Well hello there. Sorry to anyone who thought I'd abandoned this story. But this chapter, for some reason, just never clicked with me. I got the first part and the last part of the chapter done really quick, but when I tried working on connecting them, it just wouldn't go. Anyways, it's out now, and I've got the next couple chapters lined up ready to go, so those should come out relatively quickly. Enjoy!

Chapter Eight: Schemes

Beast Boy mumbled out a thank you to the guy at the cashier. The man gave him a warm smile, then he and Cyborg walked away.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Cyborg said.

"Yeah, whatever man," Beast Boy said, even though he could feel his claws cutting into the skin of his palm.

"Relax, it's just Tylenol. It'll help with the headaches," Cyborg assured him.

"I think some fresh air would be better. Hey Cy, tomorrow's Tuesday, right?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah," Cyborg answered, unlocking the T-Car.

"Wanna go to the park tomorrow? Maybe bring the grill, take the football out," Beast Boy said.

"You know I'd love to, but after that fight with Slade, I don't know if we could convince Robin," Cyborg said.

"Leave that to me," Beast Boy said. "So you down? Like noon?"

"If you can get the birdbrain out of his nest, then yeah, I'm game," Cyborg answered.

"Sweetness," Beast Boy said, leaning back in the chair. Beast Boy was glad Cy invested in high quality fabric. And apparently, it was easy to clean.

"So what was Robin on your case about? Was he just mad that Slade got away or?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, he got stressed that his big bad was back. I didn't want to stick around for that," Beast Boy said.

"I can see how that would be stressful, yeah," Cyborg said. "But a little birdie told me that you lied to him."

Beast Boy shifted in his seat. "I didn't remember the fight right, ok? Head trauma, hello?"

"That'll do it," Cyborg nodded. "You seemed a little freaked out after your chat with Robin. You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Beast Boy responded.

Cyborg just gave him the side eye. "Sure bud. If you change your mind, I got you."

Beast Boy looked down at his lap. He fiddled with his hands, tugging on the fabric of his gloves. Luckily they were durable enough so that his claws wouldn't rip them, even when they dug into his own skin. Mento tried to make the gloves insulate his claws, but obviously that didn't totally work. When he wasn't careful, his claws would push through the protective fabric. If he wasn't careful, he could cut someone. That's why he never took them off, except in the shower. Well, that and the scars.

Wow this was good music! What was this, Nirvana? Man, Cyborg had some good tunes. Wait, no, this was just the radio. What station was this? 96.7? That's a good station, they played good music. Beast Boy started humming along to the beat, drumming his fingers against the windowsill, staring at the rolling waves as they sped across the bridge. He wanted to jump out into the sea and swim away. Why couldn't Cyborg just ignore him? Couldn't they just go back to playing video games and arguing about meat vs tofu? He didn't want to have Cyborg look out for him, he just wanted his best friend. Why couldn't things just be normal again?

Soon they were back at the Tower, and Beast Boy waited in the garage waiting for Cyborg to finish patting down his baby and checking for scratches so he could get on the elevator. Cyborg was weird like that. The thing was made out of titanium but he was still worried about dents. When Cyborg was done they rode the elevator up to the common room. Raven was sitting there on the couch, no book in her hand, which was odd.

"Hey Cy, wanna play volleyball or something?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not right now B, I gotta help Rob create a program that could help us track down these new Sladebots. 'Sides, you're supposed to be taking it easy," Cyborg said.

"I don't do easy. Come on, I wanna do something," Beast Boy groaned.

"I'm sure Raven would love to entertain you, isn't that right Rae?" Cyborg called. Surprisingly, she didn't respond. Cyborg just nodded like he expected it. "See? She's down to clown. Text me what you want for dinner, and I'll make it later as long as it's not tofu."

"Your loss, tofu is awesome!" Beast Boy called after the retreating hero. Beast Boy jumped over the couch, landing next to the resident empath with an oomph. "Sup Rae, whatcha doing?"

"Waiting for the inevitable heat death of the universe," Raven replied.

"Ah. Sounds like a good time?" Beast Boy said.

"Always a pleasure," Raven muttered.

"I always took you for a magicky, witchy, zodiac kinda girl, not really into all that science jazz," Beast Boy said.

"Who says they are mutually exclusive?" Raven countered. "Magic can be viewed as the manipulation, or sometimes perversion, of the natural laws of the universe. Even modern technology and magic aren't as different as you might think. There are more than a few technomancers out there."

"A techy-what-now?" Beast Boy asked.

"A technomancer," Raven explained. "They're sorcerers who specialize in the magical manipulation of technology."

"Cool. So they're like robot wizards?" Beast Boy smirked.

"Exactly. It's the most efficient way of making sure there's no issue in any coding. In fact, I believe Lex Luthor has a technomancer debug all his battlesuits before he fights superman. Not that he'll ever tell anyone," Raven said.

"Have you ever tried to techno-dance?" Beast Boy asked. "I bet Cyborg would love your help. Or maybe not. I doubt he'd let you touch his car."

"I have not tried any technomagic. And I believe Cyborg would let me if I did," Raven said.

"What? No way. He's so possessive of his things," Beast Boy rebuked.

Raven smirked. "He trusts me around his car. In fact, he's even offered to teach me how to drive."

"What!?" Beast Boy exclaimed. "No way! How?"

"Easy. All you have to do is not paint his car neon pink," Raven said.

Beast Boy groaned. "I told you, that was not my fault!"

Raven shrugged. "There's my advice, sorry if you don't like it."

"You suck," Beast Boy pouted. Raven hummed quietly to herself. The sound was comforting, but not as comforting as her heartbeat. Her heartbeat was calm and soothing. She smelled like the chamomile tea she brewed every morning, and lavender. He could see the residue of the toast she ate for lunch on her lips. Her face was fascinating, so much different than everyone else. Her pale skin was thicker than most people's, almost hiding the blood vessels hidden beneath her skin. Her purple eyes were serious, sharp, like they cut you when she looked at him.

Raven turned to look him in the eye. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Huh-what? What kind of question is that?" Beast Boy asked.

"I was just curious, I thought that was the kind of thing friends do," Raven said, crossing her arms across her chest and looking down. "Ask about their friends."

"Yeah but it's usually not just out of the blue," Beast Boy responded, crossing his arms as well. "How would you feel if I just randomly asked you how Malchior is doing?"

Raven's eyes darkened and Beast Boy knew he crossed a line. "I don't think I would appreciate that. But regardless of your stupid and out of pocket question, those are not the same kind of question."

"Really? What's the difference then?" Beast Boy demanded. He was pushing it way too far, but he had to. Hopefully she wouldn't hurt him too badly.

"The difference is I'm trying to learn more about my friend while you are being an asshole," Raven glared.

"Well I didn't ask for you to learn more about me. I don't go snooping through your personal life, you don't go through mine," Beast Boy snarled.

"That's funny, I don't recall you having any issues with snooping when you spied on me with Malchior, or when you hacked the Titans computer to figure out my birthday," Raven snapped.

"Hey, I was young and stupid back then," Beast Boy said.

"Seems you haven't really changed much," Raven muttered.

Beast Boy growled, trying to hide his smile. "Well fine. If you think I'm so immature maybe I'll just go to my room like a kid."

As Beast Boy got up to storm off in victory, Raven jumped up, grabbing his arm. "Wait Beast Boy, don't go. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

Beast Boy froze. This wasn't how the game was supposed to go. What does he do, this wasn't the game. Raven wasn't supposed to apologize, that was his role. This wasn't the game, how does he play?! What is his role, what does he do?

"Look, Beast Boy, I've been thinking, and I don't think I've been entirely fair to you. I've been unappreciative of you and everything you try and do for me, for all of us. From now on, I want to be a better friend," Raven said, releasing his hand and holding her arms under her chest.

This wasn't happening, this shouldn't happen. She was breaking the rules! Why was she doing that, doesn't she know how important the game is?! Please, go back to the game. Why weren't they helping him? He needed help, he needed out, he wanted to get back to the game.

"Beast Boy?" Raven asked gently. "Are you mad at me?"

"What? No, I'm not mad at you," Beast Boy said, putting his arms on her shoulders. "I could never be mad at you. And I'm sorry for being a jerk. Why do you ask about languages?"

"I'm researching copies of ancient Chinese texts that were translated into Mandarin. Those comics you bring home seem to be written in a similar script. I was wondering if you could help me translate them," Raven said.

"Um, sure, I uh, know a little Mandarin," Beast Boy chuckled. Where were they, this wasn't how the game was supposed to go. "Although really I'm better at speaking it than reading. And secondly, they're not comics, they're called manhua."

"That's ok, I just want a rough translation to get a sense of the kinds of spells they contain. As far as I'm aware, the sorcerers of ancient China mainly focused on communing and banishing vile spirits and controlling the weather. I suspect they will be similar to other spells of ancient times, but there were rumors about the original text containing darker spells. I want to see if there's any evidence of those in these copies," Raven explained.

"Oh. Well, I guess I could see if I could help you out. Though we'll probably have to wait until my concussion is healed. Cyborg was pretty strict about me not straining my brain," Beast Boy said.

"That's ok, I just need a basic idea of what the spells are. Most of them I should already be familiar with, I should just need a few key words from each of them so I can identify them," Raven explained. "Whenever you're up for it let me know, ok?"

"Sure, doctor's orders," Beast Boy said, saluting.

"Just promise you're not mad?" Raven said.

"Of course I'm not mad," Beast Boy said.

"Ok," Raven said, stepping in and hugging him. Beast Boy tensed up for a moment then returned the hug. Raven released him and quickly retreated to her room. She probably needed to go meditate. Beast Boy could only remember one other time Raven initiated a hug, to him at least, and that was after the Malchior incident. Hopefully nothing was eating at her, but with Raven, ya never know. He'll check up with her later. But first, he needed to find Starfire.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it), he could hear Starfire humming as she bathed Silkie. She had a tub in her room that she scrubbed the mutant worm in. Beast Boy wasn't sure why she didn't just take Silkie outside. They usually went on walks after Silkie's bath anyway, as counterproductive as that seemed. But Beast Boy wasn't one to judge. He had his own funky little quirks that no one else understood, and that was fine.

Beast Boy knocked on the door to Starfire's room. She opened the door a moment later, beaming at him. "Glorious afternoon friend Beast Boy! Did Friend Raven speak with you yet?"

"Uh, yeah, we chatted just a minute ago," Beast Boy replied.

Starfire nodded. "That is good. Silkie and I are going for a walk, would you enjoy joining us?"

Beast Boy grinned at her grammar. "I would like that."

"Glorious! Let us retrieve my little bumgorf and we shall be off!" Starfire declared, zipping into her room and grabbing her pet and zooming back to Beast Boy, grabbing his arm and flying to the elevator. Beast Boy barely had time to yelp before he was spinning in front of the elevator doors. The dinged open and he staggered inside, not sure if it was him spinning or the elevator.

Beast Boy stumbled out of the elevator, following Starfire as she flew circles around her pet mutant worm. Starfire giggled as Silkie gurgled with happiness, trouncing along the grassy pathway.

Starfire hummed happily, floating after the mutant worm. Beast Boy followed a few steps behind. Starfire must have noticed his dejected attitude because she paused. "Beast Boy? Is there something you wish to speak about?"

"I'm in somewhat of a difficult situation," Beast Boy started. Starfire cocked her head, waiting for him to continue. "I…ran into someone recently. I think that they could help us, but if I went to Robin and told him what I know, Robin would have this person arrested. But I know this person isn't a bad person, and they don't deserve to be in jail. And we need their help. But they don't want to help us. I just…I don't know what to do."

Starfire nodded. "I understand your conflict. Let me tell you a tale of my younger days. It was years ago, shortly after the Gordonians began their war on us. I was flying, past the restricted zones my father had ordered. I came across a ship of Gordonians that had crashed on our world. I saw them from afar, the survivors. They were wounded, their ship irreparable. It had been days since the last wave had assaulted our skies. I knew I had two choices. I could return to the palace and tell my father what I had seen. I would be punished for going past the boundaries, of course, but the Gordonians would be found by our armies. Or, I could not mention the camp of our wounded enemies. I would not be punished, and likely a Gordonian rescue ship would find and retrieve them."

"So? What did you do?" Beast Boy asked.

"I returned to the palace and told my father what I had seen," Starfire said. "I was grounded for a month. The Gordonians I had found were taken prisoner and executed a few days later."

Beast Boy blinked. "Oh."

Starfire gave him a sad grin. "I know it is not the answer you had hoped to hear, but it is the truth. We were at war. We all had to make difficult decisions. Whatever decision you decide to make, Beast Boy, do it for the sake of the greater good. That is my advice."

The greater good, huh? That had always been something Beast Boy struggled with. He had been known to abandon a fight if he had heard someone in danger. On more than one occasion, it had allowed the villain they were fighting an opportunity to escape. He would throw himself in front of his teammates to protect them from an attack, even if it meant losing an opening for him to attack. It was one of the things he and Robin fought over the most, and before that he and Mento. But Beast Boy couldn't help it. It was hard wired into him to protect people, and he couldn't just ignore his instincts.

"Hey Star? You think you could convince Robin to come to the park tomorrow? Around noon?" Beast Boy asked.

Starfire nodded. "I believe I could manage that."

Beast Boy grinned. "Great. Oh, and while you're at it, mention it to Raven too? I didn't get a chance to ask earlier."

"Of course," Starfire said.

"Thanks. Ok, I got to go take a shower, I'll see you later!" Beast Boy said, flapping up towards his bedroom window, heart racing. What a complicated web he was trying to weave. Hopefully it wouldn't ensnare him too.


Beast Boy was panting. Stupid Cyborg, throwing away his tofu patties. What was he going to eat now? Chips? Did Cyborg really expect him to only eat chips for lunch? Well, it's not like he hasn't done that before.

But he was safe from the butt-kicking Cyborg had promised him. And look at that, he was at the main gate! And he was even early! Wow, things never went this well for him.

"¡Oye! Verde! The hell have you been? You were supposed to meet me here five minutes ago? Heroes are supposed to be punctual, right?" Valeria yelled.

"Sorry, Val, I lost track of time," Beast Boy said.

"Whatever. So who's the new girl you want me to befriend? You better not be trying to set me up," Valeria glared.

"That's not fair, I only did that one time. And no, I'm not trying to set you up. But hey, if you guys want me to give you some privacy, this park is a pretty romantic place." Beast Boy laughed, then winced when Valeria punched him.

"Is that why you bring Raven here all the time? You guys go for romantic walks through the park? Watch the sunset? Hold hands?" Valeria demanded.

"What!? No!? Of course not! I've never taken Raven here," Beast Boy stuttered. "And I totally don't like her! Except as a friend! She's a really great friend."

"Wow, smooth. I'll be sure to tell her," A new voice said. Beast Boy and Valeria looked over to see Rose approaching. "Hi. I'm Rose. You're Beast Boy's civilian friend? I didn't know he hung out with people outside the Titans."

"Nah, Val and I go way back," Beast Boy said, throwing an arm around Valeria. She just groaned and pushed him away. "She goes to Murakami, and like you she doesn't have a lot of friends. I think you guys would totally hit it off."

"Yeah, the way you and Raven hit it off?" Rose asked with a smirk. Beast Boy blanched and Valeria burst out laughing.

"You know what, I think we'll get along just fine," Valeria said, high fiving the white haired girl.

"Wow. I come here to help both of you out and you turn on me like that. I am hurt. Really," Beast Boy put a hand over his heart.

"Get over yourself verde. Maybe Rose's just cooler than you," Valeria said.

"I'm a superhero! What's cooler than that?" Beast Boy complained.

The two girls just looked at each other. "Eyepatch."

"Gah. Fine. Whatever. Y'all want to grab some grub? I haven't eaten yet," Beast Boy said.

"Sure. I could eat," Valeria said.

"I guess. I'm not that hungry though," Rose said.

"You will be when you smell these waffle fries. Come on," Beast Boy led the girls through the park, heading towards Jose's Taco and Quesadilla truck.

"Is Jump City known for its waffle fries?" Rose asked from his right.

"No," Valeria said from his left. "He's just got an obsession with them. I swear he downs them by the pound."

Rose laughed. "I'd like to see that."

"Don't you dare show her," Beast Boy growled at Valeria who was already grabbing her phone.

"Too late!" Valeria said. "Hold on, this is great. He's like a vacuum cleaner. I swear he's sucking them straight from his hands."

"Holy shit," Rose laughed, ignoring Beast Boys groans. "You're really ignoring the laws of physics! How is all that honey mustard staying on the fries?"

"Hey! Beast Boy!" Cyborg yelled. The three turned to see all the Titans coming towards them. "Who're these fine ladies? I thought you said you didn't have any hot dates?"

"Hey Cy. This is Valeria," Beast Boy said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her towards the Titans. "She's a friend of mine. And this," Beast Boy waved his arm at Rose dramatically. "Is Rose. The daughter of Slade."