[Chapter 1: Awakening]
Raven pulled on her cobalt blue cloak and sighed, running her fingers through her chopped hair. She eyed the broken glass and went over to it. The cracks splintered the view of the sunrise, rosy tips splashing awkwardly into her room. Even the morning seemed disjointed. She trailed her finger across the pane, skin catching at each mar before continuing on.
It didn't start off like this. Raven sighed, heaving the breath out of her lungs. At first their friendship had been simple. Why couldn't they go back to that? Outside, the grass glittered with dew. The sparkling sight cleaved deep into Raven's mind, sharpening a memory into focus at the same time it tugged her down.
Gorgeous. The floor-length dress was gorgeous. A hot pink creation that hugged all the right curves and slunk in all the right places. Darted with diamonds, probably fake, the fabric itself seemed to glitter in even the dullest of lights. Even under the store's fluorescent bulbs, the dress gleamed.
But Raven would never admit to that. Never verbalize her immense liking for it. Too pretty, too… girly. Her own black jeans and blue t-shirt seemed boyish in comparison. She zipped her black leather jacket closed and folded her arms across her chest.
Starfire flicked a lock of her long red hair over her shoulder, giving Raven a quizzical wrinkled look. "What do you think of this earthly fabric? Would it suit the ball?"
Raven held up her hand, extending one finger. "Don't call it a ball, it's a dance." She extended the next. "The dress looks fine."
Starfire's face fell. "Just fine? I would like to look the best I possibly can when I attend this… dance… with Robin."
It took all Raven had not to roll her eyes. The woman consistently wore less clothes than this – and skin-tight no less – as fightwear. When did she become so self conscious? She eyed the dress once more just for show. "You look very pretty, Star, now can we leave soon?"
Starfire beamed, then spun. The clingy dress gave, but only enough for her boots to show. "Yes, we may leave soon."
Starfire trotted off to the back of the room, slipping behind a curtain parting the dressing area in two, and this time Raven really did roll her eyes. She liked spending time with Starfire – maybe a little too much, if she was honest with herself – but this shop made Raven uncomfortable. The frilly dresses displayed on mannequins, the purple carpet and matching walls, the faint scent of roses hanging in the air. Even the floral seat cushions and etched mirrors disturbed her. Raven stood, stretching her arms to the ceiling. Soon? She'd rather leave immediately.
Her gaze wandered from the heavy crimson curtains to the crimson trim lining the dressing room, cutting the purple floor and ceiling in half, and ended up on the small glass cabinet. Pairs of heels lined the shelves, each a varying hue of cherry. Was there no other color? One shoe towered above the others; its heel had to be five-inches at least. Raven shuddered, imagining the pain. Why would any girl wedge herself into that? The answer, too, seemed painfully obvious. To impress their suitor, of course. Starfire would need a pair of heels to go with her dress. Might as well get it over with now. Raven plucked a few from the shelves – two-inch silvers, three-inch blacks, and one-inch pinks – and turned to face the curtain.
Starfire threw back the parting, sporting her usual non-Titan clothing of tight jeans and a purple shirt. The pink dress hung over her arm. She smiled. A small strange wave of emotion rippled through Raven, catching her breath.
Starfire glanced at the heels. "Are my own boots not sufficient enough?"
Raven cleared her throat. "Your boots are okay, but they'll be a bit clunky if you actually want to dance with him. These heels are better for it." Confusion seemed to wrinkle Starfire's features, but Raven moved on. "Which one do you like best?"
Starfire floated closer, draping the dress over her other arm while she lifted the pink pair. "I like these."
Raven could almost smile. Of course she'd pick the matching set. For an alien, Starfire sure knew how to be a teenage Earth girl. "Those look good, Star, they'd go with your dress perfectly. Can we leave now?"
"Yes, we can go." Starfire led the way out of the dressing room and into the main shop, darting this way and that before ending up at the counter. Raven drew up next to her. Starfire's eyes had lit up, all but shimmering in the fluorescent lights. Gorgeous. That strange wave welled up in Raven once more. Was it excitement? Or something more? She pushed it away.
Starfire handed over the dress, the heels and a pair of elbow length white gloves she had snatched on the way over to the counter. "I hope Robin likes these."
Raven's powers flared at the third drop of his name, but she quenched it immediately. That emotion…was she actually jealous of Robin? She shook her head, knocking the thought from her mind. Ridiculous.
"They look fine, Starfire," Raven muttered and turned away.
Raven snapped out of the memory, blinking as the sun drifted higher, flashing against the glass. She palmed the pane, shards poking her skin but not drawing blood. She grimaced anyway. Perhaps their friendship hadn't been all that simple. Her powers darted outward, plummeting toward the grass and slamming into a snake. The creature stopped, twisted once, then died. She had been just too afraid to admit it.