A/N: Whoo! My one month break from college is here! My internships were long, but they were definitely worth it! Two internships in the past seven months? I'm so proud that I actually did it!Not to mention that I got through the Assessment, Recording, and Reporting class, as well as the Case Management I class. Those classes were such a nightmare! I'm so glad I'm through them!
The further I get into my degree the more difficult college gets, and the less time I have for writing. So I thank all of you guys for being patient between updates. Because I've done two internships in the past seven months, and because I've had to take brain-cramping classes like Case Management I, sometimes it can be really hard to find time to write. So I appreciate it that you guys are patient enough to stick with the story. Thanks a bunch! :)
Anyway, since my break is finally here, I spent two days straight writing this chapter. I had A LOT of fun with this one, too, so I hope that it gives you some laughs, and some more insight into Dabnodian capabilities. Enjoy the chapter, my friends! :P
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, or any songs that I may or may not make references to.
Part II: Shadows: Chapter Eighteen
The Next Morning
For a long moment while she was lying in bed, Damiana was dreading waking up. Today is Monday, meaning that she has three dog walking jobs, four houses to clean, and late night babysitting. Mondays have always been her long day. Not to mention that her rent is due soon, so she won't be able to buy food for another four days until it's time to pay it. Her life always has to be so difficult! A few seconds after these thoughts, however, reality strikes her. She doesn't have to worry about paying rent anymore, and there won't be any more working herself into the ground. As of yesterday, Damiana is a Teen Titan.
Color-changing eyes popping open, Damiana sits up in her bed and looks around the room. Certainly enough, this isn't her rat-infested motel room. After dropping by there with Speedy to collect her scant few belongings, she left that life behind forever. Now, instead of being trapped inside of a scummy little room, Damiana finds herself inside of a clean guest bedroom at Titans Tower. It is currently cluttered with her newly purchased belongings, as her permanent room isn't ready yet, but it will be finished soon enough.
Contact-free eyes turning the color of soft pink, Damiana shoves aside the covers and crawls out of her temporary bed. Peeking over at the digital clock sitting atop the nightstand, she sees that the time is currently seven-thirty AM. The girl is usually awake an hour or two earlier than this, so in spite of the fact that it's still early, this definitely feels like sleeping in to Damiana. There were no police sirens, gunshots, or shouting people keeping her awake either. Because of this, Damiana feels incredibly rested for the first time in years. Rarely does she ever feel this awake.
Smiling, Damiana crosses the floor and makes her way toward the guest room's dresser. In the mirror hanging above it she sees her brown curls tied into a ponytail, a thin black pajama top with narrow white straps, and a pair of soft black pajama pants with little white bunnies printed on them. Sprinkled amongst the bunnies are little orange carrots, making the theme for this set of sleepwear very apparent. The set actually has a pair of white short-shorts with little black bunnies printed on them as well, but Damiana decided that she prefers the pants. They are far more comfortable.
Besides this pair of pajamas, she actually managed to pick out three more pairs, each of them printed with cute animals. When Bumblebee saw what she was picking out yesterday, the winged Titan was surprised at her. Apparently she was caught off guard by the fact that Damiana likes cute things with as tough and as bold as she is. The fact that Bumblebee was surprised actually offended Damiana a little bit. Tough or not, she is still a girl. She's allowed to like cute things, isn't she?
Shaking away the thought, Damiana gives a long, intense, look at her soft pink irises before reaching for the container holding green contact lenses. After one last longing glance at her real eyes, she puts in her contacts. Like every other day when she puts them in, she wishes that didn't have to. More than anything, she would like to go a day without hiding her bright Dabnodian features. Of course, also like every day, Damiana shoves the ridiculous notion aside. Eyes that change color? The other Titans would get so freaked out! Color-changing eyes are definitely not normal.
Looking in the mirror one last time, making sure that her irises are completely green and that no pink is peeking out, Damiana removes a set of clothes from one of the dresser drawers and heads for the room's exit. This specific suit of clothes Damiana hasn't tried on yet, but she doesn't need to. She already knows that they'll fit her. It's one of the costumes that Marcy put together for her, after all, and she measured every inch of her several times. If this costume doesn't fit her, then Marcy might as well not be one of the world's top ten designers. The girl has to take a shower before putting her costume on, though. This is for certain.
Stepping out into the hallway through the sliding metal door, Damiana adjusts the stack of clothing in her arms and scans the area in both directions. Being on the guest level, Cyborg's room is on one side of her, and Beast Boy's is on the other. She hears loud snoring coming from the room to her right, so she knows for sure that Beast Boy is still sleeping. As for Cyborg, she doesn't see him around and doesn't hear the slightest peep from his room, so it is the girl's automatic assumption that he is elsewhere. Tiptoeing past Beast Boy's room so that she doesn't wake him up, Damiana makes her way to the stairwell that leads to the uppermost floor. Hopefully it isn't too late for her to get in the shower.
Once she reaches the stairs, it takes less than a minute for her to sprint all the way up them to where the stairwell lets out near the common room. Everything that the Titans East needs, their bedrooms, the bathroom, and the common room, are all on the uppermost floor. It is because of this that Damiana can't wait until her bedroom is finished. It will make access to basic things like the bathroom, the kitchen, and the living room much easier. Not to mention that her immediate teammates' rooms will be closer to her. She isn't sure why, but the idea of having the other members of the Titans East just up the hallway from her makes her happy. Though she has only known them for nine days now, it isn't a secret that Damiana has definitely grown attached to them. Though, to some teammates more than others…
Pushing the thought aside before it can go any farther, Damiana hesitates in her steps just outside the sliding metallic door leading into the common room. If nobody is in there, it's a sign that most of the other Titans are still asleep, and that she will be able to use the bathroom first. On the other hand, if somebody is in there, it doesn't matter too much. She wanted a chance to say good morning anyway. It has been ages since she has had other people to share living space with, and as much of an adjustment as it will be, Damiana has no doubt that she will enjoy having roommates. The girl never thought about much until now, but she has missed sharing meals with others and having people to talk to during her free time. At times, life on Earth has been painfully lonely.
The thought of getting to say good morning to someone bringing a smile to her face, Damiana steps through the door to the common room without a second thought. Initially, she expects to see a group of two or more individuals sitting around the table eating cereal while chatting with each other quietly. It is because of this that she is unfathomably surprised by what she sees. The girl was right about the number of individuals, as the only people present are Aqualad and Mas y Menos. However, Damiana was horribly wrong about how she thought they would be spending the morning.
Rather than quietly eating cereal, Aqualad is standing in front of the stove top in panic while the twins run around the kitchen shouting in frantic Spanish. The reason why the three of them are so frantic isn't a hard thing to figure out. The stove top, which contains a large iron skillet, is caught on fire. The whole time the smoke detector above the oven is going off, filling the common room with deafening beeping. As the seconds pass the beeping of the alarm grows louder, as does the size of the fire, causing the twins' panicked screaming to increase.
"¡Eres un idiota!¡Has destruido el desayuno!" shouts Menos in both fear and anger.
Mas gives a shout as well, his tone of voice matching his brother's. "¡Vamos a morir a causa de panqueques!"
Backing away from the blazing stove top and toward the sink, Damiana watches as the aquatic man gives the twins a sharp glare. "I'm sorry, okay! The people in this Tower who can cook are Cyborg, Speedy, and Bumblebee, and all of them are busy! At least you can say that I tried making your pancakes! If they turn out crispier than Bee's and Speedy's, my humblest apologies!"
Before anyone can say anything more, Aqualad calls forth his Atlantian powers, causing a pipe to break and for the sink to go flying across the room. Frightened by the sudden projectile object, Damiana leaps four feet to the side, narrowly missing having her head taken off. For a moment she stares wide-eyed as the sink lands next to the sofa, shifting her gaze back Aqualad a moment later. Water is currently spraying out of the hole where the sink used to be like a geyser, effectively dousing the kitchen fire. Unfortunately, it soaks down the countertops and the tiled floor as well, suggesting that Aqualad is going to have a lot of mopping to do in the near future.
His shoulder-length black hair and blue unitard dripping wet with water, he gives the twins an expression of both distress and humiliation as he speaks to them once more. "Help me clean up this water and fix the sink, and I'll never try making pancakes again. That's a promise."
Unable to keep quiet any longer, Damiana takes several steps forward while laughing lightheartedly at what she has just witnessed. "Before making pancakes, try starting out with scrambled eggs. It's impossible to go wrong with making scrambled eggs."
Surprised at the sound of her voice, the trio of Titans jump. A second later, however, they face her while wearing happy expressions. In spite of the fact he caused both a kitchen fire and a flood in less than five minutes, even Aqualad appears happy. Giving a smile and stepping toward the edge of the kitchen away from the flood zone, he replies to Damiana jovially.
"Oh, Leila! It's you! Good morning."
Moving closer by several steps, she returns his smile as she replies. "Good morning to you, too. Or, if it hasn't been a 'good' morning, I hope it gets better."
"Trust me. If I can get all of this water cleaned up and the sink fixed in the next twenty minutes before Bee gets out of the shower, then it will be. If she figures out that I almost burned down the kitchen, she's going to kill me." Aqualad gives a shudder at that last sentence, but quickly recovers prior to asking a question. "What are you doing up so early? After spending years getting up early, the other Titans and I thought for sure that you'd want to sleep in this morning."
Damiana shrugs nonchalantly in response. "Actually, I did sleep in this morning. On most mornings I'm awake by five AM. If I really feel like getting an early start, sometimes I'm up at four-thirty. I'm telling you, the odds of me sleeping until seven-thirty are rare. The fact that it happened this morning is even a surprise."
Aqualad's eyes widen slightly at her confession. "Oh. In that case, since you actually did sleep in this morning, did you sleep well?"
She gives a pleasant nod at his inquiry. "Very well. Thanks for asking." Pausing slightly, she asks, "Do you want help cleaning up the kitchen? I was going to take a shower, but since Bumblebee's in there, I guess I can't right now."
Damiana watches as Aqualad moves to the other side of the kitchen and opens the door of a supply closet. Bending over, he pulls out a mop, a bucket, and a tool box. He responds to her while setting the mop and bucket aside, and while removing a wrench from the tool box and going in the direction of the destroyed sink.
"Don't worry about this. The kitchen is my disaster to clean up. If you want to take a shower, there's another bathroom downstairs near the training room. You'd better put a jump on getting to it, though. Speedy's in the training room working out right now, and once he's done he's going to be sprinting toward it." After a slight pause, he adds, "Actually, since it's only seven-thirty, I don't think he'll care if you use it either way. He doesn't get done working out until eight o'clock, so there should be time for you to take a shower before he wants it."
There are no words to explain how happy Aqualad's explanation makes her. She really did want to take a shower this morning. Telling her that there's another bathroom downstairs is like telling a six-year-old that they're getting twenty pounds of free candy.
A grin crossing her face, Damiana walks in the direction of the common room's exit while giving the aquatic Titan her sincerest words of gratitude. "Another bathroom downstairs? That's great! Thanks for telling me! I owe you."
It is here that Aqualad gives a soft laugh. His back is turned to her, as he is busy going at the sink with the wrench, so Damiana doesn't see his facial expression. Nonetheless, it's very apparent that something amuses him. Raising a puzzled brow, Damiana turns to face him.
"What's so funny?"
His answer to her question only works to confuse her more.
"Funny? Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing's funny." Giving a slight pause, as well as another soft laugh, he adds, "But as a fair warning, you might want to get past the training room as fast as you can. Speedy has some…weird habits…when he works out. Just so you know, viewer discretion is advised."
Damiana's raised brow never unfurrows. "Well…okay. Thanks for the warning, I guess."
With that being said the girl exits the common room, having no idea at all the sight she's in for.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, it takes Damiana less than thirty seconds to understand what Aqualad was talking about and why he was laughing. The moment Damiana came out from the stairwell, she was able to hear music blaring throughout the entire downstairs area. It didn't sound like rock music, which is what she would have expected from Speedy, but instead sounded like pop music. At first she couldn't place what song it was, but as she got closer to the training room, she was able to place it exactly. Once she hears the lyrics, Damiana is actually surprised that she wasn't able to figure out what song it was the instant she heard it. It's a very recognizable one, after all.
Rolling her eyes, knowing that he probably chose this song very specifically, Damiana makes her way down the hallway and past the training room. Before she can walk fully past, however, she finds herself pausing out of Speedy's sight beside the doorway. While she still rolls her eyes in disbelief at how arrogant the archer can be, she finds herself snickering as well. Moving farther to the side to avoid being spotted, she can't help but peek around the corner in order to view the display. Speedy, who is currently shirtless and doing sit-ups on the abdominal bench, is singing along to the song with fervor. Based on his facial expression and his tone of voice, he means the lyrics he's singing very sincerely.
"Girl look at that body. Girl look at that body. Girl look at that body. I work out! When I walk in the spot, this is what I see: Everybody stops and they staring at me. I got passion in my pants, and I ain't afraid to show it." He pauses where the song pauses before continuing, nothing but arrogance in his voice. "I'm sexy and I know it!"
He sings along with the entire song, his voice becoming especially vigorous when the lyrics, 'I'm sexy and I know it' approach. Damiana can't refrain from rolling her eyes once more. Speedy really is unbelievable. She knows that she should just ignore him and continue on her way to the bathroom, but when a timer goes off she finds herself newly distracted. At first she doesn't know where the sound of the timer is coming from, or even the music for that matter, but then she spots a maroon-colored tablet plugged in and charging in the training room's far corner.
The moment the timer goes off, rather than getting off of the abdominal bench like a normal human being, Speedy does a backward somersault, lands on his hands, and walks on his hands to the corner where his tablet is at before finally flipping himself around and landing on his feet. By this point the previous song has ended and Teenage Dream by Katy Perry is playing. Damiana didn't notice it before, but an entire wall of the training room is made up of tall mirrors, which reflect Speedy's front side while his back is facing her. As he picks up the maroon-colored tablet and turns off the timer, he speaks to himself. While shutting off the timer, Damiana notices that he also changes the song.
"How did this end up on my playlist? I hate this song! I seriously have to keep Mas and Menos away from my stuff." A moment later another song comes on, this one being Not Gonna Die by Skillet. "That's better. I've had enough pop music. Pop music is such crap. That doesn't mean that none of the lyrics are true, though."
Putting his tablet back down on the floor, Speedy stands to his full height and looks himself over in the mirror. Until getting off of the ab machine Damiana didn't notice, but besides a pair of blue gym shorts, his mask, and a pair of athletic shoes, Speedy's body is completely bare. Apparently he is quite proud of it, too, because he takes a hand and runs it over his abs in an admiring fashion. As he does this he speaks to his reflection with pride, as if his body is his own personal trophy.
"Man, Roy, look at those abs! Look at those pecs! There should be a law against being this sexy!" Moving his hand so that he's touching his upper arm, he continues. "Not to mention your biceps! They're even firmer today than they were yesterday! And your triceps? Hard as steel! Any weight you gain, it's all muscle. The ladies may think that Aqualad's the golden trophy, but Roy, you're platinum."
By this point Damiana can't help but shake her head at him. She didn't think it was possible for him to get any more arrogant, but it appears that she was wrong. It doesn't get more overconfident than a shirtless guy praising himself in the mirror. When he starts flexing at himself she shakes her head once more. Many years ago when Saeran was fifteen and his friend Adriel was fourteen she can remember that they had a contest to see who could put on the most muscle. Both of them were pretty proud of themselves by the end of it, but they weren't anywhere close to Speedy's level of confidence.
When he begins speaking once more, Damiana has to refrain from shaking her head a third time. Why she hasn't made her way to the bathroom by now, she doesn't know. She can't even figure out why she's watching him! All she knows is that, for some reason, she can't pull herself away.
Meanwhile, he says, "I should have the ladies knocking down my door with this kind of body. I'm fit, muscular, I'm good with a bow, I look good in tights, I have a sense of humor, I'm the total package! Not to mention that I have fantastic hair! I don't smell like fish, either, so that's a bonus."
By this point, it's pretty clear to Damiana that she isn't walking away any time soon. Really, Aqualad said that Speedy might want to use the shower down here after working out anyway, so it would be rude for her to get in and cut him off. So why not say something to him? Besides. After everything she has witnessed, the girl has been dying to make a sarcastic remark.
Giggling quietly to herself, she speaks at last. "Yes, Speedy. You're like a Greek God. There should be a picture of you in the dictionary next to 'sexy'. In fact, why don't you get me a centerfold of yourself for me to tack onto my bedroom wall? It would make my day."
Once she speaks it becomes clear that he had not the slightest inkling of her presence, because he practically jumps through the ceiling at the sound of her voice. When he turns around to see her head peeking through the door, however, his expression of surprise transforms into an arrogant smirk.
"If you wanted a centerfold of me that bad, you should've stayed hidden and gotten a camera. That's how the determined ladies get good pictures." After a short lapse in dialogue, he asks, "What are you doing down here anyway? Did you want to use the training room, or did you just want to get a good view of me in all of my shirtless glory?"
Rolling her eyes playfully, she comes out of hiding and fully enters the room. "As much joy as peeping on you from the shadows gives me, the answer is neither. Bumblebee's in the shower upstairs, so I wanted to use the one down here. Then Aqualad told me that you were down here working out, and that you would probably want to use it." Pausing slightly, she asks, "You don't mind if I use it, do you? I feel like you were down here first, so it would be wrong to cut you off."
His smile turns less arrogant and more sincere as he replies to her. "As long as it takes you less than a half hour, I don't mind. Feel free to use the shower." After a momentary pause, he adds playfully, "Though I'm disappointed that I won't get to see you in those pajamas for very long. I had no idea that you like wearing PJs with little bunnies on them."
Remembering exactly what it is she's wearing, Damiana looks down at herself and blushes crimson. Crossing her arms over her chest, she defends herself with reddening cheeks.
"So what if I like pajamas with bunnies? I thought they were cute, so I bought them. It isn't a big deal." Pausing slightly, she adds smugly, "Until this morning I had no idea that you flex at yourself in the mirror while calling yourself a platinum trophy, so I guess you can call us even."
More than anything Damiana is hoping that he will react in an embarrassed fashion, but much to her disappointment he simply smirks. "Hey, I work out for a reason. I'm not like Aqualad where I can just swim around all day, eat nothing but pizza and seaweed, and somehow look perfect! I have to put in a lot of effort! And it pays off, too. If anything, I have a right to flex at myself in the mirror. It gives me the determination to keep working out." After a slight pause, he says, "If you want, you can come over here and feel my biceps. This is what two hours of effort a day feels like."
Mouth hanging agape at his suggestion, Damiana's cheeks redden further and she replies to him in shock. "What?! No! There is no way I'm going over there and feeling your biceps."
Giving small chuckles at her crimson face, he continues pushing. "Are you sure you don't want to feel my biceps? I've been putting a lot of work into them recently. They deserve some appreciation." Flexing an arm at her, he adds, "I'm telling you, Leila, they're rock solid."
Narrowing her eyes into a glare, she is about ready to tell him that she doesn't care how solid his biceps are. All she wants is to go take a shower, and to let him and the mirror have their privacy. Before the words can escape, however, Damiana takes an opportunity to look at Speedy. She doesn't look him over nonchalantly like she did before, but she honestly looks at him. Now that she is actually paying attention, it is very apparent that what he says must be true. He has to put a lot of effort into working out. Put simply, his body is very…firm.
As he flexes, his arm really does look very muscular; as does the other one, of course. If she were to go over and touch them, she can only imagine how firm they would feel. Unbelievably firm, probably. Her eyes traveling downward, she sees that his pecs and his abs are in the same firm, flawless, condition. What she likes looking at the most, however, are his abs. They appear so solid that she could probably run her hand across them and feel nothing but muscle and his hot, masculine, skin…
True, he isn't the size of a body builder, neither does he look like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Damiana finds that she appreciates this. His muscles don't have to be massive, neither does she want them to be. His body is hot, muscular, and the perfect size for Speedy. There isn't a written rule saying that muscles have to be massive to look hot.
Realizing the thoughts going through her head, Damiana's face now feels as warm as her fire during a Master's level technique. Actually, the whole room is starting to feel kind of warm.
Scolding herself, she shouts internally, "Oh, sweet fates! Did I just call him hot?! Maybe Aqualad was right about what he said yesterday. Maybe I am a pervert!" Giving an internal sob, she adds, "What the heck is happening to me?!"
Eventually, Speedy is able to bring her back to reality. When he does this, it happens by use of a remark that is both smug and teasing. "Leila, my eyes are up here."
If Damiana wasn't feeling embarrassed before, then she definitely is now. Was he watching her stare at him the entire time? What kind of expressions were on her face?! What all did he notice?! Never has Damiana wished so much that her hair was down rather than tied into a ponytail. If it was down, it would make a very useful curtain to hide her ever-reddening face.
Feeling not just awkward, but humiliated, she shifts her gaze from Speedy's abdomen to his face. Upon seeing his smirk, however, her gaze shifts to the floor. The whole time she mutters words to him in irritation.
"I know that your eyes are up there. I wasn't thinking what you think I was thinking. My mind was just…wandering…"
When Speedy chuckles he doesn't sound smug for once. Instead he sounds pleasantly amused.
"Relax, Leila. There isn't any reason for you to feel embarrassed. I'm only teasing. If me being shirtless honestly makes you uncomfortable, I can always put on a shirt when you come down here. I have to when Bumblebee comes down here, and so does Aqualad when he's working out. Bee isn't comfortable around shirtless men either, so it's okay if you're not."
For a moment Damiana doesn't look at him, neither does she respond. Though she appreciates it that he's being nice, and understands it that he likes to tease, the last thing she wants is for him to figure out exactly how uncomfortable his shirtless body makes her. True, she isn't in love with Speedy, neither does she think of him romantically, but there's no denying that he's very physically fit. Damiana hates admitting this even to herself, but his body is pretty hot. Honestly, his face is very handsome too. The more she's around Speedy, the more Damiana is confused by fangirls' obsessions with Aqualad. Speedy definitely looks very different from Aqualad, but he's equally good-looking. Without his shirt on, she might even go as far as calling him a piece of man-candy…
All of the sudden, Speedy's words ring through the air once more, this time sounding concerned. "Leila, are you okay? I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to. I really was just teasing."
The concerned tone of his voice is all it takes to get Damiana to look him in the face. He is no longer smiling at all, but instead wears a small frown. Feeling a bit guilty about upsetting him, Damiana immediately puts on a smile and does her best to recover.
"Huh? Oh. Don't worry, Speedy. Yes, I know you're just teasing, and no, you didn't offend me at all. I was just thinking about something."
Raising a brow that is both puzzled and skeptical, he asks, "Are you sure? You were eerily quiet there for a moment."
Smile brightening, she nods. "Yep. I'm positive." Once that is said, Damiana pulls her folded up clothing close to her chest and heads for the training room's exit. As she does this, she makes one final statement. "Well, I'm off to take a shower. Have fun working out."
At last, the archer's smile returns. This makes Damiana happy. She would never admit this aloud, but his smile is one of the things that makes him handsome.
"As long as Mas and Menos didn't save any more Katy Perry songs to my playlist, I will."
An incredibly lengthy moment of silence passes, Damiana assuming that their conversation is over and making her way through the doorway. Before she can start down the hallway, however, Speedy calls after her.
"Leila, wait!"
His sudden shout surprises her so much that it causes her to jump slightly before she halts in her steps to face him. False green eyes widening in surprise, Damiana gapes while speaking.
"Yeah, Speedy?"
It isn't just Speedy's facial expression, but his entire persona that causes the alien girl to stare at him. She doesn't know why, but he looks at the wall rather than at her, and he slouches slightly. Along with this, he rubs the back of his neck in an awkward fashion and… Hold on a second…is Speedy…blushing?!
Clearing his throat, he answers her at last. "Uh…You wouldn't want to spar later would you? Usually I spar with Aqualad, but he's been helping Cyborg in the lab twenty-four seven, and he hasn't had time. I would ask Bee, but she has her own training regimen that she goes by, and doesn't usually need a sparring partner. So…even if you don't want to…would you be willing to try it at least once? I am in serious need of someone to spar with."
Damiana's stomach begins twisting in knots at the archer's question, though she doesn't understand why she's nervous. After all, it's only sparring. Maybe it's the fact that she has never sparred before that makes her nervous? That has to be it.
Giving Speedy a soft smile, she answers his question. "Sure. I still have to finish putting my room together, so I'm not sure when, but I'll spar with you at some point. I've never done it before, so I'm definitely going to be new at it, but I'll give it a try."
A smile brightens up his face at her response. "Great! Whenever you want to try it, I'll most likely be somewhere in the Tower. Come find me, and we can go at it."
Later That Day
After taking a shower Damiana pulled on her Firelight uniform, made her way upstairs to her bedroom, and spent mostly the entire day painting the walls. She spent all day yesterday working on them, too; first drawing out the designs she wants on them in pencil, then going over the pencil with permanent marker, and finally filling in the areas drawn out in marker with paint. Though it has only been two days, she has made a lot of progress. By evening tomorrow, she should have the first wall completed. It takes about two days per wall, so painting her room will take her the rest of the week, but the results will be worth it. She's willing to sleep in a guest room for the week if it means crafting together her bedroom exactly the way she wants it.
Right now, however, Damiana isn't in her bedroom painting the walls. Instead she is currently in her designated guest bedroom taking a break. More than anything she would like to take her break in the common room, but that will have to wait until later. After stumbling across her armband and the ancient scrolls that were hidden inside the Phoenix Index yesterday morning, Damiana thought that she would take some time to reopen the secret compartment and go through them. The scrolls are discolored, wrinkled, and have words written in them that are not in the most recent form the of the Dabnodian language, but are actually written in an ancient dialect from ten-thousand years ago. The dialect doesn't matter to Damiana though. She can decipher it perfectly.
Sitting cross-legged in the center of her bed, Damiana eyes the scroll over avidly. For many years now, ever since perfecting the Master's level techniques shown to her by the elders of her clan, Damiana has been convinced that she has learned all that she possibly can. Master's level fire techniques, as stated by Queen Guayusa herself, are some of the most powerful techniques in existence. They are capable of burning down entire cities, taking down armies, and striking fear into the hearts of thousands. Once a fire user has perfected Master's level techniques, they are known widely as Dabnod's most highly elite; thus, why everybody knew her as the Fire Phoenix clan's greatest prodigy.
However, as the girl looks through these scrolls, she learns that she was wrong. As skilled as she is with her fire, there is so much more for her to learn. There is more for her to learn than she could ever imagine. The girl is only on her third scroll, the third out of ten, and already she feels overwhelmed. The first scroll she read through, a scroll that is incredibly thick might she add, was all about a technique called Fire Crafting. Based on what she has read, Fire Crafting isn't a single, simple, straightforward technique like she's used to. It is something that has to be done in stages, and once it is learned, it has an entire plethora of uses.
After reading through the scroll several times and dumbing everything down inside of her head, the easiest way for Damiana to think of Fire Crafting is the technique of crafting solid objects using her fire. According to the scroll, if she does it right, anything she makes will be cool to the touch and shouldn't burn anyone if they were to use it. Not only that, but as long as she is alive with her hearts beating, any object she crafts will be indestructible and will only break if she wills it to happen. The only time an object crafted from her fire will break for a reason other than her will is…if she dies…but she tries not to think about that morbid piece of the Fire Crafting technique. Being able to craft solid objects using her fire? The very thought of it is amazing!
Of course, as amazing as it is, there are definitely a lot of steps to Fire Crafting. Based on not just the words in the scroll, but on a diagram she found as well, transforming fire into solid material requires a balance of energies so intense that it looks almost impossible! If she were to make something small out of her fire, such as a marble, she would have to start out with the balance of energies being very high. Then, once her fire is ignited, she will have to keep part of the energy at a high level to sustain it. While keeping the fire sustained, she would then have to add in fresh heart energy at a medium amount so that she can start forming the shape of the object.
After this, while keeping one section of her heart energy high to sustain her fire, and keeping another portion of energy at a medium amount to form the object's shape, she would then have to add in a portion of low-level heart energy to solidify the object. From here she would need to sustain all three levels of energy, high, medium, and low, for as long as it takes for the marble to be fully formed. If it truly was a marble she was making, she wouldn't have to sustain all three levels of energy for any longer than thirty seconds. However, if she were making something larger like a sword, it could take several minutes.
The very thought of having to sustain three different portions of heart energy at different levels for several minutes gives Damiana a migraine. There is no possible way that she will be able to breeze through Fire Crafting like she did her Master's level techniques and lower level techniques. It could take anywhere from three weeks to two months to master that technique, and that's only if she's practicing constantly. In reality, mastering Fire Crafting will probably take her around three or four months. It will be incredibly difficult for her to figure it out without the elders to turn to for guidance, too, so there will definitely be a lot of trial and error. Once she finally decides to take a crack at it, hopefully she doesn't set anything on fire while trying to sustain the energies...
It took what felt like ages, but eventually Damiana set the first scroll aside and looked at the second one. The second scroll contains another technique that, unlike the Fire Crafting Technique, appears much easier to learn. The technique the second scroll describes is very straightforward, and with enough practice, Damiana believes that with or without the elders' help she could have it down in a week or two. The only problem with this technique is that it is very…awkward…and is not a technique that one can learn…by their lonesome. Until reading the second scroll, she honestly thought that this technique was a myth, but apparently it is not. It is called Language Transference.
According to the scroll she read, (as well as to jokes she heard amongst Queen Guayusa's Knights in the Palace corridors), Dabnodians are capable of passing languages to other intelligent species through lip contact. There weren't very many Dabnodians who were able to master Language Transference, as languages can only be transferred to non-Dabnodian species, but once it is mastered, any language is capable of being passed.
Based on what she read, Language Transference is mastered by passing the Dabnodian language first. The Dabnodian language is every Dabnodian's first tongue, and is embedded very deeply into them. Because it is so deeply rooted and there is so much emotion attached to it, passing one's native tongue is a difficult thing to accomplish. Of course, once it is accomplished, passing the Dabnodian language a second time is easy, as is passing other languages that have been acquired. She once heard a rumor that a war was prevented between Cintari and Azarath because they hired Dabnodians to pass a common language between them so that they could discuss a peace treaty. Of course, like Language Transference in general, she thought that this story was a myth.
In truth, the thought that Language Transference is something that can actually be accomplished fascinates Damiana to an extent. Even so, this is still a technique that the girl has decided to shove aside; not just for one, but for multiple reasons. Firstly, English is her native and only language as far as the other Titans know. If she passed one of them a random alien language, that would be a definite give away that she isn't human. Not only that, but the endeavor of passing a language sounds awkward in general. Even if they were aware of the fact that she's from Dabnod, going up to Speedy or Aqualad and saying "Hey, let's make out until you speak my language," is a bit on the uncomfortable side. So, yes. It is decided. Language Transference is not happening.
One technique that Damiana has decided is happening, however, is the technique that she is currently reading about in the third scroll. It is a technique called the Phoenix Seal, and it is one of the most incredible things that she has ever read about. It is something that doesn't necessarily require her fire, but does require a tremendous amount of heart energy. Learning to release a large amount of heart energy without igniting her fire might be difficult, but once she can get that step down the rest of it should be pretty simple. Put simply, once she is able to release heart energy without igniting her fire, she will be able to put her clan's unique seal on people.
Based on what she has learned from the scroll, she will be able to imprint a small phoenix-shaped mark onto any object or any person she desires without burning them. This mark is known as the Phoenix Seal. Once the mark has been placed, she can sense the location of whomever or whatever she seals from anywhere in the galaxy. If it's a person that she seals she will be able to pinpoint their exact location, she will have a lock on their vital signs, and once she has precise enough control over her heart energy, she will be able to add a second layer to the seal that allows her relay information to that person.
The only downside is that the person she seals won't be able to tell her location or vital signs, neither would they be able to relay information back to her. Not only that, but if they decide that they don't want to wear her seal anymore, they won't be able to opt out. The Phoenix Seal isn't like a tattoo; a person can't simply go to a doctor and get it removed. Once a person wears the Phoenix Seal, they wear it forever.
Even with the risks, however, Damiana can't help thinking that mastering the Phoenix Seal could come in handy. If they are ever out on a mission, and if something happens to one of their communicators, she would have a lock on her teammates either way. Not only that, but if she ever gets ahold of dangerous information that would be unsafe to relay aloud, she could use their seals to relay it to them.
True, she would be the only one who is able to relay information and pinpoint their locations, but it would still be useful. Not to mention that every time she uses their seals to sense them, according to the scroll, their seals would light up. So it isn't like she would be spying on them or anything. If their seals light up, then they would be completely aware of when she's using it. Whether or not the Titans would go for it, though, she doesn't know. Maybe in a couple of weeks, once they're used to having her around, she can ask one of them and see. With Black Shadow on the loose, it couldn't hurt.
Furrowing her brow in curiosity, Damiana sets the scroll she's reading aside and holds the palm of her hand out in front of her. Focusing on nothing but her hand, she takes a deep breath and forces her heart energy to her palm's center. She feels warmth as it gathers there in a decent-sized amount, not a single flame igniting. Growing a bit more confident, Damiana decides to force a bit more heart energy to her palm. If she has already put in this much energy without her fire igniting, then maybe learning how to do the Phoenix Seal won't be too hard.
The moment the additional heart energy reaches her palm, however, dancing orange flames appear, causing Damiana to release a sigh. Using a large amount of heart energy without igniting her fire? This is going to be harder than she thought...
Extinguishing her fire, Damiana tucks a strand of hair behind her ear prior to picking up the scroll once more. In an earlier section of the scroll, she did read something suggesting that she try sealing things such as thick-skinned fruit before sealing people. More specifically, it said to try sealing starberries, but considering how this is Earth rather than Dabnod, getting ahold of starberries is quite impossible. Maybe she could use oranges or bananas instead? They're about as thick-skinned as starberries, so they could work well. If she can put a seal on a piece of fruit with skin without burning it, then eventually she might be able to seal people, too. If the Titans go for it and don't think that her seal is too creepy, that is…
All of the sudden, before Damiana can think about mastering her Phoenix level techniques for another moment, there is loud knocking on the door of her designated guest room. For a moment she wonders who it is that's knocking, but when she hears the voice of Cyborg, she gets her answer.
"Hey, Leila, we're about ready to contact the rest of the Titans West team in Jump City. Since you're with the Titans now, we were thinking that maybe you'd want to meet them. We may be part of a different branch, but we're still the same team." Pausing slightly, he asks, "Do you want to come upstairs so you can meet Robin, Raven and Star?"
Surprised by this, Damiana's body freezes completely. The Titans West? She has to meet them this soon? Why can't this wait until later?!
Clearing her throat, she responds to the metal man nervously. "You're contacting the other Titans right now?"
Though she can't see his face, it is apparent by the sound of his voice that he's puzzled. "Yeah. We did just add another member to the Titans East. We figured it'd make sense for them to meet you. Even if it is only over a screen."
Damiana takes a deep breath at his words, doing her best to calm herself. Robin and Raven she's okay with meeting, but Starfire? The Tamaranean Princess? Why does she have to deal with this so soon?! Then again, it is only over a screen, so…this might go okay… Maybe…
Taking one last deep breath, Damiana speaks to him again. "Okay… I guess I'll come upstairs to meet them. Tell everyone that I'll be up in a couple minutes."
"Okay," Cyborg replies in a nonchalant tone. "I will. See you in a few minutes, Leila."
With that being said, she hears as his footsteps move away from her door and up the hallway. Did she just agree to meeting the rest of the members of the Titans West? What is she getting herself into? Looking down at herself, she realizes that she is now wearing her Firelight costume as well. Her Firelight costume that nobody besides Bumblebee has seen. As much as she likes it, it still does make her feel a bit uncomfortable. Hopefully the other Titans don't make too big a deal out of it.
Sighing deeply, Damiana tucks the scrolls back inside of the Phoenix Index and stands up from her bed.
"This is going to be an interesting afternoon. I can tell already."
Meanwhile…
Five hours. Five straight hours Speedy has been in this tiny, enclosed, space dissecting Black Shadow's robots, and he hasn't found any useful information. Several times he almost made it to the robots' central cores, but before he could dig into them any farther, the main cores would light up bright white and disintegrate. It's almost like Black Shadow was planning ahead for this very situation, not wanting any of his robots to be studied too in-depth. Knowing precisely how smart Black Shadow is, Speedy doesn't doubt it that this is exactly what he did.
Looking at the useless pieces of dissected metal laying in front of him, Speedy sighs in frustration. He certainly hopes that Cyborg and Aqualad are having better luck with Black Shadow's machine than he's having with these robots. If Cyborg came all the way across the country to help them figure out what it's supposed to do, and they're still coming up empty-handed, it will be very upsetting to say the least. Not to mention, with Black Shadow on the loose as a free man, they don't have much time to spare. By the time they finally figure out what his machine is supposed to do, the maniac could already be using it for whatever scheme he has planned.
Holding a hand gloved by maroon to his forehead in agony, Speedy kicks a metal torso from one of the failed robot dissections out of his path and makes his way toward the exit. Within the past five hours he has taken apart three robots with intact central cores, only for their central cores to malfunction right when he reaches them. He definitely feels a migraine coming on. If he has to take apart one more robot, he thinks he's going to explode! It certainly is a good thing that Bumblebee told all of them to go to the common room so that they can contact the Titans West in Jump City. Even if they have nothing to relay to them about Black Shadow's devices other than failure, it has to be better than pushing onward. All of them are in need of a break. Speaking of breaks…
All it takes is an instant for Speedy's migraine to vanish. As he pushes his way out of the room and into the hallway, he can't help but smile. While he has been going at it dissecting robots, Leila has probably been busy painting her bedroom. Maybe she's in need of a break, too. Hopefully their sparring session can come sooner rather than later. He can't wait to see what her powers are capable of when she really cuts them loose! As long as he's out of her range, anyway...The last thing he wants is to become her target. Then again, based on the past few days, he would say that he and Leila have moved up the ranks from acquaintances to friends, so he doesn't think that she'd target him either way. Unless she's doing it in a non-threatening, teasing, fashion, of course.
He can't help but chuckle at this thought. Until today, he had no idea that she liked to tease!
"Yes, Speedy. You're like a Greek God. There should be a picture of you in the dictionary next to 'sexy'. In fact, why don't you get me a centerfold of yourself for me to tack onto my bedroom wall? It would make my day."
He chuckles once more as her words from earlier run through his mind. Though it has only been nine days, he has to admit that he has grown fond of her sarcastic wit. She wouldn't be Leila without it. At the same time, however, he wonders how sarcastic she was really being. The way she was looking at him toward the end of their conversation, her eyes trailing up and down his body hungrily, it's like she thought he was a piece of candy or something. If it was Aqualad that she was looking at, there's no doubt that the aquatic man would have felt very uncomfortable and slightly offended; but not Speedy.
Much like on the back of his motorcycle yesterday, she didn't seem consciously aware of what she was doing until he made a comment to snap her out of it. Then, once she did snap out of it, there was no denying the fact that she was embarrassed by her actions. Her face was redder than a tomato! Also why he wasn't offended, something that he honestly doesn't like to admit, is that having a pretty girl eyeing him over feels…nice? Usually Aqualad gets the attention, and even if Speedy is good-looking, normally he gets overlooked. It's nice to be looked at like he's the hot one for once.
A moment later, as he walks farther down the hallway and turns the corner, Speedy wonders if his thoughts are capable of summoning. The moment he turns the corner, he runs into none other than Aqualad, who is just now coming out of the room that's used for examining Black Shadow's machine. The first thing he notices is that his gait is stiff, and that his expression is a mixture between frustration and fatigue. Pushing his previous thoughts of Leila aside, Speedy doesn't hesitate to re-shift his focus to the situation at hand. The situation that, based on Aqualad's demeanor, is steadily growing more urgent.
Exasperation filling his mask-covered eyes, Speedy sighs as he approaches the aquatic Titan from behind and addresses him. "I would ask if you figured out anything new about Black Shadow's machine, but judging by the look on your face, I'm going to assume that this is a no."
Aqualad doesn't appear surprised by his presence in the least. Giving his own frustrated sigh, he turns around to face the redhead.
"I hate to say it, but your observation is right. Cyborg has spent all day running scans on it using, not ours, but his scanners. He ran schematic checks on it, scanned each part of the machine piece-by-piece, and still nothing. According to his scanners, some of the parts are pretty rare, but they don't serve any type of function. The way it's put together doesn't even make sense according to his scanners! It's almost like Black Shadow put it together wrong, or like the parts are in the wrong places."
Curious at his explanation, Speedy furrows his brow. "If that's really true, then why would Black Shadow give us something that doesn't work? Is he playing mind games, or is he trying to keep us distracted with the machine so he can get away with something bigger?"
"I don't know, but whatever he's up to, the machine is the only lead we have. He hasn't been spotted since he left Steel City, and besides the fact that he wants to destroy the world's superheroes, we don't know a thing about what he's planning. So even if his machine might be a hoax, we can't just ditch it. Hoax or not, we might be able to gather some valuable information."
A moment of silence passes, Speedy processing his teammate's words, and Aqualad waiting for a response. At last, when Speedy does respond, what he says is simple.
"We definitely have our work cut out for us, then. I guess it's to be expected, though. You always have to shove a lot of dirt and rocks out of the way when you're mining for gold."
Aqualad, who appeared frustrated a moment ago, now wears a smile. "Well said. There isn't a lot of gold with this machine, though, so it looks like we'll to have to mine pretty hard."
The archer shrugs. "Yeah, but it doesn't matter. It'll be worth it once we find something."
Once that is said the duo goes silent, making their way the rest of the way up the hallway and ascending the stairs leading to the common room. Bumblebee asked them to come up ages ago, so there's no doubt that she'll come looking for them if they take any longer. Not that she'll be angry, though. With as much work as they're putting into figuring out Black Shadow's technology, how can she possibly be angry?
As they're making their way up the stairs, however, Aqualad breaks the silence. What he says gains nothing but surprise from Speedy, not to mention confusion.
"So, you definitely took your time in the training room today. And Leila took her time downstairs while she was showering. I take it that she took a little detour to chat with you?"
Raising a brow, Speedy replies to him in puzzlement. "Yeah, she did. We talked for a minute, agreed to spar later, and then she left. That's all there was to it, really."
"Oh," is all Aqualad says. Another moment of silence passes, the Atlantian wearing an amused smirk. When he speaks again, his voice is both suggestive and teasing. "So, what was it that made you ask her to spar? Was it how cute she looked in the bunny-print pajamas, or the way she looked at you with her big eyes and rosebud lips?"
Speedy gapes at his teammate, completely taken aback. When he replies, the archer finds himself sputtering in disbelief.
"What are you talking about? I asked her to spar because I need a sparring partner! The big eyes and bunny pajamas have nothing to do with it!" Under his breath, he adds, "Though, I'll admit, the bunny-print pajamas did look cute on her…"
By this point, Aqualad is chuckling. "So I was right. It was you who did the asking! I knew it!" Pausing, he asks, "Have you had a crush on her since day one, or is this a new thing?"
Speedy hasn't the slightest idea why, but he feels his face growing warmer. "I still don't know what you're talking about. I don't have a crush on her. She's our teammate, and our friend. That's all."
Aqualad narrows his eyes in a fashion that is both critical and mocking. "Sure, Speedy. I believe you completely. There is absolutely no attraction between you two."
Face growing warmer still, he glares sharply while making an exclamation. "No, there isn't!"
A few seconds later the duo reaches the top of the stairs, Aqualad smirking and Speedy fuming. All of the sudden he wishes he was back in the tiny enclosed room with the robots. Is he seriously not allowed to ask one of his teammates to spar without the other thinking that he has a crush on her?! That's ridiculous! He likes Leila, and she is very pretty, but he isn't in love with the girl! He doesn't view her romantically at all! Where Aqualad even made those conclusions, he doesn't know.
After reaching the top of the stairs, Speedy's only goal is to make it down the hallway and to the common room. One more remark from Aqualad, and he might lose it! Before they have a chance to reach their destination, however, Speedy's thoughts have summoned another person. Coming up from another stairwell, the stairwell leading to the Tower's guest bedrooms, is Leila. Pulling himself together as fast as he can after his conversation with Aqualad, he is fully prepared to greet her as if nothing happened. Before he has a chance to utter a word, however, the archer takes note of something. There has been a change in Leila's attire; a big change. The girl, who he has rarely seen without her raggedy jeans and sweatshirt, now wears a full Titan uniform.
In place of the raggedy jeans he has grown so used to are a pair of heeled orange boots that reach an inch above her ankles. They aren't neon orange, but instead are an eerie shade of orange like fire. Then, several inches above her knees and hugging her hips comfortably, are a pair of shorts with patterns of dancing flames engulfing them. The flame patterns on her shorts are so vivid and popping that they almost appear real rather than fabric. Leila's shorts aren't overly short and they aren't too tight, but they're short and tight to the point where it makes a person look.
As for her upper torso, it is clothed by a black tight-fitting tank top with thick straps. Put simply, the tank top hugs her far more tightly than the shorts, revealing that even if she is bony, the girl isn't entirely bones. For as little as she eats, he honestly expected her to be bonier. In truth, her waist ...as well as other areas... are actually pretty decent in size. She could still use to put on some weight, though. There is no denying that she must be clinically underweight…
Nonetheless, this doesn't mean that Leila is unattractive. Far from it! Besides the tank top and the shorts, her costume consists of long sleeves that slide onto her arms. The sleeves are black, and reach from her wrists to the uppermost part of her arms, giving a bit of a flare to her costume. Not to mention, on her right upper arm slid on atop the black sleeve, is her odd golden bracelet with the picture of the bird printed onto it. It's hard to explain, but the sleeves and the bracelet give Leila's uniform a type of edge that just…fits her.
Then there are the shorts. Speedy doesn't like admitting this, even to himself, but he never in his wildest dreams would have imagined that Leila would have hips underneath her jeans. Yet, she does! Admittedly, they're very shapely hips. She has very shapely legs, too. The shorts for her costume were an excellent choice. Her hips, the sleeves that slide on separately from her tank top, her thick hair with the luscious curls, her milky white skin, her full lips and large eyes… Bony or not, Leila makes an absolutely gorgeous superhero.
Before Speedy's thoughts can go any farther, he realizes that Leila is staring at him just as much as he is staring at her. The only difference is that, rather than staring at him intently, she wears an expression of concern. Looking down at her costume and then back up at him, she speaks out sounding worried.
"Speedy? Why are you staring at me? There isn't anything wrong with my uniform, is there?"
Eyes widening in realization at what she must be thinking, he immediately works to recover any damage that he might have caused. Waving his arms in a bold 'no' fashion, he speaks.
"What? No! There is absolutely nothing wrong with your costume! Don't change a thing!"
Furrowing her brow, she asks, "Are you sure?"
Without taking time to filter his thoughts, he nods. "Yes. Completely sure! Your costume is great! Especially the sleeves and your legs."
Leila, who previously appeared concerned, now gapes at him with wide eyes and reddening cheeks. Though Aqualad tries to keep quiet, he can hear him trying to stifle chuckles from beside him. Meanwhile, realizing what he just said, Speedy tries to recover once more; and fails miserably.
"What? No! I didn't say that! I meant…I like your…shorts! The flame pattern is great! It's cool!"
Pointing her gaze toward the ground, he watches as Leila turns around and walks toward the common room doors. Without looking at him even a little bit, she replies awkwardly.
"Uh…thanks…? Flames are pretty cool…I guess…"
With that being said, Leila scurries down the hallway as fast as she can and enters into the common room, the sliding metallic doors closing behind her. It's only once she's gone that Speedy knocks himself in the forehead several times using the palm of his hand. The whole time Aqualad finally allows himself to release the laughter he'd been holding back. The aquatic Titan is leaned against the wall, holding his stomach with one hand and wiping away tears with the other. Doing his best to ignore his guffawing teammate, Speedy grumbles in aggravation.
"I can't believe I just said that."
Trying to get ahold of himself, Aqualad replies. "It doesn't matter if you believe it, because you did say it." Pausing to release another bout of chuckles, he adds a moment later, "Do you want to stay out here for a moment, or go to your room, or something? You don't have to go in there right now. I can always explain to Bee what happened later. She'll get it."
Sighing, he confesses, "Actually, Aqualad, I would like to borrow one of your pools."
Giving another laugh, he asks, "What for? To cool yourself down?"
"No. To drown myself," he replies with reddening cheeks. A moment later, after giving another sigh, Speedy walks in the direction of the common room. "Come on. Let's go."
A/N: Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I know I did! Especially that ending! I'll admit, it was a fun one to write XD.
Also, on a side note, I don't plan on keeping the Titans in Steel City for too much longer. At some point the plot of the story with Black Shadow is going to pick back up. I'm not sure exactly when, but it'll probably be sooner rather than later. If any of you are wondering, no, I haven't forgotten Saeran. He'll be coming up in one of the future chapters very soon. He has to reunite with his sister, after all. Not to mention, that I did leave Saeran alive for a reason. If there wasn't any type of significance for Saeran being alive, then I would have left him dead. Just a bit of a hint for future chapters ;)
Anyway, until the next chapter! I hope that all of you thoroughly enjoyed this one :)
Forever and Always,
OCQ