Titan Tower, daylight.

Sort of…

Well, for Raven at least, because although her body is in her bedroom, her mind and spirit are within the deepest recesses of… her mind and spirit.

It's the only place she has to be completely free from distractions, the only place where the other Titans' follies can't interfere with her pursuit of balance.

It's also the perfect place to talk to herself.

She finds that her mirror meditation has led her to the happier part of her mind, one where skies are clear and things are quiet. At first, it's just her.

But then, she's joined by another manifestation of herself, one in a pink cloak. "Oh my gosh! Hey! I've been thinking about you! Heheheh!" the 'happy' manifestation of Raven jokes.

"Very funny," the real Raven simply responds.

"Uh oh, something's wrong…" a second manifestation timidly utters upon revealing itself. This version wears a grey cloak, and hangs her head lowly.

"Oh, lighten up. What makes you say that?" Happy Raven asks her.

"That's the only time she ever needs to talk about anything…" Timid Raven sadly answers.

A third manifestation, one in orange, reveals itself. "What is it this time? Daddy issues? Slade get more new powers? Let's just get this over with already!"

"Yeah… some of us were… Yawwww...napping…" a fourth manifestation, one in brown, comments with a yawn.

"I can see that this is going to go swimmingly," the real Raven sarcastically thinks aloud.

"Hahaha! That's funny!" Happy Raven says.

"I wasn't trying to be a downer with my last comment," Timid Raven says to real Raven, who brushes her off.

"Guys- girls- whatever… Listen," she begins, catching the attention of the other Ravens.

They give their master their undivided attention as she reveals why she has summoned them.

"I need to ask you guys about… Starfire."

"Starfire?" Rude Raven questionably repeats.

"Is this about what happened the other day at the convention? Sorry if I'm getting ahead of myself… I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it anymore," Timid Raven adds.

"Uhh, yeah. It's It's sort of about the convention. It's sort of about everything, really," true Raven explains.

"Oh, wasn't it so much fun spending quality time with Starfire? She really knows how to have a good time! She's so thoughtful and considerate. We're lucky to have a friend like her!" Happy Raven proclaims.

"That's just the thing. Even though I should have been miserable doing all those stupid Pegasus things with her… It actually wasn't so bad. I mean, the shirt thing was pretty terrible, and that Tara chick at the Q&A had an annoying voice..."

Rude Raven makes sure to scoff at this.

"...but I don't know. It actually was kind of nice being around her," true Raven finishes.

Upon finishing her statement, a fifth manifestation of Raven's subconscious reveals itself, this one clad in a bright amethyst cloak.

The others actually seem impressed to see her.

Well… except Careless Raven. For obvious reasons.

The newest manifestation smiles at true Raven. "It sounds like maybe you're getting sweet on Starfire," she states.

True Raven confusingly winces, but before she can reply, the other Ravens feel the need to chime in.

"Oh, of course you'd say that!" Rude Raven blurts out. "You said the same things about Aqua Lad and even Robin a few times!"

"Those were different," Affectionate Raven somewhat nervously dodges. "I have a good feeling about this one."

"Uhm… Not to imply anything, just- just sort of thinking out loud here," Timid Raven shyly speaks up. "But are you sure? We just got out of a relationship with Beast Boy…"

"Maybe this is the start of something new, though!" Happy Raven intervenes. "It could be the chance to really find something new and exciting that we've always been dreaming of!"

Affectionate Raven proudly directs a smile at true Raven. "You hear that? Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Pshhh," Rude Raven scoffs again. "What a bunch of bologna. So what if we feel all warm and fuzzy about it now? It's just because of propinquity and a couple nice gestures… It doesn't mean anything in the long run!"

With a momentary cease of discourse, true Raven finally gets a chance to speak.

"But… What if it does?"

The others all look to her with obvious surprise on their faces, unsure of how to respond to such a simple, yet so powerful, question.

…

It doesn't matter soon enough though, as a rapping from her bedroom door breaks through the reverie, followed by the call of a familiar voice.

"Raven! Raven!" Starfire repeats as she knocks on the door.

It's enough to bring Raven back to the real world. Gone are the manifestations, all she sees now is the mirror in her hand and the dark room around her.

Despite how the knocking at her door has stopped, she methodically rises from her mattress to pussyfoot over to her door. She somewhat hesitantly opens it, and sees that Starfire has just decided to turn away.

The redhead realizes Raven has come out of her room and turns to face her.

"Oh, I am sorry to bother you," she coyly apologizes.

"It's okay... " Raven belatedly responds. "What did you need?" she somewhat skittishly adds.

Starfire nervously runs her neck as she thinks of how to phrase her thoughts.

"Uhm, do you mind if we speak privately? It is something I would not want the others to hear…"

"Oh," Raven says. Simple, but with so many conflicting emotions behind the one syllable word. Anticipation, uncertainty, confusion…

Maybe… Something else? Something more?...

"Come in," she tells her, nudging her door open further as an inviting gesture.

Starfire smiles a soft, almost somber smile before making her way inside.

Raven shuts the door behind her, feeling a lump swell in her throat. A few years ago, however long it's been now since the Titans formed, she wouldn't have dreamed of letting Starfire into her most private sanctuary.

"Am I getting soft?"

She focuses now on her guest, the girl she hasn't been able to stop thinking about all day. Starfire displays much more trepidation than usual, which, for Raven, begins to raise many questions that she imagines her self-proclaimed 'emoticlones' would have a hayday trying to answer.
"Does this have anything to do with what we… I… whatever, talked about?"
Starfire just looks at her with weak, pitiful puppy eyes though. And for a moment that drags out more than a Ru Paul pageant, nothing is said.
"Okay?... This is weird…" Raven thinks. But she decides to swallow the lump that formed, and takes the initiative to speak up first.

"Uhm… What's up?" she almost nervously asks Starfire.

"Uhm, well…" the other girl tactfully begins as she nervously rubs her neck again, "Something is troubling me… Something I cannot discuss with the others…"

Again, she gets quiet as she eyes the floor.

"Alright… So, girl troubles? Did she do something wrong? Why do I feel so weird about this?"

There's silence, and then there's awkward silence. The former sounds great, literally. The latter?... Not so much. Not even for Raven.
"Well don't just leave me hanging," she sarcastically follows up, her internal frustrations surfacing a bit.
Starfire sighs a heavy sigh as she anxiously twiddles her hands, "I am sorry. Just… this is not easy for me."

On top of all the conflicting emotions, now there's worry. But, Raven puts years of practice with meditation to the test, containing all of her feelings as she dutifully listens to her friend.
"Earlier today I was at the supermarket, doing the grocery shopping for the week," Starfire starts, still eyeing the ground.

"Didn't you buy groceries just this past Sunday?" Raven interrupts.
"Beast Boy and Cyborg burnt breakfast, and I have been craving the peppermint peanut butter crunch cookies lately," she admits in a sorrowful tone that no person or extraterrestrial should ever have when discussing such delicacies.

"As I was doing the shopping, I became aware that certain items were marked as 'half-off,'" she proceeds, much to Raven's curiosity.

"This… is not going where I thought it would…" Raven thinks. She keeps it to herself though.

"Perplexed by the meaning of this phenomenon, I referred to the nearby gentlemen for inquiry. They seemed nice enough; they were smiling at me from afar."

Raven rolls her eyes at this. "Ignorance is bliss, they say…"

Starfire visibly saddens as she slouches and frowns. Raven disregards her prior cynicism as those feelings of concern take priority.

"Star?" she utters.

The other girl dejectedly sighs again, "You will laugh when I tell you…"

If it were anyone else: Robin, Cyborg, even Beast Boy, Raven would tell them to hurry up and get to the point. But Starfire? She's so… good. Compared to everyone else she's ever met, Starfire is truly one in a million.

Maybe it's why she's been feeling so different about her lately. Maybe it's why she decides to make her way closer to have a seat on the bed by her.

"Starfire… Whatever it is, you can tell me. I won't laugh. And not just because I never laugh at anything," Raven sincerely tells her.

Ever so pitifully, Starfire looks to her. "But- I saw you laughing at the Pretty Pretty Pegasus cartoon?"

Raven frowns. "I said I won't laugh," she reiterates.

Starfire softly smiles. "Okay… Well… I approached the two gentlemen, and very politely I asked them, 'Excuse me, but could you explain to me why the items are marked half-off? I do not see anything missing from them?'"

It takes a moment for Raven to fully comprehend what she's been told, but once it registers, she can't help but pinch the bridge of her nose and let out a dispirited "Oh, Starfire…"

Starfire keeps going though. "The gentlemen proceeded to make much mockery of my misunderstanding! It was so embarrassing…"

Raven raises a brow. "Okay… What kind of things did they say?"

Starfire deflates again. "They… They said that I was 'so dumb.' They said that I was a 'bimbo,' and that I should return to the kitchen where I belong… I do not understand why would direct me to the kitchen, though…"

Raven's curiously raised brow becomes an infuriated furrow. "God… That is such a load of-"

She stops herself mid-sentence, taking a deep breath to calm herself a bit before addressing the situation.

"Listen to me, Starfire. Forget what those stupid jerks said. First of all, you are a strong, beautiful woman; and don't ever let any man tell you any different. Secondly, it wasn't your fault that you didn't understand what they meant, or what the stupid half-off deal meant."

"What does it mean?" Starfire asks.

"I'll tell you later. I'm on a roll," Raven asserts, being sure to maintain strong eye contact with her as she continues. "This world, this Earth… It's a crazy place. I know what it's like to try and understand it. And I know what it's like to fail…"

Starfire devotes her listening to the Azarathian as she displays a seldom seen side of herself.

"You just- you have to learn to accept who you are. And, you have to just try and make your own little niche in it…" she finishes as she turns her attention to the floor.

"You speak from experience?" Starfire asks.

Raven looks back into her green eyes, feeling a powerful connection and science of understanding she's never felt with her before.

"I do."

Starfire belatedly breaks the eye contact, and again, they fall into silence.

…

"When I was at the bar the other night, waiting for my inebriated sister to settle down… I felt this… loneliness," she begins. "It is a loneliness I experience when I am reminded of how I am not of this Earth. How I am so different from everyone else."

Raven slightly turns her head to look at her from the corner of her eye, returning the favor of diligently listening just as Starfire did for her.

"I… know what you mean," she confesses. "Even after so much time here, I still feel alone."

Starfire fixes her posture as she has a thought. "But you said you spoke from experience? About finding a niche?"

Raven faintly smiles. "I did. I found you guys," she answers.

And for a moment, the two girls just gaze at one another, sharing this feeling of acceptance… of belonging.

Starfire breaks the contact though as her cheeks become somewhat red.

"You said I was beautiful… Did you mean that?"

Raven's eyes widen at the sudden question. Obviously she meant it, and obviously she meant it as a strictly platonic statement of what she believes to be fact.

But now? Now it seems like a totally different word. One that could mean something more…

"I did," she answers a second time, feeling her own cheeks redden.

…

More silence. And not the awkward kind either. Heck, not even the other kind that Raven's come to appreciate.

No… This is a… good silence. A nice moment to just let words linger, and to let feelings flow. It's a silence she's felt before, but never with Starfire.

She could get used to it, though.

However, all good things must come to an end, and she decides not to let it overstay its welcome and kill the mood.

"So… Did this help any?" she asks Starfire.

She smiles once more. "It did. Thank you, Raven…"

"...Now, are you hungry? I would hate for all of my time spent at the store to be for naught," she jokes with a playful little elbow nudge to Raven's arm.

She smiles back. "Uhm... sure."

With that, the two girls stand up from the bed, and make their way to the door. However, Raven stops as she gets a chance glance of her meditation mirror.

"Hey, you go on ahead," she tells Starfire. "I'll catch up in a little bit."

Starfire simply smiles with understanding before leaving Raven to herself.

Once she's sure the other girl is gone, she creeps over to her door to quietly shut it, and then takes to the bed to pick back up on her meditation.

Once she's focused enough to enter the deep recesses of her mind and spirit as she did before, the manifestations of her personality all gather just as they did before.

And of course, it's Happy Raven to start things off.

"EEEEEEEE!" she giddily squeals, "That was so cute!"

And while the others take turns adding their two-cents to the matter, true Raven allows herself to get lost in a warm feeling that comes with the smile Starfire has put on her face.

I listened to so much Dixie Chicks while writing this. Sorry not sorry.

As always, thanks for reading my lovelies.

For those of you who missed out on 2003, Raven's manifestations are known as the "Emoticlones." I ate that scene up like buttered waffles.

Other than that, what else is there to say about the chapter? I love writing dialogue between two chicks subconsciously pining for each other more than a young man in rural USA really should.

In a bit of actual news, further updates will be less consistent than I'd hoped (Oh no he said the same thing about Mind Over Matter). I'm going to be starting a new job soon, and I'm not sure how it will affect my writing schedule just yet. It should be fine, considering I usually write at four in the morning during caffeine fueled spurts of brief euphoria; but it still gives me less time to work on what really matters.

Either way… I'm hungry and motivated for the first time in a long time, so this will get done. And if you liked the fluffy stuff that went on here, you'll love the next chapter, I can promise you that;)

Until next time, true believers.

Gets hit by random blunt object, dies.