...I'm just gonna go ahead and apologize in advance - I'M SORRY!
"Jay! Jay, over here!"
Jason raised up two fingers as he dribbled the ball, his eyes never leaving the eye of his opponent. As he lowered his hand, he stepped right, but turned left, leaving the giant metal man behind him. The brunette passed the ball over to his shaved-headed friend, who passed it over to his twin, who then passed it back to Jason. Before Cyborg could block him, he raised the ball over his head and threw it at his target, making it in the basketball with a light swish.
"46 to 45!" called out Starfire, clapping her hands excited from where she and Raven were sitting. "Oh Raven, we are minutes away from victory!"
"Don't get too excited Starfire," said Raven. "Jason and his team are ahead now."
"Oh, but this is so exciting," exclaimed Starfire. "We have never had our friends play against another team before! They are near each other's performance level!"
Raven smirked but said nothing. She knew that her teammates had underestimated Jason and the twins before they even met, and it was a nice treat to see them sweat in anticipation. They were really taking the game seriously now. With only a few more points needed to win, each team was stepping up their game.
"Move, move!" shouted Robin, throwing the ball over to Cyborg, but was intercepted by Mason. Beast Boy got in front of him, arms out, but without even looking back, Mason threw the ball behind him, confusing the green teen as he thought the boy threw it to nothing, but Aaron came out of nowhere, catching the ball and throwing it into the basket without pause.
"48 to 45!" called out Starfire, practically jumping in her seat.
Cyborg gave a sharp whistle, dribbling the wall away from Aaron who blocked him from behind. Pushing the boy back further, Cyborg bounced the ball over to Robin. Robin, who refused to remove his mask for the game, was blocked by Jason, but as he dribbled, he crossed it over, throwing his opponent off, and passed it on to Beast Boy, who had slipped past Mason, and watched as the green teen made a jump shot into the basket, earning them two points.
"47 to 48!" exclaimed Starfire, jumping up. "Oh Raven! One more of the points of three and our friends will for sure have won the match!"
"Three pointer Star," corrected Raven. "But you forget, Jason is my boyfriend. That means I'm siding with his team for this match."
"Either case," squealed Starfire, grabbing her arm and shaking it. "This is so exciting. Both teams are equal match to each other!"
That, Raven could not deny as she watched each of the boys' teams take a break. Jason and the twins were smiling, their eyes shining with enthusiasm, while the male Titans were discussing strategy and tactic. Raven had been nervous in inviting Jason to meet her friends, but when Cyborg suggested a basketball match with him and his friends, Jason had agreed without hesitation. And they all seemed to get along well enough. Beast Boy was always open to making new friends, especially with other goofballs such as Mason and Aaron, and once Cyborg threatened Jason into never hacking into his mainframe again, the pair was pretty cool with each other. Robin was more reserved, and though he seemed to approve of Jason as Raven's boyfriend, he was still wary, especially when he saw just how friendly they tried to be with his girlfriend. Starfire was of course thrilled to meet new people, and was fascinated to see twins. The only other set of twins she knew were Mas y Menos, so it was an interesting day when she saw two people with the same face.
"Game point," declared Robin. He stood in front of Jason who threw the game inbound over to Mason. Mason dribbled the ball out of Cyborg's reach, but was struggling to see where his teammates were from over the metal man's frame. Finally, he shot the ball in between Cyborg's legs, hoping his twin would get it, but was disappointed to find a smug Beast Boy dribbling the ball to the other side of the court. The green teen passed the ball over to Robin before Jason could block him off; the former aiming for the three-pointer needed to win. While in the air, the ball was intercepted as Aaron managed to spike it down. As the ball bounced on the court, Jason managed to sweep it up, leaving Beast Boy in his confused state, and run back to his side of the court, pushing himself off the ground and slamming the ball into the basket. Starfire and Raven cheered from their seats as Jason, still hanging from the rim, gave the teen heroes a mocking two-finger salute.
"That was most glorious!" exclaimed Starfire, flying over to her boyfriend. "The proximity of your game was small indeed!"
"She means it was a close game," Raven explained to the confused twins. "I knew you guys would win."
"Did you?" asked Aaron.
"I would've thought you would want your team to win," added Mason.
Raven smirked. "I would have, but I know the way they play. They're not used to playing against others, so they were thrown off by it. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go collect my winnings." Cyborg and Beast Boy mumbled under their breaths as they each took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it over to her. Jason walked up to her, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel, and gave her a surprised look.
"You bet on us?" he asked. After a moment, he voice lowered as he asked, "You bet on me?"
Smiling, Raven gave him a quick kiss. "Every time."
"Come on you two love birds," called out Cyborg. "Let's go down and get something to eat. I got some steaks I've been marinating for two days."
"And I've got tofurkey for sandwiches!" announced Beast Boy. He eyed Starfire and crooned, "They go great with mustard."
Squealing, Starfire took the green teen by the arm and flew them both down the stairs. Robin rolled his eyes good humoredly as he led the way for the twins, the three of them talking about basketball strategies. Cyborg gave Raven a wink as he went down after the trio, mumbling about keeping Beast Boy off their indoor grill. Raven went to follow after them but paused in her step when she realized that Jason was still frozen in place, staring at her as if he was looking at her for the first time.
"What?" asked Raven. "What is it?"
Jason stepped closer to her until there was hardly any space between them. Raven could almost see the flames in his eyes as he stared at her, his hands going up to her neck, her face. Before Raven could even register what he was planning on doing, Jason pulled her in a deep, knee-buckling kiss. With that kiss came an overwhelming amount of warmth and longing that Raven had no control of the moan that escaped her, her hands going up to cup his own. The kiss was intense, but there was also gentleness in it that the empath knew he was trying to tell her something with it, but she wasn't sure if it was a thank you or a…goodbye. Perhaps it was both?
"Jason," breathed Raven, getting cut off by another kiss. Moving her hands to his chest and giving a light push, Raven tried again. "Jason?"
"Hm?"
Breaking from the kiss only halfheartedly, Raven pulled back. "Is everything okay?" Jason kept his eyes closed, touching his forehead with hers, and sighed.
"It will be."
As he pulled away, Raven started to get worried, not because of his actions, but because he was expecting something to happen, something bad. That's when it hit her: Anthony. The doctors had said that his fate was inevitable, that there was nothing else for them to do. The poor child was only waiting for death now, and there was nothing anyone could do. Sighing, Raven lifted herself up a bit to give him another small kiss before pulled herself away, leading him down the stairs to their friends. When they got down to eating, Jason was sandwiched between Raven and Robin who was currently telling the story of the time he had to watch the Batmobile, only to have Cyborg and Beast Boy ruin his night.
"They actually set the back seat on fire?" asked Jason incredulously.
Robin nodded. "I had to ask Alfred to help me switch the leather."
"Good call," said Jason. "I'm not sure how easy it would be to explain to a mechanic at a shop how you managed to burn the back of the Batmobile."
"Like it did any good," continued Robin. "Batman saw through it easily. He banned me from ever getting near it again."
"It's still weird to hear how you personally know Batman," admitted Jason. "It's one thing knowing you guys because we've watched you since you started the Teen Titans, but Batman is like a legend. It's hard to believe he's really out there."
Robin snorted and pointed a fork at Raven. "You're dating the Princess of Hell, but you hesitate when it comes to a guy in a bat suit?"
"I appreciate the example Robin," mumbled Raven, stabbing her steak with her fork. Jason laughed as he put an arm around her, giving her shoulders a playful squeeze.
"That would explain why you're so hot," he whispered in her ear. Raven blushed, but made no comment, and simply squeezed his inner thigh under the table, earning a surprised grunt from him.
The rest of the lunch went on the same way, with the Titans telling stories of their adventures, and their guests telling stories of their own friends. Based on all the emotions going on, Raven could tell that they were all getting well acquainted, and that even Robin was able to relax with having new people at their place. All thoughts of Red-X and their recent loss was gone from his mind for those few hours, and it was doing wonders on his impression with Starfire, who couldn't seem to stop batting her long red lashes at him. It was weird in a way; usually when they had people over, they were Honorary Titans who had come for some input on a mission or something. Today was more like an actual hang out day – almost like that one Saturday when Jason took her to meet his surrogate family. In a way, it was like she was returning the favor with introducing him to hers.
Raven and her team saw the trio off from their garage that connected to the undersea tunnels that led to the main road of the city. The twins both gave Raven a kiss on the opposite cheek, and then turned to say their goodbyes to Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire. Jason pulled Raven over to him and whispered a few words that could only be of endearment with the way she blushed, nodding and smiling in return. Robin watched them all with a hidden smile, waving at the boys as they climbed into the black car, thinking that Raven made a good choice for once.
"Dude, I doubt I will ever find a steak that good ever again," moaned Aaron from the backseat. "Cyborg really knows his way around the kitchen."
"I would marry him just to keep that steak in my life," agreed Mason.
Aaron leaned over to be able to look at Jason, his playful tone gone. "Hey Jay…I…I really liked them."
"Yeah," muttered Jason, tightening his grip on the wheel. "Me too."
...RX...
"You've really stepped up your game tonight didn't you."
Robin smirked as he looked up at the captured thief above them. They've been at this for an hour, and it all paid off when they tricked the thief into a certain direction. At the moment, he was staring up at Red-X who was hanging from an all-weapon proof net that even his belt wouldn't be able to get him out of. "You made it too easy."
Red-X stopped his movement and looked down at the Titan. "Interesting, don't you think?"
The mocking tone made Robin freeze. Taking out his communicator, he called the rest of his team. "Everyone, report your position."
"Starfire and I are at the main entrance," reported Cyborg.
"Roof is secured," informed Raven.
"And Beast Boy?" asked Robin when their last teammate did not respond. "Where's Beast Boy?"
Red-X put his hands behind his head and laid back as though the net were actually a relaxing hammock. "If I were you – and I'm so glad I'm not – I would focus on stopping your friend."
"What are you talking about?" sneered Robin.
"Let's just say," replied Red-X, "that I took a page from Mad Mod's book, and your…Beast is going to be my exit ticket tonight."
As soon as those words came out of the thief's mouths, the wall at the other end of the room came crashing in; a loud roar sending shivers down Robin's spine. "Everyone to my location! The Beast is loose!"
Sharp claws shot at the masked teen, a snarl being heard when they met nothing but air. Robin flipped back over and over again, the Beast swiping at him, trying to tear him limb from limb. And as much as he knew he had to defend himself, Robin could not bring himself to counterattack his friend, but seeing the creature's dazed eyes, he knew there was no other way. The rest of the Titans arrived in less than a minute, only taking a few seconds to register the situation before going into action. Raven and Starfire went up in front of the net where Red-X was watching in amusement while Cyborg managed to distract the Beast long enough for Robin to get out from where he was cornered.
"Now would be a great time for a joke," yelled Cyborg, shooting his sonic cannon. "A funny story would be enough at least."
"Um," said Starfire, "once when I was little, my sister put a glorken in my mother's clarnip, only to find out that the shelp was too small. It was most humorous."
Red-X started to laugh. "Ha! Glorken – that's a good one."
"You don't even know what that is," muttered Raven.
"I have no idea."
The Beast roared as he swung Robin to slam into Cyborg, his eyes set on the girls. He got on all fours and pushed himself off the floor, the force sending him much higher than expected. Starfire threw some starbolts his way, but they had no affect as he just blocked them with his arm. He grabbed hold of Starfire's arm and the net behind her and swung her into the nearby wall. Raven created a black cushion for Starfire to land in with one hand, and with the other she shot a blast of black energy at the Beast. The green creature was gnawing at the net, but when the blast hit him, he turned to the sorceress, snarling his fangs.
"Beast Boy," warned Raven, her hands going up in preparation. "I'm going to need you to come back now. I don't want to hurt you."
The Beast snapped at her. He let go of the net and jumped at her, his claws sinking into the skin of her arms. Raven hissed in pain as they both when down, hitting the ground hard. She could vaguely hear Robin asking Starfire if she was okay, and Cyborg calling out to her, but her main focus was not getting her faced chewed off by the sharp knife-like fangs. And even though she wanted slip into the ground, the claws in her arms were sinking deeper that the pain was becoming too unbearable and all she could do was cry out in pain.
As soon as she let out that shout of distress, a whooshing sound and click was heard where a red X landed next to her head. Hovering above them from the ripped open net, Red-X called out, "You might want to close your eyes Sunshine." Shutting her eyes tightly, Raven heard a loud flashing sound, the inside of her eyelids becoming a bit lighter. The claws were instantly removed from her skin, and when she opened her eyes, Raven saw the Beast covering his eyes, the flash clearly blinding him. Raven touched her arm only to find her hand slick with her blood. Looking up, she found Red-X watching her silently, and from what she could sense from him, he was clearly troubled. Before she could ponder on it for too long, he was already gone. Raven wanted to go after him, but a roar stopped her from doing so. Glancing behind her, she saw her friends still trying to subdue the Beast.
"Raven," called out Robin. "We need you over here. You're the only one who can calm Beast Boy."
"Alright," she said, her arms burning. "But Robin, you might want to check your pockets."
Robin paused briefly, his hands patting his pockets. "Why? I have the diamonds right…goddamnit!"
...RX...
"I can't believe he took both of them."
"Yep," said Raven. "Me neither. He kept taking them one by one, so we didn't think this time would be any different. I should have seen that coming from Red-X though. He was so close to the finish line that he jumped for it. Robin is pissed that he has the entire collection." The couple remained silent for a moment when Jason remembered something.
"I have a surprise for you."
Raven raised her eyebrows expectantly as she gazed up at him. She and Jason had decided to spend the day at the park, and after a long walk around the grounds, they decided to rest against a trunk of one of the trees, Jason with his back against it, and Raven at his side, laying her head on his lap as he brushed his fingers against her hair. At his short announcement, Raven could tell that he was excited, if not a bit anxious. "What is it?"
"I think cracked Red-X's pattern," he said. Hearing those words, Raven sat up straight and looked at him dead in his eyes.
"If you're joking, I'm throwing you into the garbage dimension."
"No joking," said Jason, "no throwing, no garbage dimension. I'm serious."
"Well?"
Jason took out his laptop from their lunch basket, but before he logged in, he gave Raven a mischievous look. "What will you give me for the info?" Narrowing her eyes, and without saying a word, Raven grabbed his face and pulled him into a full, mind blowing kiss that had Jason's head spinning the moment they made contact. When he felt her tongue slid into his mouth, he couldn't detain the rumble in the back of his throat, or the tightening of his pants. Breaking away, Jason cursed under his breath as he willed himself to come back to earth. With his gaze still clouded, he said in a husky voice, "That'll do it."
Smirking, Raven leaned back against his arm as he pulled up a few files. Once he had the information he needed, Jason seemed to regain his focus. "Alright, so the Alcina Collection came to Jump City near the beginning of June right? And Red-X's first break-in was mid-June – Sunday the 17th correct?" Raven nodded in confirmation, seeing on the computer that the all of Red-X's break-ins were marked red on the calendar. "That was the beginning of the moon's full cycle, starting with the New Moon."
"Okay?"
"Look," Jason pulled up the Moon calendar and lined it up with the other. "If you see right here, Red-X stole the diamonds during each moon phase. Also, if you check the timing of his break ins, he always took the diamonds when the moon was at its highest point before midnight."
"So Red-X was basing his thefts by the moon phases," said Raven, her mind reeling. "If that's the case, then he would have gone for the Centenary Diamond on Friday!" Finally, a clue into figuring out Red-X and how long he would have the collection for, but then again, they were already late. All the diamonds were gone. "But why wait? Why take the diamonds one at a time rather than all at once?"
"That was harder to put together," said Jason, pulling up separate files that had the collection's information. "At first I thought he picked them at random to throw you guys off, but then I noticed the dates."
"Dates that X took them?"
"Dates when the diamonds were found."
Raven frowned. "The diamonds were found decades – centuries from each other."
"And separately," stated Jason. "The Moussaieff Diamond was found in 1201; the first of the collection to be found. The next was the Hope Diamond in 1203, followed by the Star of India in 1257, and the Dresden Diamond in 1270…are you seeing the pattern?"
"Red-X took the diamonds based on the order they were found," said Raven with a nod. "Okay, so his heists were timed based on the moon phases, and they were always around the same time before midnight, and he chose the diamonds to steal in order from when they were found."
"Exactly."
"But why?" asked Raven. "Why go through such elaborate planning?"
"This might be a long shot," admitted Jason as he pulled up another file, "but I think it has to do with that laser pen pointer, or whatever it was, the week before the collection came to JC." He pointed at something at the screen. "It's has a high energy electromagnetic radiation when turned on, so it's not any ordinary laser. Because of it's enhanced energy it can vaporize any concrete surface."
Raven's eyes widened. "He wants to destroy the diamonds?"
"He wouldn't be able to," answered Jason. "Usually diamonds are composed entirely of carbon, so they would burn under the laser's radiation, but the Alcina collection are a different matter." He pulled up a few pictures of the Centenary Diamond and the Regent Diamond. "I managed to go see both diamonds before you guys moved them. I ran a few tests, and I realized that the diamonds were not made of carbon at all. They're made of frozen water. Somehow, they are able to withstand being in warm temperatures without liquefying. It's almost as if there is a barrier around it."
"What does this have to do with the laser?" asked Raven.
"I can't be positive without conducting tests," said Jason, "but I'm pretty certain that if a beam of radiation were to touch the surface of one of the diamonds, the radiation within the laser would be retracted, and the ultraviolet light would shoot through the diamond."
Raven frowned. "How could you possible know that?"
"My line of work has required me to do all kinds of experiments," replied Jason nonchalantly. "I've learned a lot about what and how chemicals react to things."
"Okay, so the radiation is turned into a regular beam," said Raven. "Why not just get a regular laser?"
"You really think Red-X would settle for a regular laser?"
"Good point."
"I think that the order of the diamonds, the moon phases, and the laser all have something to do with finding the Fountain," stated Jason. "I won't be able to tell what he's found without the diamonds or that laser, so I'm afraid that's all I got."
"That's more than enough," stated Raven, a smile on her face. "At least now we know that Red-X will keep the collection here in the city until Friday."
"What happens after that though?" asked Jason. "Now that Red-X has the whole collection, there will be no way of knowing where he'll be headed, or what he plans on doing with the diamonds."
"I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough," said Raven softly. Jason gave her a look, but she simply ignored it and said, "I just hope he knows what he's dealing with."
"What do you mean?"
The Titan grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I gave him a warning a while ago, but I'm not sure he gave it much consideration. The Fountain of Life, no matter how majestic it sounds, is dark magic. And when it comes to dark magic, a price needs to be paid if you don't follow its rules exactly."
"What do you mean?" asked Jason, tightening his hold on her hand.
"The diamonds were created by a goddess with dark magic," explained Raven, "and she wasn't exactly in the best mood when she made them. No mortal is supposed to come into contact with them. If someone who does not possess any dark magic themselves to repel the original power touches them, it creates a debt in their name. The only way it can be paid is to…"
"To…?"
"Sacrifice the one thing that person would hold precious. In most cases, it's another human life." Raven paused for a moment before continuing. "If Red-X by any chance touched one of the diamonds with his actual skin, he would lose that one person that means more to him than his own life. He's always wearing gloves, so he has that going for him…but it's still a risk."
Jason exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding and asked, "That person would die?"
"Not die," whispered Raven, "but be killed."
"Is there anyway to stop it?"
"No," said Raven sadly. "The debt needs to be paid."
The atmosphere went from light to grey as the young couple sat there, both registering the information the other had given. If only she had paid more attention to the smaller detail rather than bury herself in her books, perhaps she could have figured out the pattern sooner. And what did that pattern have to do with finding the Fountain? How could they tell where it is located when centuries have passed with people, even those from other magical dimensions, not being able to find it? There was still much that needed explaining, much that was missing for Raven and her team to stop Red-X from getting to the Fountain of Life, but there was no way she would get that information now. Raven could hear Jason's heart beating rapidly against his chest but made no comment on it, knowing that what she had said left an impression on him. It was then that her dream, the one she had before the prom, came back to her in detail. It all made sense now, but it didn't stop her heart from breaking.
"It's getting late," said Jason suddenly. "I promised Tony I'd stop by today for a movie marathon." He was lying.
"Okay," said Raven. "Yeah, you should go to him." As they stood up, brushing themselves off, they awkwardly avoided eye contact. It wasn't until Raven stood up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek that they managed to fully look at each other. The empath could see his eyes were distant, his mind being somewhere far off, and she couldn't help but feel bad. Knowing that there was nothing she could do to make his mind at ease, she gave him a sad smile. "I'm really glad I had the chance to meet Anthony."
A flash of emotion shot through Jason's eyes at her words. Instead of replying, he simply nodded, gave her a quick kiss, and walked away, not once looking back. Raven watched him go until he was out of sight, her heart heavy with emotion. She looked up at the clear blue sky and frowned. 'Rain,' she thought. 'There should be rain.' As she took a step forward, a lone tear gliding down her cheek, she heard a voice in her head respond sadly, 'There will be.'
...RX...
Tuesday, July 24; 3:53 p.m.
Jason arrived at the hospital at 4:47, exactly 54 minutes after Anthony's death. When he got to the room, he was told to go to another wing of the hospital where they had taken his brother's body. It had all been so surreal as he ran through those white corridors, his heart drumming in his chest, his ears ringing. When he saw him, his little brother, on the bed, just lying there completely still, blood all over his chin, gown and blanket in front of him, he felt himself stuck in that terrifying moment in time.
The doctors told him that Anthony had started coughing uncontrollably. They couldn't figure out what was the cause of it; they gave him water, put on the oxygen mask, but it kept getting worse. Pretty soon, the poor child was coughing up blood. It was so much blood that he began to choke on it. Nothing could stop the coughing; nothing could stop the blood. He kept coughing and gagging…until he wasn't anymore.
The way they described it, they tried to make it seem like it was something normal, that it was something quick. But Jason knew that Anthony's last moments were full of pain. He knew that Anthony was hoping for his big brother to come and help him. He knew that Anthony didn't want to die. And where was he? Where had Jason been when his brother needed him? He was off playing pretend; he was being the helpful boyfriend when he was supposed to be with his brother, calming him, helping him, holding him. He was supposed to be there for Anthony – he was supposed to say goodbye. He didn't even get to say goodbye…
It's been two days since his death, and Jason busied himself with the funeral plans, making sure that everything was in order, refusing to let the smallest detail escape his notice. Everyone who had been at the reunion attended the service, giving their condolences, shaking Jason's hand. His friends were there too. They stood beside him silently, each sending their own little prayers to the life that had been lost, each knowing just how much Jason was suffering. They knew that there was nothing they could say to make things better, which is why none of them said anything at all. Since the moment they arrived, before anyone else, they said nothing. But they were hurting just as much. Raven could tell.
She and the rest of her team stood a bit farther off from the service, not wanting to cause any unwanted attention. Raven wanted so badly to go over to Jason and hold him, but all she could do was send him what she could only hope was a small wave of comfort. The second the wave touched him, Jason looked up in their direction, his eyes meeting Raven's in an instant. They were so distant, clouded in despair and loneliness. But there was also longing; longing for her touch, her kiss, her words of reassurance and affection – longing for something his to be safe and secure in his arms. But she couldn't go down there, not with all the emotions swirling around the air. It would overwhelm her. Instead, when Robin whispered in her ear that there was an emergency at the other side of town, Raven gave Jason one last look before turning away.
That night, after they dealt with Killer Moth, Raven sat straight on her bed, her back to the window, when she heard a soft knock on the door. Instead of answering, the sorceress remained still.
"Raven?" She didn't answer, nor did she object when Starfire came into her room uninvited. "Raven, I came to see if you were alright."
Clearing her throat, Raven said, "I'm fine."
"No, you are not," said Starfire. "But I understand. Little Anthony's death came to us unexpectedly."
"To some more than others," mumbled Raven. "I just wish it would have been more peaceful than that. He deserved better than that. He –"
"Anthony," interjected Starfire. "His name was Anthony, Raven."
Raven bowed her head, her throat tightening as she strained to speak. "Anthony," she croaked. "Anthony was pure…so pure and innocent. He didn't deserve to go like that. He – Anthony – deserved much more than this life would give him. Anthony…"
Starfire sat on the bed next to her, wrapping her arm around her smaller teammate, pulling the empath closer until Raven's head was resting under her chin. It's been over two years since Raven had allowed Starfire to comfort her this way, and in that moment did Raven realize just how much she really needed it. Silent tears escaped her eyes as she listened to the drumming of the raindrops hitting the glass behind them. 'The sky is crying for you Anthony.'
Next time on Twelve Lovers of Alcina
The Titans have an unexpected visitor:
"Theo."
"Hello Miss Raven."
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to speak with you, if you have a spare moment."
One Titan seems to know more than they let on:
"Where are you going?"
"Jason needs my help –"
"You sure it's Jason that needs your help? Or Red-X?"
And a someone reaches their breaking point:
"No."
"I said, go home."
"And I said no."
"Just go back home and...fuck off."