Confrontation
Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own the show Teen Titans, nor the various DC comics on which this fanfiction is based.
Raven awakens slowly, the warmth around her making a very persuasive argument in favor of just staying asleep.
The soreness permeating her entire body, though, gradually forces her to wakefulness.
A low purr sounds at her side, and she turns into her lover's arms with a smile.
Memories of the previous day move in a slideshow through her mind, her new sense of giddiness quickly returning.
Jinx presses closer to the psychic, the noises she makes bringing Raven's blush to blossom throughout her whole body.
Even in her drowsy state, a smile curves her lips as her gaze moves up Raven's body, making its way slowly up to the psychic's face.
Raven's head bends to push their lips together, the chaste gesture quickly turning more passionate as the meta wakes.
Jinx snakes her arm upwards, cupping her neck as she reluctantly pulls away.
"Careful. A girl could get used to that kinda' wakeup," she practically moans.
"And a girl could get used to waking you with it," Raven returns with a warm smile.
Jinx's smile grows as she notices something behind Raven.
"What's this? And when there's actual light outside, too! I could get used to that, too," she laughs.
At Raven's embarrassed frown, she quickly presses another kiss to her lips, instantly removing the expression.
"You're so cute when you blush," Jinx laughs. "I can definitely get used to that, too, hopefully a lot more in the foreseeable future."
Raven brushes her hand along the woman's spine, reveling in the shivers that overtake the meta's form.
"Go back to sleep, Jinx. Rest a bit more," she encourages, her heart beating faster at her lover's insinuation.
"Not a morning person. Good thing ta' know for the future."
"Go back to sleep, Jinx. Rest a bit more," she encourages, her heart beating faster at her lover's insinuation.
"'Kay."
With the lack of convincing needed, Raven laughs as Jinx's eyes slide back closed and she promptly begins snoring again.
A grumble making itself known, the psychic silently slips into a portal, taking her clothes with her as she floats without a sound into the kitchen, letting her lover rest a while longer…
*****************
Slowly, pink eyes begin opening to blearily take in the world outside.
She had not been wrong.
The sex before couldn't even compare to how amazing their lovemaking had been, the term much better fit for their newest development.
Jinx comes awake slowly, groaning as her body's various sorenesses and aches make themselves known.
The thought of their activities over the previous day brings her Cheshire smile to the meta's lips, though it quickly wanes when she takes notice of the lack of body pressed against her.
Her gaze becomes much clearer in an instant, looking around for Raven, before an amazing scent catches her attention.
Stomach grumbling, her sudden hunger leads her to her kitchen, and a very strange sight.
Raven moves around the kitchen, dressed in her leotard while her cloak is nowhere to be seen.
One thing Jinx had not expected was that the psychic could cook.
With how she expertly maneuvers something hidden by her body, that assumption quickly vanishes.
"When the day for the prophecy to happen came, I tried to distract myself by cooking, to get my mind off it all," Raven says in greeting. "It went terribly, and only Koriand'r could eat what I made when attempting to create pancakes. After all of the dust had settled and the Earth was once again whole, I decided to take some classes up on cooking. It turned out I could do quite well at it, given enough mistakes to learn from."
"I didn't make any noise," Jinx says as she takes a seat. "And I'm not going to complain about free food."
"It's your food, I'm just putting it to use," Raven argues, flipping something in her skillet. "And I'm getting used to everything, so I don't know if it'll go away, but I heard you the second you got out of bed."
Jinx's eyes widen, casting a glance back the way she came.
"That's on the other side of the apartment."
"Glad you know the geography of your apartment," Raven laughs, the sound sending a thrill through the meta.
"And you didn't go back to sleep when you told me to… why?" she grouses.
"Not all of us need to sleep until the day is half over," Raven taunts.
"I sleep perfectly normal. Everyone else needs to figure out nocturnal schedules are more efficient," the meta grumbles with a blush.
Raven laughs at her response, though she purely teases the tired meta.
She knows from some of her stories that some ops meant almost weeks at a time with barely any sleep to be had safely in between.
Her sleep habits while in Jump City make perfect sense.
That doesn't mean she can't have her fun, something that her new attributes seem to demand.
"I am sorry that my hunger won out against staying in your arms for another hour. Sadly, you seem to have burnt all my energy away. And I'll be needing as much as I can gather."
"Get used to it, babe, 'cause I'll be perfectly happy making you wake up burnt out all the time. Can't say I don't wish you had just left the damn clothes on the floor, though. I feel so naked."
"You are," Raven deadpans with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly. And you're not," the meta responds with a grin. "How 'bout we fix that?"
"Eating first, fun after I've dealt with the bastard."
"Such a hard bargain. Fine, I guess I'll just have to wait… So, today's the day, huh?" Jinx inquires with a more serious expression, slowly making her way to stand behind her.
A shiver runs through the psychic's body as warm arms circle her waist, her smile growing as Jinx presses into her.
"Unfortunately. Any more delay, and they'll come looking. First, though, you sit down, and we enjoy breakfast. You're going to distract me and I don't want to burn our food."
"We could just eat out," Jinx laughs, a bright blush forming on both their faces. "Actually, if you're saying we could do that if I distract you-"
Raven spins in her arms, fast enough to make her gasp.
Her eyebrow rises and she cups Jinx's neck.
"Jinx, you're insatiable. I like that. But seriously, sit. I can ravish you after I'm not hungry for actual food."
Her tone gives none of the elation she truly feels away, and yet the psychic can tell that Jinx knows nonetheless.
Raven had not expected her confessions to end well, at all. That it had ended with the meta not only not afraid of her, but with the meta reciprocating her feelings was an utterly amazing result.
That she herself has no qualms letting her know just how much she's come to love her is an even greater joy, her giddiness slow at working its way from her system.
"No fun," Jinx grumbles as she moves to take a seat once more.
"Says the woman limping," Raven laughs.
"Speakin' of, what the hell'd I do wrong? You shouldn't be standin', either."
With a blank expression, Raven points downward. When Jinx's eyes finally make their way down her legs, a growl sounds.
"That just ain't fair," she grumbles, glaring at the inches of space between her lover's feet and the floor.
"As you've said before, I believe. It's actually really amazing. I don't even need much thought anymore, like I did before. I'm just hoping the claws don't grow back all the time, because I ended up having to use a knife to clip them."
Jinx's eyes widen in alarm at that, shooting to her feet as a twinge rips through her.
"You what?"
"Apparently my nails are no longer nails. Or, not simple enamel, anyways. You're lucky I have other talented areas, because you could've gotten seriously hurt."
"Oh, I know just how lucky I am," Jinx laughs as her face turns scarlet.
Raven sends whatever's on her skillet into another flip, and moments later, a timer rings.
Nodding, her soul-self flips the oven off while another carries the heated metal to two plates.
As she moves the plates to the table, she leans at Jinx's side with a grin.
"If it makes you feel better, I had to levitate at first, when I first started getting things ready," she whispers into her ear. "And you aren't the only lucky one."
"Ugh… Let's eat, before I end up jumping you," Jinx groans, her stomach tightening as she reacts to the sensation.
"Sounds like a plan," Raven laughs, floating into the seat opposite her lover as they begin digging in.
The day moves in a blur after their breakfast is finished. In short time, the pair materialize inside Jinx's safehouse.
Raven quickly goes through her explanations, the thought of Nightwing tracking her down and showing up at any moment making Raven's discussion with Gizmo much more tense than expected.
"So I get to do whatever I want?" Gizmo asks with a grin.
"There will be limitations," she states with a frown. "Richard is a bastard, but Victor is not, in any stretch. I don't want you messing with him too much. At most, some minor viruses to stump him. Nothing that could end up hurting him or giving him a psychotic break dealing with it."
Gizmo's eyes widen at that, his grin growing larger.
"That's downright charitable, Raven."
"If you're good. First, I get you inside."
Raven's soul-self quickly rises from her body and wraps around the keyboard, depressing them in a sequence faster than their eyes can follow.
Both Jinx and Gizmo watch in awe as the screen flickers, showing security wall after security wall of the Titans' mainframe opening.
"I coulda'-"
"He can't know you were there until I'm ready. Cyborg would know if anything tried to hack in. It's why you always got knocked out when you tried before."
"I coulda' beaten the stinkin' security-"
"Eventually. No time," Raven interrupts.
The screen flickers once more, and her soul-self vanishes.
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper, placing it in front of him.
"These first. Any others you can get in ten minutes are a bonus, but that's the window before Cyborg knows someone's inside while out of the Tower."
He quickly goes into action, the sound of rapid key clicks filling the silent air.
One by one, the pictures of Raven, Jinx, Cyborg, and Starfire appear on the screen before they are wiped from existence.
With a small frown, he moves on to planting his virus, the coding designed to follow the data of Richard's files and destroying every copy made from their mainframe.
As he does that, Raven's eyes glow black, and a disc materializes in her hands.
"Is that-"
"Richard's vault holds a lot of dangerous toys. This one's the backup. Jinx, if you would?"
She offers her hand to the meta, and her Cheshire smile forms.
Her eyes flare bright pink, and she points at the plastic.
"Incendio!" she shouts.
The disc immediately ignites in green flames.
Before the fire can damage the safehouse, a bubble of Raven's soul-self wraps around it.
The women watch as the plastic turns to nothing but molten black chunks and ash in the bubble, and then it's gone.
A loud series of beeps from her pocket makes the inventor jump, his rapid typing interrupted.
"The hell's that?"
"You have five minutes left. I'd hurry if you want to have your fun," she instructs.
Raven simply pulls her communicator out as he returns to his furious typing.
Her eyebrow rises at the number of missed calls indicated, despite her less than 24-hour absence.
She had checked on things when she first prepared to make breakfast, something undoubtedly inspired by the new acceptance of the more feminine aspects that came with Love.
The only thing that the Titans had dealt with were a minor fight, certainly nothing warranting so many calls to her.
"This can't be anything good," she muses before flipping the communicator closed.
"They checkin' up on ya'?" Gizmo inquires.
"Indeed. I'd find it funny if not so overbearing. As if I can't be on my own for more than a few hours."
A thought occurs to her, and her eyes glow black.
"Gizmo, where was the location of his cage?"
"In some bunker downtown, by some old library. Ain't like it's gonna' matter, now he's got no blueprints for it. Apparently he's only got it halfway done."
Raven's eyes narrow, becoming noticeably red.
"Old library you say. Interesting… Jinx, dear, would you mind joining me in a little vandalism?"
The meta's own eyes narrow as she nods in agreement.
"I'd love to. See ya' later, Giz."
The two vanish in a black portal, and Giz stares at his screen with a grin.
"I think this should give the clutch-head somethin' to really piss him off," he laughs before initiating his virus and shutting the connection down…
**************
Raven and Jinx materialize on an abandoned street, Jinx's knuckles red.
"That was fun. Shame I couldn't cave in bird-brain's damn empty skull while I was at it."
"Maybe the chance will come yet," Raven offers. "If he has a backup plan I didn't foresee-"
Jinx reaches into Raven's pocket and pulls her cell phone free.
The psychic stares at her in confusion as her fingers quickly work on the keypad, a frown of concentration on her face.
She types something in and snaps the phone shut with a sense of finality, just as Raven begins inquiring into her actions.
"If you get even a hint of trouble, you just hold one down. I'm going to let you go in alone like you asked, but I'm not leaving you alone with the guy who came up with that plan. I'll be across the street at that book store you showed me. I get a call from you, and I'll be there as fast as I can run."
She hands Raven her phone back, a frown on her lips.
"I really wish you hadn't asked me to leave you to it, Rae. The man built a fucking magic cage to completely take you out…"
"Zatanna is the only threat he has against me, and against me her powers are nothing," Raven responds with a shrug.
Seeing her lover's frown, she leans in and kisses her, feeling her tension slowly drain away.
"I'll be fine, Jinx. If something happens, you'll get that call. If it comes to a fight, Victor would not take sides, and Garfield would be too wrapped up in wondering what the hell was going on."
"And the alien? Rae, the woman can punch a hole in a car with her bare fist. I've seen her pissed off. If she were to hit you, even your body would-"
"Koriand'r would not fight," Raven interrupts. "If it came down to Richard manipulating her into joining… I have a few ways that I would be able to get her to abstain. Zatanna really is the only threat, and if I'm in my soul-self, her magic can do nothing past concussive force to me."
Jinx stares into her eyes, concern burning bright.
"Alright," she finally sighs. "I don't like it, but I've grown up since Wally… It's your fight to take, if it comes to it."
Raven smiles, gently cupping her neck.
"I definitely lucked out," she muses.
"Damn right," Jinx declares with a grin. "I didn't do too bad, either."
With a smile, Raven presses another kiss to her lips as her soul-self envelopes them.
When they appear in the alley behind an office building, the women separate, both wearing small smiles.
"Find something good to read. Have some coffee. I'm hoping it will not be long and will come to something agreeable."
"I hope so, too. It'd be great if you could still hang out with the others."
Raven nods, her smile waning some.
"Indeed. And about the other matter-"
"You don't need to worry, Rae. I ain't complainin'," Jinx says with a grin.
"But you don't think that it's rather sudden?" she asks with a grimace, their discussion whilst dismantling the cage coming to mind.
"Oh, sure, it's definitely sudden. Sudden don't mean bad, babe. 'Sides, I really want to get used to wakin' up like that. Remember, I was onta' the whole inner feelins' stuff before you. It ain't sudden for me."
"If you're sure," Raven surrenders, her smile opposing her sigh.
"I am. It'll take me a few days to get you a key. Steel might take some convincin', but if he takes you in, not much he can complain 'bout, right?"
Raven's smile is even wider as the ground at her feet opens in an inky, black hole.
"See you in a bit."
"Get goin' before I convince ya' to make a stop home for a little fun, first," Jinx laughs.
Drawing a deep breath, Raven centers herself and slowly sinks into a portal.
She rises up on the rocks outside her home, her senses expanding immediately in search of threats.
She feels the presences of all the Titans in the Tower, Nightwing and Zatanna's dark emotions seeming to grate in the air against the utterly content and happy emotions marking the others.
Eyes narrowed, she feels attentions in the tower focus on her, Zatanna's magic seeming to scrape against her as she walks to the door.
When the door slides open silently from her push, the talking within immediately cuts off, and all eyes move to her.
"Yo! Rae, where ya' been? We were just gettin' ready ta' send… a… uh, Rae?" Cyborg asks, his attention finally taking in her long hair and the black of her nails.
Nightwing's eyes narrow at her as she moves into the living room, her body showing none of her tension.
"Where the hell have you been? We put in several calls for almost a whole day, and you didn't respond, at all," he demands with a growl.
Beast Boy goes to make a calming remark to the man when something catches his attention, his nose scrunching up.
"Holy shit, Rae, you stink like a whorehouse!" he gasps.
"Should've showered," Raven groans, mentally smacking herself.
"What is this house of whores?" Kori inquires in confusion.
Raven's face turns bright red, and she ignores the glares focused on her.
"It's a very ineloquent way of saying I've recently had sex, Koriand'r."
An amused smirk crosses her lips at the gasp and blush that immediately comes from the alien, her face almost matching her hair in its color.
"Uh… yeah," Beast Boy says with a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I kinda… I'll be quiet now."
Only Cyborg sees humor in the situation, with the others staring at her like she'd scandalized them.
"You've been having sex for an entire day? I don't think so," Nightwing snarls. "Now answer me, Raven."
In response, she simply raises her eyebrow at him, finding his amusing.
"Evidently he hasn't checked on his toy," she muses internally.
"You've never marathoned?" she quips, unable to suppress her laugh at his blush.
"Don't-"
"If it's any consolation, it was very engaging, so it could have very well been just that if I hadn't had other priorities. But no, not just having sex, Richard, if you must know. I was paying attention to things. Had an issue arisen, I would've been there. As it stands, some Intergang thugs are all that showed up in my absence, and that hardly constitutes a threat."
"You're part of my team. I call, you show up, that's how it works," Nightwing growls.
"And would you like me to bring you a newspaper in my teeth, too?" she inquires, biting back a laugh at his shocked expression.
"Was that a joke, Rae? When'd you get a sense of humor?" Beast Boy asks.
"I've had a very enlightening day," she responds with a shrug.
With a gesture, she raises her long hair towards them, making sure they see her black nails as well.
"Very enlightening."
"Making another portal for daddy?" Zatanna mocks.
A brief flicker of irritation shoots through Raven, but the effect the insinuation has on her friends quickly grounds her once more.
"Hardly. He's dead. I killed him, if you'll recall. I merely undid something the monks of Azar did to me in my youth. If you want a reason for my absence, Richard, I can tell you that I wanted to be on my own while dealing with it, but I doubt you'd believe me anyway, and I'm through lying. I didn't want to stay anywhere that you two were," she states with a gesture to the pair.
"I thought you guys worked through all that," Cyborg groans.
"You're right, Raven, I don't believe you. You'd say that to our faces instead of hiding away for almost a full day. I want the real reason, now," Nightwing demands again.
"I did not hide. I removed myself from what effect your presences had on my psyche with a much more enjoyable and calming influence. When I gave you my report on my altercation with Psimon, I got the distinct impression you wouldn't mind not having me around for a while," she adds with a small smirk.
"Whoa, Psimon? Like, freaky brain-in-a-head-jar-thing psychic guy?" Beast Boy inquires.
"Off topic," Nightwing hisses. "Answer. Now. You know I'll find out exactly where you've been with who if I want to, Raven, so save the show and just save both of us some time."
"Will you?" she challenges. "That sounds vaguely like a threat, Richard. Don't threaten me," she adds with a small hiss sounding in her voice.
"Whoa! Okay, hang on, guys. What the hell's goin' on?" Cyborg demands as he shoots to his feet.
"Richard, I owe you no explanations of what I do in the process of getting more answers to what's happening with the thefts. We established that. If I happen to find someplace that isn't in the growing irritation you two are on my senses to sleep while investigating, it isn't really an issue."
"You don't go off the grid, Raven, not with the people you get your information from," he snaps.
Her own eyes narrow, her mirth vanishing at his tone.
"And you don't command me out of power over me, Richard. Do not think otherwise."
Nightwing takes a step back, eyes wide at the growl in her voice.
"As for you, Zatanna, do not think yourself so great as to lie to my face and think it believed. Your apology had little meaning to it, if any existed at all, and from your comment, you appear to still believe me nothing more than a demon. I've let it go, because at least I meant what I said then, but you have become no less an irritant on my nerves than you were at your arrival."
The sorceress's eyes go wide in shock, the others staring between the women.
"And both of you are utterly intolerable at this stage. I decided I needed a break, lest something unfortunate give in the struggle. I told you nothing, Richard, because it's frankly better to deal with the aftermath than dealing with your egotism when you would inform me I'm not free to do as I wish."
"Well, I could see how I'd be an irritant," Zatanna muses. "I mean, with how secretive and sneaky you've been, I could only imagine that you wouldn't want me jumping to conclusions. Like how you've got all kinds of demon mojo working for you now, for example. I'm sure there's a perfectly understandable-"
"Other than the fact that I'm half-demon?" Raven interrupts. "With the power I released from within myself, what I've always kept hidden and locked down for the comfort of others is merely at the surface. It's not like it's something new, I'm just not hiding it any more."
"I bet it comes in real handy in the enemy's bed," Zatanna snarks back. "I mean, with you two stealing all kinds of dangerous magic items with no possibly good explanation in sight, I must just be biased."
"What're you-"
Raven's heart skips a beat, her skin paling at the insinuation.
"That's way outta' line," Cyborg barks.
Raven's mind whirls, things clicking into place in her mind and forming a very ugly picture.
"What're you guys even talking about?" Beast Boy demands, his own eyes narrowed at the three.
"Oh, she hasn't told you guys about her new friend? Shocker," Zatanna laughs. "She's been-"
"You followed me to Gotham," Raven muses, her voice silencing the others. "You watched me fight Psimon. You watched me almost die against Psimon," she snarls. "He almost shredded my soul to pieces while you did nothing."
"I wasn't going to interfere with anything, even if I wanted to. 'Sides, you and your girlfriend handled him just fine, in the end, once you went all hellfire and red skinned on him," the sorceress laughs.
"Rae's dating a chick?"
Under the glares, Beast Boy shrinks into himself, a sheepish grin on his face.
"Shutting up now, I know."
Raven's eyes narrow further, the red specks in her eyes beginning to brighten.
"You were ordered to follow and not interfere even if I was dying. Oh, Richard, I must hand it to you, you've truly become so very like your mentors."
Nightwing's face reddens in anger at the accusation, the others watching in shock as Raven's eyes begin to glow brighter.
"Don't you dare compare me to Deathstroke," he snarls. "If we're laying everything out, then answer her accusation. Give me something I can believe other than what she told me she saw."
"Funny, I don't recall mentioning him in any specifics, just your mentors. You've had a lot of mentors, Richard. Interesting, indeed," she says with a small laugh.
"You're dating a villain, and didn't mention it to anyone. A villain who is a thief and a sorceress, and a damn good fit for a suspect in the heists. You're hoarding objects of power you collect while trying hard to keep separate from the Titans. You're stripping the power from the items you do return, and we've only got your word that you're sending them out to disperse and not into some focus, like the Gem of Blood you could have lied about on that first night. And you lied to my face about Psimon, and pocketed the ring before you and your new girlfriend disappeared. You were also transformed into your demonic self when facing Psimon down, and you almost killed him. Are any of these lies?" he demands in a low, threatening voice.
"Whoa, okay, that's enough," Cyborg growls. "I knew about her datin', and I get why she wanted it kept on the d-l."
Nightwing's glare transfers to the metal man, seeming to narrow even further.
"You should've told me. Immediately."
"The world ain't black and white, Dick. Her girlfriend isn't exactly spotlessly clean, but she ain't an enemy, and it ain't our business. If she makes Rae happy and helps her help us, it wasn't somethin' I was gonna' bring up. If I thought for even a second it was somethin' dangerous to the Titans, I'd've convinced her to tell you herself."
"You really knew?" Raven asks while her skin turns pale.
"Yeah, I knew, girl. Hacker, remember? I get it, though. Another reason I didn't say nothin'. Ain't my business."
Raven nods at him, her blanch fading slowly.
"More importantly, I told him not to tell you, because frankly, I knew your first reaction would be looking into every aspect of her life," Raven cuts in. "It isn't your business as the team leader to cage me in this mass of steel because you think I'm dangerous. I gave you reason to be suspicious, but that doesn't even come close to matching your responses, none of which included just asking me and giving me a single reason to tell you the truth."
Her eyes narrow further, his other accusations rolling around in her mind.
"And Zatanna would know nothing beyond what she could see from whatever hole she stalked me from. If she were close enough to sense anything concrete in nature, I would've known she was there, which means she kept her distance. You know I've returned the items to their museums. For all Zatanna, and in extension you, knew, I could have teleported it to the museum on my way out."
"I know what I saw," Zatanna argues.
"I'm sure. And as for my treatment of the items, every single item that's been stolen is a dangerous weapon, put ignorantly on display in terribly guarded museums where they could easily be stolen from. I will not let my conscience suffer the wrath of putting them back with the powers they possess, as clearly the museums and the simpletons who have agreements with them care little about handing death in the thousands on a silver platter to any who would abuse their powers."
"Which gives us zero proof you're doing what you say you're doing with the power," Nightwing contends.
"Doctor Fate. Jason Blood. Etrigan. John Constantine. Hell, Mumbo Jumbo, probably, if he was pointed in the right direction. Any mystic, good or evil, even Zatanna herself should be able to tell you I've done exactly what I said by looking in the right places. Energy is recycled, not destroyed, and the traces of my work are undoubtedly in the cosmos at large. By all means, make the calls. I made sure the power would be of no use to anyone, and I don't regret my actions. Power such as these items have need not exist."
"And you aren't the judge of that," Nightwing interrupts.
"Every item is without a scratch on its return. Their lack of power means nothing to the curators and ignorants who put them out in the open to begin with."
"And it wasn't your call," he reiterates through grit teeth.
"And whose call is it, Richard?" she challenges. "You wouldn't know magic if it bit you in the ass. If what I've been doing was dangerous, someone in the League would've gotten notice from Doctor Fate or another mystic who would know, and they would've been hounding me weeks ago."
His glower falters at that, a thoughtful frown forming.
"Okay, you have a point-"
"The hell she does," Zatanna interrupts. "You've been fucking a thief, who's a sorceress. The two of you could've done more than enough to throw people off."
"Who I date is not your business, just as I do not inquire into any of your affairs."
The wince that passes over both of their expressions is not missed, by Raven or Cyborg. Even Beast Boy's eyes narrow in thought, though Kori seems too focused on Raven to notice.
"Friend Raven, surely it would have been better had you just told us. You've found someone to make you happy. This should be most joyous news. Surely-"
A small smile curves on Raven's lips, her eyes warming as they leave the pair and move to the other Titans.
"Thank you, Koriand'r. But I couldn't, for more than just petty reasons… She has her reasons to remain hidden."
Her gaze moves back to the others, instantly hardening once more.
"And I'm giving you one warning not to insult her, Zatanna. She is a reformed thief. She's helped me in my search cleaning up your mess, by far more than you have. Even if Richard will never publicly approve, and will always beg ignorant bliss on this matter, the results speak for themselves. I have returned many, many of the stolen items, and her information has helped everyone else, as well. That network of underground magicians and monsters I fabricated has, the entire time, been only the information she and a close circle around her have gotten."
"Which kind of proves my point. There's no way that she'd know all that without either being among the thieves, knowing the thieves, or having the a network stronger in intelligence gathering than the Justice League."
Raven's eyes narrow, her mind working quickly on how not to compromise her lover...
**********************
Author's Notes:
Incendio- Latin for "burn"
Next chapter, the climax of the first part of the story. I hope you're enjoying a great deal thus far, at least as much as I have writing it. Let me know what you think, be it positive or negative. Thank you for reading thus far, and see you all next time!