Chapter 16. Deals
There was silence in the holding cell room. Everybody stared at the screen and painfully watched Raven's defeated expression when she dropped her arm mid-air, silently pulled the hood of her cloak and phased thru the floor.
"Oh man" Was all Cyborg said after a while of silence and watching the two changelings turn into eagles and fly out the window.
"So… is she…" Red X started to say but was cut off mid sentence.
"Not a word about this if you know what's good for you" Warned Cyborg. The thief lifted his hands in defense and said "Hey, I was just going to say if she wasn't up for our little chat, then I might just leave you kids with your issues"
"And how exactly do you pretend to do that?" Asked Robin, turning to the holding cell twirling the thief's belt in his finger.
"What the…" The thief said in surprise looking at his waist and touching around it to make sure it was actually gone. "Oh, she's a sneaky little minx I give her that"
"She's sneaky alright but she ain't no minx" Cyborg said apprehensively.
"Oh, I don't know about that…" Red X taunted but found himself facing Cyborg's humming cannon in front of his face. "What are trying to say?" glared Cyborg.
"Friends, please. Stop the arguing. Right now we need to find a way to help our friends" then turned to the metal man "Friend Cyborg, do you know where Raven has gone?"
Cyborg gave the thief another angry glare but pulled his cannon while it formed his hand again and checked the small screen on his arm.
"She's still in the tower Star, on the roof"
"Star, she might want to be alone"
"Friend Robin, a girl must never be alone at a time like this" She said while she placed a hand on his shoulder lightly then took off towards the doors.
"She's cute" Said Red X, arms crossed over his chest leaning against the nightstand while looking at Robin stare at the flying girl disappear thru the doors. Robin was about to answer but realized who had spoken and glared at the prisoner.
"Hey, I'm just stating a fact" Said the thief with a shrug.
"Hey, what did I tell you about saying a word about any of this" Said Cyborg while aiming his cannon at the cell again.
"That will be unnecessary" Said Raven coming out of the shadows of her magic. Cyborg put away his cannon one more time and turned her way.
"You ok Raven"
"Peachy" She answered sarcastically.
"Raven, you don't have to…" Robin started to say but she cut him off
"He's my prisoner and he didn't come willingly to hear our arguments"
"Actually I wasn't willing at all" intervened the thief arms still crossed on his chest.
"Save it!… Let's get to the point" Raven snapped.
"Woa there beautiful, what's in it for me? You have to at least let me go"
Raven was rubbing her temples now, patience wearing thin. " You're trying my patience X, but… if what you have to say is worth my time and… you help us get this ordeal done with… I might reconsider letting you go"
"Raven, you're not actually going to trust him with this, are you?" Asked Robin, approaching the empath.
"My prisoner. My deal. I'll handle the consequences" She snapped leaving no room for further discussion. Then turned to the man behind the bars and said with a cold, menacing monotone " So… do we have a deal?… but I'll suggest you to really think before you answer because at the slightest sign of betrayal… I will hunt you down and send you to a dimension where pain is the only way of living with no chances of any sort of escape. Are we clear?" She said thru gritted teeth and her eyes glowing red once more. She had come closer to the cell staring up at the thief who had come closer to the bars as well.
"I guess I'm all yours beautiful" He said after a few seconds of staring back into her glowing eyes. If he was in any way scared, his voice never showed it. She nodded once, gave one step back and with a wave of her hand the doors of the cell were encased in her dark magic and opened to everyone else's surprise.
He stepped outside his cell, never leaving her eyes. "What about my belt" he asked. The belt still on Robin's hand, was encased in dark magic and floated to her hand. "This… will stay with me until the time comes" she said while putting the belt around her waist below her own.
"Still don't trust me I see" Taunted the thief, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I never said I did" she simply said.
…
…
On the roof, Raven had given in to emotional break down and was crying without restrain.
"Unbelievable" Came a voice and despite herself, Raven looked around the roof.
"The mighty Raven… crying on her knees for that idiot" came the voice again in her head. It was Rage, taunting at her mistress. "Can you get any lower that that?"
"What do you want" Said Raven, trying to overcome her surprise at hearing this particular emotion speak other than her constant course of "Rage shall consume you" every time she had to suppress her.
"Merely a word… but not only from me"
"What… do you want?" Repeated raven feeling her anger rise.
"Mind to explain what is this… display of weakness" said Rage with disgust.
Raven looked away, still to the floor, somehow feeling than being admonished by one of her emotions was ironic.
"I couldn't help it anymore" she said quietly.
"And what do you pretend to do about it?"
"Leave her alone Red" Said another voice. Brave no doubt, said above the other emotions whispering.
"Please, like your helping!" Snapped Rage "What good did it do being bold. She got happy with the results but as a consequence let her guard down and look what happened"
"These are circumstances beyond our control. We can only manage so much in a situation. You have to reconsider your position Red" said Wisdom.
"Reconsider what? Me pointing out the obvious?"
"And according to you, what is the obvious?"
"That she's going around this the wrong way"
"Since when you can tell the right from the wrong way?" taunted Brave.
Raven was rubbing on her temples, feeling anger and rage built up along with annoyance. "Enough" She said quietly, trying not to exert too much or the headache she's been trying to keep away will come full force.
But, her words fell on deaf ears as her emotions kept arguing among themselves.
"Quiet!" Said Timid above their argument alongside Raven who had had enough and decided to go and stop the argument herself. She adopted her meditating position and chanted her mantra. A soft breeze enveloped her and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in the presence of her emotions, in a desolated place. She looked around before asking
"Where are we?" She said to no one in particular, but the yellow clad emotion came forward.
"This is the realm of Sadness. Every human experiences a desolated state in between rage and happiness, desperation and hope. And we are right in the middle of it" said Knowledge. Never phased with the details of the state of emotions rather interested in the logic of such circumstances.
"Ok… mind telling me what.. All this is about?" Said Raven motioning to the rest of her emotions gathered around Brave and Rage.
"I told you. We want to know what was that display of weakness about" Said Rage, approaching her host.
"Never mind that Red, but Rae, I must admit she has pointed out a valid question" Said Wisdom stepping in between Rage and Raven. "What are we going to do about it?"
Raven arched an eyebrow then looked at Knowledge. "Don't look at me, I only know what you already know. I cannot predict the future" said the yellow one in her defense.
"He's not going to stay away from her now. Not after what he just found out"
" Oh please, that chick has nothing on us and yet you let her get to your head." Said Rage with a sneer.
"Is not… only that. But he feels responsible for some reason" answered Raven quietly.
"That's just plain old pity… her wild side however doesn't need babysitting, needs medication. He'll get tired of her in no time"
"Just like he'll get tired of us for having the same problem" Said Timid, tears running freely on her cheeks, Sadness, a grey cloaked emoticlone holding her tightly.
"What!?" Said Raven in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"We don't have the same problem I can assure you" Said knowledge grabbing Timid by the shoulders from Sadness who just lower her head and stepped back without a word.
"Mind to elaborate on that?" Said Raven watching one girl dry the tears o the other one.
"Rae, do you know why or how this…" Knowledge said in a circular motion of her index finger "is able to happen?"
"My powers. I was taught to create a realm where my emotions could run freely in my mind without interfering with the real world, otherwise I would loose control and destroy everything around me"
"Exactly. A supernatural circumstance that allowed you to… detach… in a way … of your emotions and yet being able to interact with us, just like your doing now"
"Your point?"
"For a human, a situation like this would be considered a mental illness, a condition called Multiple Personality Disorder. With the difference that emotions would not represent themselves inwards only, but outwards, and the host having no idea of what his or her other personalities do when they take over. Not a memory whatsoever as they consider themselves individuals without having knowledge of the others"
"But as curious as it may be, Meliah suffers this condition which surfaces at a time of distress. With her background, there is no wonder why her mind split into a secondary one that was more capable to deal with the situation"
"You called it curious… why?" Asked Raven trying to take in the information.
" It merged with her powers, that's why one is aware of the other. The same way you can interact with us in your mind, the same she can interact with hers, just not in a physical level like we are right now"
"Are there more than one?"
"No, just one. The bolder, wilder, more sensual side of Meliah. I wouldn't be surprised if they agreed on when one or the other could take over the body"
"Well that answers one half of the dilemma, what about the other half?" Said Rage while crossing her arms over her chest.
"This changes things. And I will deal with that when the time comes." Raven said, raising her chin in defiance of her bold emotion., leaving no room for discussion.
"This changes nothing" Snapped the red one. When Raven had turned around ready to leave.
"Look, I have a thief to interrogate, I have no more time to argue with you anymore"
"Fine… then let us help" Said Rage tentatively.
"Since when are you the helping kind?" Asked Raven, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Look Rae, I have as much at stake as the rest do. I don't feel like being part of an emotional train wreck that that one is trying to create" She said pointing at Sadness who just hid further in her cloak.
"Red, that's not a good idea, you have no control over yourself" Knowledge stepped in front of her.
"Do I now?'' she said and smiled evilly. "Don't forget that with proper stimulation I can be as boring as you" She said at the same time Raven gasped when she saw flashes of memories with Beast Boy laying under her with a bare chest another one of him holding her hands with a frown.
"RAGE, STOP!" yelled another emotion in the far back of the group. She had a purple cloak and a worried expression.
"Who is she…and what did you do?" said Raven wide eyed.
" Never mind that Rae, she's not important right now. I'll go with Rage and we'll help you with Red X" Said Knowledge suddenly and pushed Raven in the direction of the forbidden door"
"Don't worry Rae…" Rage started to say and on the roof, she straighten up from her meditating position at the same time a door opened and revealed Starfire.
The alien, who had left the holding cell room with the idea to make Raven feel better, came at the moment her friend turned around and heard her say "I will take care of this" with her eyes glowing red.
"Eeep!" was all Starfire said at the scary expression Raven had and saw her phase thru the floor.