{Edited to make the ending a little more clear.} Alright, here's yet another chapter! A hint to you guys about this story: It's based on a play. That should help guessing what it's based off of considerably. Anyhows. Thank you for reading (even if I'm sick and trying desperately to get a chapter out). R/R.~ Love, Sam.

Sprezzatura

The Fool

"Why he is the Prince's jester, a very dull fool."

"Starfire, I look ridiculous."

The two girls had teleported to Gotham just moments before, arriving at the entrance of Bruce Wayne's mansion without the fanfare that the other guests received.

The inside of the ballroom was as expected, massive. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, soft music played in the background, and well dressed servers offered h'orderves to the guests.

A squeal from Starfire tore Raven's eyes away from the finery around her, and she looked over to the alien only to find her staring starry-eyed at the sea of designer gowns and waltzing couples.

Of course.

"I'm going to the dessert table." It was simple coincidence that the dessert table happened to be in the far corner of the room. And with that, Raven left with a swish of her crimson gown and a click of her black heels.

Making her way through the throng of people, Raven sighed softly, massaging her temples for a few moments to ease the headache. Everyone in here had loud emotions, and it seemed impossible to block them all out at once. When she reached the dessert table, she took a small piece of cake, simply to hold in her hand as she lingered around the edges of the room.

Her eyes scanned the ballroom for any sign of Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. They would have holo rings on, but she was sure that she'd be able to pick them out of the crown by their mannerisms and emotions. Finally, she spotted Starfire dancing with a large African American man she identified as Cyborg. After a few more minutes, Raven found Robin talking to a group of businessmen. Now the only one left for her to find was-

"Excuse me?"

A small tap on her shoulder brought Raven out of her thoughts. Annoyed, she turned around to find a handsome blonde man in front of her, giving her a friendly smile. Couldn't he see that she wasn't looking for company?

"Can I help you?" Propping her hand on her hip, Raven glared up at the stranger. She did her best to looked pissed off, and it seemed to work according to his sheepish grin and nervous laugh.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Would I like to what?"

"Dance. You know? When you move to music and-"

"I know what dancing is idiot."

"Oh."

There was a beat of silence as the two stared each other down and then he offered his hand to her. "Dance with me."

And that was exactly how Raven found herself on the dance floor five minutes later, one hand on the shoulder of her dance partner and her other hand engulfed by his much larger one.

"So I heard the Teen Titans were going to be here."

Raven's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself, nodding to him politely. "That does seem to be the word on the streets."

"Think they're here yet?"

Raven snorted, and shrugged, deciding to play along for the time being. "I hope not, then I'd have to listen to Beast Boy talk all night."

Her dance partner suddenly stumbled, quickly righting himself as a blush colored his cheeks. "Uh yeah. I mean. I guess. I think he's really funny though." There was a pregnant pause before, "Because I uh, watch him talk to fans on T.V. and stuff."

"I don't. He thinks he's hilarious, but I doubt anyone laughs at his jokes. They're all horrible.' Raven couldn't help the eye roll that came with talking about Beast Boy's jokes. Even now, he was still telling the same jokes he had as a kid and just as often. Which was all the time.

He looked as if he was going to say something back, but the song ended and Raven took a step back, her stoic expression returning. "Thank you for the dance… Mr..."

"Logan. You can just call me Logan."

"Logan. Right." Raven's eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment before she walked away to resume her place beside the dessert table.

On the other side of the ballroom, Beast Boy stormed into the bathroom, yanking off his holo ring and stuffing it haphazardly into his pocket. Immediately, his blonde hair and tan skin disappeared, replaced with his usual forest green locks and emerald eyes.

"How could Raven not find me funny?" He set to pacing around in the stall, his footsteps echoing loudly against the polished tile.

He thought that maybe messing with the empath would be funny. He could recognize her immediately by her short hair cut and signature scowl, and Garfield couldn't think of anything better than to take full advantage of his new appearance. He'd dance with her, maybe flirt with her a little, maybe try to get her to open up a little. There'd be no harm done. Except there was. He didn't think that Raven's words would hurt so much, and the harsh sting of her disapproval reverberated deep within him.

"I'm…. I'm hilarious! Right?"

Beast Boy stormed out of the stall and stared into the mirror. He met his own, wide, incredulous eyes of his reflection, staring at himself for a few moments.

"...Right?"