A/N: Whoo! Another chapter done! And how long has it been since my last update? Less than a week? I'm on a roll! Also, I should let all of you know that this chapter is different from the rest of Part Two. Originally I had different plans for it, but as I was writing it I got to thinking about Saeran, and realized that I miss him. Poor Saeran has been sitting in the Titans West Tower with Silkie and Mr. Whiskers alone and forgotten :,(.
Because of this, I have decided to dedicate another chapter to Saeran and Jump City. How about it? After all, I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has been missing Saeran :).
Well, enough prattling from me. Onward with Chapter Nineteen! (Though I can't speak for all of you, I'm sure that you guys will adore the ending!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, but Planet Dabnod and all of the Dabnodians are my creation.
Part II : Shadows: Chapter Nineteen
Jump City: Titans West Tower
Meanwhile…
"I have to admit, Raven, I'm impressed. You have quite the collection of literature."
Saeran stands in the center of the dark room, gaping at the number of bookshelves in awe. The last time he saw a single room filled with so many books, besides libraries and the Palace archives of course, was the room of his baby sister. The pony-tailed man didn't think that a single person owning more books than Damiana was possible. With her avidness for reading and unique skill for mastering languages, there were Palace scribes who owned less literature than Damiana! It's only now, five years after being separated from his sister never to see her again, that Saeran is proven wrong. There's somebody in the universe who can rival Damiana in her collection of books after all. This would be the dark Titan with the large violet eyes standing beside him.
Pulling down her hood to reveal her face, Raven replies to Saeran's compliment with a small smile. "Thanks. I remember you saying that your sister had a very large collection of her own back on Dabnod, so I thought that you might like it. I even have a few books that are written in the Dabnodian language, if you're interested. Your scribes used to exchange literature with our mages, so Azarath actually had a pretty large collection of books written in Dabnodian."
Turning away from the bookshelves in order to face Raven, Saeran returns her smile. "In that case, what my Knight Master once told me is true. We did send a lot of our literature to Azarath during our war with Tamaran. Knight Master Urrvink did say that Queen Guayusa and the Royal Counsel were taking precautions just in case. It looks like they made the right decision."
Gazing over the shelves with determination, Saeran spots a blue leather-bound book with the familiar script of Dabnodian letters etched into the spine. It takes less than a second for Saeran to walk over and pick it up. Much to his surprise, the leather feels worn under his fingertips and there are cracks at certain spots along the edges. Furrowing his concealed brow, he flips the book open only to discover pages that have become yellowed and wrinkled by age. Even more amazing is that, upon reading the letters scrawled out onto the pages, he learns that this book isn't written in the most recent form of the Dabnodian dialect. The dialect that this book is written in is the language that was spoken three thousand years before Queen Guayusa's reign.
Astonished by this, Saeran turns to face the dark girl who is now looking over books on the shelf beside him. Holding up the book so that she knows what he's referring to, Saeran speaks to her.
"You continue to impress me, Raven. This book is written in a dialect that was spoken three-thousand years before Queen Guayusa ruled. The fact that you can actually read this is no easy feat. Not even I can read this! The only reason I recognize the script at all is because of Damiana. She used to show me books in other languages in attempt to help me read them, and while none of them stuck, I suppose I can at least recognize the shapes of the letters."
Raven, who was previously skimming the pages of a simple black book, looks over at the pony-tailed man. When her gaze first meets him, like usual, it is completely emotionless. Upon spotting the book he's holding, however, a small blush paints her gray-colored skin. Averting her gaze from Saeran, she goes back to skimming over the pages of her book while responding.
"To be honest, learning that dialect wasn't as hard as you think. It was something that was very easy to learn, actually. I don't like to talk about it, though."
Raising a brow, Saeran looks from the blue book, to the empath, and back again. It takes a moment for him to process her words, but once he does, he is nonetheless surprised.
"You're saying that this wasn't a difficult language for you to learn? It took my baby sister an entire month to master that language, and this is the same girl who could speak fluent English after less than a week of studying it!"
Raven's monotone expression breaks slightly at Saeran's comment, her violet eyes widening. "It took your sister less than a week to learn English? I didn't think that was possible, even for a Dabnodian. Dabnodians are widely known for their mastery over languages, but I thought that learning a new language fluently took them at least two months."
"For the average Dabnodian, yes, but not for Damiana. She was the prodigy of our clan for a reason." After a moment of silence, as well as intense consideration, he reroutes their conversation back to its previous topic. "Just so you know, I'm normally not one for prying, but I can't help but be curious. If this dialect of the Dabnodian language was easy for you to learn, then how long did it take you?"
A long time passes before Raven responds. Her answer is blunt and to the point, though it has a bit of an awkward lilt to it. She no longer looks at her book, but at the wall.
"Learning it took me approximately thirty seconds."
Both stunned and confused by this, Saeran gapes at her widely from beneath his icy blue mask. "Thirty seconds? That's impossible! How could you possibly accomplish-"
Before Saeran can finish getting out his thoughts, reality hits him like a bolt. Even so, his response isn't half as awkward as what Raven would have expected. Instead, tilting back his head, the young man gives lighthearted chortles. A few seconds pass until he finally answers his own question. At first Raven looks at him in a mixture of nervousness and discomfort, but once he speaks out sounding amused, her expression switches to a smile. None of the Titans have ever seen Saeran in a state where he appears truly cheerful before, so this is definitely a rare treat. Especially for Raven, who views getting to see his lighthearted side as a reward for keeping his secret.
"Oh, I get it! Language Transference! That's how you learned that dialect! Why didn't you say so?" Pausing slightly to release more chuckles, he continues. "I can see why you would feel awkward about bringing that up. Language Transference can definitely be uncomfortable; especially if you're transferring a language to a stranger. In its essence, Language Transference is kissing with vigor, so if you aren't comfortable with the person you're passing it to, then it can be very strange."
Taking in a deep breath, Raven looks at him with slight humor. "I take it that you know this from personal experience?"
Realizing that he and Raven are alone, and knowing that Robin and Starfire would never barge in without knocking, Saeran decides to take a risk and pull off his mask. The moment he pulls it off, his familiar thin nose, arched brows, and the masculine crevices of his face are revealed to Raven. Whenever they are alone, Saeran makes it a habit to take his mask off around Raven, so there is no doubt that the girl has grown very familiar with the sight of his face by now. Even more familiar are the sight of his color-changing eyes, which currently gleam bright amber. Toward the roots of his hair, Raven notes that the blonde hair dye is starting to wear off as well, revealing hair a shade of gold five times brighter than the dye. The whole time he replies to her question jovially.
"Yes, you could say that. With all of the training I went through on Dabnod, both my element training and my Knight training, nothing was as awkward as when I learned how to pass languages. By that point I had moved up in rank from Page to Squire, as had my friend, Adriel, and our Knight Master told all ten boys in our squadron that we had to learn Language Transference." The nostalgic expression on Saeran's face isn't missed by Raven; especially not when he gives another chuckle. "It's funny now, but back then it was terrible! I don't think that I'd ever seen Knight Master Urrvink so angry."
Much to Saeran's surprise, Raven, too, gives a quiet laugh. He is so used to seeing her in her usual monotone state that the fact that she's laughing at all is a definite shocker. Curiosity is seen in her gaze as well as amusement, the violet-haired girl raising a brow while making a statement.
"When I was passed the ancient Dabnodian dialects, it was by a boy who survived the destruction of Dabnod and was residing on Azarath. He was a year younger than me, he needed a mint, and he accidentally bit my tongue. Was your situation worse than mine?"
Running a hand over his shoulder-length ponytail, Saeran meets Raven's gaze with amber eyes brightening by several notches. "As unpleasant as your experience with Language Transference sounds, I have to say that mine was far worse."
He watches as Raven eyes him skeptically. "Really? Try me."
"Okay, if you insist. But I'm telling you, it's one heck of a story."
*Flashback*
One thing Saeran remembers the most about Dabnod is that an unpleasant day was rare in terms of weather. There were rarely any clouds, it didn't rain most of the time, and in those days he never knew snow. On that particular day, however, the weather was lovelier than usual. The sun was gleaming burnt orange, back dropped by a sky the colors of peachy orange and blue-violet, and streaked by soft rose. The violet-colored grasses and glittering sapphire flowers outside of the Palace appeared especially lush as well, Queen Guayusa's groundskeepers putting in extra effort for the occasion.
There were droves of servants scurrying through the corridors that day, not to mention Dabnodian scribes and members of the Royal Counsel. Of course, this didn't surprise Saeran any. That week important dignitaries and mages were visiting Dabnod from Azarath. Whenever anybody from the dimension of Azarath visited Planet Dabnod, the Palace would always turn frantic. The visitors from Azarath never meant anything to Saeran, though. With how focused he was on becoming a Knight, he had more important things to concern himself with. Or at least this was true until he'd ranked up from Page to Squire, anyway…
"I can't believe he's making us do this! Master Urrvink has a lot of nerve making us go through this kind of training!"
Saeran was only fourteen at the time, his best friend a year younger. Saeran had his clan's belt bearing the Fire Phoenix hooked around his waist, and the crest stating that he was a Squire printed onto the silver breastplate that fit on over his forest green tunic. His black pants were also in place, as were his tall leather boots. Walking alongside him, slick and flawless ponytail hanging to his waist, was none other than thirteen-year-old Adriel.
Adriel was adorned similarly to Saeran, wearing a silver breastplate with the Squire's seal, a tunic and pants, and his belt bearing his own clan's symbol. The only difference between their attire was that, rather than a Fire Phoenix, Adriel's belt had a Ground Badger with bared teeth and sharp claws that appeared ready to maul someone. Along with this, his tunic was dark blue rather than green, and his pants brown rather than black. Also what differed between the two on that specific day was that, unlike Saeran, Adriel was wearing a gleaming smile.
Adriel's hair turning a blinding shade of neon orange and his eyes turning cherry red, the younger boy replied to Saeran's displeased words. To anybody walking by at that time, much to Saeran's discontentment, it would have looked like an older squire chewing out a younger squire. Somehow, even though he was a year younger, Adriel appeared older; probably around fifteen rather than thirteen. Unlike Saeran, who's face had masculine crevices, Adriel was always very slim-faced with a narrow jawline, high cheekbones, and a small nose. Nonetheless, this didn't make him any less masculine. He was actually taller and more well-built than Saeran was.
Meanwhile, wearing a smirk of amusement, Adriel spoke. "Geesh, Saeran. Would you stop overreacting? You're making it sound like Urrvink is asking us to go into the stables and kiss the Phoenixes! What he's asking us to do isn't torture like you think it is. As Squires we're going to have more contact with species that aren't from Dabnod, and in the case of an emergency, we need to know Language Transference."
Amused smirk transforming into a sly one, Adriel turned away from Saeran in that moment and peeked around the corner of the hallway they were standing in. Saeran didn't have to peek around the corner himself to know that his best friend was looking over a group of attractive female mages from Azarath. Looking back, Adriel always did have a fetish for Azarathean girls.
While looking around the corner, the boy with the waist-length ponytail continued. "Of course, with as useful as learning the skill of Language Transference would be, I myself don't mind if I fail at the language transferring part a few times. This place is crawling with beautiful Azarathean girls! If I get an especially gorgeous one to help me, then I can fail ten times just to kiss her, and she'd never figure it out! Whoever discovered Language Transference is a genius!"
Saeran, who's mood was already sour as it was, couldn't help but shake his head at his friend in disbelief. "Yeah, Adriel? Whoever came up with Language Transference, I'm pretty sure their purpose was to find a way to spread the Dabnodians' amount of vastly acquired languages; not to come up with some clever method to trick foreign girls into making out." After a slight pause, he added, "And even if that was his purpose, do you honestly think that girls are that naïve? Whether they show it or not, they can tell when somebody is trying to make a move on them."
Making a pfft sound, Adriel waved a hand through the air dismissively. "Where do you think I've been living? Under a rock? Of course I know that! I don't need to trick girls, and I don't need them to be naïve. I bet I can convince one of those Azarathean girls to help me with Language Transference with my boyish charm alone." Saeran still chuckles at the way his eyes lit up like an excited schoolgirl's with the next words he spoke. Not to mention that he started jumping up and down with anticipation. "And once I convince one of them to help me, I can finally have my first kiss!"
Upon hearing this, Saeran slapped an exasperated palm to his forehead. He spoke not to himself, or to Adriel for that matter, but to the surrounding Palace walls crafted from grayish-pink stone. If he knew that the Palace's rose-stone walls wouldn't have given him a concussion, he would have banged his head against one of them.
"Master Urrvink, you have absolutely no idea what turmoil you have unleashed. I can't think of anything worse than a squealing, giddy, Adriel running through the corridors of Queen Guayusa's Palace flirting with Azarathean dignitaries like an idiot."
Chuckling, Adriel gave Saeran a firm jab in the ribs at his remark. "Yeah, well I can think of something worse. You standing here sulking instead of walking over there with me to help me out. I've had my eye on the same girl for most of the day, and she has a pretty cute friend, Saeran."
Saeran, who's hair had been an unhappy shade of bruise-colored purple for the entire morning, shot Adriel a glare with stormy gray eyes. When Adriel grabbed him by the sleeve of his tunic and tugged him closer so that he, too, was looking around the corner, however, it took less than an instant for Saeran's hair and eyes to shift to popping shades of neon green. Saeran, who hadn't cared at all approximately thirty seconds prior, was now staring at a pair of lovely mages from Azarath. One was tall and slender, while the other was shorter with a bit more of a fullness to her. There's no doubt that both of them were pretty, though.
The tall girl had skin as white as the feathers of an Ice Phoenix, and long black hair that appeared nothing but silky. Her eyes were violet-colored, and she wore a long-sleeved dress with a narrow skirt that reached past her ankles. Hooked around her waist was a gold chain-link belt with six large purple jewels attached; a belt that revealed how slender her waist truly was. True, this girl was nowhere near as perfect to Saeran as Adriel's younger sister, Jaegana, but she was still quite dazzling.
As he stared at her, Adriel chuckled from beside him. Cherry-colored eyes glinting with humor, he gave Saeran another jab to the side.
"What is it, Saeran? Does Language Transference look more appealing all of the sudden?"
His hair shifting from neon green to fuchsia with embarrassment, he backed up from his spot looking around the corner and gave Adriel a glare. "What? No! I wasn't thinking that at all! All I want is to learn how to pass languages to other species in order to complete Master Urrvink's training." The bright pink color of his hair deepening, Saeran confessed, "But if I have to pass the Dabnodian language to someone, it would be nice to pass it to the tall girl in the white dress."
It was here that Adriel started releasing rambunctious bouts of laughter while slapping Saeran on the back. "Ha! You're looking forward to kissing a girl, too! I knew it!" Giving him a smug expression, he added, "And between you and me, I know that you've never kissed a girl either."
Arching a brow, a brow that was quickly shifting back to green, he asked, "And I should care about this, why? I'm fourteen. Most fourteen-year-olds on this planet have never kissed anyone."
"Which is why you should be excited, and why I'm excited! You saw the tall girl's friend, right?"
Saeran looked at him puzzled. "Who?"
Rolling his eyes and giving an aggravated sigh, Adriel grabbed him by the sleeve of his tunic once more and tugged him back to his previous spot so that he could see around the corner. Saeran didn't pay too much attention to her before, but standing beside the tall girl in the white dress was a short girl with skin a shade of pale gray with a slight tinge of pink. Her hair was also black, though it was a medium length, and it was wavy. Along with this, her eyes were the color of soft lilac, and she wore a sleeveless lilac-colored dress with a high collar, and that reached as far as the floor. There was a belt around her waist as well; the chains were silver, and the six gems attached to it were black.
It was only after getting a good look at her that Saeran pulled away from the corner once more. "Fine, Adriel. You win. We can go talk to them and see if they'll help us. I mean, we do have to learn Language Transference, and it's not like we can learn it by standing here gawking at them." He paused momentarily prior to asking Adriel something very important. "But, Adriel, I have one quick question. You do speak Azarathean, right?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Adriel gave a proud nod. "Yep, I sure can! I've been practicing for three weeks! If your sister can learn entire languages in one week, then I can learn one in three."
Giving an exasperated sigh, Saeran shot him another glare. "You do realize that is one of the weakest arguments I've ever heard, right? Damiana isn't like the rest of us. She's a prodigy! She speaks languages that not even our Scribes have learned yet!"
Much to his disappointment, Adriel's confidence never faltered. "Yeah Saeran, but you're also forgetting that Damiana is nine years old. I'm pretty sure I'm better than a nine-year-old girl."
Knowing that his friend wouldn't be swayed, because Adriel was always a stubborn one like that, all Saeran could do was roll his eyes before finally rounding the corner.
"In that case, since you're such a charmer and a master of languages, then come on. Language Transference doesn't learn itself." Under his breath, he added, "Though I wish it did."
With that being said the two boys took off around the corner, Adriel with a confident and manly stride, and Saeran's posture filled with nonchalance. The moment they entered the room, a memory that still embarrasses Saeran until this very day, all eyes turned in their direction. Adriel's manly stride was still completely intact, and he was walking with such confidence that he looked like some kind of aristocrat. The fact that his hair was quickly transforming from neon orange to pink wasn't helping anything either. A Dabnodian's hair turning bright fuchsia is one thing, but the shade of pink that Adriel's hair was turning, soft pink, is another thing completely… Not to mention Adriel's wide smile.
Giving an aggravated sigh, Saeran's own hair shifted to fuchsia at his best friend's behavior. Looking around, he saw not just Azaratheans in the room, but also many prestigious members of Dabnod's Royal Guard, all ten members of the Royal Counsel, Knight Master Urrvink, and Queen Guayusa herself. Master Urrvink stood toward the back of the room beside Queen Guayusa glaring at them, stroking his lengthy beard which was quickly turning a dangerous shade of midnight blue. His face and bald head were turning crimson, making it know that he was steaming with anger.
Queen Guayusa, while she didn't appear angry, did appear frustrated. Her long, curly, hair turning a shade of bruise-colored purple, the Queen touched a palm to her forehead in exasperation. The woman appeared so aggravated that she looked about ready to remove her golden crown embedded with green gems and hit herself in the head with it. Saeran didn't notice it until the last possible second, but loitering on Queen Guayusa's other side was none other than nine-year-old Damiana with a crown of blue flowers atop her head, and wearing a simple yet elegant sapphire blue dress. Unlike the Queen and Master Urrvink, she only looked at the two with confusion.
Of course, upon spotting the ten members of the Royal Counsel glaring at them with disapproval, as well as the other eight boys in their squadron snickering at them, Saeran's shock at seeing his baby sister standing next to the Queen was quickly forgotten. His hair turning a deeper shade of fuchsia than before, Saeran didn't hesitate to lean closer to Adriel in order to speak with him. The firmness of his tone definitely was not a joke.
"Adriel," he seethed in a whisper, "I suggest that you tone it down. Now. People are staring."
Adriel shrugged nonchalantly in response. "Good. People should be staring; especially those jerks in our squadron. They need to see how Adriel of the Ground Badger, Royal Knight of Planet Dabnod, makes a move on the ladies. Watch and learn."
Under his breath, he said to himself, "I'll watch, but I don't think I'll learn much."
Deciding that it's too late to turn back, and knowing that Adriel wouldn't turn back either way, Saeran followed Adriel and went toward the girls. Just like everybody else, the duo stared at them. The shortest of the two gave them a harsh glare of distaste while the taller one simply raised a puzzled brow. By this point Saeran was really hoping that Adriel would catch their facial expressions and tone things down, but unfortunately he didn't. Instead he leaned closer to Saeran to get in his last few words before speaking to the girls.
"Okay, Saeran, just in case you have a hard time understanding the Azarathean language, I'm going to tell the short girl that she has very beautiful eyes, and that they make her look smart. I'm using smart and beautiful in the same sentence. Girls like that."
Rolling his eyes, Saeran shot his friend one last stern look while responding. "Don't worry, ever superior language master. Even if my prodigy sister is the one who helped drill the entire Azarathean language into me, I'm sure that your foreign language skills far surpass mine."
Adriel didn't say anything in response, neither did Saeran make any additional comments. From here, much to everybody's displeasure, Adriel sidled up to the short Azarathean girl with the lilac eyes and the lilac-colored dress. She raised an enraged brow at him and his soft pink hair, obviously not pleased. Whether his friend didn't catch this or simply didn't care, Saeran will never know. All he knows is that upon moving closer to the girl, he spoke to her in rough, awkward, and broken Azarathean sentences. The thought of how awful his Azarathean speech was still makes the young man cringe.
What makes Saeran cringe harder, however, are the exact words he spoke to the girl; words that made his hair turn bright green with shock. Now that he thinks about it, there were a lot of bright green heads from those Dabnodians fluent in Azarathean, including Damiana from across the room. The whole time Adriel's hair stayed that horrendous shade of soft pink. The only time his hair color changed to green like the rest of theirs was when the girl shouted at him loudly, glared at him bitterly, and used a foot adorned by a sparkling black slipper to kick him where it hurts.
Less than a second later Adriel was on the ground clutching his groin, crying tears of agony. Once he was on the ground the Azarathean girl in the lilac-colored dress continued shouting in the lividest fashion that Saeran had ever witnessed. Never had he seen a single female so angry. As she waved her fist at him while growling out words, Adriel glanced up at Saeran from his place laying on the silver and black tiles. For some reason, despite his situation, he didn't look scared. Rather, Adriel appeared shocked and confused. Not to mention in pain from the harsh kick…
Tears of agony still present and pain noticeable in his voice, Adriel's question was simple. "Okay. Tell me. What did I say to her?"
Slapping a palm to his forehead and looking down at him with a glare, he replied in a blunt and unhappy manner. "Well, you definitely didn't say that she looks pretty and intelligent. Basically, you told her that her eyes are a horrible color, and that she's fat like a pregnant woman."
Adriel's hair and eyes turned to shades of green so bright that they were practically blinding. "What? I couldn't have said that to her! I don't know the words for horrible or pregnant!"
Saeran didn't know then, and he doesn't know now either, but for some reason he smirked when replying to Adriel. "In that case I'm not sure where you learned them from, but you do, too."
Neither of them had a chance to say another word following Saeran's statement. To both of their surprises, small footsteps came from behind them, as well another angry voice to accompany that of the Azarathean girl's. The only difference was that this voice was much younger, and it was shouting in Dabnodian. It belonged to none other than the Fire Phoenix prodigy.
"Adriel! What's wrong with you?! Why would you say something so awful to her?! You're never this mean! Do you have any idea how much you could've hurt her feelings?!"
So loud was Damiana's voice that those standing in her path separated to let her through, and the girl who had been shouting at Adriel up until that point had ceased in her yelling. Turning to face her, Saeran can remember that Damiana was so angry that her hair was starting to get streaks of fire in it, and that her eyes were turning a dangerous color matching that of burning embers. For once she didn't even look at Saeran, which was very rare. Instead she walked right past him and faced Adriel.
Surprisingly, upon seeing Damiana, that was when Adriel's eyes became fearful. Even the Azarathean girl appeared nervous, as did her tall friend in the white dress. Then again, seeing her standing beside Queen Guayusa, one of her most important Royal Knights, and the ten members of the Royal Counsel, it was probably assumed by them that Damiana was very important. Of course, Damiana having the talent that she did, she was important in her own right, so the Azarathean girls wouldn't have been far off. Even now, Saeran wonders if Damiana ever truly realized what an important figure she was becoming. Had Dabnod survived, she definitely would have made her mark in the history books…
Meanwhile, crouching down so that she was at Adriel's side, Damiana kept her sternness about her as she continued addressing him. "You can't just insult people, Adriel! It's mean! And out of all the people here, why would you want to make the Counsel and Her Majesty Queen Guayusa angry by insulting her? You can't just go up and call one of Azarath's thirteen Princesses fat!"
It wasn't just Adriel's eyes that filled with fear and shock, but Saeran's as well. The thirteen Princesses? The girls who came here with Azarath's mages, the girls who they were going to ask to help them with Language Transference, were Princesses?! Until this day, that fact still shocks Saeran. Of course, what shocks Saeran more is what happened next. Mostly, what happened was because of Adriel and because of Damiana's misinterpretation. After all, even if she was a prodigy, Damiana was still nine.
"Princess?!" Exclaimed Adriel. "This girl is a Princess?! But I didn't mean to insult any Princess! I didn't want to insult her in the first place! I was trying to tell her that that her eyes are pretty and that she looks smart so that she and her friend in the white dress could help me and Saeran with our training! We need non-Dabnodian girls to kiss to help learn this new technique of Master Urrvink's!"
It was here that every trace of fire left Damiana's features, and that realization filled her gaze. Her hair shifting to rose red and eyes turning soft pink, she gave Adriel a smile filled with relief.
"Oh, so it was an accident! Before talking to her at all, you should've come to me or Saeran. Saeran said that you aren't good at speaking Azarathean. You should've had one of us translate!"
Her entire persona turning happy just like he was used to seeing, Saeran watched as she stood to her full height to face the girl who Adriel had tried talking to. Turning to the white dress girl who his friend had mentioned in passing, Damiana motioned for her to come closer. For a moment the white dress girl exchanged glances with her friend dressed in lilac, clearly confused by what was happening. Nonetheless, they both moved closer to Damiana in some sort of attempt to straighten everything out.
Once she started speaking to them in clear, crisp, Azarathean speech, the expressions on their faces were priceless to say the least. Of course, once Saeran heard exactly what Damiana was saying to them, he felt as his entire face turned pale and his hair shifted to bright fuchsia once more. By this point Adriel, who was on his feet, glanced at Saeran in nothing but confusion.
Scratching his head, he asked, "Saeran, what's wrong? You look kind of nervous."
He never answered Adriel. Instead he gulped fearfully while listening to the information Damiana was relaying to the two alleged Princesses. Apparently his baby sister wanted them dead.
"Don't worry, your Royal Majesty. Adriel doesn't speak Azarathean that good, so he didn't mean to insult you. He said that your eyes were pretty and that you look like your smart, so he wanted to kiss you," said Damiana to the girl in the lilac dress with a smile. Turning to the white dress girl, she added, "I'm pretty sure my brother Saeran thinks you're pretty, too, Majesty, because he was looking at you like you are. I'm not sure, though, because he didn't tell me anything. But either way, if you wanted to be nice to him and give him a kiss, I'm sure he would appreciate it. Saeran's great as a Squire and a water user, but he's no good with talking to girls."
Saeran remembers the sigh he gave at that moment. It was a heavy one filled with nothing but embarrassment. Several of his squadron mates spoke Azarathean quite well, and caught every word his baby sister said to the two Princesses. Because of this, they were standing approximately ten feet away from he and Adriel breaking out into guffaws of laughter. The young Squire truly didn't think that things could get any worse. That, however, was when the two Princesses responded.
The girl in the lilac dress, who had already appeared angry at Adriel previously, now appeared even angrier. The one in the white dress, who seemed nothing other than confused before, now appeared angry as well. It wasn't just them who were angry, either. Surrounding the Princesses were a group of twelve Azarathean mages, who glared at the duo of boys with disdain. As the expressions of the Azaratheans brewed with fury, the Princess in the lilac dress shouted irately.
"First these Dabnodian Squires are coming to me calling me homely and impregnated, and now they are demanding kisses from us?! Never have we been so insulted! Mages, attack with all of your strength!"
Before Saeran could count to two, black auras, objects coated by magic, and multicolored spells were being thrown all over the room. The entire time Adriel and Damiana stood gaping around the room in shock, having no idea at all what just happened. Meanwhile, the other eight members of Saeran's squadron started hooting, hollering, and cheering with excitement, breaking out their swords and various elements.
"Alright, a fight!" one of them shouted.
"Finally something exciting happens! Get ready to brawl, boys!" exclaimed another.
Less than a second later, all eight of them charged into the fray combating magic with their elements and enjoying every moment of it. For a moment Saeran stood in place in uncertainty, not knowing whether or not joining the fight would be proper. When a broken piece of a golden statue coated in a black aura flew by and narrowly missed skewering him through the center, however, Saeran immediately decided on what to do. He still doesn't know why, but he smiled with excitement as he drew long streams of water out from the dual canteens he had strapped across his chest. Adriel, too, appeared excited, using his earth-wielding powers to create large rose-stone boulders using the stones from the Palace floor.
"What do you say, Adriel? Do you want to join in the fight?" he asked with a confident smirk.
Adriel returned his smirk. "I wouldn't want anything else."
Neither of them said anything more after this. Like the rest of their squadron mates, they rushed into the battle hooting, hollering, and anticipating every second. Somehow, over the noise of the chaos, Saeran still heard as Queen Guayusa shouted at Master Urrvink. Her voice was so bone-chilling that it could have frozen an active volcano solid.
"Knight Master Urrvink! Your squadron is completely out of control! Take them in hand right now, or your group of Squires will be demoted to back to the status of Pages, and will be given the duty of cleaning out the Ice Phoenix stables for the next six months!"
*End Flashback*
Never in his life has Saeran heard Raven laugh before. Toward the end of the story, however, when he told her about Damiana awkwardly explaining things to the Azarathean princesses, Raven started laughing softly. When he revealed it to her that a fight actually broke out due to their attempt at learning Language Transference, the soft laughter transformed into laughter that was a bit louder. Now that story is finally over and Raven has had a chance to process the entire thing, both the dark girl and the man with the shoulder-length ponytail are laughing openly. At some point during the story they moved away from the bookshelves and sat down, Raven atop her bed, and Saeran on the floor leaning against her bed's edge.
His laughter finally dying down after several minutes, Saeran does his best to answer a question that Raven had asked before their amusement had gotten too out of control. The question she'd asked was, if their first attempt had failed so miserably, how did they end up learning Language Transference?
Getting a final bout of chuckles out of his system, he responds to her inquiry at last. "To answer your question, the dignitaries from Azarath stayed in Queen Guayusa's Palace for three straight weeks. With the war going on with Tamaran, they were assisting us in our battle plans. During that time Master Urrvink had a talk with the Princesses and Azarath's Head Mage, and straightened everything out. Basically, he told them that Adriel and I were idiots who were more eager to make out than to learn Language Transference, and that in order for us to learn it, they would have to make it very structured." Giving an awkward cough, he adds, "And structured it was."
Wiping a laughter tear out of her eye, Raven asks with an arched brow, "What exactly do you mean by 'structured'? Are you saying that they picked out the girls you had to practice Language Transference with, and guarded you while you were training?"
Pointing an index finger in her direction, Saeran gives a nod of confirmation. "Yep. Your guess is exactly correct. Master Urrvink worked with the Head Mage to pair each of us up with a girl, and once we were paired up, we had to practice Language Transference at open areas in Queen Guayusa's garden so they could see us. So…yeah. The twenty-seven tries it took to get the Dabnodian language to transfer? None of them counted as kisses. In the least, learning Language Transference was very uncomfortable." Pausing slightly, he adds, "I actually did end up getting paired with the princess in the white dress, but because I was the friend of the idiot who called her sister ugly and pregnant, she didn't like me; not even a little bit. That definitely made things worse…"
Giving another small giggle, Raven adds, "Your experience with Language Transference was definitely worse than mine. You were right about that."
A long moment passes where no one speaks, the two sitting in Raven's dark room in a strange yet comfortable silence. Several minutes later when Raven speaks again, it isn't about the previous story. The question she asks catches Saeran off guard, but nonetheless makes him happy.
"I don't mean to jump to conclusions, but were you and Adriel the troublemakers of your squadron or something? It sounds like the two of you got into a lot of trouble together."
Saeran's hair keeping its bright gold color, and his eyes remaining amber, he replies to Raven's inquiry without hesitation. Giving a nostalgic chuckle, he says, "Oh, troublemakers is an understatement. According to Knight Master Urrvink, we were the most troublesome young Knights he'd ever trained. Whenever Adriel and I were together, he said, havoc was always in our wake. We brought down parts of the stables at times. One time when we were sparring, we took out an entire wall of the Palace!
"Another time when we were out on a two-week training mission we brought back edible tree roots for the rest of our squadron, and they caused strange purple rashes to appear on everybody's skin. Not to mention that time we tried saving this village in one of the nearby valleys from drought and ended up flooding it." Running a hand over his gold-colored roots, he adds with laughter, "Poor Master Urrvink. I'm surprised that we didn't drive that man into an early grave."
Raven gives another soft chortle prior to silence falling once more. This time when the silence ends, it is with another question from Raven. Like the previous question, Saeran is happy to answer it.
Laughter vanishing and her expression turning a bit more serious, her eyes are filled with nothing but interest. "Frostbite, I hope you're okay with me asking you this, but what is your name? I know the names of your sister, your Knight Master, and your closest friend. Since I have all of their names, I thought that it would only make sense that I have yours, too." Saeran notes as she averts her gaze from him with this last sentence. "Only if you are willing to share it, though."
Smiling, Saeran manages to catch her averted gaze. As he replies, her expression is one that contains surprise; as if she hadn't expected him to give her his birth name so easily.
"Saeran. The name I was born with is Saeran."
Putting up her hood, probably in attempt to hide her face that is slightly reddening, she returns his smile. "Saeran. I like it. Your name is nice." Pausing, she asks him seriously, "Do you ever miss being called your birth name?"
He knows that Raven didn't mean it, but this question jabs him in both hearts. The color of his eyes turning a slightly lesser shade of amber, and the revealed roots of his hair no longer shining as brightly, the young man takes a deep breath as he answers her.
"To be honest, yes. I miss being called Saeran every day. This is nothing new for me, though. I also miss being a Knight, I miss my childhood home, my mother and sister, the Fire Phoenix clan, going out on training missions with my squadron, I miss Adriel, I miss Jaegana… I miss everything." After a very lengthy pause, he continues. "Losing Dabnod wasn't just losing my home. When I lost Dabnod, I lost my entire identity, right down to basic things like my name, and the right to show my hair and eyes. Losing not just your planet, but who you are…it's a hard thing to experience."
It is here that Raven's entire demeanor saddens. Along with this, a glass decoration that she had sitting on one of her shelves is coated by her dark aura before shattering loudly. Pulling her hood farther over her face and averting her gaze once more, Raven replies to his confession sounding guilty.
"Forgive me. I was out of line with that question. I shouldn't have asked."
Taking another deep breath, Saeran stays silent a moment before answering. "It's okay, Raven. Whether or not you ask me about it, those emotions are always there. Now that five years have passed and they're still present, I know that they always will be. When Dabnod died, a large part of myself died with it, and it's a part of myself that I will never get back." Several moments later a gentle smile crosses his face. It catches him off guard as much as Raven, as do the words he speaks. Nonetheless, what he tells the dark girl is nothing other than sincere. "Of course, even if part of me died, not all of me did. Part of me is alive and recovering, and having somebody to share my memories of Dabnod with really helps. So thank you, Raven. Very much."
Though it is with hesitance, Raven returns his smile. "You're welcome, Saeran." After a long moment of silence, she adds out of the blue, "I still wish that something more could be done, though. Even if Adriel, Jaegana, Knight Master Urrvink, and your mother are dead, your sister is still alive somewhere. If we could, it would be nice to try finding her. That way you wouldn't feel so alone."
Looking up at the dark girl once more, his gentle smile never falters. "I appreciate what you are saying Raven, but there are hundreds of other planets that Damiana could have been sent to. The odds of her being on Earth are virtually impossible. And even if she is somewhere on Earth, she probably isn't anywhere close by. It could take decades to find her, and even then there's no guarantee."
Raven gives a weighted sigh as her response. "I know. I was just hoping."
At this point, the duo should fall silent again. This time, however, they don't get the chance. A few seconds later, loud knocking comes from the other side of Raven's bedroom door. Saeran's initial reaction is dreading the voice of Starfire, but when he hears Robin's voice instead he is pleasantly surprised. What Robin says, however, takes away any pleasant emotion that had been there prior.
"Raven, Frostbite, I don't want to distract you from your reading, but the Titans East are getting ready to make contact with Jump City. They might have news about Black Shadow's technology, so I think that you guys should hear about it." After a momentary pause, he adds as an afterthought, "Oh, and that girl they were getting help from joined up with the Titans East. We don't know who she is, or what her powers are, so meeting her is important. You need to get out here so we can meet her."
A Short Time Later…
"So you've done detailed scans, and you spent countless hours going over the machine's schematics, and you haven't been able to come up with anything?"
The surprise in Robin's voice is impossible to miss; especially for Saeran who is standing directly beside him. On Saeran's other side is Raven, whose otherwise emotionless exterior is starting to take on a hint of shock. Then there's the Tamaranean Princess who stands on the opposite side of Robin. Like Raven, she is also surprised, but the job she does at hiding it is poor. Flying closer to the screen, the Tamaranean addresses Cyborg sounding more than concerned.
"Friend Cyborg, you are truly unable to decipher the technology of the evil Black Shadow? This is truly awful! If we are not able to discover his plans, how are we to stop him?!"
On the large screen in front of them, standing front and center in the Titans East Tower's common room, is Cyborg. Standing at his side is Bumblebee, who wears an expression of anxiety. Several feet behind the two of them, not appearing any less distraught than anybody else, are Beast Boy and Mas y Menos. It is very noticeable that Aqualad, Speedy, and this new girl are nowhere to be seen, but not a soul from the Titans West side brings it up. Instead their eyes are glued on Cyborg, who sounds baffled as much as distressed.
"I'm sorry y'all, but I still don't know. This machine isn't like anything I've seen before. It's made out of rare parts, and it's well put together on the outside, but once you get past that, nothing makes sense. I've never seen anything like it! It's like the parts to it are scrambled. The pieces are there, but they don't look like they're put together right, and nothing about the machine is functional. As far as I can see, it's just a useless mess of parts."
There is a short lapse in dialogue after this, the Titans West, Titans East, and Saeran exchanging glances. Upon hearing Cyborg's explanation, he can't help but feel worried. He has fought Black Shadow many times before, and knows that he would never put together anything haphazardly; let alone a machine that he claims is the crux for his plan. If something is wrong with the machine he gave to the Titans East, then there must be a reason for it.
He highly doubts that he would be using it as a decoy to distract them, or that he would give it to them as a method of vexation. As much as Black Shadow likes to play games, he prefers direct confrontation to distracting his enemy, and if he vexes his enemy he likes to do at the exact moment they're battling in order to gain an advantage. It isn't at all possible that he would hand over this seemingly useless machine just to play games with the Titans.
So, with these conclusions being drawn, it leaves Saeran with the largest question of all. If his reason for handing over a piece of his technology to the Teen Titans isn't to play mind games, then what is his reason? Apparently Robin is having thoughts along the same lines, because less than an instant is what it takes for the Boy Wonder to speak once more. The whole time he wears an anxious frown.
"Cyborg, I know it sounds weird for me to say this, but even if that's what it looks like, there's no way that Black Shadow's machine is useless. Even if it's small, there has to be some clue there that can help us figure out what he's planning."
Hearing what the Titan leader is saying, Cyborg nods in agreement. "Don't worry, Rob. I was already thinking that exact same thing. The machine Black Shadow gave us isn't useless. It's just jumbled, which means that we're going to have to try harder to decode it. And once we get it decoded, the Titans will finally have the information we need."
Saeran normally stays out of the way while the Titans are having conversations like this. Being a twenty-one-year-old solo hero, not really a Teen or a Titan, he has always figured that getting involved in their discussions is none of his business. For once, however, he gets a determined frown and steps directly in front of Robin so that he is standing front and center. Robin, Raven, and Starfire don't stop him either. Knowing that he would never do this unless what he has to say is crucial, they stay silent and allow him to speak.
"I know that I'm not a Titan, and I know that it isn't my place to be making demands, but I suggest that you run up some schematics of that machine and send them back here to Jump City. If this machine is that difficult to decode, then we're going to need both teams working hard on it. Black Shadow is on the loose and could make a bold move at any time, so we need to start putting some serious work into figuring out what this thing is supposed to do. And I'm not just talking about the Titans on the East Coast. I'm talking about the Titans on the West Coast, too, along with myself."
Robin nods in agreement from beside him. It isn't just Robin, but Raven and Starfire exchange glances amongst themselves before giving their own gestures of concurrence. Then, on the Titans East side of the screen, Cyborg, Bumblebee, Beast Boy, and the twins all give small smiles along with their own nods. Making eye contact with him, Bumblebee is the first to respond.
"Actually, Frostbite, Sparky and I were talking about the same thing earlier. Getting all of you on the West Coast involved is a good idea. We'll get those schematics sent to you right away, along with all of the codes we found for the machine parts. If we put our heads together, we might be able to figure this out before Black Shadow makes any moves."
Giving a toothy grin, Beast Boy moves so that he stands directly beside Cyborg as he puts his thoughts into the mix. "We have one more person working with us now, too, so that gives us an even bigger advantage! Leila seems pretty smart, so who knows? She might be able to help decode the machine thingy. Either that, or she can work with Speedy on taking apart the robots." With twinkling eyes, he adds, "And if Leila tries and can't help with either of those things, she'll still be super helpful when we go up against Black Shadow after figuring out his evil plan. Her fire powers totally kick butt!"
Giving a giggle along with a smirk, Bumblebee adds a sly statement to Beast Boy's previous one. "I honestly don't think that leaving her in the same room with Speedy for hours on end to take apart robots would work out, Beast Boy. They'd either end up killing each other or kissing each other by the end of it. I'm pretty sure that they'd like to do both."
Beast Boy, too, gives a chuckle. "I know, right? I'm not sure about Leila, but I can tell that Speedy totally has a crush on her."
Saeran can't help but give an internal sigh at the sudden shift in conversation. They're supposed to be focusing on deciphering Black Shadow's machine, and they're talking about their teammate's crush on the Titans East's newest member? Unbelievable. Adolescents can be so silly at times. It makes Saeran glad that he is no longer one of them. Not only that, be he feels sorry for whatever girl ends up being pursued by the tacky redhead with the arrows that they're currently talking about.
The arrogant smirk he always wears, his stride whenever he's ends up on camera, the way his hair is always combed perfectly… To Saeran, Speedy comes off as nothing but an arrogant bad boy in tights who has no idea what it means to be a superhero. There's no doubt that the kid knows nothing about life. Not to mention that he's probably a playboy who has used his Titan status to get with every girl in Steel City. There's no doubt that if this new girl falls for him, that she's going to end up getting her heart shattered in pieces. He never shares his opinions of other people aloud, but Speedy always has been Saeran's least favorite member of the Titans.
All of the sudden Beast Boy speaks again from the Titans East's side of the screen, breaking Saeran away from his thoughts. His voice is loud, echoing, and excited, letting him know that the green Titan is happy. When he catches it that Beast Boy's words are to somebody entirely new, Saeran is able to put together that the newest member of the Titans just entered the room. While his expression is a monotone one, he is giving a sardonic smirk internally. Whoever this girl is, hopefully she's strong. She has not just Black Shadow to deal with, but warding off a redheaded playboy in tights as well.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy shouts, "Hey, Leila! You're finally here! We've been waiting to introduce you to Robin and the others forever now! You have to get over here now so you can meet them!" Pausing slightly, he adds, "Oh, and by the way, awesome uniform! You look great!"
He hears her voice before turning his gaze back to the screen to look at her. Her voice is one that is very strong-sounding, but is undeniably feminine at the same time. As she responds to Beast Boy she replies to his most recent remark, her tone sounding …embarrassed?
"Thank you, Beast Boy, but I have already received enough compliments on my uniform to last me a lifetime. Trust me."
Beast Boy sounds nothing but baffled. "Geesh, at least crack a smile. I said you look awesome! What's wrong with that?"
Apparently the other two entered the room behind her, as Saeran hears Aqualad as he makes a remark. The aquatic Titan's tone sounds oddly amused.
"Don't worry, Beast Boy. It isn't you. Ask Speedy for the details later. I'm sure that he would be happy to share."
This time it is Speedy who speaks, obviously sounding peeved. "Aqualad, don't say a word. If you do, I'll shove you in a box and ship it to the tuna factory."
Saeran rolls his eyes beneath his mask. Something happened between arrow boy and the new girl already, he takes it? It looks like they've started on the road to heartbreak early.
Inhaling deeply and silently, Saeran rolls his eyes once more before finally lifting his gaze to the back-most part of the screen where the newest member of the Titans East stands. Initially, the young man is expecting to see a girl around the age of fourteen or fifteen. He expects her to have long blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, to be very curvaceous, and to be wearing an outfit that is nearly an exact copy of Starfire's. In order for someone like Speedy to be attracted to her, what else would she look like? The moment he lays on the girl, however, Saeran learns that he was very wrong about her appearance.
Saeran feels as his entire body freezes solid. She doesn't look at all like he was expecting. Not because her hair is darker, or because she's thinner, or because her uniform covers her well, (besides the shorts…). The reason he is caught off guard by her appearance is because, besides her hair being brown and eyes being green, this girl is the spitting image of someone he once knew. She looks so much like her that Saeran could swear that this girl is her twin.
The girl's tiny nose, her cheekbones, the way her chin is shaped, her rosebud lips, the largeness of her eyes, the way she scrunches her brow… This girl looks exactly like her. Her posture, the way she sets her shoulders, and even the fact that she's running a hand through her thick curls resembles her! Now that he thinks about it, Damiana did always have a habit of running her fingers through her hair when she was upset or frustrated… How is it possible for an Earth girl to resemble Damiana so closely?! Even her height and petite frame resembles an older version of Damiana! Mama always predicted that once she got older, Damiana wouldn't get very tall or become overly shapely. Smallness runs in the Fire Phoenix clan's genes, after all.
So bewildered is Saeran by this strange turn of events, that he almost feels like he's ready to pass out. It isn't everyday that someone sees a clone of their long lost sibling who is most likely off on another planet somewhere. Why it had to happen now of all times, he'll never know.
Meanwhile, he doesn't notice, but the gazes of the Titans West are pointed at him. From the Titans East side of the screen, Cyborg and Bumblebee stare at him oddly as well. Even when one of them speaks, he doesn't notice; neither does he catch it as the remainder of those on the Titans East side of the screen gape at him. All he notices is the newest member of the Titans East as she turns to look at the screen along with the others, her right side finally in Saeran's line of vision.
"Frostbite?" asked Robin in concern. "Are you okay? Frostbite?!"
Saeran doesn't hear Robin in the slightest. Instead all of his focus is on the girl as she makes eye contact with him, her green orbs filling with shock, fear, and disbelief. Her skin turns five shades paler, as if looking at Saeran is the same things as looking at a phantom. Once he catches sight of her right upper arm, however, he learns that to her, he's no different from a phantom. On her right upper arm, resting atop a black sleeve that spans from wrist to just below her shoulder, is a golden cuff. All it takes is the sight of the arm cuff for Saeran to lose his composure.
Molded into the golden cuff in a bright copper color, to his complete and utter disbelief, is a beautiful Fire Phoenix with outstretched wings. He recognizes this specific piece of jewelry better than any other. After all, he and his mother created it with their own hands…right before they shoved it inside of the Phoenix Index…as Damiana's twelfth birthday present. He thought that Damiana left the book behind when they evacuated to the Palace on that night five years ago, but…but…but—
Unable to hold himself together any longer, Saeran feels as his eyes overflow with tears. Less than a second is what it takes for the tears to slide down his cheeks, out from under his icy blue mask, and down his chin. Never has Saeran wished so much that he was somewhere else. Specifically, Saeran wishes that he was in the Titans East Tower instead of here so that he could run up to Damiana and give her the biggest hug of her life. All this time he thought that she was on some far off planet, and she has been so close! Not just on the same planet, but in the same country, waiting for him to discover her! Why did he never try looking for her?!
Due to the blinding tears as much as emotion, Saeran doesn't notice it, but the Titans on both sides of the screen are looking at him in shock and horror, wondering what could make such a stoic man cry. Most concerned out of all of them is Raven. Reaching out a pale gray hand, the girl is prepared to grasp him by the shoulder to inquire about his well-being. Of course, she never gets the chance. Before anyone can say a word he is already pulling away from her.
"I'm sorry. Forgive me. I need a moment."
Once that is said Saeran rushes from the common room in a blur, tears in his voice just as much as on his face. Nobody speaks once Saeran is gone. They simply stare at the spot where he previously stood in bewilderment. This applies to everyone besides Leila, who rushes from the Titans East's common room a second later. She isn't crying, but she does appear greatly in distress.
"Seriously, Leila? You too? What the heck is going on?!" shouts Beast Boy, speaking for everyone.
"I'm sorry! Just give me a minute, okay?" Is the only thing she says as she rushes for the exit.
It's only once she's gone that the remaining Titans exchange glances from across the screen. When Robin speaks, he does so while wearing a confused expression and while scratching his head.
"Uh… Does anybody have any idea what just happened?"
A/N: I hate to say it, but sadly, that's it for now! :,(
I'm sorry to end it here, but this chapter was getting very lengthy, and I figured that this would be as good a place as any to end it. We'll get back to Damiana and the Titans East in the next chapter. Personally, I enjoy taking a break from the Titans East every now and again. It gives the story a good change of pace, and I absolutely LOVE writing for Saeran! Out of all the OCs that I've invented, he is my personal favorite!
Hopefully that flashback with Saeran and Adriel was enjoyable as well. I know that I mentioned them being best friends in the past, as well as troublemakers, and I have been dying to elaborate on that! I'll admit, the flashback scene was super fun to write! :)
Well, until the next chapter! With me on break right now, it will probably come sooner rather than later, but there are no guarantees.
Forever and Always,
OCQ