Starfire spotted the Golden Gate Bridge dead ahead and made her soft landing on the steep streets of San Francisco. Looking up at the descending gondola, the visiting Tamaranean Titan began her stroll, eyes on the addresses of each block she passed by.
"I really must explore more of Jump City's direct neighbors!" she noted to herself as she took a glimpse of the late morning sky. She reached for her T-communicator.
Robin's face appeared, apparently charging towards something or someone.
"Starfire! Are you in San Francisco yet?"
"Yes, I have arrived in Raven's current city of residence. I see that you and the rest of the team have begun the mission."
Starfire watched as Robin nonchalantly slashed a tire of Johnny Rancid's motorcycle with his staff.
"Great to know," Robin replied. "Rancid seems to be on the hunt for new gadgets, but all he's getting is a beating and extended jail time."
Starfire could hear Johnny Rancid's bellowing approaching the Boy Wonder, only to also hear a blast that undoubtedly came from one of their current team members, blasting Rancid.
Robin halted from his current position, adding, "Please give Raven my best wishes. If she seems open, I'd want to pay a visit, after this mission. It's been weeks since Gar's funeral, but we have to really push it today. Put in all efforts to see her. We can't let her only visitors now be Doctor Fate's apprentice. Especially not on her birthday."
Starfire nodded in total agreement, still walking. "I shall contact her before trying to enter her residence! Have fun defeating Johnny Rancid."
Starfire pressed the button on her communicator twice; first to end contact with Robin, and second to commence contact with Raven.
"I do hope you respond..."
Raven was currently in her bedroom, lying face down, her cloak and her body sprawled on her bed. She had foregone the big white room several days ago, though the numbing spell was still in effect. In fact, in stronger effect.
If the deadpan half-demon didn't look unenthused before, she was seemingly devoid of any emotion at that moment. She had completely lost track of time. She'd drawn down the window curtains in her household - now only her household. She'd cut off transmissions from the main screen, with the only way of reaching her being by way of T-communicator. The state of lostness she had been wallowing in. It seemed that time had stopped, but only for her.
A relentless beeping alerted from the living room. Her communicator. At this point, after receiving requests for transmission from countless contacts, the beeping had become white noise to her. Noise that had become as mundane and jaded as her big white room. But in reality, her T-communicator was filled with all the missed, unreturned calls. Obligations she'd chosen to neglect. Much like her unkempt bedroom, kitchen, and living room.
The beeping refused to give in.
"Raaaaaaaven," echoed a faint voice of Beast Boy above her. "Don't you know it's rude to ignore your friends' calls and messages?"
"I don't care..." Raven mumbled emotionlessly to this Beast Boy voice, seemingly coming from nowhere. "Leave me alone..."
"Don't you be ghostin' them now!" echoed this Beast Boy.
Starfire sighed. Robin's last words reiterated in her head.
Put in all efforts to see her.
She halted in front of a building with a red brick wall. Except, there was a green brick and a purple brick; sure signs she had arrived. She looked to her right. Then left. Having made sure that the coast was clear, she flew above the high gate, landing right in front of the real gate, craftily concealed from all angles.
She pressed the bell button on the gate, all the while still trying to connect with Raven via T-communicator.
"You hear that, Rae?" gasped this Beast Boy at the sound of a typical doorbell, followed by her living room main screen lighting up with the camera reveal of the front gate. "Let's see who it is!"
"You go..." Raven muttered apathetically.
This Beast Boy groaned, followed by a chuckle.
"Come on, Raven! You know you want an actual friend as company. You must be sick of hearing my voice constantly. You don't care that it's all in your mind? Or soul? Or in your feelings? Or however this works?!"
Raven groaned and closed her eyes.
Ding dong! The doorbell dragged on ringing.
Beep beep! The communicator continued to bing.
At this point, Raven had correctly deduced that the persistent person calling her and the persevering person wanting into her home was the same alien; Starfire.
Raven mentally wished her away.
A few seconds later, the doorbell stopped. Did her wish come true?
"The communicator's still a-beepin'," mentioned this Beast Boy voice.
Then, the beeping also came to a sudden stop.
"Oh! Sounds like ya really did get your wish, Rae!"
Starfire sighed, now simply staring at the blocked gate.
"You have left me no choice but to do the... breaking in, friend."
Starfire pressed her communicator button twice again, contacting Cyborg.
"Star! So great to hear from you, girl!"
Starfire smiled fondly at her friend. With Bumblebee by his side, Starfire found Cyborg to be out of his emotional rut. Perhaps he could now help her reach out to Raven escape her emotional rut.
"Friend Raven is most definitely in her abode," Starfire reported. "She, however, has not answered my transmission, as has been going on, nor has she let me inside despite my constant ringing of the doorbell. Perhaps a doorknob should have been affixed on to the gate such that I may knock politely. But alas, as of now I require your assistance."
Cyborg nodded understandingly. "Hopefully, she won't shun you out. You brought along my treat for her, right?"
Starfire giggled, swinging her Tamaranean bag. Unassuming in size, but currently storing a bountiful of items, including Cyborg's treat.
"Of course!" she exclaimed in reply.
Cyborg's cybernetic eye reflected the screen in front of him as he began typing as well as conducting some commands in his internal installations.
"I'm hacking into Raven's security systems now. I'll give you just enough time to let you in. After this, hopefully she doesn't shun me."
Starfire smiled. "Surely, she cannot do the shunning of all of her best friends for long. We simply cannot allow her to continue her self-isolation forever."
Cyborg was typing furiously.
"Aaaaannd... Done. You may proceed, Princess Starfire."
"Most grateful, Cyborg!"
Starfire stood back as the gates slid open. She stepped right in. A travelator extended itself, opening its doors for Starfire to enter, transporting her through an underground system before resurfacing aboveground, to Raven's actual front door.
"Now you just need someone's help to get past the magical gate," Cyborg said. "Do let me know if Raven's welcoming people back in. Bumblebee and I would love to drop by."
Starfire nodded as she switched communication to her young Titan teammate.
"Traci Thirteen!"
Starfire was met with Traci Thirteen's face, in her background was Robin fighting Johnny Rancid.
"Starfire!" Traci greeted. "I assure you, Blue Beetle and I are assisting Robin and have everything under control!"
"Oh, I am merely asking for your prompt help," Starfire explained. "Your magic instructor Raven has continued to refuse to grant me access into her accommodation. The barrier I am left with is the secure urban magic imposed in part by you on her doorway."
Traci responded with a look of uncertainty.
"Err... That's not really something I can remove over the communicator, and even then I had help. How long will you be there? After the mission, maybe I can - "
Clink!
Starfire's eyes widened at the door before her. It was opening. She gasped.
"Traci! Whatever you did, it may have worked!" she exclaimed. "Thank you all the much!"
Traci stared, bewildered, just as Starfire ended transmission, the alien Titan excitedly awaiting her entry.
That was then that Starfire noticed, past the gate, the door was encased in Raven's recognizable black energy.
She heard Raven's distant and faint unenthusiastic voice croak, "Come in."
Starfire eagerly set foot, expecting to see Raven in the living room so that she could hug her.
"Raven!" she exclaimed. "How lovely to... see you?"
Starfire surveyed the living room. The floor had gathered dust bunnies. Tea had been made, but the utensils never washed or even returned to the kitchen. There was a trail of books and clothes leading to the bedroom.
But, most notably, on the countertop was a myriad of Beast Boy-related items. His old belt. His gloves. Photos of him, by himself and with friends and Raven. A cherished fanart of the five founding Titans. Mementos signifying the former couple. It was a shrine of Beast Boy compiled by Raven.
"For a room designated by the name 'living room', Raven has apparently utilised it to honor the dead," Starfire murmured to herself.
Speaking of Raven, she assumed her friend was in her bedroom for she was nowhere in the living room.
"Happy day of birth, dearest best friend!" she barged into said room. "Raven...?"
She wasn't expecting Raven to be up and moving, but she didn't think Raven could sink her whole body deeper into her bed all flat like she was either. It saddened the usually upbeat alien to see her best friend that way.
Raven let out an almost inaudible guttural moan before uttering, "Thanks, Starfire... But I'm not in the mood..."
"She hasn't been in a while," apologized the Beast Boy voice. Raven groaned. Starfire did not react to the voice. At least she managed to confirm that the voice was exclusively for her.
Cautiously, Starfire hovered and lowered her cross-legged body until her head levelled Raven's.
"Raven, it has been weeks," she began. "We - as in myself, Robin, Cyborg, and the other Titans family - we have been wanting to see how you were, how they say it, the holding up."
"Well, I'm alive, is that update enough for you?" Raven muttered. Her deadpan response was characteristically her and uncharacteristically her at the same time, somehow.
Starfire went on, "We considered the fact that you likely would not prefer a party of visitors, and so as your best friend I elected myself to check up on you on behalf of everyone."
The Tamaranean reached into her bag eagerly, pulling out a couple of foodstuffs.
"I brought you your favorite waffle cake prepared by chef Cyborg, and, just in case, my Glorkk pie, encased in a protective container but ready for consumption! I am quite sure you will find delight in the sweet nodes of this festive Tamaranean delicacy!"
Raven heard sniffing, followed by that voice uttering, "Prolly not vegetarian. Pass!"
She moaned. Years ago, she'd display more disdain. But currently, she was devoid of expressiveness, even more so than ever. She hadn't even realised that it was her birthday, and even upon finding that out, she'd remained reactionless.
"... Sure, thanks... Just... leave them in the fridge..."
Starfire frowned, trying to find a way to turn this pity party into an actual birthday party. It had always been Gar that was bold enough to enter her room - or her entire apartment - and prod her out to be with family and friends. But, they could no longer rely on him.
"Sincerely, I am most relieved and elated to know that you are, for the lack of the better term, fine. But friend, please, everyone is worried sick about you. We wished to not barge in, not knowing whether you require your time in solace and isolation still.
"But everyone needs someone to talk to during their time of grief at one point or the other. And, admittedly, I have been missing our times of bonding and chatting."
Raven let out another near-inaudible moan.
"... I've been chatting enough..."
At Raven's tired comment, Starfire glanced, through the crack of the bedroom door, at the haphazardly hoarded makeshift Beast Boy shrine.
"I see..." her voice trailed, mind racing for more ideas. Be as wise as a Finnbar, Koriand'r...
A light bulb animatedly appeared above her head.
"Shall we attempt to contact the dead?!" she suggested excitedly.
Finally, Raven popped her head out of the bed, to deliver Starfire an inquisitive look. Despite looking famished, exhausted, and entirely spent, Starfire was simply glad to see movement from her. One step at a time. Or rather, one semblance of a movement at a time.
Starfire's eyes gleamed at Raven. "In fact, the spherical crystal orb from your former room in Titans Tower may be in this very bag! This is what they call the divine intervention, yes?"
"It's not going to bring him back..." Raven uttered tiredly as Starfire rummaged through her stuff.
"Nevertheless, friend, it could be one of the fun activities we could participate in together for your special day! We have tried it a long time ago in Titans Tower, you do remember, yes? To no avail, however, for we were disrupted and invited to a world-record attempt for the most tofu consumed by - "
Starfire had realized a tad too late where her own words were leading to, just as she had found said crystal ball and extracted it from her bag for the mourning empath to see.
"Awkward..." the Beast Boy voice murmured.
Starfire stammered, second-guessing her seance suggestion. "Well..."
Raven, with head finally out of the sheets and eyes on Starfire, could see her friend's worry and reluctance, but also her eagerness to spend the day with her.
Raven had been in self-isolation for weeks. Exactly how long, she had not counted. Admittedly, her wallowing in self-pity was, at the very least, pathetic, but understandably so.
After the first week, her emotions had calmed down considerably, but her depression hadn't really subsided. But, Raven had always been the realistic type, and knew laying in bed would get her nowhere. She couldn't let Starfire's visit be in vain.
"... Fine," Raven mumbled, to Starfire's initial surprise.
Stars glittered the alien's eyes. "For the sake of the times that are old!"
An hour had passed by, so slowly at that.
Raven could hear Beast Boy groan. "No wonder I never saw you call the dead. It's so boring!"
The two living Titans had set up the seance in the bedroom. Raven's whole place had not been tidied up, but Starfire was prioritizing spending time with Raven over telling her to get her life back together.
However, nothing was happening, and Starfire was regretting her decision, wishing she had just opened with a typical catch-up chitchat.
"Perhaps the orb has accumulated so much dust over the years that it has blocked its mystical signals?" Starfire suggested warily.
Raven groaned, flustered.
Tentatively, Starfire asked, "Perhaps we should just move on and do the chatterboxing?"
"I just want to get this day over with..." Raven mumbled, lying back down on her bed. "Star, it was nice seeing you. But now that you know that I'm well, I'm quite done with social interactions."
Starfire's worry rebounded. "We barely interacted. Raven..."
"I'm just done..."
Starfire hovered, her face above Raven's and body parallel to hers.
"Done for the day? Or forever?"
Raven heaved a hopeless sigh while Starfire gave an increasingly hopeless stare.
Ding dong!
The two ladies froze, staring at each other.
"Should I expect more visitors?" Raven inquired.
Starfire shook her head innocently.
"Did you leave a door or a gate open?"
Again, Starfire shook her head. "Perhaps I should contact Cyborg to see if he has forgotten to reinstate the security systems?"
And with that, Starfire zoomed to the living room, Raven groggily followed.
Apart from the ringing of the doorbell, Raven began hearing beeps and boops as Starfire proceeded to casually push every button on the living room screen. She was looking for the button that would display the security footage on the cracked screen.
"Star, please, you'll cause this whole flat to malfunction..." Raven muttered.
"Ah! There!" Starfire felt accomplished for her help, the screen now lit - and blinking - to reveal Raven's current exterior front gate. Onscreen was the empty street ahead.
Raven and Starfire stared at the screen.
Ding dong! The doorbell had rung once more, yet they spotted no guest.
"Is this not a peculiar occurrence?" asked Starfire. Raven shrugged. All the Azarathian wanted to do was go back to bed, but now she was forced to solve this seemingly meaningless mystery.
"It better not be Cyborg trying to surprise us..."
Ding dong!
Then, the face of a pigeon popped up right in front of the camera, stunning the two Titans, causing them to shriek in reaction.
"It's just a pesky pigeon..." Raven mumbled after catching her breath. "Will you please shoo it on your way out?"
Starfire grabbed Raven by the wrist just as she was about to return to her room.
"Look!" she pointed, still in shock. Raven followed her index finger. The bird was flapping its wings and hopping, as if trying to get their attention. This bird was no ordinary city slicker. It seemed to be on a mission.
Raven's gaze drew lower, and noticed a rolled up letter tied up to its leg. The letter itself had a tag on it, which read in bold 'RAVEN', just large enough for them to read.
"Earthlings receive mail by birds now?" Starfire pondered curiously.
"We don't get mail..." Raven grew confused. "Much less from carrier pigeons..."
Raven had no idea what was happening. One moment, she had let Starfire in. The next, there was a pigeon with a letter addressed to her.
"No more party tricks..." Raven uttered, heading out the door.
"I wish to come!" Starfire exclaimed.
"Stay right here," Raven insisted. If Starfire was in on whatever shenanigans was at play, Raven was having none of it.
Raven had arrived at the exterior front gate. All security systems were in place - presumably reverted so by Cyborg after allowing Starfire in.
With a scan of her palm, the gate slid open. Raven prepared for a possible ambush, but the bird merely swooped inside and landed on Raven's shoulder. It wanted her to take the letter.
"What kind of game is this?" Raven groaned as she untied the knot and picked up the letter. The pigeon flapped its wings and, with its mission accomplished, flew right back out. Raven shut the gate closed.
Raven couldn't help but start to wonder whether that truly was in fact a carrier pigeon. Or perhaps a villain that had trained a pigeon, and this letter was some form of trap. Cautiously, she examined the rolled up letter with her name on it. Turning the tag around, she found who it was addressed from. She stared in disbelief.
"... Beast Boy?"