` mama wears combat boots

[Atra]

Saturday morning. Kids were sitting inside, faces glued to their televisions, perhaps a little drool trickling down from the corners of their mouths. They'd absorb flashing images of violent cartoons, cartoons with little rhyme or reason. Most teenagers were either asleep or somewhere with their friends, no doubt. And adults... work. Which was where Marie - or, Atra, as she preferred to be called when she walked the streets at night - was.

However, legally, she was Marie Jefferson, librarian, resident of Jump City for but a few months. Nineteen, and only a high school diploma to her record. There wasn't much going for a girl like her. Most would be in at least community college, or taking classes online. But Marie didn't care to learn anymore. Her life had suddenly become focused on this sort of... pilgrimage. It was the only word she could think of. Like a medieval criminal, self-redemption was her sole purpose now. She traveled a long distance, and sought to bring goodness to the world. And it felt good to know that she was helping make the world a better place one step at a time. Taking on any disguise in order to aid women in need, she was relentless once she picked a target. Following them, talking to them, offering food and trinkets as displays of friendship. Of course, it was always dangerous to talk to druggies and hookers. If the later had a pimp, she needed a way to defend herself.

So she secretly packed heat. Illegally, in fact, as she had no license and bought it off the street off a sleezeball of a man. Oh, sure, the idea of actually shooting someone was appalling, and Marie knew she could get in trouble. But sometimes one had to bluff in order to keep themselves safe. After all, the underbelly of Jump City was hostile, as hazardous as any war zone. They, the pimps, hustlers, dealers, the evil of this city, were the enemy. And Marie viewed herself, perhaps in a deluded sort of way, as a soldier. And failure was not an option. People died every day in this stinking town. And neither Marie or her alter-ego Atra desired to see another woman crushed beneath it's ever-turning cogs.

Sighing as wandered the shelves of the Jump City Library, Marie carefully restored each book to it's proper place as she wheeled a cart of returned novels. Mentally, she noted each one that she'd read. And, of course, she'd flipped through quite a few. There were often slow days at the library. People didn't really read much anymore. It just wasn't a common pass time, when one could have television, video games, computers... how could some piddly binding and pages compete? Marie cherished books rather a lot, though. She'd been a slightly above average student, and only read every so often. But these days, she'd found that reading was a fantastic escapist measure. She could lose herself in the improbable and unimaginable. Sometimes, she could even imagine herself as a heroine, saving the day, or even the world.

One a whimsical occasion, she could even pick up a romance novel. Although, she never let anyone see her reading it, and those occasions were entirely rare. After all, as someone who rather detested men, actual relationships were non-existent. But men in books were... fictional. They were always portrayed as the white knight, if they were a romantic interest. And that was okay, because it was just a dream. Not real life.

Needless to say, she'd never finished a trashy novel.

Wheeling the cart back to the front when she was done, she scanned the faces that were there. Not too many. Perhaps ten or so people, most of them using the free internet access. Hmph.

Marie tugged a pencil from behind her ear as she settled behind the check-out counter and began examining some books that were reported to be damaged. Checking them through, she scribbled out any noted problems, pasting them on the books to be checked through by her superior and sufficiently replaced. Her shortly cropped hair fell over the pencil as she pushed it back behind her ear. Part of her transformation had been to chop off all her hair, leaving her curls only half an inch long. They'd grown a bit longer in the past month, but were still boyishly short.

Perhaps Marie was cute in a tomboyish way, what with her soft face and small nose, but her eyes were hard set, as hawkish as any veteran guardian of the library, and her lips were thick and usually sternly set. She wasn't that skinny either. In fact, overweight was the official verdict of the scale.

But what did it matter when she could change herself on a thought? Her true appearance meant nothing, and honestly, she was saved from usual self-esteem problems by her ability to simply think herself into a new face, a new body, a new identity.

Lucky ducky.

[Robin]

Saturdays had to the worst day of the week for a crime fighter. There was always some kid wandering off from the yard, some sort of teenage delinquency in the form of parties which could result in drunken teens wandering the streets or driving intoxicated causing unnecessary car crashes, and the occasional bored thief robbing a store just for the hell of it. It was a real putdown for a perfect Saturday; however, the one good part of this was that in the morning stuff hardly happened aside for a few small occasions. This was the reason Robin – leader of the Teen Titans - had decided to get away from the confines of the tower and make his way towards the library for a relaxing research session and a good read. It was rare to see him walk through the city so calmly without chasing a villain or racing across rooftops and vanishing into the shadows; in fact, some people had even casted a few stares and looked about as if checking for his other teammates only to scratch their heads confused and continue about their business.

So why was the leader of the titans, who had access to millions of files on the computer, heading to the library when he could have just booted up a supercomputer and got the information that way? Honestly, even though a computer was nice, nothing could beat the relaxing feel of settling down in a chair with a book in Robin’s opinion. Besides, when you spend so much time on computers and using digital screens all the time then you would also want a break from the screen lights.

Robin wasn’t much of a people person even though his alternate ego – Dick Grayson – grew up in a circus and also attending Wayne Charity Balls. It was almost a Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of difference that had helped him keep his identity a secret for so long. A smile tugged onto his lips as he pulled the library door open and winced as he heard some kid shout the words ‘Look mommy! It’s Robin!’ This, in itself, caused a bunch of heads to snap up from their books and hushed whispers to fill the room. He really should have changed into civilian attire, he supposed. Running a hand through his hair and smiling towards the child in a respectful manner before rolling his eyes under his mask and making his way across the floor towards the checkout counter. An elderly librarian had been holding a book for him and he wanted to see if they still had it reserved for him so he could read it. Actually it would have been nice to see the old woman again since she always talked to him then blabbed to him about her life and kids until he would make an excuse and slip away.

As he approached the counter though he noticed that the woman wasn’t there and another librarian was. It didn’t surprise him since he hardly came here these days and with the way the economy was he wouldn’t of been shocked if his elderly ‘friend’ had been booted out or switched hours. Stopping in front of the counter and glancing at the new girl – she looked like she was around twenty if not a year younger or older – but he still didn’t recognize her. Not wanting to hold the woman up he offered a polite smile even though he kept twitching his eye as he heard someone whisper about why he was standing in the library and not out fighting crime.

“Sorry about the noise.” Robin apologized sincerely as he cast a glance back at the group of people and gave them a stone glare which sent their heads back into their books. Satisfied, he turned back to the librarian and tilted his head while clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “Denise, the other librarian, has been holding a book for me called ‘Principles of Quantum Mechanics’ and I was wondering if it was still here?” He questioned as he fought back the urge to tap his foot since patience was something he lacked – meaning standing in front of a counter waiting for something was one thing he had trouble doing.

[Atra]

The library was relatively still, other than the occasional cough or scuffle of feet. This was enjoyable, as it allowed everyone to get work down without disturbing others. Rolling up to the admin computer, Marie pulled up a page on holds in the library. Some she could just pull off the shelves for here, others she'd have to wait to be shipped. As well, there were a few books requested at other libraries that would have to be mailed over. Writing down the list, she was all set to dive back into the shelves when quite suddenly, what could be called an uproar happened.

The normal quiet was distilled by one shrill voice, and followed by hushed muttering as everyone turned to look at one person. Upon locking her own gaze on him, her already curved eyebrows shot further up. Everyone, of course, knew who he was. Robin, leader of the Teen Titans. One could recognize the geeky outfit and teenaged frame anywhere. Supposed saving the city. Hmph. He didn't know the half of what went on in this dump. He was just a kid.

Then again, she was only two or three years older than him. How much more experience in this world did that really count?

Anyways, the fact he was here had her suspicions raised. Why the hell would he come here, when the Titans were usually handed everything on a platter at their T-Tower? It seemed somewhat questionable to her. And, of course, just the way he carried himself made her upper lip twitch. Why did he come here all dressed up if he wasn't looking for attention? Seeking to disturb the peaceful atmosphere that librarians encouraged in the domain where they reigned supreme.

Her eyes were looked on him, her expression barely readable. Only the slight pursing of her lips betrayed the slight contempt she felt. And then, Mr. Tights approached the counter, coming directly to speak with the current authority. Hmmm... "Well, well. The Boy Wonder. Our personal... celebrity." she said coolly in response to his apology. It really meant nothing to her. If he really didn't want to cause problems, he'd of gone out as whoever he was under the mask. Not that she knew, herself. If it was public knowledge, she didn't really care to know. Either way, there was a certain edge to her voice.

"Ah. I'll look, then," she shortly informed him, turning to her terminal. Lots of clicking happened. In reality, it didn't take nearly as long to look up the holds, especially since she'd already been on the page. Having noticed his impatient manner, she decided it might be amusing to extend his wait - even though she was mildly surprised someone his age would have even the slightest grasp of quantum mechanics. Finally, she decided that she'd drawn it out quite long enough. "Hmm... Well, Robin - " she didn't manage to repress her sneer at how he didn't even bother to say his name, simply assuming she'd know it - "It appears as if your hold expired yesterday." She let a long, delicious pause draw out before continuing. "However... the book is still here, as no one else has requested. So. I suppose I'll be going and getting it."

Swiveling in her chair, without waiting for a reply she rose up and seemed to glide into the backroom , her jeans swishing slightly. This time she only dawdled slightly before returning with the book gripped loosely in hand as she laid it delicately on the counter. "Your library card?" she prompted.

[Robin]

Glad that the previous noise had diminished Robin relaxed himself and rocked calmly on the balls of his feet while glancing at the ceiling lights. The library was such a tranquil place. Such nice people, all the books, the quiet demeanor, the librarian who reminded him of a grumpy grandma – wait, she called him a personal celebrity and it hadn’t been in a good way either.

“Well, aren’t you just a bottle of sunshine?” Robin replied under his breath as he rolled his eyes at her words; however, when he glanced into her face a large bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. If looks could hurt, Robin was sure he’d be on the floor withering in pain from the looks he was getting from his woman. The way she spoke to him was enough for Robin to deduce she didn’t like him and personally he didn’t like her either – even though they had hardly spoken…she was just very slow. Frowning and twitching his lip slightly with his arm crossed, Robin narrowed his eyes slightly as she tapped at the computer. Tempted to ask her to hurry up he tapped his foot faster and drummed his fingers on his upper arm rhythmically. It seems she was doing this deliberately and with each slow tap of her fingers on the keyboard, Robin’s eyebrow and lip twitches faster. When she finally spoke to him again he couldn’t help but notice the sneer and, in turned, returned a small glare of annoyance at her.

“Thanks.” Robin said only to realize she was gone. Sighing he turned away from the counter and tapped his foot while glancing around the room. The smell of the books, the carpet, and even the computers seemed to calm him down as the librarian reemerged with his book. Happy that he could go about his business now he moved to reach for it before she hit him with a question that nearly knocked him off his feet. A library card? None of the other librarians had asked him if he had one and the only one he had on him was his Dick Grayson one – and even that one was back at the tower! Confused he stared at her with a brow arched and mouth open as he tried to figure out what he could do.

“What? A library card? What are you talking about?! I don’t need a library card, though!” Robin then said a bit annoyed as he glanced up at her with a rather peeved look. He just couldn’t believe this! He had been in Jump City for two years and had never been asked to get a library card. “I can’t change into civilian clothing because you’ll remember that book title and recognize me!” He accused her as he tapped his foot a bit angrily as he stood there before letting out an irritated huff and turning away.

“How do you get a library card, Ma’am?” He finally asked as he cracked his neck to face her even though his back was to her. Of course, he made sure to stress the ma’am and make her sound older as he turned his body back to its normal position and placed his hands on the counter annoyed. “Because, you know, I need one.” He snapped as he forced a cracked grin – similar to the one he had given kitten – and tried to not let his impatience take over.

[Atra]

In response to his incredulity, a smile tugged at Marie's lips. She couldn't help but find his shock amusing. A small part of her wanted to laugh right in his face. She leaned forward, placed her chin in her palm and wiggling her eyebrows saucily. However, her expression was more smug than flirtatious. If anything, she was mocking him with a falsely sweet expression.

"I'm afraid that it's true, honey. Maybe others let you slip on the whole card thing, but I don't play favorites, even to heroes." Hohoho, perhaps he should of thought of the whole civilian thing before he came in all dressed up in his best ass-kicking outfit. At first, she thought he might just storm out in a fit and return when his favorite librarian happened to be on shift. Nothing against Denise, but honestly, why was she giving the fellow so many favors? He was technically a glorified vigilante, no better than Atra herself. All he got was more publicity and fame. Meanwhile, she flew under the radar. Not too many people knew her pseudonym.

Still... it rubbed her the wrong way at times that her own work wasn't really acknowledged in comparison to the Teen Titans. But she tended to keep that opinion to herself. Marie wouldn't stand for others to think she was jealous of a bunch of minors.

Unable to suppress her chuckle, Marie's eyes glittered at his forced politeness. It was obvious who had the upper hand, and no petty tricks was going to reverse it. Marie had the power to deny him service, and he was doing his best to be a good little boy in tights. Straightening herself, she toyed with one of her curly hairs while surveying him. "Well, you'll need to fill out a form, and since you're, ah, a teenager, you'd need a guardian's signature. Unless you can validate emancipation, that is." Marie was having too much fun. There wasn't any way for him to provide a guardian signature or proof that he was considered legally an adult without revealing someone's identity. Or, if he could simply bring in one of his older associates, he'd still be denied a library card at this moment.

Just to tease him, she pulled out a form anyways and slipped it before him. "You can take this with you, if you need to." Oh dear, sometimes it was delightful to be mean to men. She liked to think of herself as a caring person, but some people (especially if male) deserved to be knocked down a peg, to be shown that they couldn't always have what they wanted. It was no doubt not going to win her favors, but Marie had never been popular anyways. Even in high school, she'd just been some obscure girl with only a handful of friends who got good grades and kept to herself.

ooc: I just know I'm gonna have a load of fun with Marie's bias against men. x3 The contrast between how she'll treat female Titans to male will be quite amazing.

Also, if you want, you can have Denise the librarian, or just someone else who likes Robin show up and bully Marie into letting him skip the guardian part of the form. xD

[Raven]

[/b] I hope it's all right with you guys if I jump in here with Raven! If not, just let me know—I don't mind waiting a few posts or not joining at all, if you want, heh.

---

It was uniquely vexing how her friends could be so simultaneously hindering and needed.

Raven imagined that the word vexing might as well be stamped across her forehead in that official and blotchy red that government offices seemed so fond of—and it would also be spelled incorrectly, that was to the degree to which she felt so frustrated.

And in her world, incorrect spelling was as heinous a crime as murder.

But gods damn it, she was determined to have a good day to make up for the hell that had been Friday. It had contained not one but two jailbreaks to clean up, an endless amount of paperwork for the amount of property damage they had—unfortunately—had a hand in causing (and one headache-inducing phone call to their overworked attorney), a five-course dinner made by Starfire (from which there was no escape), and a marathon session of Stankball that ended up with her only and therefore favorite teapot being ‘Stanked’… and subsequently laid to rest in pieces in another unlucky dimension by her hands, lest it suffer a worse fate in the presence of Beast Boy and Cyborg. Just as they had become skilled at trying her patience, the two had also gotten particularly good at avoiding her numerous warpaths over the years, and so she was forced to delay her vengeance until she could actually find the damned pair.

No matter. She would get her revenge in due time.

Besides, when Raven put her mind to something, she could—usually—achieve what she wanted. So it was that she woke up especially early that Saturday morning to get in a decent amount of meditation—enough to keep her calm, barring any interaction with her green and robotic teammates—for the day she had planned out.

Provided things stayed predictable, the morning in Jump City would be slow, crime-wise—and if anything happened, it would be small, at best, nothing one or two Titans alone couldn’t solve. That would leave her time to do what she wanted—and give her some much-needed time alone. Her teammates were her family, and she loved them all dearly—yes, even Beast Boy, as averse as she would be to admit it at times—but to ensure her good feelings towards them endured, she absolutely needed a certain amount of time away from them each week. They did everything together: lived together, played together, ate together, fought together.

Three years of that—of constantly being surrounded by other teenagers in such close living quarters—got old fast. It was for her sanity and the uninterrupted continuance of their lifespans that she got to be left alone, every now and again.

For once, she didn’t have a set schedule (despite usually preferring having an agenda in mind). First she would head to the library, then go check out the new co-op grocery she had heard about opening in town (and see if they had any new tea flavors she might like to try), go purchase a new teakettle (perhaps even getting a discount—she had become a familiar face at Target, unfortunately), and then…

Well, if there wasn’t a crime she needed to help out in stopping by then, she supposed she would eat out for lunch. A girl’s digestive system could only handle so much meat, tofu, alien puddings, and pizza, after all, before needing some variety.

She strolled into the Jump City Library just a few minutes after it opened, managing to draw little attention to herself—though the cloak and leotard were usually a pretty good indicator for the people of Jump as to who she was, today they were replaced by her civilian clothes (which constituted jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt in her favorite color). Her plum hair and chakra—other traits that could easily pick her out of a crowd—were covered by the hood drawn over her face.

The Unabomber style was totally coming back into fashion any day now, right?

In any case, she had gotten rather good throughout her life at avoiding attention. Making a home for herself in the shadows, dropping in when least expected, even peering into someone’s awareness—although, granted, that particular ability was gifted to her by her powers more than any human trait.

It had been a long while since she had been to the library… to any library, really. Not since before her friends had found out the prophecy…

What few, nonsensical nerves she had quieted down once she had a good book in her hands; she settled at a quiet corner table, face obscured by one of the thick tomes she had picked out—whose pages were filled with a story that was somewhat reminiscent of Malchior’s tale, but which was entrancing all the same. It was just as Raven was finishing the third chapter and contemplating whether or not she wanted to add this book to the amount she had already decided she wanted to check out—a growing stack towered beside her elbow on the table—that her attention was drawn elsewhere. Amongst the smattering of foreign auras, feelings, and thoughts that surrounded her in the library like an ocean—one that she carefully kept at a figurative arm’s length, lest she inadvertently infringe upon someone’s most basic freedom: privacy—had come the arrival of an all-too-familiar presence.

Robin’s aura was almost as loud to her as his outfit was—it was even a bright red in her mind’s eye—but that was perhaps only because she was so familiar with him… and their bond simply made it all the more easy to pinpoint him with her empathy. What was he doing there, though? Was there trouble? Her communicator was stuffed in her pocket (along with cash and her library card, naturally) and she hadn’t gotten a call… Unless he was here for the same reason she was, which seemed weird. Raven could understand, perhaps better than anyone, why a library and the old books it contained was an attraction, but it didn’t quite seem like her leader’s ‘thing;’ and besides, she thought he was busy working on his latest file on Slade… or whatever. Usually when he was up to his neck with obsession, she had found it was best not to interfere unless he was willing to accept their help, to be drawn away for a break—or unless it put him in harm’s way, such as when he had believed he was chasing after Slade.

Of course, her attempting to aid him had the side effect of creating a one-way mental bond between them, this she was abruptly reminded of as she felt a wave of annoyance that wasn’t her own come over her. Inhaling sharply, she lowered her book just enough to peer over the top of it and halfway across the room to the sight of him speaking with the librarian. She hunched over even more than she already had, straining to hear—it wasn’t terribly difficult, given how quiet the atmosphere of the place was. The librarian had seemed nice enough, although Raven hadn’t really paid any attention to her before this and so nice mostly equaled ‘hadn’t invaded her personal space and/or annoyed her.’ What had her team leader in a pissy mood this time?

“… let you slip on the whole card thing, but I don't play favorites, even to heroes.”

Oh. Huh. Well, that made a little sense… though his mood was rather uncalled for. She still seemed nice enough—and undeserving of those feelings—from what Raven could tell at the moment, anyways.

Maybe it would be best if she stepped in before he could express what he was feeling and take out anger unfairly on an innocent librarian—the keeper of this sacred place, the protector of cherished, treasured books!

… Oh, for goodness’ sakes, she was just a librarian, not the goddamn Batma— Pope. She wasn’t the goddamned Pope—a better metaphor for this situation than Robin’s former mentor was, Raven decided.

Although… if she went over to try and defuse a bomb before it could go off, she was effectively shooting her day to crap just after it had started.

On the other hand… if she didn’t and Robin caused a scene—not a difficult feat to achieve in a library, really—the same thing would probably happen. She’d rather not see her leader and best friend get dragged out by security.

Restraining a sigh, Raven placed her book on top of the small tower of novels she had collected from the shelves and rose from her seat, striding silently across the room. She sidled up reluctantly to her leader’s side, blank gaze moving from librarian to Titan and back again—she didn’t lower her hood, feeling an absurd sense of protection with it on, as if it could save her from any argument she might get entangled in.

“Ah…” Raven paused, awkwardly shoving her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, grasping the laminated card that declared her right to check out books from this library. Her eyes rested on the librarian, her stony expression managing a look that she hoped came somewhat near ‘apologetic’ or at least sympathetic—as if she could say sorry for my friend with just a careful tilt of her mouth and raise of her brow.

Although, perhaps, she considered, she should take Robin aside and get his perspective on things before automatically assuming he was in the wrong.

… Oh, well. She was usually right about these things, Raven justified to herself, so she couldn’t possibly be wrong, this time around—even so, she hesitated to make any accusations just yet. “… Is there a problem?”[/ul][/size][/font]

[Robin]

The smug look on the librarians face had caused Robin’s eyebrows to shoot up quickly. This woman must not have been a big fan of him which wasn’t surprising considering the amount of civilians in Jump City. He wasn’t in it for the fame so being disliked was really nothing new by someone. In fact, it was actually sort of nice to know that there were people who wouldn’t treat him like just a hero even if they were being a bit of a brat. It seemed as if Robin’s annoyance suddenly faded and like a split personality had just happened he actually nodded his head towards the librarian.

Sure, being a hero had its perks. You got a lot of free stuff, got treated like celebrities, got talked about in the paper….

Honestly, though, it was all a hassle. Sure, as a child in the circus he loved the big gathering of people and the way people would clap and cheer him on as he performed stunts without a net with his parents guiding him every step of the way. But, being a hero wasn’t like a circus, it had many downsides such as people trying to guess your identity – fans – news programs – reporters following you – it was just too much at times. In fact, in Robin’s case, it reminded him of the circus. It should be a happy memory, he supposed, but when he would find himself surrounded by reporters he would remember being eight and surrounded by the circus members and reporters covering the Grayson murder. He even remembered at one time a police officer covering him up with a jacket to hide him from the press so they could put him in a limo and take him to Bruce’s home. it was the main reason he avoided the press and when being forced to deal with them and the large crowds – he would focus on something else and rush his way through them in an attempt to just make them stop crowding him.

A few moments ago he had been mad but now something was different – a glad feeling was taking over him and his body relaxed. Why would he suddenly feel so calm when this woman was trying to put him down? No, she didn’t hurt him or say anything mean to him; in fact, she actually made him feel a lot better. It was rare for him to find someone who didn’t like him and that was comforting to know she wasn’t gushing over him and treating him like a celebrity. He actually liked her degrading him and casting smug looks at him – even though he was probably sure she was going to be confused by his rather happy and calm look now.

Immediately a smile broke onto his face at the very minor thought of being treated like just a regular human and gladly took the form with a shrug of the shoulder. “Thank you, it’s about time someone stopped treating me like a hero.” He replied honestly before tapping his finger on the paper in thought. “But to protect my mentor and family, I can’t sign this form.” With that said, he handed the paper back and looked at the book before shrugging his shoulders again. He could easily buy it or read it elsewhere so really there was nothing more that he could do.

With that, Robin would have left had it not been for a sudden icy sensation hitting the front of his brain. It was a normal feeling and without even glancing towards the newcomer he already knew who it was before she spoke. Raven. Robin was normally good at guessing who somebody was by their footsteps and breathing but for Raven it was different considering the bond they shared.

“Ah…Is there a problem?”

It didn’t surprise Robin that Raven had been here the whole time and had sensed his annoyance from earlier. He briefly turned his head and glanced at her – crossing his eyes slightly as he watched Raven give the librarian a rather odd looking ‘sorry for my teammate’ glance that looked worse then his pretend smile. Wow, she was out of uniform, something Robin wasn’t used to seeing. He noticed her hood being up and couldn’t help but smile slightly. It was no secret (for him, anyways) that the other girl wore the hood as a sort of protective barrier. Slowly he fixed his glove and turned himself fully to Raven with an expressionless face. Taking careful note of the way she looked out of uniform he turned his eyes way for a moment to glance at some children running around the kid’s area.

“No, Raven, there isn’t a problem.” Robin replied calmly as he smiled towards her and turned his gaze away from the children. Quietly he shifted and turned his attention back to the kids briefly to make sure they had a parent watching them before smiling as he saw the mother walk over holding a few books for them. He couldn’t help but be protective of children since his parents were taken from his by a stranger – he really didn’t want that happening again. Clicking his tongue in thought he turned his gaze to Raven and offered her a sheepish look. “Sorry, Raven, didn’t mean to disrupt your reading.”

He felt bad for interrupting Raven’s privacy actually, he knew she needed to have time for herself and never tried to crowd her and knowing his aura and annoyance from earlier probably interrupted her from a good book was something Robin wasn’t pleased about. In fact, it was downright embarrassing to know he had pulled her away from something that interested her. “I’ll buy you a new teapot to make up for it,” he decided as he rubbed the back of his head with a visible bead of sweat dripping down his face. “…I think you need one, don’t you? I was looking for it this morning and couldn’t find it to make tea with.”

Remembering the librarian he turned to her for a second and looked at the book for a moment to decide what should be done with it before shrugging his shoulders. “Sorry for making you bring that book out, ma’am, I won’t be having it on hold anymore.” He apologized sincerely before glancing by her and looking around quickly for any other librarian from before. The last thing he needed was Denise rushing in and jumping him in a hug and telling him about her life while calling him sweet thing. Shaking his head to rid himself of the image he quickly moved a few steps back and looked out the library windows towards the parking spot Denise usually used. Good, it was empty, she really wasn’t here today.

….Nothing against Denise, of course, but when your cheeks are squeezed and you’re babbled over then you would also want a break from it. That had to be the main reason he never came here anymore.

ooc: The sad thing is that I might bring in Denise later just to torture Robin and Marie. She’ll probably call Raven ‘gothy’ and torture her also with her old people ways– haha, I don’t know yet.

Mandy, you fit in perfectly with this role play and I’m glad you joined. [:

[Atra]

At that moment, things got a little odd. That is, stranger than Marie thought the famous hero would act. She'd been in some pretty weird situations, and often was dazzled by unnatural powers and even more unnatural personalities. But suddenly, she felt that Robin was honestly thanking her for her snobbish treatment of him. Which was so outlandish, to thank for bad attitude, that she thought at first he was joking. However, he then declined to take the form, and Marie's eyebrows were practically flying into her hairline they were going up so fast. How weird.

She took the paper slowly and replaced it with it's mates. When she raised her head again, yet another hero had appeared. This time, Marie was surprised. Raven's face was memorable, especially with that outlandish hair color, but due to her hood and civilian clothing, she nearly blended in as well as Marie when she was taking one of the many faces of Atra. And she seemed to feel quite bad about Robin's behavior, when really it was just Marie who had the beef. She gave a quick of her mouth before leaning back in her chair. The two appeared to be striking up conversation. After all, they had to be friends as well as colleagues, what with living together up there in that tower.

Once more, Marie felt a flash of envy for the Teen Titans. They had each other to rely on. They didn't realize how good they had it. The lower level vigilantes were not only targets for police arrest, but often they got no recognition and had no one to turn to in their pursuit of justice outside the law. If she had someone she could share her secret with... then maybe she wouldn't feel her burden so badly. If her sister had been alive, it would of been her that Marie turned to for support. Yet she wasn't... and if she had been alive, Marie would still be at college, studying to be a journalist.

When she was addressed once more, she simply gave a curt nod. She felt a need to be a bit more respectable. Mostly because her attitude had not been received as she had anticipated, and partly because she didn't feel the need to drive away Raven, whom was known to lurk in libraries often. The government slipped money in the libraries pocket, but only if it was used. Even if she could vent her anger on the occasional male who strolled up to the counter and looked the type who deserved to be degraded, she didn't want to ruin it too much. And, Raven was a woman. Girls stick together, after all. Better to just nod and maintain face, even if she was now eying Robin warily, unsure if he was for real or just messing with her head.

Grasping the book in hand, she checked the number and the author before breezing out from beside the counter to delve into the shelves. Quickly, she located it's proper place and stowed it away, before returning to her station. "Do you need anything...?" Atra questioned of Raven as she settled once more, peering intently. She meant to say 'miss' or 'Raven'. However, it felt odd to call the girl by her name when they weren't introduced, and even odder to say miss if she already knew the teenager's name. Ah well. Political correctness was always rather complex.

Well, at least she was having some excitement today. Most days were dreadfully dull, unless one enjoyed the books that the library offered. Marie did, of course, but there were times when she would rather be out and about helping others. Still... she had to fill her pockets, else she wouldn't be able to house and feed herself, which she barely managed. Lucky Titans... they had no idea how very blessed they were. She chewed on her cheek and tried not to let her envy show.

One day, perhaps she'd be able to find a better way to fund her nighttime activities.

ooc: This is tiny in comparison to you guy's. x3 Then again, feel free to take the role play away from the library or outside or whatever. Haha... then I won't have to post. >D

[Raven]

[/b] Pff, yours was lovely! Mine was only long because it was kinda an intro, haha. And I’m rambly, anyways. Besides, length =/= quality. : > And yesss, Amanda, I totally root for you to bring Denise in. Make them stay in the library for as long as possible so they can interact with Marie more, hehe. |3

---

It appeared, for all intents and purposes, that Raven had bad timing.

Or her team leader had finally cracked. By the time she joined them he appeared to be—truly felt, even, which meant it wasn’t all for show, as she might’ve assumed otherwise—in better spirits than he had been when his frustration had come indirectly washing over her. Maybe the librarian had begged his forgiveness right before she walked up, or something equally absurd (her mind very nearly reached for the ‘promised him sexual favors’ possibility, but Robin seemed too… honorable? to be cheered up by such a thing)… but it appeared her eyebrows were fighting to camp out on her scalp, so high they were raised, so it was that Raven presumed her own surprise wasn’t wholly gratuitous.

She almost regretted coming over—apparently it had been all for naught, after all. No bomb to defuse, after all—it (or rather, he) had defused on its own.

But she likely would’ve been obligated to offer him a hello even if she hadn’t noticed his irritation, or he would’ve greeted her first, so the result was really no different either way… and at least it was just Robin, she amended, in a more forgiving mood than usual (most likely due to the effects of her meditation still being in its strong early stages); if it had been Starfire or Cyborg or—ha! Fat chance—Beast Boy who had come strolling in, she could be assured that there would be absolutely zero salvaging of her day. Much as she cared for the rest of her friends, they weren’t quite so adept at being respectful of her space, not to mention alone time. The Boy Wonder in question interrupted her from her digressing thoughts.

”No, Raven, there isn’t a problem.”

Well, that much was already obvious to her, yes. Her gaze shifted back to him—and then followed his line of sight to the children’s area as he paused, studying them briefly. She didn’t need to be telepathic to tell what his thoughts were, knowing his past; but he seemed all right, just a little over-vigilant, and she wasn’t about to mention it. Even if he became wracked with sobs—and what a sight that would be—she certainly wouldn’t breathe a word of something so carefully-guarded in public.

Besides, doing so had the potential to unveil his secret identity—and frankly, she found it quite a (ridiculous) feat that no one had done so, yet. How blind were people?

Her eyes returned diligently to his sheepish expression as he continued, apologizing; a brow quirked and she would’ve monotonously dismissed his apology, saying with a mite of exasperation that it was all right, really, what else was to be expected… Until he interrupted her—before she could even open her mouth—with a promise. “I’ll buy you a new teapot to make up for it.”

In a fair, peaceful world, he wouldn’t be paying for a new kettle for her—Beast Boy, and maybe also Cyborg, would, seeing as how it was his/their damn fault. But in a fair, peaceful world, the Teen Titans wouldn’t exist because there would be no need for them, she wouldn’t have the abilities of a demon, and talented acrobats would still be alive to care for their son.

Brushing off such a depressing thought—she was trying to get better about that, since the faux-end of the world and all that—Raven quickly came to find the silver lining in the cloud… or vice versa, considering her preferences. Not paying out of her own pocket for a new teapot would mean more money for her to spend on other things…

…Such as rare books she couldn’t easily find in the public library. Or more tea. Or both.

She might’ve twitched a little with extremely-restrained happiness at the thought.

“Deal,” Raven promptly agreed, and—if one were actively looking for it—there might’ve been a hint of cheer in her normally flat tone.

Just a smidge.

The sorceress was jolted out of it and back to snapping those intangible emotional barriers right where they belonged, however, as another emotion infringed on the barest edges of her mind—something like spite. Envy, she thought absently, and her gaze rolled back to librarian, indulging curiosity, before shrugging it off as she went off to return the book to its proper place. It wasn’t her business—if that feeling had belonged to the woman at all, anyways. There were a few other people closeby who easily could’ve been emoting jealousy for whatever reason.

“Do you need anything…?”

“Oh,” she blinked, rather dumbly, and gave herself a mental swat for allowing her thoughts to get away from her so today. Did she need anything? Well… she hadn’t been planning to check out books just yet, in all truth—there was still a few more she had been looking for, and she wasn’t wholly decided yet on the ones she currently had… but it wasn’t as if the library was going to be shut down forever after she left. She could always come back…

And besides, there was a teapot with her name on it that she was just itching to go purchase, especially now that her funds weren’t going to be drained by it. Maybe she could convince Robin to buy an especially nice one from Pottery Barn… Ooh…

“Ah, yes… I’d like to check out these books, please,” she finally replied, taking out her library card and setting it on the counter; a total of fourteen tomes—a lighter load than usual, for her—came lazily flying through the air. They arranged themselves in an orderly stack beside her card before the filmy black aura that enveloped them dissipated into nothing.

Having telekinesis meant never having to say you were a lazy ass.[/ul][/size][/font]

[Robin]

The librarians face almost made Robin burst into a fit of laughter. Perhaps he should have continued pretending to be mad so the woman would know he wasn’t a bipolar male. A faint smile cracked onto his face briefly before it faded as he glanced back at Raven who agreed to let him buy her a new teapot. Granted, though, he could already tell he’d be heading to the Pottery Barn to get her one; which really didn’t make sense considering it would still end up in another dimension torn into pieces smelling of Beast Boy socks. Who know show many teapots suffered that fate anyways – especially since it seemed everyday she and him were making a trip to the store for teapots.

Robin wasn’t much of a tea fan as much as he was a coffee one. Sure, he enjoyed tea, but he’d never like it as much as Raven did. Though, he had to admit, no one could make tea like Raven did – her tea, aside from Alfred’s, was one of the few he enjoyed. She made it perfect – never leaving it in too long, making the flavor last….well, she made it just right for him. Okay, so he was a tiny bit ‘precise’ when it came to tea, could you blame him though? Having spent most of his life with Alfred (who, by far, made some of the best tea he had ever tasted) could you blame him for being a bit of a brat when it came to tea?

Caffeine was his best friend – bad for your body or not – he couldn’t go a day without a few cups of coffee ranging from light to strong. In fact, the coffeemaker and he were practically lovers, he spent as much time by the coffeemaker as he did with the computer and it was one of the most common places you could spot him. It reminded him that he needed to buy some new coffee also which he mentally chided himself for forgetting – he already missed having his morning cup and if he missed another….well, then he was going to be an extremely cranky little titan.

Snapping out of his thoughts as the array of books floated by him, he couldn’t help but smile a bit. Raven was the book lover of them all so seeing all the books come wasn’t much of a surprise for Robin. Sighing he glanced at her library card briefly and wondered how she got parental permission for it before turning his gaze towards the floor with a sigh. Well, at least he could get out of here soon and spend the day teapot shopping with Raven. Besides, the sooner they got out of here then the sooner they could get the teapot! Ooh, that would leave a lot of time open for trying to find that book he wanted and-

“Why, there’s my sugah!’ A voice suddenly quipped from the backroom breaking Robin’s train of thought and causing his face to fall slightly. The backroom door suddenly opened and the speaker’s owner stood there with a large smile on her face. The woman appeared to be in her late sixties – maybe early seventies, if you were guessing - and looked just like a stereotypical grandma from the south. “How are ya, sugah?” She then asked as she rushed forward quickly and exited from behind the counter so she could wrap her arms tightly around Robin and squeeze him against her front.

“I-I’ve….been….better…..Denise,” Robin gritted his teeth as he stood stiff from the woman’s touch. He wasn’t much for physical contact, after all, and Denise was a rather ‘polite’ old lady. Of course, his elongated pause between words wasn’t his dislike for the touch – though, it was more for the fact she wore so much ladies cologne that he could hardly breathe.

“Ah, sugah, ah bet ya’ been busy not eatin’ enough!” Denise suddenly chided as she shook her finger at him – the bright red finger nail polish glinting in the light as she suddenly twisted her bright red lipstick lips into a frown. Standing up fully – the blue gown with the red dots on it swaying – she walked over to the counter and cast a stone glare at Marie a bit annoyed. “Now, ah hope ya’ don’t expect these children ta use library cards! ‘ey have secret identities an’ whatnot!”

Robin became silent for a moment as he rubbed his temples, Denise was a really nice ol’ gal, but there were times when she could just be a little overbearing. Sighing he walked forward and grabbed her arm, tugging on her long sleeve with a forced smile. “Now, Denise, don’t be so rough! We can get along fine without you causing a scene here.” he reassured as the old lady glanced at Marie a bit annoyed before she frowned and stared at Robin’s hair for a moment. Recognizing that look from the previous time she had been here, Robin quickly let go of her arm and scooted away.

He didn’t scoot away fast enough, though.

A wrinkled hand found his hair and instantly Denise was pulling out her brush and flattening the hair back onto his head. Groaning, Robin stood there for a moment before shooting his hands up and struggling to fix his hair only to get his hands whacked with the brush and Marie shaking her finger at him. Sighing, his face fell and he crossed his arms a bit annoyed like he had just been defeated from a battle.

Denise grinned widely and continued to slick the boy’s hair back before turning her attention to Raven. Gasping she put her hand on her heart and stood there for a moment. “Why, if it ain’t Raven! Ah’ve heard so much about you! Sugah, ya' didn't tell me she was so cute!” She gushed, taking the other girls hand and shaking it enthusiastically before returning herself to working on Robin who kept trying to swipe his hair back to normal. ‘Now, you stop that ya’ little scamp! That hairstyle is for bad boys….ya a good boy, so ya’ need a good hairstyle!” She chided as he whacked his hands again and caused a little ‘ouch’ to escape him. After she was finished, Robin’s hair now resembling the look Mother Mae Eye gave him, she quickly reached behind the counter and grabbed her hairspray – spraying the hairstyle in place and causing an ‘almost’ shriek….actually, it was more like he stood there with the worlds most horrified expression…. to escape Robin.

Finished, Denise turned herself to Raven and glanced at her before fixing her large glasses and gasping loudly. “Ah ain’t going ta’ lie ta’ ya’, child!” She told Raven as she examined her skin worriedly. “Ya’…ya’ need some sun! Ya’ poor child, ya’ really need to get some sunlight and-“ She continued to fret on Raven’s skin by pinching at her and chiding her quickly in a way so fast that Robin could barely understand her…but it was fine, Robin didn’t give a rats ass about Raven right now – only one thing mattered now.

“Oh, my hair!”‘ Robin mumbled to himself as he tugged at his hair in an attempt to fix it only to realize it was stuck in place. Sighing, and fighting back the urge to fall on the floor and throw a tantrum, Robin laid his head down on the checkout counter with a little raincloud exploding over his head causing little drops of rain to fall on him. God, he couldn’t believe how depressing this hair situation was.

“…Now, dear, that’s why ya’ need plenty of sunlight!’ Denise finally finished her tangent before wiping her hands on her dress and seeing Robin and his depressed state. Blinking she rushed over and accusingly glanced at Marie, “Why, what did ya’ do? Ah’ knew ya’ were troublesome! Ah’ bet ya’ bein’ discriminatin’ on these poor heroes!” She yelled out angrily, not even realizing Robin kept muttering repeatedly ‘my precious hair!’ Then again, Denise heard what she wanted to hear and besides – her little ‘sugah’ wouldn’t be upset over something she did….so obviously she was fingering the blame to poor Marie.

If Robin hadn’t been too worried about his hair he probably would have tried to help Marie – but come on, you’d freak out also if your hair was stuck in a very bad phase until your next shower or brush with any type of liquid.

Well, okay, only Robin would get this depressed over his hair. It wasn't his fault he loved his hair so much, sheesh.

[Atra]

ooc: Billy's putting a rain check on this, guys. She's too busy with homeworks to even compete with your awesomeness.

If you wanna start another thread or goad me into continuing, PM me, yes? ;3 I'll try and get on it as soon as I get a day free... which probably won't be until the weekend, because my teachers hate me. Especially my history teacher.