Raven stormed into her own living room, abruptly stopping Starfire from curiously opening one of her books on the floor.
"Raven! You seemed to have become energized a significant degree!" Starfire commented, startled to find Raven looking livid. Raven incidentally let out a scowl.
"Be honest, Star, do you have anything to do with this?" Raven interrogated, revealing the little rolled up scroll to Starfire, making sure to show her Beast Boy's name handwritten on it.
After reading the two words, Starfire's eyes remained like a deer in headlights.
"You mean to suggest that this is a message from one Beast Boy?" Starfire uttered. "From our Beast Boy?"
With the numbing spell still in effect, Raven couldn't really sense whether Starfire was genuinely confused or faking confusion.
"Do you swear to Azar this isn't part of your birthday plan?" Raven questioned.
Starfire raised a hand. "I swear to X'Hal! Raven, even in Tamaranean culture, it is not amusing to conduct a prank by taking advantage of those no longer with us."
Raven eased up, trusting her friend. She lowered her hand, as well as lowered her confrontative demeanor.
"Then who's responsible for this?" Raven asked herself, making a mental note to make sure that whoever was behind the carrier pigeon would suffer the consequences. "Toying with my grief on my birthday can't be a coincidence."
"Perhaps you should give the letter a read first?" Starfire suggested. "It may contain the answer we wish to seek."
Raven sighed.
"I will, but by myself. Star, it was nice seeing you again, but I've had enough action for today. I'd like to be left alone now."
Starfire's arms dropped woefully.
"Raven, let me be here for you."
"Please, leave," Raven insisted sternly and tiredly, but also with much sorrow. With her telekinesis, she swung her front door open. Starfire eyed Raven, reciprocating her sincere sorrow as she slowly sauntered out.
"I shall honor your wish for privacy," Starfire uttered. "But please do call me back soon after reading your letter. The other Titans also wished to visit you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Gently, Raven closed the door, and slumped on her couch, reverted to her emotionless, unmoving trance, emptily staring at the wall.
"Whatcha got there, Rae?" the sound of Beast Boy's voice echoed in her mind. "A letter? From moi?"
Raven's hand held on to the scroll, her fingers subconsciously grazing it. She felt a circular lump contained within the letter. She supposed that she would have to read its contents soon, especially if it came from someone with bad intentions.
Reluctantly, Raven sat upright and placed the letter on her lap. She pulled the string, untying said scroll. Upon its release, the circular lump fell out of her lap and rolled on to the floor as the paper unfurled, revealing the message within.
Raven bent down to pick up what turned out to be a penny. With bated breath, she began reading the letter.
'Hey Raven!
Surprise! Happy birthday!'
Raven gasped, almost dropping the penny back on to the floor. The handwriting on the letter was unmistakably Gar's.
"But how - ?" she stammered, speechless. She continued reading what was turning out to be quite a lengthy letter.
'It's almost noon and you haven't come out of your room. I hope you didn't turn away too many people, especially on your special day.
Ok, this is probably surreal and you're probably confused what witchcraft is going on here, but I promise you it's me. Gar. The handwriting is definitely mine, right? This penny should also let you know that it's me because only a handful of people know what it means to the both of us. And I swear this isn't a prank. I told a little birdie to deliver this to our address on this day. Homing pigeons, gotta love em!
As I am... was... bedridden, I decided that I wasn't gonna put an end to 'Operation: Surprise Raven for her birthday'. Oh how much I wanna see that stunned look on that stunning face of yours!'
Upon reading that last paragraph she was on, she realised that the letter was not some delayed arrival, but in fact written by Gar during his hospital bedrest days. And that he'd somehow, through the added benefits of his animal powers, communicated with a pigeon to drop by her home with the letter exactly on her birthday.
So much to process, and she wasn't even done reading.
'I know you hate fun, Raven. But I also know you hate being alone even more. And what I hate is seeing you all mopey. Or worse, seeing you decide to be all by yourself.
It might still be too early for you to get over my death, but my birthday wish for you is to at least talk to and hang out with a friend today. Starfire, or Cyborg, or even Robin.
Ever since the first surprise birthday party we threw you, you started disliking your birthday less and less. I don't want that to stop ever, with or without me. I'm forever glad you were born, Raven, even as I lay on this bed dying.
Get out there. Live life. The future is still full of possibilities. And - spoiler alert!- it is also gonna be full of more messages from me.
I booked two seats at this cafe tonight. My treat!
Happy bird-day,
Beast Boy'
The birthday girl stared at the birthday card from the dead, staring at Beast Boy's drawing of a bird beside the sign-off, and above the details of the cafe which Beast Boy had made a reservation for two in.
She didn't know how to feel about all this, or even what she was currently feeling, considering the numbing spell cast on her. Beast Boy, instead of resting up, was spending hours and effort writing up this letter and concocting a perfectly timed plan to have this letter be delivered. And he'd succeeded. And, apparently, this was just the beginning.
Nevertheless, she found his last gesture sweet and actually a thoughtful gift, albeit a bit weird, and kind of creepy in a necromaniac kind of way.
She then recalled one of the sentences in the letter.
"Hang out with a friend today!" the Beast Boy in her head repeated. "How else are you going to fill up that table for two?"
At that, Raven jolted up. The main screen in front of her was still on the security camera. On it, she saw Starfire taking a sad glance at the block, then facing way, making her departure.
Much like Starfire earlier, Raven began hastily pushing buttons, this time to hastily get to the intercom, to beckon Starfire back.
When that didn't work, she tried to summon her T-communicator with her powers, only for said device to not come to her. The spell was still in effect, after all. With a scowl, she physically lunged herself to reach for the T-communicator by hand, and made a call.
"Starfire? ... Yes, it's Raven... I'm fine... I'll tell you about the letter later... Listen, I do want to catch up... Sure, the mall of shopping - err, shopping mall - sounds great. After that, let's have dinner at this cafe..."