[Back to right after Starfire's fiery exit]
Starfire had just flown out the side of their house with Control Freak, Robin had left the room quickly right after her exit, and the other three stood looking at each other. None of them knew how to cope with what just happened, but they all reacted in their own way. Raven always handled things alone, so she told her teammates, "I'm going to my room." And phased through the floor. She appeared in her room, where she remained until Beast Boy's alert told her she was needed to take care of Robin in the infirmary. She was glad that he also added that it wasn't a serious injury, because she didn't know how well she would have handled the news if he had left that out. Before she got Beast Boy's alert, she sat in the middle of the floor in lotus position, and focused on exactly what happened.
She needed to confront whatever emotions were to come to her and deal with them immediately, or risk the consequences of repressing them. She didn't want a repeat of what happened after Wicked Scary. Not knowing where to start, she began with the good.
She remembered the time when Starfire first meditated with her, and held onto the bliss of such happy energy next to her. She thought of her friend dragging her to the "mall of shopping" and her own feigned hate of the trip, and held on to the delight of seeing her so fascinated by mundane. Then, came the time when they switched bodies and had to learn everything about each other, and she held onto the peace of telling someone about her life for the first time. in her life.
Knowing that this wasn't the point of her being here, she shifted to more serious emotions that bubbled inside of her. She brought out every dark emotion she was feeling in order to feel each one directly. She felt her anger at Starfire for breaking a criminal out of jail, and then leaving the team to keep him out of it. She felt the grief of seeing the one person she considered a sister leave. She felt the fear of not knowing if she would see her again, or at the least, a very long time. Worst of all, she felt the the combined anger, grief, and fear of knowing that she might one day need to fight her. She took these feelings, and recognized their existence and accepted them.
After accepting her anger, grief and fear, she did not feel better. She never did after accepting her emotions; she always felt worse, but Raven also knew that not doing this could have disastrous consequences. She just sat on the floor feeling a gnawing pain everywhere, but her communicator buzzing distracted her for a moment. Seeing that she was needed in the infirmary, and she had finished her work, she got up and left to go there, choosing to walk rather than teleport. At the moment, she did not trust her powers.
[Back to right after Raven phased back to her room]
Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at the spot that Raven just disappeared from and stood in silence. Three of their teammates had quickly left and they were both frightened about how bad things looked right now. Slowly, they shifted their gaze to the mess in front of them. Broken glass and a few pieces of steel here and there were scattered throughout their entire living room. Cyborg was the first to move and start picking up the pieces, and Beast Boy flowed shortly after. It wasn't two minutes before before cut his hand on a piece of glass.
"Aargh! It's the little cuts that hurt the most!" Beast boy yelped as he shook his hand in pain.
"How did you even manage to pull that off? You're wearing gloves?" Cyborg asked as he dumped the handful of glass into the trashcan they set down next to them to shorten the trips.
"I don't even know, dude!" Beast Boy replied as he took off his glove and inspected the wound.
Cyborg managed to let out a ghost of a chuckle at his friend's antics. He appreciated the busy work to keep his mind distracted. It's why he always would tinker with the T-Car. He used it to get his mind off things when everything got complicated. Right now, he wanted to think about anything other than just what happened. He focused on picking up the shards of glass carefully instead. Working on the T-Car was a perfect escape, because it took a lot of concentration and brainwork to work on it, making it a great distraction. This was too easy and left his mechanized mind free to roam. He worried about how Starfire would manage out there by herself, but reminded himself that she could take down a T-Rex with her bare hands (It was a rainy day, and was indeed Beast Boy's idea). She would do just alright by herself, but he couldn't say the same for Control Freak. He thought about how much the team is going to fall apart now that they were divided like this. This wasn't the first time someone walked off the team, but it was far more violent and tense than when he had himself.
Lost in thought, it took him a second to realize that all the large pieces were picked up, only leaving vacuuming and the replacement of the window. Cyborg watched his friend struggle to pick up a speck of glass off the floor and decided to relieve him of his work. "Thanks for the help with the mess, BB, but I'll take everything from here." He also wanted a little bit of alone time as well.
Beast Boy looked up from the ground, and gave a very small smile. "You got it dude. I'm gonna go for a little walk around the tower."
"Do what ever you need to, but stay outta' Raven's room, okay?" Cyborg asked, making sure there won't be another melt down.
Beast Boy turned around, and backpedaled through the door pointing finger guns at his tall metal friend and replied, "No promises." But the door shut before Cyborg could yell a response.
Beast Boy wondered the halls not knowing where to go. He drifted from room to room, just as something to do while he thought. He was not worried as Cyborg was, or pondered what the future held like Raven; he thought about what the Tamaranean had done and wondered if it was the right choice or not. He too thought that Control Freak was innocent, but like he told the girl himself, he wasn't going to go that length to help him. On one hand, he knew Starfire was right and was justified for saving an innocent man's life. On the other, she broke the law, and is probably going to become a wanted fugitive in the near future.
Beast Boy stopped walking and put a hand against his head, saying aloud even though he was alone, "Woah, that was a lot of thinking right there. I'm gonna need a good thinking spot to figure the rest of this out. But where would that be?"
He stood and rubbed his chin as he thought about his options. Again he voiced his thoughts, "Cyborg's got the couch, my room's too dirty and cramped, the roof has too much noise, the basement's too dark and freaky…" Beast Boy paused completely out of ideas, but then it hit him. "Ah-hah! I Got it! The safe room we built for Raven! Worked good as a thinking room last time, it'll be perfect for a good think this time."
[Present Time]
All the Titans were gathered in the infirmary ready to hear Robin's words about Starfire. No one was surprised by their leader's announcement, they all knew it was coming. Robin faced his team, and looked at them. He compared their demeanor to what it was that morning. Cyborg was visibly worn down despite having not exerting much effort lately. Today's hardships shown on the face of his mechanical friend. His shoulders hung much farther forward than usual and his head hung low. There was no trace of a smile on his face, which almost never happened. Cyborg never really dipped below content, which made him the team's constant in a way. Now he just looked tired, and completely run down. Robin could have sworn that he was glowing at his normal level of blue.
His gaze shifted to Raven, and immediately noticed the change in her eyes. They were always alert, but now they had a distant look to them. He saw slight movement in her jaw, and thought she was probably chewing the side of her cheek in apprehension. Even though they had been in the tower for quite some time, she still had her hood drawn, and instead of letting her cloak drift around her, she held the edges tightly. Robin could see her wanting to keep secluded in the pain she was feeling.
His eyes drifted over to Beast boy next. His change was the most prominent. There were obvious bags beneath his eyes, his ears were unsurprisingly drooping, and he wasn't even a normal shade of green. It had an unhealthy yellow tint in it. He stared at the ground with a look on his face that made it seem he was dead to the world. The only movement was a slow blink every now and then.
Robin knew he wasn't looking too hot himself, and looking at his team confirmed it. After watching his teammates for just a few moments, he began, "Today, has been the worst day I can remember in a long time."
It sparked a day to compare to today in everyone's mind. Beast Boy thought of Terra's betrayal, Raven thought of ending the world, and Cyborg thought of the day Gizmo trashed his baby.
"Now we're all dead tired, so sleep is of the up most importance right now. I know it may be difficult, but we all need to try. I think all planning on what the next step should be with Sta-" but he couldn't finish, so he opted for a different name. "Control Freak should be done tomorrow after we get some good sleep. Do any of you have any problems with that?" They all shook their heads. "Then I recommend we all head to bed now."
Robin started to leave, but noticed none of his teammates moved a muscle. He looked at them and raised an eyebrow. Beast Boy raised his hand.
"Uh, Beast Boy." Robin said as he pointed to him, but was confused why it was necessary to raise his hand.
"So it's gonna sound dumb, but do you guys wanna all sleep on the couch tonight? I think it might help us get to sleep." Beast Boy asked as he rubbed the back of his head.
Cyborg was the first to respond, "I can bring down a portable charger from my room easily and set it up next to the couch. I think I'd actually like that, being next to you guys tonight."
Robin thought it over. Being in the same room as his friends seemed like a comforting idea to him as well. "Yah, I think it could be a good idea."
The group of boys all looked to Raven to hear her answer. "Pass." Was all she said as she walked out the door. Right before it closed, she heard Beast Boy, "Alrighty then. I guess it's gonna be a guys night."
She walked to her room and got ready for bed, not really paying attention to her nightly routine. She just wanted to get in bed as fast as she could. When she finally did, she laid down in an extremely comfortable position. The temperature was perfect, the sheets were so incredibly soft, and sleep felt like it was miles away. She laid still for five minutes, but saw that trying was quickly becoming pointless. She slowly began to think back to rest of her team on the couch. She scolded herself mentally, saying, Don't be ridiculous, Raven! You're perfectly capable of falling asleep here in your room!
She laid still for another five minutes, nowhere closer to sleep. She glanced to her side at her cloak. This time she was a little more open to the thought of sleeping on the couch. It seems completely logically that I could sleep better in a room of friends, but then again, it also shows weakness.
She laid still for maybe thirty seconds more. Azar!
She got up, adjusted her cloak around her, and phased down into the living room. She first noticed Cyborg's newly constructed window and couldn't even tell it had been completely destroyed just a little while ago. Next, she saw the boys were almost perfectly spread out on the couch, but there was just a little more room right next to Beast boy. She crept up next to him, and looked at the sleeping changeling. There was just enough room for her to squeeze into. She bent down… and backed away, instead, opting to sleep in the recliner in the corner in the room. She was close to her teammates, but not that close.
She sat down in the recliner and shifted it to a more level position. She was fairly uncomfortable sitting in the recliner in the living room. It was slightly too warm, it was awkward sleeping in a slightly upright position, the material of the chair was a little rough, and she fell asleep almost instantly in the comforting presence of her friends.
After the empath fell asleep, the resident changeling popped an eye open to glance at her. He too struggled to fall asleep without the full team being present, but now felt much more relaxed. He closed his eye again, and the last thought that ran through his head before he fell asleep was what Starfire's sleeping arrangements looked like.
Across town, two figures approached the door to a worn down apartment with boarded up windows that had been closed for years. "It's no use, there's not gonna be a key lying around anywhere." One of the figures spoke.
His companion responded by placing a kick on the door that almost unhinged it, and entered without a word. The other soon followed, after shaking off his surprise. "So, now breaking and entering can be added to your list of crimes, Starfire."
The alien looked up at Control Freak and weakly responded, "Considering what else I have done today, I see this as an improvement. Let us see what beds this place contains."
Control Freak tried to shut the door, but with the way Starfire opened it, he ended up just shoving it against the frame until it got stuck in the closed position. After "closing" the door, he followed Starfire up the stairs. All the furniture was gone, except a ratty couch, and a torn up queen size mattress lying on a frame. They both surveyed their choices, and Control Freak called out, "Dibs on the bed."
Starfire shot him a look and he corrected, "On second the thought, I'll take the couch."
She walked over to the bed as Control Freak threw himself onto the couch. She laid down, and noticed how musty it smelled, but at this point, she was too exhausted to care. Before giving in to the numbing sensation of sleep, she said aloud to her fellow fugitive, "We sleep tonight, and plan tomorrow. Is that clear, Control Freak?"
"Crystal." And both runaways promptly fell asleep.
Night passed, and the Titan's, minus Starfire, were gathered in the living room, all still asleep for the most part. Beast Boy was just beginning to stir when he noticed the couch was oddly metallic. He opened his eyes and found that he had cuddled up to Cyborg in his sleep. He jerked his body off him and shot to the end of the couch, letting out a small squeal as he did so. Once he was separated, he heard a stifled chuckle from over in the kitchen. He turned to see that Raven stood watching him with a mug of tea in her hand, with a shadow of a smile on her face. Beast Boy got up from the couch, and quickly went over to Raven, with a smile shining on his face.
"Did you just laugh at something I did?" He asked in a voice that attempted to be quiet, but in his excitement was actually much too loud.
Raven raised an eyebrow at him and quietly monotoned back, "I would hardly consider it an accomplishment. I've watched you cuddled up next to Cyborg for the past five minutes, and then act like a complete idiot after waking up. I wouldn't say that's something to be proud of."
"So you were watching me then, huh, Raven?" Beast Boy asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Raven face palmed and replied in a voice full of sarcasm, "Exactly my point, Beast Boy. Now go away before I send a picture of you and Cyborg sleeping to every Honorary Titan on the roster."
Beast Boy laughed, "That's an empty threat. You didn't take a picture of us. I call your bluff!"
Raven produced her communicator with a picture of the two together out from under her cloak, deftly wiping the grin off Beast Boy's face. "Okay, I'll just go to the other side of the kitchen then."
Raven smirked at her small victory. As Beast Boy put together his vegetarian breakfast, Raven looked back at her other teammates. Robin had just sat up and stretched letting out a yawn. He got up and joined the other two in the kitchen. Raven looked at her worn down leader and asked, "How are you holding up?"
Robin grunted back, "I'll make it." And sat down at the table table. He looked at his friends and continued, "Once Cyborg wakes up, we'll start planning."
A loud ding was heard by all three of them near the couch, and they turned to see the cause of it. Cyborg's recharger shut down, and the owner started to pull out of his slumber/recharging state. He stretched and looked around him. It took him a second to remember he had slept on the couch that night. Seeing everyone awake and in the kitchen, he got up and went to join them.
Cyborg sat at the table with Robin, and was soon joined by Raven with her tea and Beast Boy with a handful of nuts. Robin looked at every one and began, "There's no point in putting it off, and we're all here now. Are you guys okay about talking about Starfire?" Everyone nodded back, so Robin continued, "The first order of business is to figure out what we tell the police, and maybe eventually the press depending on what we tell the police. We did ignore the crime alert last night, so they will all be wondering what the situation is. Should we tell them everything that happened, or wait to see how the situation changes first?"
Cyborg was the first to speak, "I think we should wait. Maybe Star will come back after blowin' off some steam, and we can return Control Freak to the police."
Raven followed up, "I agree with Cyborg. If we release all information now, we might cause panic in the city, and all criminals will want to start trouble, now that we aren't a full team."
Robin nodded at the excellent incite from his teammates, and looked at Beast Boy to hear him weigh in.
Beast Boy was feeling uncomfortable talking about such things and just replied, "Yah, sure."
Robin continued on, "I agree with this decision. Let's wait for now. Second order of business, how are we going to track down the two in the mean time? I don't feel comfortable just sitting around, and I would think that you guys don't either. My first thought would be tracking Starfire's communicator, but I think she's too smart to keep it on her. Can you pull it up Cyborg just to check?"
Cyborg reached over to his arm and started pressing on the touch screen on his wrist. After a few moments he reached the information he was looking for. He looked back at Robin and said, "Yup, you're right. She left it here in the tower. In fact…" He looked over his shoulder at the corner of the room. He got up and walked over to it, and reached down, picking up the communicator that he'd just zeroed in on. He turned around to face his team holding it up to show them, "She must have thrown it sometime during her exit, and Beast Boy and I somehow missed it cleaning up."
He walked back to everyone at the table and set Starfire's communicator next to Robin. Robin looked at it and said to everyone, "Okay, any ideas for a plan B?"
Beast Boy had an idea, but was really uncomfortable sharing it. In fact, the longer everyone talked, the worse he was feeling. In his nervousness, he raised his hand again in question.
Robin looked at him, "Beast Boy, you don't have to keep raising your hand. What is it? Do you have a plan? One that is physically possible of carrying out?"
Beast Boy lowered his hand saying, "Actually, I was wondering if we could clean up after sleeping. I don't think I'm ready to talk about this stuff yet." He was embarrassed for saying so, but he just wasn't feeling it. He had an idea of how to find her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
The team looked at him, and Robin spoke, "Okay, I guess we can take thirty or forty-five minutes to clean up and maybe get a little food too. Are you two okay with that?"
The other two nodded and they began to get up, but Beast Boy was the first up. he said a quick thank you and rushed out of the room. He ran up to his room and jumped into the bathroom. He placed his hands on the counter and looked at himself in the mirror. He was having a really tough time with all this. He could see how everyone else could do it, because they all thought Starfire was wrong, but Beast Boy saw things differently. He looked over at the shower next to him, and thought a quick, cold shower would help clear his mind. After an excruciating four minutes, he stepped back out and began drying himself off. It didn't help. He still felt just as confused.
He returned to his room and after getting into a new suit, began pacing around. How could he hunt down Starfire? She was literally and metaphorically a princess to him. She always was so righteous in everything she did; how could this new development be any different? After minutes of pacing he realized he needed an outside opinion, and he thought about his options. Cyborg didn't like to take sides in this case, and Robin wasn't the most stable right now. That left only one option, and he hoped it wouldn't kill him.
Across the hall, Raven just finished drying her hair when she heard a knock at her door. Now was not the time for a friendly chat; she hadn't even been able to get back into costume. She heard the person on the other side call out, "Raven? It's me, Beast Boy. I need to talk to you."
She wanted to talk now even less, now that she knew who was at the door. She approached the door, but before she shot him down, she got hit by a wave of emotion. There was a lot of confusion on the other side of the door. Along with inner pain, there was anguish and an overall fear of the future. She never knew Beast Boy could feel anything more than hunger, laziness, and a need to be the most annoying person he could possibly be, but there was so much emotion she couldn't turn him away right now. She muttered to herself, "I never thought I'd ever do this in my entire life." and cracked open the door an inch, and said through it, "Two minutes, and I promise I'll let you in."
He never got a response like that before. He wondered what was the difference was this time and stood there waiting. After two minutes and three seconds, the door opened to Beast Boy, and he gained entrance into the fortress known as Raven's room. He was still in shock that he was standing in it right now. Best case scenario was him being able to have a short muffled conversation through the door, so things were going well right now.
Raven could still feel his confusion, so she decided to jump right in. "There's obviously something that's really weighing you down right now, so just go ahead and tell me."
Beast Boy blinked back in surprise. Could she read his mind? He shook it off and followed her directions, diving right into it in just one sentence, "I think Starfire's right!"
It was now Raven turn to just blink back in surprise. She looked at her friend, "What?"
Beast Boy continued, "Control Freak was gonna get iced for something he didn't do, and Starfire did what she could do to save him. I have trouble picturin' me on a different side than Starfire, and me also thinkin' that she's right only makes it worse!" The longer he went on the more frantic he sounded and the wilder his gestures became. "This crazy Raven! I don't know what I'm suppose to do! You're one of the smartest people I know, you gotta help me!"
Raven was in shock. There was a lot of things that came out of Beast Boy's mouth just now, and she was having trouble figuring it all out. She took a deep breath and began, "No, you can't just justify breaking a criminal out of jail, even if it seems it is the right thing to do. I don't think there's even a debate if it is the right thing. Robin was pouring over every detail of what happened, and he found absolutely nothing to prove Control Freak is innocent, and we both know that Robin is the absolute best at finding evidence. Well, second to Batman, but that's still saying something." Raven finished, but realized she missed a complement that was thrown in at the end by Beast Boy, and added, "And Thank you."
Beast Boy gave a small smile, but it quickly left. "Why don't you think he's innocent? You saw how he acted, and can't you like read minds or something?"
Raven sighed. She thought the changeling might bring that up. "No, Beast Boy, I don't read minds. I'm an empath, which means I can feel other people's emotions. I'm not even well practiced at it, because I've been repressing my own emotions my entire life. I can only pick up strong emotions from people nearby."
Beast Boy looked back and asked, "But doesn't that mean you can still know if he's tellin' the truth or not?"
Raven shook her head, "No, I don't. Truth and deceit are not emotions. When we visited him in jail, I could feel panic, whether it was caused from being wrongfully incarcerated, or realization that he could be killed for murdering someone, I have no idea."
Beast Boy's ears drooped, as he deflated, "Well that's no help." He looked at Raven, and seeing her reaction, tried correcting himself. "Not you! You're being helpful, but I was hoping for a solid answer."
Raven still felt the sting of the words, but they were true. She thought back to all she felt recently. "Yah, it's not helpful, and it's also the reason I have trouble siding with Control Freak."
Beast Boy looked at her in confusion, so she continued, "I could feel how the crowd felt when we apprehend him at the art museum. I felt their panic, their disgust at the sight of the body, and their fear of them being next." Beast Boy was starting to understand. "I also felt the pain and anger coming off of Robin and Starfire, and it makes me feel terrible. That's why I have trouble siding with him, because I know how he's made everyone around him feel."
Beast Boy didn't know what to say. He was beginning to understand Raven's view though. He tried to show his comprehension of it, saying, "That's gotta be rough."
Raven nodded, and he thought it would be best to change the subject. "Do you think Star's gonna be back?"
Raven thought about it for a second, and then replied, "She might. I don't know how long she can last by herself with Control Freak."
Realization hit Beast Boy with that last sentence, and things seemed clear for the first time, "Yah, you're right Raven. Look I know things have been really tough for you lately, so I'm gonna leave you to be by yourself, cuz I know you like your privacy."
Raven smiled softly at Beast Boy in response. Thirty-eight! he thought, as he turned around to leave. Raven called out to him to stop, and he did. "Don't do anything stupid Beast Boy."
Beast Boy laughed and rebounded back, "Tellin' me not to be stupid, is like tellin' you not to be sarcastic, it's just things we do."
Raven threw her arms up in mock surprise, "Woah, Beast Boy. Sarcastic has three syllables. Are you sure you can handle a word that big?"
Beast boy made a face back at her, "Exactly, my point!" he shot back. She smiled back at him, as he left saying, "Thirty-nine." Under his breathe.
Raven heard him whisper something and asked, "What was that?"
Beast Boy just increased his pace yelling back, "Nothing!" as he took off. He slowed down just after a little while, and thought to himself Raven's right! Starfire's not gonna last long out there with just Control Freak for company! With that, he went back to his room.
An hour later, Cyborg, Robin, and Raven were all at the kitchen table waiting for Beast Boy so they could now talk. Robin checked the clock, wondering aloud, "How much longer is it going to take Beast Boy to get down here? We said forty-five minutes, and it's been over an hour. Should someone go check on him?"
Cyborg volunteered, "I got this, I think the little guy has had trouble picturing Starfire as a bad guy. I'll bring him back down in just a sec." Cyborg got up and ventured to his best friend's room. He knocked on the door multiple times saying, "Come on BB! We're all waitin' on ya' man. You've had enough time." He was only met with silence. Beast Boy had never ignored people at his door before, and it made Cyborg uneasy. "Okay, now I'm worried, so I'm gonna come inside, okay?" He opened the door to find the room empty, with the lights off. He turned them back on and immediately noticed a bright yellow communicator with a note next to it. He walked over to it, wondering why it was there and bent over to read the note. All the note said was, "Thought Star needed some company. Don't wait up for me during your meeting. We'll be back once we prove Control Freak's innocent."
Cyborg stared at the note in his hand with narrowed eyes and an open mouth. Did that mean what he thought it meant? Is Beast Boy leaving the team to help Starfire? Cyborg saw he left his communicator with the note, so he knew that the answer was pretty much a yes. He picked up the two items and left Beast Boy's room in small steps, staring at the two objects in his hands the entire way back to his other teammates. He tried to think as little as possible about what the situation now looked like, until he made it back to the kitchen.
Robin and Raven saw Cyborg enter the room. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was pressed into a grim line. They didn't speak, even when Cyborg made it to the table and deposited the two items on the table for the rest of them to see. Robin finished reading a second before Raven, stood up, and began to leave the room without saying a word. Raven finished, only giving a shocked gasp as a response. She looked up from the note and saw Robin about to leave. She phased through the floor and came back up right in front of Robin, putting her hands up in front of her.
"No, Robin, I'm not letting you break your hands against the punching bag again. You're staying here with us, and we are all gonna talk about this." Raven said sternly to her teammate.
Robin wanted to do anything but talk about it right now, but seeing that he'd have to get through Raven to do so, he turned and walked back to the table, muttering, "Fine." As he walked. Raven walked back right behind him and they all sat down at the table. Robin looked at his remaining two teammates, and said, "Okay then, let's talk."
On the other side of town, Beast boy was approaching an abandoned apartment as a Bloodhound, with his nose pressed against the ground. Still sniffing he walked up, to the front door and rose up on his hind legs, placing his front paws on it. Taking one last sniff and seeing the state of the door, he was sure he had found them. He transformed into an ant, and crawled under a crack in the door. Once getting through he transformed into a fly and flew around the residence, looking for his friend. He came upon her mid conversation with Control Freak, and decided to listen for just a moment before revealing himself.
"I am starting to think that I have made the wrong decision Control Freak. If I am the only one on this team that believes that this was the right course of action, I believe that I could have been wrong." Starfire said to her companion.
"Don't say that Starfire, I think you did the right thing!" Control Freak said not liking where this could end up. "I'm really happy that you do believe me, and I haven't even thanked you for doing that yet, so… Thanks."
Starfire smiled weakly at Control Freak but continued on, "I am comforted by your words, but if my friends are united in thinking that what I did was wrong, I see no other answer than-" But a third voice coming from the door interrupted her.
"Too bad not every one of your friends thinks your wrong, Star." Beast boy said while leaning against the door frame.
The two looked at Beast Boy, utterly shocked by his sudden appearance. It took a moment for what Beast Boy said to register. When it did, Starfire flew straight into Beast Boy, and yet again, embraced him in a bone crushing hug. Seeing how happy Starfire was, Beast Boy didn't mind how much it hurt to breathe right now. Starfire held him in silence, just enjoying the fact that she was no longer alone in her crusade.
She let go of Beast Boy and deposited him back on the floor, shouting loudly, "Oh, friend Beast Boy! I'm so filled with happiness that you have decided to join us!" Starfire said, but her gigantic smile soon disappeared as she asked, "You are joining us, yes?"
Beast Boy smiled back and said, "Yes I am, Star. Thought you could use a little extra company, and…" He reached for the very small, thin back pack he was wearing and opened it. "I thought you guys would be hungry too!"
He took out a bag of trail mix, two water bottles, and a package of cookies, and laid it out before the other two saying, "Sorry it's not much, but I can't carry anything too bulky while I shape shift. This stuff was already hard to carry."
Starfire couldn't care any less and was smiling from ear to ear. "It does not matter. This will be a wondrous meal, that you have provided!"
Control Freak was a little more judgmental of the choice, "You couldn't have brought any meat or something like that?" A glare from Starfire made him recant. "Actually, this is good just the way it is." He said with a nervous smile.
It had indeed been a while since the two had eaten, and they quickly dove in and began to devour all that was provided. Beast Boy had eaten before leaving, and was happy he made the decision to bring them food.
When all things edible were consumed, Starfire turned to Beast Boy asking, "How did you manage to find us Beast Boy?"
He blushed slightly before responding, "Well, yah see, don't take this the wrong way, but you smell differently than anything else on earth. I have a more sensitive sense of smell than the average guy, but when I transform into a Bloodhound, I could track you down anywhere in the city."
Starfire was not offended, but was rather intrigued by this. "What is it that makes me smell different?" She asked with a curious tone.
Beast Boy didn't expect such a question, so he paused a moment to think about it with his hand pressed against his chin. "It's hard to describe, but you don't smell like a human. At first I thought you smelled like Zorka berries, but once we went to Tamaran, I realized the whole planet smelled like that. It's not bad, just different. Like, you constantly have just a little bit of a rainforest like scent." Beast Boy said, hoping he didn't insult her.
She only nodded with a smile, so Beast Boy continued. "Raven's the same. She smells different than people too." Beast Boy paused and contemplated whether he should continue and decided he should. "Don't tell her this but she has, uh well, she kinda has a burnt smell to her. It isn't like a bad smelling fire. It's kinda more like a campfire. I always wondered why she smelled like that, but when Trigon came…" He paused again "It made sense."
He looked at Starfire and seeing her face, decided to end on a happier note. "Cyborg smells like a car and a human had a kid, and Robin I keep track of by the crazy amount of gel he uses in his hair. I mean, nobody uses as much hair gel as that kid."
The sound of Starfire softly laughing made him happy with his choice of finishing with their other two friends. He looked over at Control Freak, and had completely forgot about him being there as well. He thought it was better to just refrain from telling the man that he just smelled like he needed a shower because he needed to be on good terms with him, and showers were now going to be hard to come by.
Starfire's mood had improved a huge amount since Beast Boy's arrival, and was greatly encouraged by his appearance. She was enjoying herself now, but she also knew that planning what they would be doing in the future was also very important. She decided that now was a good time as any to start, so she began, "Now that you are here Beast Boy, we may plan about what is our next step."
[End Chapter]
And now our core team has officially been split. Will there be any more? You'll have to keep reading to find out! Are you guys enjoying it so far? Let me know! I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and I want to get you readers involved in this story as much as I can. Anything that pops in your head that you think would be a good idea for the story, write me a review! I'd love to hear it. Sorry about chapter 4 coming out all screwed up at first. I'm gonna make sure that won't happen again!
I think this chapter was A-Okay, was it Above Average in your book?