not join us, Raven?"

"Why do that when I'd be assured of a possible hour or two of pure, peaceful quiet to meditate in here at the Tower?"

"Probably four hours," Beast Boy winked and motioned at me. "Figuring how slow this guy can be when he winds down."

"All the better."

"Come on, girl! You know you wanna join us!" Cyborg nudged her with a smirk. "Even you yourself once told me you wanted more exercise!"

"If I wanted to walk, I'd get a treadmill," Raven hissed.

"Pffft. Always impossible to motivate a floater."

"Say Raven…," Robin scratched his chin and smiled. "Since you're the only one who'll be here at the Tower, perhaps you wouldn't mind filing the report on the fire rescue for me."

"…………….," Raven stared. "…………….I'll go get my walking shoes." She headed for the door.

"Whoah whoah whoah wait!" Cyborg gestured.

Raven stopped and spun around. "Whoah whoah whoah—what?"

"We need some new threads, people."

"Say what??" Beast Boy smirked incredulously. "What's wrong with what we're wearing??"

"We'll be recognized, little man! Everyone in the street will flock around us like always!"

"So what's wrong with a little fan service??" the green elf beamed. "It happens all the time!"

"Not this time, it won't!"

Starfire stepped forward. "Agreed," she nodded. "The point of Noir's expenditures into the City is to have some escape from being a Titan." She glanced at him. "Is it not?"

I scratched my head and awkwardly nodded with a simper.

"You mean….incognito?!" Beast Boy went bug-eyed. He pouted and spun around with folded arms. "Then count me out, dude! Not my style!"

"Good!" Robin smiled again. "Because my report is realllllllly needing to be don—"

"Okay! Count me in! COUNT ME IN!!" Beast Boy cackled. "Sheesh. So….like….what are we going to do, exactly?"

"We must accumulate apparel that will conceal our trademark appearances," Starfire said.

"So then……covering my pale skin?" Raven asked. "……and my chakra stone?"

"Not to mention my pointy ears," Beast Boy pointed.

"And my eyemask," Robin nodded.

"And boy am I going to have a fun time…," Cyborg examined his metal limbs.

A beat.

Everyone looked at me.

"………"

I smiled.

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

"For the lovely Starfire….," Beast Boy pranced around and gestured dramatically at her figure like a fashion designer. "A lovely, lavender sundress—per her tastes---complete with sandals on her feet and velvet gloves on her hands to draw attention away to the extra amber in her Tamaranian birthday suit!"

The girl giggled as Beast Boy snaked behind her and plopped an article on her head.

"And to complete the look! A pink sunhat, folded down with the rim shading the forehead and casting shadows over her dark red eyebrows and vibrantly green eyes!"

"Thank you, pleasantly, Beast Boy," she smiled. She tucked her long, red hair into the sunhat and let a few bangs prettily drip out along the front. "Hehehe! Do I not look death-of-the-drop uber? Taa to the daaa!!"

"Super…," Raven droned.

I smirked from the corner of the gym. I pointed over at Robin.

Per my direction, Beast Boy dashed over to him.

"And over here—"

"Touch me and you got a black eye."

"Thanks…but Noir already has all the friends he could ask for."

I stuck my tongue out, chuckling.

"Ahem…and OVER HERE!!" Beast Boy went on. "The Boy Wonder looking like---well---like a boy, thank god!"

"Thank god…"

"A red and black American Eagle shirt over a white undershirt. And completing the look are a pair of khaki, corduroy pants—love the chain watch by the way, Robin, it's super—"

"Um…."

"And brown deck shoes and short white socks. Hell, it might scream PREPPY—but I guess Noir couldn't think of anything less. Now could you, Noir?"

I shrugged.

"Would it be fair to say that I'm used to it?" Robin simpered.

"Oh, are you now??" Cyborg smirked.

The Boy Wonder coughed. He changed the subject: "And what of my eyemask?"

I whistled to Beast Boy and tossed him a pair of shades. A spare of mine."

The green changeling planted them over Robin's trademark concealment.

"Viola! Perfect!"

Raven suppressed a smirk. "Can you see well with all of that, Robin?"

"I'll be fine," the Titan Leader said. "As long as we don't go tightrope walking or something."

WHUMP!!!!

"Heeeeeee!!" Starfire was hugging the Boy Wonder. "Look at us!! We are dress to inflict mortal damage!"

"'Dressed to kill'??" Robin wheezed. He smiled awkwardly while gasping for breath. "That depends on if I'm not killed by lack of oxygen, first."

"Eeep! My the bad…"

"Uh uh uh…the look ain't complete, dawg."

Robin caught his breath and swallowed. "Huh?"

"Your hair, dude," Beast Boy smirked. "Cyborg's right. It'll have to go."

Robin's eyes glanced up at his spiked crown. "But….but…..my spikes! I-I can't get rid of my spikes!"

"If you can wear pants, you can lose the spikes," Raven said.

"Allright, fine," Robin grumbled. "Someone give me a comb—"

"Here you go!!" Beast Boy tossed one.

Bonk!

"Ow!!" Robin rubbed his head. He frowned. He bent over, picked up the comb, and applied it to his hair. "Your days are numbered, elf."

"Love you too, dude."

Everyone watched Robin and how—in ten seconds flat—he had his spiked hair rearranged into a simple, short-haired look. Like an anchorman.

"There," he said, dropping the comb somewhere. A beat. He realized everyone was silently staring at him. "What??"

"Nothing, man," Cyborg smirked. "It's just….um……interesting…."

"What's interesting?"

"How fast you did that," Beast Boy grinned slyly. "I wonder if that's the hairdo of your alter ego."

"Truly??" Starfire looked at him.

The Boy Wonder sighed and rubbed his face around his new shades. "That information is confidential…."

"Hehehe!! It is cute!!"

"It's confidential!"

"Your alter ego must be cute—"

"CONFIDENTIAL!!"

I snapped my finger at Beast Boy.

"Okay…," Beast Boy drifted over to Raven. "Now for the main event!"

"Drop dead."

"Mmmmhmmm. Raven! The lovely dark sorceress herself! Sports fan look! Jersey pants! A long-sleeved, white undershirt with a red t-shirt on the outside with the insignia of the local baseball team. Complete it with Reeboks and long white socks—"

"What about her chakra stone?" Cyborg pointed.

Beast Boy beamed. "Baseball cap!!"

THWAP!!!!

The article was slapped over Raven's crown.

"……..," the dark girl glared out from underneath. She turned towards me. Her forehead hidden by the cap's visor. "Couldn't you have been more creative?"

I smirked and tried to hide a chuckle.

"Ahem….," she gracefully twirled the cap so that it sat on her head backwards. The rear fastener of the cap strategically dipped down and covered her chakra stone. She closed her eyes and tucked a few strands of blue, silky hair up and hid them away. She sighed. "Play ball." A beat. She looked back at us.

"……."

"……."

"…….."

"……..cute."

Raven's temple pulsed. She growled and flicked a wrist.

FLASH!!

"Augh!!" Cyborg fell to the ground. "Ha ha ha ha!"

"Rrrrrrrr," Raven fumed.

"How about you, Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

Beast Boy looked at me.

I looked at him.

"Welllllll," Beast Boy beamed. He posed dramatically, "Dark blue jeans. Dark green sweatjacket with long sleeves and—" WOOSH! "---and hood! Ya know…to hide my gorgeous head of handsome hair and pointy ears. Chicks dig the pointy ears."

"Man…," Cyborg stood back up and brushed himself off. "Are you coming out of the closet yet?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind…."

I motioned towards Cyborg.

"Last but not least!" Beast Boy zipped over. "The bionic bruiser himself!! Also a sports fan! Football jersey covering his broad frame! Long, dark jeans! Military boots! I tell you what….this guy can kick ass! Score a touchdown too!"

Cyborg sweatdropped. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He pointed a hand at his half-metal skull.

"Noir??"

I pointed to a bench.

Beast Boy chuckled and handed an article to Cyborg. "Here you go, dude."

"Awwww man….," Cyborg's face went crooked. "A do-rag? I don't do these things anymore."

"Yeah…I see you're into metal. EVERYBODY CAN SEE that you're into metal."

"Fine…fine…," Cyborg effortlessly fastened it around his head. "How do I look?"

Robin smirked. "S'up, homie?"

"My foot and your ass," Cyborg winked.

"Uh huh…."

"One question," Raven raised a hand.

I looked at her.

She gestured, "Any reason why you have Cyborg and I both dressed as sports fanatics?"

I blinked. I mouthed: 'Should there be?'

Raven blinked. She blushed.

Cyborg cleared his throat. "So are we doing this thing or what?"

"What about Noir?" Starfire asked.

"I think he speaks for himself," Robin mused.

I smirked.

I stepped forward and cracked my knuckles. I was in the usual jeans and denim jacket with a white undershirt. My black hair was in a ponytail that slithered down my neck and hid partially in the jacket.

"Dude…the eighties are dead," Beast Boy smiled.

"And just what do you know about the eighties?" Robin asked.

"Come to think of it…what does ANYONE here know about the eighties??"

"Heh…," Raven nodded. "Good point."

Starfire blinked. "The 'eighties'…are they important people I should know about??"

We all laughed.

"Let's get going, Starfire."

"Um….okay."

"Woohoo! Walk in the park!!"

"You're not going to squawk like that out in the open, are you? People are bound to recognize us."

"Just keep your chakra stone to yourself, girl."

"That won't be hard…."

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

We were walking slowly down the bridge leading from the Tower to the main land of the City.

"So….um…," Robin scratched his neck. "What do we do exactly?"

Leading the pack, I gestured into the air.

"'We walk'," Cyborg said.

"Ah….I see."

"………….."

"Can I sing a song?" Beast Boy asked.

"No."

"Awww….nuts."

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

We ended up on a sidewalk down Main Atreet. The overhang of a bank building stretched momentarily above us. From our vantage point, we could see the spires of Kobayashi Tower in Downtown.

"Well…so far so good," Cyborg mumbled, looking around with hands in his pockets. He smirked. "This incognito thing is working perfectly. Good job, Noir."

I sauntered playfully along on the sidewalk ahead. Stepping only on the cracks. I smiled.

"I have always been fascinated by these towering structures you earthlings erect," Starfire said as she trotted along in her summer frock.

"Don't you have tall buildings on Tamaran?" Raven asked.

"Indeed. But such construction is saved merely for residential and religious significance. For Terrans—I see—commercialism is an important part of urbanization. The lives of your people are centered companies and corporate entities. It is most fascinating."

"Most boring is more like it," Beast Boy yawned. "The only reason I ever come to downtown is for the nightclubs!!"

"Since when have you gone clubbing, little man??"

"Allright…only in my dreams, maybe."

"Heh…thought so."

"I never thought of it much, really….but…," Robin scratched his redone head of hair and looked at Starfire. "…are you not used to such tall buildings all around us?"

"Hardly, Robin," she smiled pleasantly. "Tamaran has its fair share of skyscrapers. And I in fact have lived—and fought Gordanians—around the spires of our capital City. Quite a majestic battleground, I must say."

"I can't imagine."

"Hehehehe…perhaps not. Someday, I should let you see my capital!"

"You mean like….taking Robin to Tamaran?" Beast Boy remarked.

"Er….," Starfire bit her lip. "Captured images would do just as well."

"Photographs?"

"Affirmative. But…..the previous idea does sound inviting," she blushed.

"I've….um…..never been the guest to an alien culture before," Robin remarked nervously. "I wouldn't know what to do."

"Heh…well if you ever find yourself on Tamaran, do what Starfire does!" Beast Boy smirked. "Run around and hug people and talk without contractions!"

"Hehehehe…I am sure that differences and culture shock would show…but in a different fashion if one of you were to visit my planet."

"How so, Star?"

"Well…for one thing," Starfire looked at me and Robin interchangeably. "While there are many female Tamaranians with dark hair…the number of males with such are far smaller and rarer."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Meaning what, exactly?" Robin asked.

Starfire blushed. "It is a most….attractive feature in Tamaran culture. Whether or not it be an exaggeration, I may be forced to—as Beast Boy would put it—beat the stick against the females to keep them at bay."

"Hold them off with a stick?" Beast Boy grinned. "Are Noir and Robin really that drop-dead gorgeous??"

"That…and I am quite certain my people would find the repressive nature of earthlings rather awkward."

"Repressive?"

"Wh-When it comes to emotions, of course."

"That would make sense…," Raven nodded. "Everyone on the planet would be hugging us endlessly."

"Yeah…," Robin chuckled. "While we hide in the corners like there's a plague."

"Are all Tamaranians so….open and free with their emotions?" Cyborg asked.

"Is there any reason why they should not be?"

"Just curious. I guess humans are…..pretty uptight in this universe."

"Hehehe…I think humans are precious, regardless."

Robin simpered. "Hope your people all feel the same way."

"As I'm sure they do, Robin."

"Hey Star."

"Yes, Cyborg?"

"Any black people on your planet?" he smirked.

Starfire bit her lip and her green eyes scanned past the rim of her sunhat. "N-No, unfortunately. Not in the Terran definition."

"Heck, Cy…," Beast Boy smirked. "You think anyone on Tamaran is white?? They all got amber skin, dude!"

"Point well made."

"Not all of us," Starfire simpered. "There is a small fraction of Tamaranian youths who are born with purple skin color."

"Purple?" Raven smirked ever so slightly. "Now that is interesting…."

"Indeed," Starfire nodded as we all continued walking. "I do believe it is the Tamaranian equivalent to Albany individuals on earth."

Robin chuckled. "Albinos"

"Y-Yes….my the bad," Starfire blushed, her cheeks rosy.

"Hehehe…," Beast Boy smiled. "Amber indeed."

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

We found ourselves walking across Bayside Plaza. It was nearly an hour after we started with our trek.

"Well….still no sign of….adoring fans," Cyborg said.

"You sound like you're missing it."

"It's the do-rag, Robin. The do-rag's driving me insane. Wouldn't it drive you insane?"

"I dunno…I don't do rag….er…."

"Heheheheh!" Beast Boy almost doubled over. "Ohhh man! I wish I'd thought of that!"

"Then it would have been lame."

"Pfft."

Raven looked at the theatre marquis.

"There a movie you wanna see, Rae?" Cyborg smirked.

"Hardly…," she droned, adjusting her reversed cap. "I just can't help but think that….we end up here a lot."

"How so?"

"Stopping crime. Doing public service. Everything in general."

"Centers of popularity become centers of importance," Robin remarked.

"Whatever that means…."

"It means that the Titans must come here and save the day because a lot of people like to mingle here."

"Thanks for the interpretation, Starfire. But not really necessary."

"I was only desiring to help."

"Hey Noir….I've got a question for you," Cyborg remarked.

I swiveled about and walked backwards. I raised a curious eyebrow.

"How long were you in town before….ya know….."

"Before what?" Robin broke in.

Cyborg gestured. "Before he joined the troupe." He looked at me. "Well?"

I smiled and spun around.

"Awwww…come on, man!! You've got to tell us!!"

"You know he has secrets, Cyborg," Robin smirked. "Some of us…..keep secrets."

"Says the dude who's got two sets of things blocking his eyes," Beast Boy murmured.

"Which was Noir's idea, I might add."

Cyborg scratched his chin and smirked.

"Oh please….," Raven rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, dawg. How long were you here?"

I gestured into the air.

Cyborg's human eye bulged. "Four months?!?!"

"Dude…you barely came after Slade's second major scheme!" Beast Boy remarked.

"Don't you mean 'after Terra'?" Raven said.

Beast Boy bit his lip.

Everyone was silent.

I cleared my throat. I turned around—walked backwards again—and smiled while hand signing.

Cyborg chuckled.

"What'd he say?"

"He said he was a big fan of the Titans before we invited him in."

"That's not how I remember it exactly," Robin smirked.

"Care to enlighten us?" Raven remarked.

"We were rather spooked ourselves of the 'black eyes' that haunted the city streets…terrorizing crime."

"Yeah…fancy that," Beast Boy scratched his head. "I forgot all about those days. Dude, you were quite the badass before we softened you up, eh Noir?! Ha ha ha ha!"

I shrugged and swiveled back to face where I was walking--

WHAP!!!!

I bumped straight into a telephone pole. I winced and rubbed my nose.

Starfire gasped: "Noir, are you damaged?!"

Cyborg laughed.

I shook my head and gave a dizzy thumb's up.

"Well…you have many years yet to lose all your charm."

I rolled my black eyes under my shades.

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

"Um….where are we exactly?" Beast Boy asked.

The six of us stood on the outer remnants of an abandoned complex by the dockside. There were no barriers. Just…a run down road of cracked pavement and a pile of rubble with a wretched wood and stone building beyond that. It was an asphalt island in the center of open fields of sandy brown dirt and dust. The ugly side of town….eye candy wise.

"I like it…," Raven said.

"No kidding."

I walked up to the rubble. I leaned my head to the side while scanning the area.

A beat.

I walked over the rubble.

"Hey! Wait up!" Robin scrambled behind me.

Starfire wrung her hands nervously. "Are we…..allowed to venture into such an inhospitable spot??"

"Yo…I didn't see any signs saying 'keep away'," Cyborg smiled and climbed after the two of us. "Did you?"

"I suppose I did not."

"Hey! No flying! That's cheating!"

"May I at least hover, Beast Boy? These sandals will not work well on the rubble."

"Eh….I'll give you that at least."

"Many thanks…"

Raven sauntered in last. "Come into the parlor said the spider to the fly…"

Robin and I came to a stop at a broken door frame. We looked in on a dusty and ruined interior of the bottom foyer of a three story-apartment building. It was dark and cool inside.

Robin stepped in first and I followed. Our shuffling feet echoed against the hard parts of the floor. Dust and debris crinkled under our weight.

And then.

Silence….

"Ya know….old buildings have character," Robin said.

I simply nodded.

His breath echoed against the nearby walls as he spoke: "This place must have been made in….nineteen twenty-eight or something. Not many buildings in this post-modern City are that old."

I nodded again. I walked over to a corner behind a collapsed desk.

"I used to see many people who lived in places like this nowadays."

I paused and looked at Robin.

The Boy Wonder sighed. And beneath the shades and the eyemask, I wondered if he looked sad or bored. Either way, I could tell—though I didn't say anything—that Robin was very……familiar with the sort of thing we were presently surrounded by.

"It's tough, Noir. Really….really tough." A beat. He looked at me. "We're lucky. You know that?"

I slowly nodded. I looked back at the corner.

Cyborg and Beast Boy shuffled in.

Cyborg whistled. "Certainly not the Leave It To Beaver residence."

"This place is old and boring," Beast Boy rubbed his arm. "We fly and drive by it all the time. What's so special about it anyways?"

"Only the fact that it's not 'special'," Robin smirked the two guys' way. "There're things to appreciate in….how should I put it…."

"Crud?"

"Yes. Good crud."

"Heheheh."

"Eep! Most inhospitable indeed!" echoed Starfire from the entranceway.

Raven gazed around. "Why don't we make our base here."

"You and this apartment complex need to get a room," Beast Boy groaned.

She smiled slightly.

I picked something out of the dusty corner and stood up.

"What you got there, Noir?" Cyborg asked.

I walked over and pointed at what was in my grasp.

The others crowded around.

"A photograph?"

"Apparently…."

I held in my grasp an old fashioned photograph of a family. The paper was yellow and fading. The corners eaten by moisture through the cracks in the glass plate of the frame. The family looked deadpan…serious. Signifying a long pose for an old-fashioned camera.

"I wonder who they are…," Beast Boy rubbed his scalp.

"Oh do you now?" Cyborg smirked. "I thought this place was boring."

"They look really……European," Robin said.

"What makes you say that?"

"The hairstyle. The beard on the old guy. I have a feeling these people are first generation immigrants."

"Perhaps they have relatives still living in this area?" Starfire remarked.

"Families have been known to stay in Cities for long periods of time. Generations and such. I wouldn't doubt it," Robin said.

"How curious…."

I shrugged. I dropped the photo onto the worn desk and wandered to the far side.

"Is this your idea of treasure-hunting, Noir?" Cyborg asked. "Looks like you've done it before."

I paused before an entrance to another room. I looked at him. I smirked…and continued walking.

"Well….one thing's for sure," Beast Boy folded his arms and smirked. "He's still go the 'mysterious' part down pat. If not the badass part."

"What is so dreadful about his proverbial donkey?"

"……Huh?"

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

The sun was beginning to set. We walked along the shipyard. Seagulls collected on abandoned boats and buoys. The wind was picking up and the sear air cool and crisp.

Beast Boy played with the strings of his gray jacket as he walked along. "You know….I wonder what it would feel like to live an unexciting life."

"I beg your pardon?"

"For the last two and a half hours, we've been walking across the City and—not one person recognized us. It's like we're back to being normal people again!!"

Raven grumbled. "I was never 'normal'."

"Well…you weren't always a popular heroine, admit it!"

"What are you getting at, B.B.?" Robin asked.

"I wonder if we have anything to complain about….being that we're heroes and stuff. I mean…even if a mugger was to jump out and try and rob us right now as we walk…we'd have enough superpowers to kick his ass."

"Or her ass."

"………..y-yeah." A beat. "Ahem. Anyways…imagine the citizens of this City! They had to have been trembling every time Slade made a terrorist threat over the air! Or when Control Freak threatened the City with his swarm! Or—"

"We get the picture."

"B-But do we really?!?! I don't think any of us realize how scared the people we protect are. Heck…I know I don't."

"Just what do you mean about 'us complaining'?" Robin inquired.

"Well….the life of a superhero is certainly…..hectic."

"Uh huh….."

"And you gotta put the safety of others above that of yourself and stuff."

"Yes. Quite the inevitability."

"But just what makes a hero? Not someone by birth! I mean…sure, you could be born with starbolts and whatnot like Starfire or get a chemical reaction in your bloodstream early on like me….but does that necessarily mean that all of us are destined to risk our butts over the safety of the City?? Or the world? I mean…it's a thing of choice, dude. We don't have to be such protectors of justice. We could be sitting on our couches watching the news reports of super villains at large just as much as anyone else! And in such an event…would we be just as scared? Just as frightened??"

"I think you're looking for a reason to be paranoid, man," Cyborg said. "I had plenty of time as a flesh-and-blood kid to remember what it's like to sit back in Metropolis and worry over Superman stopping the latest invasion of Apokolips or Intergang while I could do nothing."

"That must have been awful for you…," Starfire said. "Dealing with the Apokolips situation at ground zero."

"Nothing like what you've been through, Star," Cyborg smiled. "You war veteran you."

"Eh?" Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"Remember?" Raven droned. "She had to deal with Gordanians and Citadelians."

"Oh….them."

Starfire smiled. "And my family and I survived. I have nothing to be sympathized for."

"If you insist, Star," Robin planted a hand on her shoulder as they moved along. "Still….it had to have been tough."

"I do not like to measure life and one's character by her or his ability to withstand trials and tribulations," Starfire said. "But rather, I admire a person for the will and desire to support others during such cases."

Beast Boy scratched his head. "So…a coward is okay in your book as long as he means well to others?"

"Funny you should ask, B.B.," Cyborg said.

"Hey! Screw you!"

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

"But we left the screwdriver in the Titan garage!"

"No, Starfire. He didn't mean that. He meant---"

"Say, who's hungry?" Raven asked.

We all looked at her.

"What? I'm only thinking of everyone else."

"Hehehehe!"

"Suuuuuure."

"Uh huh."

I smiled.

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

We were dining in a Chinese restaurant.

It was Cyborg's idea…and we all loved him for it.

"Was that your third trip to the buffet table, Star?" Robin asked.

She sat down with a plate of noodles and rice. "Why? Do you fear that I may be eating too much?"

"Er….not exactly," Robin scratched his neck. "It's just that….Chinese food is pretty………exotic. And on your stomach—"

"Robin…," Raven blinked from across the table. "She comes from the Vegan system. A cluster of stars and planets that is multiple billions of miles away. I'm pretty sure that an order of cheeseburger and fries is just as exotic to her as Chinese chicken and rice."

Robin bit his lip.

Starfire giggled. "Robin…I admire you for your concern. But fear not. Tamaranian stomachs are most versatile."

"Yeah….if you can stomach glork, you can stomach anything," Beast Boy said amidst a mouthful of duck meat. A beat. "Ewww…I'm gonna make myself throw up!"

"Well…remember that time Starfire ate pizza for the first time?"

"Eek! How terrible!" Starfire gasped. "I did not realize that two cartons of such delectable cuisine would stimulate horrific forms of REM sleep!"

"Well…it was two hours past midnight when you went on your first pizza binge, Star," Cyborg said. "You only hurt yourself."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Long story."

I nodded. I continued eating.

Beast Boy eyed me. "Dude….where'd you learn to master the chopsticks?"

I looked at him. I smirked and continued eating, unabated with my wooden utensils.

"Something tells me that Noir is quite familiar with ways of the Orient," Robin smirked across the table. "Just look at some of his fighting moves."

"What about 'em?"

"Well, I've recognized at least five types of Eastern Martial Arts that he uses at the same time. It's some wyrd combination of multiple talents, heightened by his dark…erm….smoke power stuff." He swallowed a gulp of food and looked at me. "Isn't that right, Noir?"

I shrugged and nodded slightly with a small smile.

"Leave it to Robin to preach forth his observant nature…," Raven droned.

"I'm only describing our good friend here!" Robin replied with a pointing finger. "Not everything about him is a secret!"

"Is that so? Well maybe the tables should turn!" Cyborg said. He looked at me. "Noir, buddy. Tell us something special you've learned about Robin? Cuz we're lost."

I gulped down some food, put down my chopsticks, and hand-signed.

"What does he say?" Starfire inquired.

Cyborg snickered. "Briefs. Not boxers."

Beast Boy laughed, gathering curious glances from other patrons.

"Huh?" Starfire blinked.

Robin was blushing. He cleared his throat and glared at me through his shades and eyemask. "Noir….you're evil."

I blew a kiss and returned to my food.

"At least he has a sense of humor," Raven said.

Cyborg looked at her. "And you would know this…….how?"

"……."

"Heh…that's what I thought."

"Who knows! Maybe Mad Mod was right!" Beast Boy smirked.

"How do you mean?"

"Maybe Noir's Asian."

"Asian?"

"Y-Yeah. That'd explain a few things."

I shook my head, smirking…and ate some more.

"If he was Asian, would that mean he was born in Japan or something?"

"How about Hong Kong?"

"Pfft…he's American, dude."

Raven looked up. "How about the West Coast?"

Robin cleared his throat.

Everyone else was silent.

I froze in the middle of my meal. I slowly chewed and smiled calmly at Raven.

She hesitantly averted her eyes.

Starfire simpered. "Friends….let us…..t-talk about something else!"

"Hey! I just heard this wonderful joke the other day—" Beast Boy began.

"Something else." Raven growled.

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

Nighttime.

Stars hung overhead.

The six of us had doubled-back and now we were traversing the beach along the Bayside. We looked out at the starlit waters calmly. Relaxing in our walk across the sands.

"And I'm telling y'all….we should have a theme song," Beast Boy began.

"Theme song? How would we use a theme song, dawg?"

"Simple! We could play it on the megaphone of the T-Car when we spring upon criminals or something!"

"Nuh huh!! We ain't putting no blowcone on my baby!"

"Not a blowcone, Cy…"

"Well, whatever the Hell it is!"

"Wouldn't it be more prudent to actually THINK of a theme song FIRST?" Robin asked.

"Hmmmmmmm," Beast Boy hummed. "Something catchy."

"No duh," Raven spat.

"Rock N Roll—NO! Punk! Something punk!"

"There is this commercial for honey mustard that has the most adorable tune," Starfire beamed.

Robin looked at her strangely.

I hand-signed.

"Heh…," Cyborg chuckled as he kicked at a small dune of sand. "I don't think the Beastie Boys take request, Noir."

I shrugged.

"Hey! Everyone! Check it out!" Beast Boy did a little dig. "We are the Titanssss!! We are the Titansss! The mighty-mighty Titansssss."

"Holy Vishnu….," Raven murmured.

"Okay…man…stop that. Now."

"No! Seriously! I sing the first part and someone else does the echo! Ahem. We are the Titanssss!! Raven! Echo!"

"……"

"Psssst! 'We are the Titanssss'."

"Someone give me a violin to hit him over the head with."

"Would a steel rod do?"

"Sure thing, Robin."

"Eeep! Okay. Shutting up now," Beast Boy blushed.

I hand-signed again.

Cyborg made a face. "Huh? Who's 'Puffy Amiyumi'???"

"Is not the Bay most beautiful??" Starfire remarked.

"It's always beautiful, Star. What….you never looked before?"

"Hehehe…beautiful things are always worth looking at closely," and as she said that, she draped cuddlingly along Robin's shoulder.

The Boy Wonder blinked under his shades. He looked over at the others, biting his lip.

Cyborg smirked and shook his head. "You got yourself in a pretty nice hole there, dawg."

"Uhm…."

"Robin….did anyone tell you that your shoulder is most comfortable?"

"That's because you're taller than me, Star."

"Heheheh…," Beast Boy smiled. "My kingdom for a camera." A beat. "Oh wait! Better yet! We got Cy! Hey, light up your red eye, Cy! Hehehe…triple rhyme!"

I smirked.

"Pfft…go take a hike, B.B."

"I thought that was what we're doing."

Cyborg moaned. He looked Raven's way. "Hey Rae. Wanna cuddle?"

"Wanna get disemboweled?"

"Heheheh….I thought so."

"We're lucky to have such a nice beach," Beast Boy said. "I've been to Florida once before. Pffft. I don't remember what was worse. The tourists or the hurricanes."

"Hey!" Cyborg lifted a finger. "Remember last month when—like—on Friday the thirteenth, two storms hit Florida at once?"

"Um……no."

"Oh……well then……me neither."

"Florida…the phallus of this great nation…"

Everyone did a double-take and looked at Raven.

She blinked back at us. "What? Did I make a noise?"

"Only the best kind, girl."

"Whatever."

Starfire giggled.

"Ack!!" Beast Boy jumped. "I'm getting sand in my shoes!"

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

Gradually, we made our way back to the land ridge that took us to the Tower.

"Everything is always over so fast…," Cyborg remarked.

Raven walked alongside him. "Cyborg…that sounded very bleak and fatalistic."

"Is that why you're walking next to me and not Robin?"

"Robin's got an anchor right now," Raven glanced back. So did Cyborg.

Robin walked with Starfire leaning against him. Her eyes were closed. He glanced at us and mouthed: 'Could she be sleeping???'

"I dunno, man," Cyborg quietly murmured with a shrug. "If Tamaranians can spontaneously fall into a coma as a part of puberty…I'm sure they can walk in their sleep."

"Or drool in their sleep," Raven throated. "Be sure to wash that shirt by the end of the night."

Robin bit his lip.

"Well….if nothing'll shut the team leader up….it's a sleeping chick," Beast Boy looked at me and laughed. A beat. "I wonder if that explains why I'm always talking a mile a minute."

I smirked.

"Dude…I so envy you. When's Kara ever gonna visit?"

I thought about that. I scratched my chin. I shrugged.

"Do you even care?"

I hand-signed.

"Cy!! Translate, please!"

"Translate yourself, man. I'm going straight to bed!"

"D'oh!" Beast Boy looked at me. "Okay….so…I know! Show us what you'd do if Kara was to visit tomorrow and she's standing right before you!"

I had a disgusted look on my face.

"If necessary…use Raven as a template! Hehehe!"

"Don't even think about it."

"Come onnnnn! Show us!"

I scratched my chin. I gave in with a nod.

"Oh goody!"

I pointed beyond Beast Boy's shoulder.

He turned around. "Huh?"

I grabbed him from behind and gave him a murderous wedgie.

"DAAAH!!!"

Robin laughed out loud, waking Starfire.

"Nnnmghhh," the girl's green eyes fluttered open. She gasped with a hand over her mouth. "Good gracious! Beast Boy's underwear is attacking his spinal column!!"

Raven held a hand over her face and shook…not letting us see her forced repression of a chuckle.

Good 'ol Cyborg got a belly full.

"Okay…I must admit," Beast Boy's frown melted into proud smile. "That was to die for."

"Then do us a favor and die already."

"Ask that of Noir. I'm gonna stuff his sword sheathe with tofu in the morning."

I folded my arms with a suspicious smirk.

As Beast Boy readjusted…..himself, Robin remarked: "We should thank you, Noir. Now we know why you do this sort of stuff often. It's….relaxing."

I hand-signed something.

And this time, Cyborg did translate: "'It's relaxing not because of the walk…but because all of us are together.'"

Starfire giggled. "True. Very true."

"Well…let's retire," Robin said. "There's training to do tomorrow."

"Oh joy…"

Beast Boy caught up with us. "Dude! Noir, why'd you have to hack Slade into pieces that one time! You should have just given him a wedgie and he'd be twice as defeated!"

"I dunno, Beast Boy," Cyborg spoke. "Nothing rides an average villain than a good stretch of Myrkblade."

And even I had to laugh at that.