Fan Fiction ❯ Titans Revealed ❯ Inquire Within...Or Not ( Chapter 6 )

Notes: The last chapter, just so you know.

Huzzah! Cameos by other Titans! Like Wonder Girl! Who will NOT be joining!

Also those HIVE kids and Thunder & Lightning, but they're not important…

You need not fear Raven & Starfire's questing hands. They'll barely touch each other this time, I swear!

Chapter 6: Inquire Within…Or Not

"Dude, we SO need another girl," Beast Boy insisted as he typed up his ad.

"How do you figure that?" Robin asked.

"If Starfire & Raven are a couple, that means the boy-girl hook-up ratio is thrown out of whack. How can the beast hunt when there is no prey, man?"

"So you think we need a new girl because YOU can't get a date?" Cyborg asked, sound skeptical.

"I KNOW we need a new girl!" Beast Boy snapped. "When Starfire & Raven are out on a date, what are WE gonna do? Sit here and play video games?'

"You never had a problem with that before," Robin pointed out.

"There's nothing WRONG with it. But EVERY night? When there's GIRLS out there?! Some of them with really cool superpowers?!"

Cyborg patted his friend on the head. "You, my little green buddy, have had too much time to think about this. We need to get some tofu into you."

"No. Not until I finish this ad."

Robin frowned. "You're placing an ad for a new team member on the internet. Do you realize the kind of crowd that's going to draw?"

"A big one full of cute girls, hopefully. I made it girls only!"

"Okay, let's hear it so I can get a good laugh in before lunch," Cyborg chuckled.

Beast Boy glared at him and cleared his throat loudly. "`Are you a superhero wannabe? Then THIS is where you wanna be! You have a chance to become the newest member of the Teen Titans! Send only serious inquiries to BeastieBoy@titantower.net, and we'll set up a tryout date for you! Must provide own costume and be able to lift one metric ton in some way, shape, or form. Only female applicants accepted at this time.'"

"That's…not half bad, actually," Robin admitted after a moment.

"What's the other half, then?" Cyborg asked with a smirk.

"You just keep yapping, Cy," Beast Boy said. "But when the hot new girl gets here, I got first dibs on her."

"If you'd made it `hot female applicants' I might even be worried. Ten bucks says the first one's a troll."

"You're on!!!"

Robin looked thoughtful. "What if it's a cute girl that transforms into a horrid-looking, ton-lifting hag?"

"…five bucks both ways?" Beast Boy asked, looking to Cyborg for confirmation.

"Works for me, little buddy," Cyborg agreed.

"You two are hopeless," Robin sighed.

* * * * *

"I am most disappointed, my Darkchilde."

"Then I must be doing something right," Raven sighed as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Can't you ever appear in one of my daydreams? I'm really tired."

The image of her father continued to frown at Raven from her mirror. "You would not be tired if you had not spent the night talking and disowning yourself with that alien tramp."

Raven smirked. "Now you're disowning me? Suddenly, this day is looking a whole lot better. And Starfire is not a tramp. She's never been intimate with anyone, myself included. I was the one that kissed her, anyway."

"You're wasting your time, my Darkchilde," he snapped, all four of his yellow eyes narrowing with menace. "You will never even bear children this way."

"You say that like I want to pass on your taint," she snapped back. "In case you forgot, I've been fighting your influence all my life. Why would I want to have children that might not have the strength to resist you?"

Her father ignored the question. "Even the foolish green one would've made a better mate. What is the point of bonding yourself to that brainless alien?"

"I guess I was just searching for the perfect way to piss you off," Raven replied. "No grandkids. Deal with it."

"This is not over, my Darkchilde," he threatened as she turned her back on him. "I will see you pay dearly for this."

"All you see is me walking away times four, Father. Get used to it."

* * * * *

Attack pattern Zeta was looking pretty good, Robin thought. So long as they didn't use it against Plasmus, anyway.

He was just about to try and figure out a way around that (it was a really good plan) when Starfire poked her head through the skylight.

"Robin?"

He looked up from his notes. "What is it, Star?"

"I am going out to run some errands. Do you require anything? Unhealthy foods? Music discs? Underarm scent maskers???"

Robin was tempted to correct her on the last one, but knew that would result in a ten-minute explanation of what deodorant was. Instead, he settled for a smile. "I don't need anything, but thanks."

She beamed at him and dropped out of sight.

Robin was just about to go back to his notes when a slim shadow fell over him. He almost assumed it was Raven, but then noticed there was no cape. Before he could leap to his feet, though, he was yanked into the air.

"This is a very interesting fiber," said a curious voice just beyond his ear. "Did you make it yourself?"

"Could we discuss this after you put me down, please?" Robin asked, beginning to regret Beast Boy's ad already.

"Oh. Sorry about that. It's just I've never seen anything like this before."

Robin sighed as they touched down and moved away from the person before turning to get a good look.

Well, apparently Beast Boy's ad wasn't TOTALLY useless, he decided at once. She had just lifted him with no trouble and could clearly fly. And, he hated to admit, she was not hard on the eyes at all. But then, the original Wonder Woman was a knockout. Logically, there was no reason a smaller version of her wouldn't have been, either.

"You're here about the ad, right?" he asked.

"…I'm not sure what you mean," she said slowly.

Robin blinked. "You're not here to tryout for the Teen Titans?"

She perked up at once. "Oh! Then you ARE a Titan! I was starting to think I'd never find this place!"

"…I'm confused. You're not here about the ad, but you were looking for the Titans?"

"Yes. You see, my name is-"

"Wait. Don't tell me." Robin held back a grimace as he took in her all too familiar costume. "Wonder Girl?"

She looked shocked. "…yes, actually. How did you know that? Are you a psychic?!"

"Lucky guess," Robin replied, managing not to laugh. "I'm Robin, leader of the Titans. Can I help you?"

"I'm not sure, really. I was actually hoping for some kind of tour. I'm new around here, and I was trying to get a feel for what this city's heroes are like."

"Oh. So you're not actually looking to join us right now?" Robin asked.

"No, unfortunately. No offense, but…I have this thing about…boys. I'm not really comfortable around them." She tilted her head slightly. "You seem alright at a glance, though…"

Robin blinked again. "Well…I could give you a tour, but I'd rather do it when you could meet the whole team…or at least both the girls. You just missed Starfire, and Raven…probably isn't the first of us you want to meet. Besides me, there are two other boys-"

Wonder Girl made a face. "Um…maybe we could reschedule?" she asked, in a way that implied that she would most definitely NOT come back ever again.

"Sure," Robin answered with a fake smile. "Fly by whenever you have time."

As she flew off, he decided he would not tell Beast Boy & Cyborg about this. After all, it was just coincidence that she came by around the same time the ad went out, and there was no way she'd join once she met them. If she couldn't even handle regular boys, half-metal and animal boys probably weren't her cup of tea, either.

* * * * *

Normally, Raven would've told herself that it was just because she had nothing else to do at the moment.

Now, though, she had a reasonable and valid excuse: she wanted to spend time with Starfire.

Following her had been terribly simple, as Starfire made no attempts to mask her emotions. At any rate, Raven was far too familiar with the alien girl's thought patterns, which generally remained along the lines of "doing what is right and true" and "brightening someone's otherwise only semi-bright day".

How grocery shopping fit into either one of those ideals, Raven wasn't sure. Nevertheless, she found Starfire leaving the store with two large plastic bags. She debated staying out of sight, and then decided she could use helping carry the groceries as an excuse. This was ultimately very silly, as Starfire would never have required an excuse for a friend's presence in the first place (and needed no help at all, considering her alien strength).

But then, Raven was most definitely not Starfire.

Nor was Starfire in any remote way Raven, which was why she did not know of her teammate's presence until Raven touched down in front of her.

"Need any help?" Raven asked, not waiting for an answer as she took what seemed to be the heavier bag.

Starfire blinked in surprise, and then blushed. "…Raven. You were…following me?"

Raven honestly considered lying, but suddenly decided against it. "Yes. You have a problem with that?"

Starfire stared at her for a moment, a puzzled expression on her face. Then, without any sort of warning, Raven was nearly blinded by Starfire's radiant smile. "Now you can help me with my errands!!!"

"You mean like sending a letter to Blackfire in prison?" Raven asked uncertainly.

"Oh, no. I only send messages to my sister once a month. She says any more than that would be unhealthy."

"Then what are we doing?" Raven glanced into her bag. "Hey…I've never seen these TV dinners in the Tower. Where have you been stashing them?"

Starfire smiled at her. "Those dinners are not for us, Raven," she explained.

"Then who-?"

"You will just have to accompany me and find out, won't you?" Starfire asked pleasantly.

Raven stared at her. "And here I thought you couldn't be sneaky."

"I learned from the best," Starfire replied, giving her arm a little squeeze.

* * * * *

In a desperate attempt to meet any and all hot girl applicants personally, Beast Boy had done everything in his power not to leave Titans Tower. This included ordering pizza and sending Cyborg to rent video games.

He was no longer certain who had come up with the idea to invite Thunder & Lightning, and it was no longer important, either. The powerful brothers turned out to be extremely deprived, having never even SEEN a Gamestation. Beast Boy took it upon himself to school them in the fine art of Video Game Butt Whoop. And since Cyborg had managed to get the very last copy of Back o' tha Hand Wrestling III, the learning process was going very well.

Well, sort of.

Thunder & Lightning still had quite a taste for property damage, and very nearly shorted out the Gamestation more than twice. Even the wrestling quickly became boring for them…until Beast Boy grudgingly agreed to only load TLC (tables, ladders and chairs) matches. He had suspected the brothers would excel at that kind of match…and he was right.

Currently, the Beatdown Brothers (Thunder & Lightning) were punishing The Block (Cyborg) and Fuzzinator (Beast Boy) with steel chairs body shots.

Cyborg was seconds away from using the hidden remote in his arm to turn off the TV when he saw it. Frozen and stupefied, he finally managed to nudge Thunder, who dropped his controller at once.

Seeing the opening, Beast Boy executed a complex and presumably impossible combination on his controller, laughing madly as his character leaped up, booted Bobby Beatdown in the chest, and smothered him with a very smelly and hairy armpit. He was just about to leap onto the coffee table and celebrate his restored manhood with a victory dance when he saw it.

Lightning finally realized that everyone had stopped playing, and followed their gaze. He stared for exactly three seconds before the couch exploded in a cloud of white stuffing.

The stuffing was instantly sucked into a miniature cyclone, which deposited it all neatly in a pile on the floor.

"Is this a bad time?" asked the caped young woman as her cyclone died down. "I could come back later…"

The boys instantly shouted down that suggestion, insisting that she stay. But that was all they said.

Eventually, she got tired of them staring at her chest and drooling. "You had BETTER be admiring the shield."

Beast Boy snapped out of it first. "Sorry. It's just…well…DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE?!"

She sighed. "Yes. Obviously, you do, too."

"I can't believe that stupid ad worked," Cyborg muttered. "I can't believe that stupid ad reeled in SUPERGIRL!!!"

Supergirl arched an eyebrow. "What ad?"

"…YES! You owe me ten bucks, BB!" Cyborg cackled triumphantly.

Beast Boy deflated. "You're…not here to try out for the team?"

"Um. No. I'm here because Superman suggested I check on…is he okay?" she asked, pointing at Lightning, who seemed to be trembling uncontrollably.

"He's just really excited," Beast Boy said quickly, before something dawned on him. "Oh, DUDE! Is THAT why you blew up the couch?! GROSS!!!"

Lightning turned red and ran from the room, followed somewhat reluctantly by Thunder, who kept throwing wistful looks over his shoulder.

Supergirl took a deep breath and sighed. "I should've listened to Barbara and just e-mailed," she muttered.

"So you're definitely not here to join," Cyborg said after a moment, still grinning at Beast Boy.

"No. Superman asked me to follow up on Raven's visit; make sure everything was okay with you guys." She hesitated. "Aside from…exploding people, you do seem…okay…I guess."

"Oh, you mean the whole mess with Rob," Cyborg realized. "Yeah, we've been done with that for a while."

"Oh. Good." Supergirl looked extremely relieved. "So I'll just be going…"

"…WAIT!" Beast Boy cried as she turned to leave.

"Yes?"

"My metal friend here is of the opinion that girls can't wrestle. Care to prove him wrong?" he asked, offering her a controller.

"What are you DOING?!" Cyborb hissed.

"Gettin' me a cute new roommate, hopefully," Beast Boy replied under his breath (and forgetting that she could hear every word).

Supergirl glared at Cyborg in a friendly sort of way. "Sounds fun. Loser has to flash the winner?"

Cyborg's jaw dropped. "HEY! I thought you Super-people were supposed to be wholesome!"

Supergirl smirked as she sat down between them on the former couch and current wreck. "Are you saying I don't have to flash you if you win?"

"…don't just sit there, BB! Load a new game! HURRY!"

* * * * *

Raven had been to a prison before. She was bit surprised that Starfire would go to one regularly, alone, and of her own free will. Of course, she had known that Starfire did charity work for some time, but she'd never actually bothered to ask where or what the alien girl did, exactly.

Starfire seemed very pleased about whatever it was, or perhaps she was just happy that Raven was with her.

The guards all recognized Starfire and let her pass with silent nods, though more than a few gave Raven suspicious looks. If it wasn't for Starfire tugging her along by the arm, she was certain one would've questioned her.

They ended up in a small room with three armchairs and a long table. There was sickeningly pleasant elevator music wafting in through speakers in the ceiling, and it took great force of will for Raven not to rip them out at once. Starfire rather enjoyed the music, and even swayed along with it as she motioned for Raven to take out the TV dinners.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Raven asked as she sensed three familiar and unwelcome presences heading towards them.

Perhaps finally realizing that it was nearly impossible to surprise a telepath, Starfire frowned slightly. "Raven, please don't be angry. I thought this would be good for you. It has been for me, at least."

"I'm more annoyed than angry, but I really wish you had told me before we-"

The door on the other side of the room slid open.

Raven forced herself not to attack as Jinx slowly entered the room, followed by Gizmo, Mammoth, and a burly guard. All three HIVE agents wore thick manacles on their wrists and electronic collars around their necks.

The really odd thing was that despite being imprisoned, Jinx actually looked as if she were about to smile. But then she caught sight of Raven, and the smile faded at once, replace by a tense grimace.

One by one, the HIVE kids were released from their restraints and led to the armchairs. Once that was done, the guard gave Starfire a significant look, as if he held her responsible for anything that might happen while the prisoners were free. Then he left the room quickly and locked the door behind him.

"Just do what I do," Starfire whispered to Raven as she picked up two TV dinners and held them out to Jinx.

Somewhat reluctantly, Jinx placed her hands on the dinners. Her hands pulsed briefly with scarlet energy before she drew them away, watching thin curls of steam rise from the boxes.

Raven was a little surprised, as she didn't recall Jinx's energy signature being that color, but said nothing as she watched Starfire place the dinners in front of Jinx and Gizmo. Jinx actually murmured something that might have been her thanks, but Gizmo only glared at his food as if it were poisoned before actually trying it. Raven decided not to say anything as she held her dinners out for Jinx to heat.

Instead of placing them on the boxes, Jinx covered Raven's hands with her own. Their eyes locked as Jinx's hands again pulsed with scarlet energy. Raven felt not heat, but a strong wave of sorrow rush through her body. She gasped quietly when she realized it was coming from Jinx.

~"I have learned true control now."~ Jinx slowly removed her hands, but did not look away.

~"Yes. Impressive,"~ Raven agreed with a small nod.

Jinx blushed with something like pride and lowered her head. ~"Thanks."~

Raven suddenly realized that she had two dinners and only one prisoner to serve, although he was pretty big…

~"The big guy gets two,"~ Jinx added helpfully, able to read Raven's confused expression.

~The best solution is often the obvious one.~ Raven placed both dinners in front of Mammoth, accepting his grunt as thanks.

Starfire beamed as Raven returned to her side. ~"I am very proud of you, Raven. I knew it was a good idea to bring you along."~

~"I don't see why. I haven't really done anything you couldn't."~

~"I can only encourage Jinx with my words. I cannot connect with her thoughts like you can. She appreciates you being here."~

Raven looked thoughtful at that, but remained silent.

* * * * *

Robin was not sure what to think when he came walked into the living room.

The couch was in ruins, Cyborg was muttering angrily to himself in the corner, and Beast Boy was in a heated video game battle with Supergirl. By the looks of it, she was winning.

"Do I…want to know what happened here?"

Supergirl noticed him and managed to wave while STILL kicking Beast Boy's butt. "Hey. I'm just visiting."

"And not here for the ad, right?"

"Nope."

"Didn't think so." Robin shook his head. "What about the couch?"

"Under construction," Beast Boy grumbled.

"I can get you a new one…since…indirectly, I guess it's my fault," Supergirl offered.

"That's…nice of you." Robin blinked. "How did the couch-?"

"You don't want to know," Beast Boy and Supergirl replied firmly.

"…okay." Robin's gaze turned to Cyborg. "What happened to him?"

"Lost a bet. Had to flash the hottie," Beast Boy replied, getting a stiff punch in the shoulder from Supergirl. "Ow, okay! Had to flash the Hottie of Steel!"

"Thank you," Supergirl said sweetly, winking at Robin.

"I take it Cyborg wasn't the only one to lose a bet?" Robin guessed.

"Oh, please. They practically owe me their unborn children as it is."

"And speaking of kids," Beast Boy chuckled, laying his arm across Supergirl's shoulders.

"You don't like that arm much, do you, BB?"

Beast Boy wisely removed his arm. "I was joking, anyway…"

"Sure." Supergirl handed him her controller and stood up. "Well, I've gotta go. Worlds to save and stuff. Who I do I talk to about becoming a reserve member?"

"You…actually DO want to join the team?" Robin asked in pure disbelief.

"Heck yeah! You guys are the only heroes I know with a Gamestation! Plus your `equipment' is rather impressive," she added, aiming a saucy wink at Cyborg.

"…um…yeah. I'll get you the paperwork later," Robin answered slowly.

"Great! I'll be in touch." Supergirl tousled Beast Boy's hair as she headed for the door. "Seeya, Kermit."

"Kermit?" Robin asked when she was gone.

Beast Boy grinned. "The Guru of Green is back, man! I told you the ad would work!"

"But…she wasn't even here for the ad."

"That's not the point! I said the ad would work, and since I put it out, you would NOT believe how many girls called saying they'd never heard ANYTHING about an ad. And plenty of them sounded cute!"

Robin stared at his teammate for a long moment. "The saddest thing is that you're probably right."

"Of course I am. Now help me beat Supergirl's high score so we can gloat when she comes back."

* * * * *

Raven was now of the opinion that Starfire would make an excellent storyteller for young children.

The alien girl had spent three hours "entertaining" the HIVE kids with tales of her home planet. Jinx was the only one that actually seemed interested, however. Mammoth kept nodding off, and while Gizmo pretended not to care, Raven knew he had devised plans for at least ten machines that could blow up Tamaran in his head by the time Starfire was done. She made a mental note to plant a nightmare in his head before she left.

While they waited for the guard to return, Raven noticed that Jinx kept glancing in her direction and then looking away quickly. She almost read the girl's mind, but decided not to. Poking into people's minds without permission was something her father would've done, anyway. The less like him she was, the better off she was.

When the guard finally arrived, the HIVE kids shuffled over and were locked up again.

"Wait!" Jinx said suddenly, just as they were about to lead her away. "I…I need to speak to Raven alone. Please!"

The guard looked to Raven for confirmation.

A little surprised, Raven simply nodded and waited as the other HIVE agents were led out. Starfire squeezed her hand gently before leaving as well.

Jinx looked uncertain as Raven approached her. ~"I…I have a confession to make."~

~"I'm listening,"~ Raven replied.

Jinx closed her eyes and lowered her head. ~"I'm further along with my powers than you know. I've learned to turn them inward…so that I can read minds, like you."~

Raven's eyes widened in surprise. ~"Why are you telling me this?"~

~"I haven't learned to control it yet. I need you teach me how. You must know what it's like, hearing all these voices in your head…"~ Jinx opened her eyes and stared at Raven sadly.

~"I wish you'd said something sooner. It can't be healthy for you, in a place like this."~

Jinx shook her head. ~"This collar they make me wear dulls my powers a bit. I still pick up really strong thoughts, though. None of them are good."~

Raven placed her hand on Jinx's shoulder. ~"I'm sorry. I didn't know."~

~"It's not your fault. We deserve to be here, after what we did to you. But I thought if Starfire could forgive us so easily, maybe you could forgive me, and show me how to turn the voices off…"~

~"I do forgive you. And I will teach you. I'll work something out with the warden before I go."~

Jinx smiled hopefully. ~"Really? You mean it?"~

~"I swear on the Rings of Azar that I will teach you,"~ Raven said solemnly.

Jinx grinned. ~"Wow. I…don't know what those are, but you sound serious enough."~

~"I am. But I have to say…I noticed you kept looking at me. Why?"~

Jinx blushed. ~"I was jealous of you and Starfire. I sensed her love for you the moment I walked into the room, even with the collar on."~

Raven looked slightly embarrassed. ~"Oh. That. Well…she's never been one to hide things."~

~"You will be good to her, won't you?"~ Jinx asked. She didn't realize it, but her eyes added, ~"Like I wanted to be…"~

~"Uh…of course,"~ Raven replied haltingly. ~"But I think our sessions would be more productive if Starfire wasn't there to…distract either of us."~

~"That's fine."~ Jinx took Raven's hands in her own. ~"Thank you, Raven. You don't know what this means to me. Some day, I'm going to use my powers for good, just like you."~

~"I don't know if part-time microwave is good, but it isn't evil. You're off to a decent start, at least. But…I thought your energy used to be pink, not scarlet."~

~"I'm a walking mood ring,"~ Jinx confessed with an embarrassed smile. ~"I wasn't sure how to react to you being here, so I was a little antsy…and, again, jealous."~

~"Then that's the first thing we'll work on: controlling your emotions. That's a big part of being a capable telepath."~

~"Do you think…one day…I could be a Teen Titan, too?"~

Raven frowned. ~"Don't tell me YOU heard about that stupid ad?"~

Jinx blinked slowly. ~"Um…what ad?"~

* * * * *

"So when are Raven & Star getting back?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm not sure," Robin admitted. "Starfire was running some errands, and I think Raven went to meet her."

"If they get back late, can I scold them?" Beast Boy asked eagerly.

"Only if you want to deal with Raven."

"Dude, you take the fun out of everything. I bet they're making out in some dark corner right now."

"Is that all you think about now?'

"No. I think about me accidentally stumbling into their dark-"

"Just stop right there. Please."

Beast Boy was about to say something when the ground began to shake. "YAAAAAH! EARTHQUAKE!!!"

But Robin had been in an earthquake before, and this felt…different. The ground wasn't really shaking, it was more…shifting and rising. And just like that, it stopped. On a whim, he looked out of the window and nearly fell out of it.

Titans Tower was now perched carefully on a raised mound of solid rock that had to be three stories tall. Far below, there was a small figure in brown (that looked more like a ant from that height) waving up at them.

"Beast Boy, I think it's another of your non-applicants."

"Are you sure she's not a hag angry about discrimination?" Beast Boy asked uncertainly.

"Who you callin' a hag, green face?" said the blond-headed, masked face that appeared at the window.

"You're here for the tryout?" Robin asked.

"Yeah. So do I pass your ton test or what, Robbie?"

"Yes, but…wait. You mean…you READ the ad?!"

"Sure did." The young woman pulled out a printout of the ad and handed it to him. "So am I in or what?"

"YES! I WIN!!!" Beast Boy cheered, transforming into a certain famous beagle and dancing rapidly around the room.

"What's he so worked up about?" the girl asked.

"He's just very happy that you're cute," Robin answered seriously.

"Oh. Well, nothin' wrong with that," she replied with a grin. "I'm Terra, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. It's a little early to say this, since we haven't talked particulars yet, but I think I can safely say it. Welcome to the Teen Titans, Terra."

"Groovy." Terra flashed him a bright smile, and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

The left one in particular.

The End.

Yes, it's over. You know how the rest of the story goes, anyway.

Stay tuned…either for "Titans Reborn" or "Will D. Beast"(or "Will of the Beast")…whichever I decided to get off my lazy butt and post first. "Reborn" unfortunately has character death (not Terra, either) and deals with recovering from tragedy, but "Will" is another pet story…sort of.