SerenityQuill - thanks so much for the favorites and follows thus far! Please let me know how I'm doing in the comments! Short one this time around...
[Chapter 3: Discussion Number One]
Robin sat across from Raven sipping a cup of black coffee. The potent smell wafted over to her, wrinkling her nose. She downed the last of her herbal white left over from the morning. Robin had called her in for a talk as soon as he heard. His frown deepened. It was not going to be a pleasant discussion.
Finally, after three agonizing minutes of silence, Robin set his cup down. "What happened?"
Raven breathed once in, once out, calming her nerves. "We battled and won."
"I know what happened with Mammoth. What happened with you?"
She averted her gaze. "I…" There were no words to describe it.
Silence lingered. She didn't look up, rather focusing on the scratches in the wood. Her powers rumbled, but she couldn't let them free. Not yet. Not here.
Robin shifted in his chair and filled the quiet. "Beastboy says you went nuts, flying off then pounded the pavement with an energy burst. He said you smacked a woman –a civilian no less – in the face."
Raven locked her jaw. The statements weren't accusatory, yet it felt as if she'd been slapped in the face. She couldn't have done those things. She wouldn't have. Not willingly. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. There had to be some redeeming quality. Her frantic thoughts honed in on one. "I came back and made sure she was okay."
"True." Robin sipped some of his coffee. "But why did you have to do that in the first place? Is there something you want to tell me, Raven?"
The question seemed harmless enough, but a sudden tightness in Raven's chest caused her to remain silent. Should she tell him about Starfire? She threw that suggestion out. No, he had no right to know.
Finally she answered his question. "No, everything's fine, Robin."
"Raven," he cocked his eyebrow. The disbelief played out in his voice just as much as it wrinkled his features. "You seem off, distracted. You haven't been on your game for the past few months. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
"I'm fine," she snapped out the words. Her powers snapped out as well, shattering the mug between her palms. The heavy ceramic pieces fell to the table, their blue flower designs splintered.
Robin eyed the broken mug. "Starfire even said you were acting off."
Raven tightened her hands into fists. An insane pang of jealousy rocked through her. "Have you two been talking about me behind my back?"
"We're just concerned for you, that's–"
Raven cut him off. "Don't."
The mere thought of them meeting, talking, even just hanging out together pained her. What kind of teenage emotion was that? Of course they'd hang out. Of course they'd speak to one another. They'd have to. What was she doing?
She fumed, heat rising from the back of her neck. "Don't talk about me. I'm fine."
But she couldn't help it. It reminded her too much of the dance. Of the night Robin and Starfire shared together. And, how, just the day before, Raven taught Starfire the steps.