Teen Titans: Twilight of the Gods (IC/Limited Acceptance/S/PG-16)

[Dad]

Everyone was tossing around ideas about the first enemy encounter.  Funny how that works.  You duke it out with someone, and then you try to get their name.  Roxie had made a good point, however.  I mean, who wouldn't take it out their frustration on the Titans if they were rejected from the team?  Well, Alfonso wouldn't because he's so lazy, but these guys?  Or rather, this girl and guy. . .they had made one hell of an impression.  Alfonso hadn't had a chance to check out the second villain, but if one of them could use lightning, what kind of crazy things--

 

"Alfonso."

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Did you notice that?"

 

Alfonso was silent for a moment.  "Notice what, Altiana?"

 

"Everyone else is visibly frustrated.  Either in their facial expressions or their actions.  But Roxie has not reacted in nearly the same manner."

 

Alfonso eyed the bat wielding phenom.  But he couldn't focus on her facial expressions for long.  "Alfie!"

 

"Yeah!  So, uh--w-what did you want me to do about it?"

 

"Talk to her."

 

"What!?  Now is not the time for me to embarrass myse--"

 

"Alfie!  I didn't say romance her.  I said to talk to her.  If she's seriously bothered, you could make a decent first impression by trying to get past that wall.  See what's wrong.  She's keeping something to herself."

 

Alfonso shook his head, visibly.  "You ever think she maybe wants to keep it to herself?  Wouldn't she talk about it if--"

 

Altiana sighed.  "Well, fine.  Have it your way.  You're too scared to talk to the girl, and you don't even care how she feels.  No wonder your head is in the clouds."

 

"That's in accurate statement, and I'm gonna prove you wrong."

 

Alfonso groaned in his head this time.  It was true, that everyone was obviously upset about how their first engagement went down.  Blake had stormed off, and no one bothered to stop him.  That was only fair.  Alfonso was depressed, feeling useless in every manner of the word.  Kiara was rather shocked, the devastation clouding her thoughts.  And Cygnus was obviously not happy with what happened between himself, Roxie, and the vandal that had run away with his limbs still in tact.  Roxie, however, barely muttered a few words other than a suggestion on how to identify their new targets.  She was biting her tongue.  Finally working up the courage, Alfonso swallowed his nervousness and approached Roxie.

 

But things seemed to be going by at an incredibly slow pace.  It was like someone had stopped time for him.  Alfonso began contemplating what to ask Roxie, as he walked towards her over the course of what felt like years.  "  'You okay, Rox?'  No, that's too familiar.  I barely know her.  'What's wrong, Roxie?'  Well that's too general.  A lot is wrong."  Too late to think of anything else.  Alfonso initially stumbled over his words, as he tapped Roxie on the shoulder.  "Something else is bothering you.  What is it?" he managed to get out without choking.  "Hey that wasn't so bad.  Now as long as she doesn't think I'm an idiot, we'll see how this goes."

 

"Ehem.  Confidence?"

 

"Right.  Okay.  Cross your fingers Alti."

 

"Yes, I'll cross my proverbial fingers."

 

"Don't start, you.  Wait, you do have fingers.  What are you--"

 

"Yes, yes.  Now pay attention!"

 

"Rude."

[Hälō]

It seemed like the rest of the Titans agreed that this wasn’t a random act of violence. Roxie listened as to the other’s chatter with a somber expression, her communicator still held up in an attempt to relay what was going on to Blake who had sped off to off to the tower. 

 

"After hitting us with a surprise attack, she proclaimed that she never would have fallen for such an obvious trap. I think it's pretty safe to say that this wasn't just a random string of violence. These two were targeting us. Or at least, targeting our city in hopes that we would show."

 

“So then I say Frenchy had the right idea. We’ll use the tower’s database-thingy, and see if we get any leads… With any luck, we can find these bastards and I’ll get to smash their heads in before my show comes on at 10.” The blonde addressed the group, before turning to face Alfonso, who had approached her from the side.

 

 "Something else is bothering you.  What is it?" 

 

The girl was visibly shocked by the floating lads sudden inquiry. Forcing herself to stop pouting, Roxie did her best to bring herself up into an upright position, showing no signs of the wave of pain branched out from what she now assumed was a few cracked ribs. “hmm? Well I’m of course I’m a tad gutted, Alfy… those nitwits made f***ing Dog’s dinner out of our city, then ran off before I could give them a taste of how we serve justice where I’m from.” Her tone was far more upbeat then earlier, but it was still obvious that talking was beginning to become a labor. 

 

Smiling drearily, the girl placed her arm atop on Alfonso’s shoulder, which was ended up being far more effort then she thought because the obvious height difference between the two.  “Anyway, what's your policy on piggyback rides? Because I don’t think I can be fagged to walk all the way back home…” She mumbled, before yawning loudly and lowering her communicator back down to her utility belt. 

[Ren✧]

---

GM Post: Dealing with Rejection

---

 

Before long the remaining Titans resigned themselves to return to Titans' Tower. The events of the day had left them all exhausted and sore, definitely not in a state where they could help clean up the damage that had been wrought. "Home sweet home." Kiara mused, stepping off the elevator and into the Central Complex. She looked around, noticing that Blake was nowhere to be found. 'Must be in his room.' She thought collapsing on the couch even before Alfonso could lay claim to the resting place. 

 

The Titans had been in the room for just a few minutes when the sound of automated ringing interrupted whatever silent thoughts had been crossing their minds. A message appeared on the main display screen.

 

INCOMING CALL FROM: <Sibyl>.

 

Kiara raised an eyebrow, perplexed on how to handle the situation. "Does anyone know how to answer this thing?" Kiara asked. Fortunately, the solution to the problem revealed itself as soon as Kiara said the word 'answer'. Sibyl's face appeared on the monitor. A mix of emotions, primarily those of worry and relief, etched themselves upon his face as he caught sight of the Titans.

 

"I called as soon as I could," He began to explain, pausing as he did a quick headcount. "Where's Blake?" He asked, a shadow of worry crossing his face.

 

"I think he's in his room. He stormed off after the battle. We haven't seen him since." Kiara reported, standing up from where she had lain on the couch. 

 

"Could one of you go and check? I need you all here so that you can deliver the report on what happened."

 

After someone had gone to retrieve Blake, they all took a seat on the semi-circular couch. "Okay, so I've already reviewed what little footage we were able to pull from the fight, but I want you all to fill me in on your side of things." 

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]

Alright, we're now moving forward. Take this time to fill Sibyl on your perspective on everything that happened. That said, be courteous to your other RP members and do not actually fill Sibyl in on everything let your teammates say something. Be constructive here. Make it so that others can build off of your posts!

[Saiba Aisu]

Cygnus watched as the call connected and Sybil's image appeared on the display screen, his concern for the young heroes etched clearly upon his face. And of course, his reaction was understandable—only their first day on the job, and they had already fall into a trap laid for them by two powerful metavillains, narrowly escaping with their lives. Hardly ideal circumstances, by any definition of the term.

 

Still, he thought to himself with an inner groan, all too aware of the dust and rubble that covered him from head to toe, I really wish he had given me the time to change. I look like a mess!!

 

"As I'm sure you know, we received an alert from the Tower's crisis detection system, warning us that something or someone was on a massive rampage in the downtown part of the city," he began. "When we arrived at the scene, the suspect was gone, so we decided to split into two teams to investigate and cover more ground."

 

He cleared his throat briefly, looking over his shoulder to Roxie, who was equally as filthy as he was.

 

"Blondie here and I decided to take the eastern sector. It seemed deserted at first, so we started working on cleaning up the site, putting out fires... And that's when the suspect attacked us, using some kind of hand-shaped energy constructs. We fought back, of course, but it ended up being a stalemate. I wasn't able to gather too much about him during the fight, except that he really, really wanted us dead. He said as much... And before he left, his partner called him 'Luca.'"

 

Cygnus turned in the direction of Kiara, Alfonso, and Blake, curious to see if they had anything to add. He hadn't had the chance yet to ask them about their encounter with the flying woman clad in green and white, but if her partner in crime was anything to go by, she must have been just as much of a pain to deal with.

[Mr. Hyde]

Blake was interrupted during his sulk session by a call from Sybil.  The alert had been heard from his room, but it took until Kiara came to get him for him to finally get up.  "What's the old geezer want...probably going to tell us about the good ol' days where they caught all of their villains huh?"  Blake walked with Kiara into the main room, where the rest of his fellow titans were.  He looked at all of them, and with a heavy sigh, he apologized.  "Listen, sorry for bolting off like that..." probably the wrong choice of words their Blake, "I was just frustrated as all.  I didn't even stop to think about the city...I guess that's first on my list of learning new things."

 

They all had sat down on the couch in front of the monitor.  Sybil's upper body was shown, and he looked as wrinkly as ever.  "Okay, so I've already reviewed what little footage we were able to pull from the fight, but I want you all to fill me in on your side of things." 

 

Cygnus gave his report, this was the first he had heard of what happened on their end.  A metahuman named or nicknamed Luca.  He was able to match both Cygnus and Roxie, which would've been impressive had Blake seen the full extent of their powers.  Cygnus looked towards the rest, as if to give the floor to the next speaker.  Blake shrugged, he guessed it was his turn for show and tell.  Blake folded his hands together and placed them over his mouth.  He was about to give his report as well.

 

"We didn't fare too well in the western sector either.  Some lady in green got the jump on us while we were trying to save some Aurorans...Aurorians...civilians.  We dished some damage, but she was able to take it, and dish some back as well.  I pulled some cool tricks, but I was hit hard.  My facial scanners have been inconclusive so far as well.  I can't, for the life of me, get a positive I.D. on lightning chick."  His report wasn't detailed, but that was the point.  He had given his take of the situation, now it was time for the others to throw out their crazy theories about wannabe titans or rejected ones for that matter.   

[Ren✧]

Kiara went to retrieve Blake at Sibyl's request before returning to the Central Complex. She then listened to Cygnus' report on what happened to himself and Roxie in their confrontation with Lupa, assumedly a metahuman able to conjure hand-like constructs. He had been the one that they had seen on the video feed tearing up the city. That meant, if nothing else, he was packing some serious brute strength. He could topple entire buildings and crumple cars like they were soda cans.

 

"At first we were primarily we were primarily concerned with aiding civilians," Kiara expanded on Blake's descriptions after the boy-genius had finished concluded. "It wasn't until that I was alerted to a vehicle perched on the edge of a sinkhole that things took a turn for the worse. As soon as I touched the car I was hit with a massive electric shock and Alfonso and Blake followed shortly after that. That's when the lady in green revealed herself. It was pretty obvious she was laying in wait for someone to come and rescue the civilians about to fall into the sinkhole."

 

Sibyl knitted his eyebrows closer together as his expression darkened, obviously troubled by the information he was receiving. Keeping quiet, he motioned for the Titans to continue talking.

 

"I got the surprise on her by jumping from an upper story window of a nearby building while Blake and Alfonso kept her distracted. She still managed to escape though after fooling us by playing dead." Kiara finished, slightly embarrassed that she had let such an obvious farce get the better of her.

[Dad]

Alfonso

 

They had arrived at Titan Tower not long after their rather humiliating confrontation with villains who were now suspected to be Teen Titan rejects.  Sybil showed up over a broadcast for a debrief, taking in information from the Titans in order to get a better understanding on exactly what had gone down.  Cygnus, Blake, and Kiara went into detail on their respective views of either side of the battle--from both the east, and the west--while Sybil listened attentively.  If no one else was going to speak up, Alfonso decided he should try and relay a few things as well.

 

"I'm not sure about casualties, but there's a lot of general chaos.  The streets are destroyed, but I'm kinda clueless as to what these guys were after.  Maybe they were trying to get our attention?  If it's like Roxie guessed, it could be that these two--Lady Lightning and I believe Cygnus said the other ones name was 'Luca'--are Titan rejects, it would make sense for them to just tear stuff up.  But of course we're lacking information right now, and I doubt we can say we know the full extent of what those two are capable of."

 

Alfonso tried his best not to drag things on, but he was sure that if their local villains were simply ripping through the streets, there was likely a deeper motive.

 

The enemy had written a speech now.  Alfonso and the rest of the Titans were left to decipher it and find the purpose behind it.

[Hälō]

Roxie remained silent as each of her fellow teammates said their piece. Though it was slightly assuring that the other group had an equally difficult time with their opponent, the girl still couldn't quite stomach the fact that Luca was able to match both her and Cygnus. 

 

Waiting for Alfonso to finish his statement, Roxie finally decided to speak up. "Luca said that killing us would prove that they had made a mistake..." She paused for a moment in a rare instance of her gathering her thoughts. "I fought the bloke first hand, so I'm gonna go right out and say that him and his friend could have leveled the whole bloody section of the city if they so fancied! If you guys gave anything on them, spill it now so we can take care of these two before they decide to go out for another stroll..."

 

Satisfied that she got her point across, the blonde girl sunk back into the couch grumpily, suddenly painfully aware that she was still covered in ash and debris

[Ren✧]

---

GM Post: Dealing with Rejection

---

 

Sybil listened intently as the newly inducted Titans relayed the information, his eyes growing darker as a storm front of apprehension and worry rolled across his face. Obviously the news he had received from the team wasn't what he wanted to hear. For a moment, the six of them were silent. The Titans waited for Sibyl to say something and Sibyl simply stared at the desk at which he sat.

 

"I had hoped it would never happen..." The senior adviser finally muttered, looking up. Kiara speculatively raised a eyebrow at the statement, but kept quiet. He would reveal what he meant in due time.

 

"You were right to suspect that these two were Teen Titans rejects," Sibyl stated after allowing for another pause to permeate the air. "Their names were Luca Rio and Layla Herrera, or Avatar and Valkyrie, respectively. They were some of our most promising candidates a couple of years ago and were a step away from where you are now." Sibyl let the gravity of that statement sink in for a moment. 

 

"So, then why aren't the plonkers sittin' here then?" Roxie voiced the question that had been in all of their heads, impatient to get on with the explanation that Sibyl was obviously withholding from them.

 

"Well, Luca was always a bit too eager to prove himself, too eager to look good. So much in fact that there were a number of times he endangered a number of civilians and teammates unnecessarily just to make himself look better. Obviously we couldn't have someone like that be a part of a group that was supposed to aid in safeguarding in the world." Sibyl's statement was met with a round of general nods from the group.

 

"And Layla, well she always felt that she was entitled to more than she was deserved. She was a brilliant child, an excellent fighter, and an all around great Titan, but not fit to be a leader. Yet, she demanded to be made a leader. When we denied her that, she became spiteful and vengeful towards her teammates. Obviously those feelings have only grown in the years that have passed."

 

"But, why us? Why did they attack now? You said that they were a part of the program several years ago, so why did they make their move now?" Kiara wondered. 

 

"Well, I was the one that made the final decision to reject them. Perhaps now that I have my first team since I rejected them, they felt it was time to make their feelings known." Sibyl postulated, spreading his hands out to show that he was only guessing. "Whatever the case, it's truly a miracle that you all escaped unscathed. Both of them were trained by the League's best and by the looks of it have only gotten more powerful." He said, hoping he could assuage some of their disappointment and shame at having their first targets escape. "Something tells me, you'll see them again." Sybil said ominously, his eyes flashing a luminous shade of purple for the briefest of moments. 

 

"I suggest that you all get a good night's rest. You never know when the next emergency is going to come up." And with that, Sibyl's image blinked out.

 

 

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]

This marks the end of our first mission! Yay! I know it may not have been everything that you all may have envisioned, but hopefully you were able to enjoy it to some extent! Go ahead and post having your character react to this information and do whatever before Saiba gets us started with this next mission( which is gonna be super fun!) 

 

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: "Bubbly"

---

After the calamity of their first mission, the next week passed more or less uneventfully for the Teen Titans. Although their encounter with Avatar and Valkyrie had shaken the young heroes deeply, their commitment to fighting crime remained strong. In the space of that week, the Titans took the opportunity to familiarize themselves with their new home, as well as each other. At Sybil's suggestion, they even participated in a handful of group bonding activities and scheduled a few team practices. As a result, relations between most of the teammates improved, at least to the point where they could tolerate each other; nevertheless, it was clear that they were still a long way from working together flawlessly.

 

For that short week, the atmosphere in Titans Tower was peaceful and quiet—perhaps a little too quiet. So naturally, it was a relief when the Tower's lights and sirens began to flash and sound, indicating the arrival of a new mission.

 

INCOMING FILE TRANSMISSION FROM: <Sibyl>.

 

"Looks like Sibyl's too busy to play babysitter this time around," Cygnus observed dryly, crossing his arms as the other Titans assembled behind him in the Central Complex. The young heroes watched together as the computer downloaded the file; moments later, a lengthy report appeared on the interface display, with a handful of images scattered here and there, depicting what appeared to be the northwestern area of Aurora City, as well as the interior of a chemistry lab.

 

[spoiler=New Assignment]

In the past few weeks, police intelligence reports have confirmed the emergence of a dangerous new drug in Aurora City's underground party scene, potentially associated with a series of recent disappearances. The drug trade in and of itself isn't new—on the contrary, it's a staple of many clubs that cater to adolescents and young adults, and it's been causing the city's police force all kinds of problems for decades. But this drug's potency is on a completely different scale. Known as "Bubbly" for the vivid pink bubbles it emits when mixed with alcoholic drinks, preliminary analyses indicate that is an extremely addictive Class XX substance with hallucinogenic properties, as well as a complex chemical enzyme that provides an intense artificial high by temporarily deadening the brain's negative emotion and pain receptors. Additional tests reveal severe damage to the frontal lobe as a result of repeated use, suggesting that the drug may impair the user's short-term memory and destroy their sense of individuality. As previously mentioned, the drug's aggressiveness is worlds above anything the police have seen until now: as few as two or three uses are enough for its effects to begin manifesting, regardless of dosage.

 

By cooperating with Aurora City's police forces, the Justice League has managed to track shipment patterns of "Bubbly" and isolate the headquarters of its primary dealers to Club 0XYGEN, a popular nighttime youth venue located in the city's northwestern sector. A strict age limit of 16 - 22 and dress code is enforced by the venue's private security. Your assignment is simple: covertly infiltrate Club 0XYGEN and identify the ringleaders behind "Bubbly". If possible, capture them and cripple the narcotics operation. Proceed with extreme caution and use your abilities with discretion, as civilian casualties are likely in the event of violent confrontation.

 

"Well this certainly makes for a change of pace," Cygnus said, raising an eyebrow as he finished reading through the report. "Looks like Sybil wants us to go clubbing and blend in..."

 

Who am I kidding though, he thought to himself, looking over his shoulder at the rest of his teammates. Alfonso suffers from alien multiple personality disorder, Blake likes to play Transformers with his little suit, and Roxie never lets go of that goddamned bat... We're doomed.

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]

Alright guys, this post officially marks the start of our second mission, "Bubbly!" Yay, super exciting~! ♡ As you can see, this mission will be much more structured than the first. In order to complete the assignment successfully, our heroes will have to use every ounce of their stealth and cunning—brute force alone won't do the trick. Feel free to have your characters react to these new developments, or maybe even include a brief flashback describing how they spent the week following the first mission. Once everything's squared away, I'll proceed with the next GM Post.

[Mr. Hyde]

It had been quite the past week for Blake and his fellow Titans.  After learning that the people after their heads had previously been Titan rejects, Blake was saddened to hear that two potential teammates had fallen so far into the darkness.  Would that have been him had he not been accepted either?  The thought stuck to the back of his mind, but he knew the answer was clear.  Of course not, he would help the world no matter if he was apart of a team or not.  A freelance hero.  Since that wasn't the case, he would continue to be apart of this team, his new team.  The word made him smile, he wasn't alone in his corporate office, or in the lab all the time.  He was now part of something bigger than himself, and almost as big as his ego.

 

He had spent the whole week tinkering, and making designs for a new suit.  A suit that would surely bring this so called "Valkyrie" and "Avatar" to their knees.  It would take more time, but hopefully Sybil was right when that date would come later.  

 

---

 

The day had come where the team was given a new assignment.  The Titans gathered into the main room and waited nervously for the files to download.  "We won't fail this time Sybil...I promise you that."  The report detailed a new drug that had appeared on the Aurora City scene.  "Bubbly" was the name of drug that was being distributed amongst the youth of the town.  "Drugs...they make me sick to my stomach.  Who needs to be impaired when science is just as fun."  Of course Blake had been to his fair share of soiree's, but they were usually just business related.  Teen clubs weren't usually to his tastes.  He looked down on most of his generation anyways, the others that used drugs and became criminals were the bottom of the barrel to him.

 

Their target was now a suspected "Bubbly" dealer located in the happeningest place in Aurora, club 0XYGEN.  Blake hadn't heard of it up until this point, which was understandable.  He kept to himself this past week, save for a couple of interactions with the others.  They had mainly asked if he was okay, since he had stormed off in such a heat after their last mission.  He assured them that it would never happen again, and if he was bored at the time, he would hang out with the other to show that he was alright.

 

"Looks like Sybil wants us to go clubbing and blend in..." Cygnus chirped.  Blake smiled, he was the one to talk about blending in that bird brain.

 

"I'll be sure to wear my finest suit.  You and Alfonso could probably borrow one of mine...but you're going to have to have a major bird bath before doing so.  These suits are expensive!"  

[Saiba Aisu]

"I'll be sure to wear my finest suit. You and Alfonso could probably borrow one of mine...but you're going to have to have a major bird bath before doing so. These suits are expensive!"

 

"A... suit?" Cygnus repeated, trying hard not to burst out laughing at Blake's comment. "To... a hardcore scene nightclub? No thanks. I already have the perfect outfit in mind."

 

He smiled faintly and took out his Titan Communicator, generating an online search and pulling up Club 0XYGEN's official website. In spite of himself, he was actually looking forward to this mission, which seemed to promise something more than the usual hacking and smashing. Beating up baddies was fine and good, but personally, Cygnus preferred assignments that called for a little bit more tact. Over the past three centuries, he had had all kinds of jobs: teacher, translator, soldier, and even a brief stint working as spy for the Allied Forces in Vichy France during the second World War. But by far the most unusual had been his time working as a dancer in one of Paris' top nightclubs during the late 2090s, just a few years before the Justice League had taken him in.

 

I guess it's time to see whether or not I've still got it, he thought to himself, scrolling down the site. After all, how much could nightclubs have possibly changed in 25 years?

 

"It looks like there's a weekend event scheduled to start tonight," he said, turning the device towards his teammates, which displayed a looping animation of a crowd of silhouettes dancing in the midst of a colorful cloud. "PINK MIST. It starts at midnight. It's almost seven now, so that gives us five hours. How about we meet back here at 10? That way, we'll have time to make sure everyone's dressed... appropriately. Sound good? See you then!"

 

Taking his teammates' agreement for granted, the white-haired boy turned on his heel and strode past them, down the hallway that led to the boy's rooms.

[Dad]

"Appropriately?  What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"Cygnus assumes your fashion sense does not favor the upcoming mission, and could blow your cover."

 

"It's not hard to dress for a night club.  I've been once or twice.  So let's get this over with."

 

His inner tone and outer expression had notably changed.  Alfonso seemed agitated, or perhaps even belligerent.  "Alfonso?  What's the matter?"  

 

And on cue, Alfonso began going over the new assignment in his head.  "Drugs.  That's what's wrong."  Altiana was confused.  From her extensive stay with Alfonso, she had very little reason to suspect he had an issue with drugs.  No one usually liked them--save for the high or the rush--but why was Alfonso having such a sudden disgust with this mission?  Altiana decided she would chance it, and pushed into his thoughts further.   But there was a wall preventing her from accessing older memories before her time with Alfonso.  There were bits and pieces that were unsecured in Alfonso's mind, but he was clearly intolerant towards drugs.  She would have to find a way to keep him calm for this mission.  "Alfonso.  You're going to have to explain in more detail if you really want me to be he--"  "I don't want any help, Altiana.  What I want, is for the Titans to catch this scumbag who's distributing harmful garbage to our city.  The sooner, the better."  Alfonso snapped just at the mention of narcotics, but he had to keep his cool.  He couldn't go storming into the club looking to pick a fight.  

 

He took a deep breath, and apologized to Altiana.  "I'm sorry.  There's somethings I don't really wanna discuss right now, but I'll be able to better explain after we take down our target."  Altiana gave a mental sigh, giving in to Alfonso's wishes.  "Very well.  There's a rather intense mental block on your past and you obviously don't want to remember it.  I'll work with you, and focus on keeping you calm so that your mission can be a success.  How's that?" Altiana said, rather submissively.  

 

"Thanks for understanding, Altiana.  I promise, I'll make it up to you when this is over."

 

"Don't worry about me.  Go on and get dressed.  Cygnus wants to meet back here at approximately ten o'clock."

 

"He does?" Alfonso inquired.

 

"Yes.  Your mind was rather. . .off track, so I took the liberty of recalling things you may have missed while you were out of sorts with the mission."

 

Alfonso chuckled softly, as the tension on his face seemed to fade slowly.  "Couldn't do it without you, Altiana."

 

The spirit smiled, nodding to him in his mind.  "I've already determined that, Alfonso."

 

 

"So, what are you thinking?"

 

"Well, I've got a few ideas," Alfonso said taking some things from his wardrobe.  "I was thinking, I don't wanna go as Mr. Corporate.  It's a nightclub.  So, something relaxed but appropriate."

 

He laid out three tops, and two pairs of jeans, and a pair of slacks.  

 

"Hmm.  I don't care for the ones on your far right."

 

"Yeah, slacks are okay, but I'm not on a date."  Alfonso put the slacks back in his closet.  "So, one blue pair, and one black pair, yeah?  They both go with just about anything.  How 'bout shirts?"

 

"Well, that makes sense.  I actually quite like the one buttons."

 

"That's a polo.  I'm with you on that.  It's one of my favorite shirts.  I don't wear it much though."  Alfonso slid the striped polo shirt backwards as a sign of keeping it.  "Wanna narrow down the last two?  I'm kinda liking this one," he said pointing to a collared Aurora Graffiti shirt.  "I think it would go great with either pair of jeans."  Altiana nodded again in his head.  "I'm not sure I like it over the--polo did you call it?--but it works."

 

"So we'll put this one back then," Alfonso said putting the third shirt away.  "So, let's decide which shirt with which jeans and which set we're gonna put on."

 

"Hmm.  I rather like the polo and blue jeans."

 

"Yeah?  I think so too.  But what shoes to--"

 

"Your blue ones."

 

"The Kine's?"

 

"Yes, the ones with the reversed check mark!  I rather like those."

 

"Hmm.  Alright then.  Only a few finishing touches."  In a closed black suede box with a gold lock, Alfonso drew a watch from it, and laid it out beside the chosen garments.  "Is that your father's?" Altiana asked, regarding the gold and black watch.  "It was.  But he never wore it.  Gave it to me when I told him I was gonna take the Titan's offer."

 

"You should wear it more often," Altiana said with a smile.

 

"Yeah.  Probably.  It keeps more than time," Alfonso joked.  "Speaking of which, what time is--nine twenty!?  Crap!"  Alfonso quickly scrambled to the bathroom to take a shower, and rushed back to get dressed.  As he was putting on his shoes, the watch on his wrist caught his eye as it marked nine fifty.  "Ten minutes to spare.  Sheesh.  Oh.  One more thing."  Snatching a bit of cologne from his personal hygiene things, Alfonso sprayed two small portions on either of his wrists, and a dab on his collar.  "Never too much.  An old friend told me about that."

 

"Is that--"

 

"Alright.  Let's do it."

 

Stepping out into the hall, Alfonso made his way back to the conference room to wait for or meet the others before they left for the evening.

[Hälō]

"Frenchy play nice!" Roxie called over her shoulder, as she sprang from the couch and made a wild dash towards her own room. Needless to say, the girl excited; it had been months since she had gotten to attend any real parties, and even if she was going to be on the job, she'd be damned if she was going to use this opportunity to have some fun. 

 

Upon arriving in her quarters, the former knight instantly began peeling off the sweatpants and band T-shirt she had been lounging around in, and proceeded to dive headfirst into her walk-in closet. In an instant, a torrent of clothes, shoes , and accessories were sent flying out into the center of the room, followed by a series of grunts and feral roars. "NO! NO! NO! Not tight enough..." Her voice could be heard from the hallway as she went through the grueling process of deciding what outfit she would be wearing. "Oh, that could wor- DAMMIT WHOS BLOOD IS THIS?!"

 

After an hour, Roxie final emerged from her closet with an outfit in hand and a smile on her face. Tossing the clothes on her bed, the blonde dragged her baseball bat lazily on the ground as she made her way into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. Humming cheerly tune, Roxie proceeded to soak and clean herself under the water for another thirty minutes before rinsing  her and with the apple scented conditioner that she favored when she went out. "Shite!" She suddenly groaned as she stepped out of the shower and caught a glimpse of herself in the the mirror. Glancing up and down at herself a few times, her gaze kept falling on her bat... "Something tells me that they wont be to keen on you, Arondite." She whispered to the weapon as she held it out towards her reflection. Bitting her lip in contemplation, the girl held this position for quite a while before suddenly jumping up in excitement. "But that's easily remedied..." She said with a mischievous grin before grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her still dripping wet body. 

 

"BLAAAAAAKKEEEEE!" Roxie's voice filled the tower as she dashed through it's halls towards the boy's side. Blake would then have only mere seconds to react before his door swung up to reveal still dripping wet Roxie. Not bothered at all be her indecency, the girl held her towel up with he left hand while thrusting her beloved weapon towards the boy with her right. "I need to use your techy fix'it thingies to make Arondite look more rave friendly!" She flashed one of her infectious smiles as she looked at the boy pleadingly. "She's made of Depleted Promethium if that matters... I'll be back to pick her up in a few, love. Thanks~" Without bothering to wait for a response, the girl placed the bat into her teammate's arms before darting out of his room; leaving a large puddle of water and the surprisingly heavy weapon as the only proof that she was even there. 

 

 

After another hour of preparations, Roxie was the last titan to step out of her room and join the others in the living room. Her final outfit consisted of crop top that revealed her bar midriff, a pair of denim shorts that were just short enough to leave little to the imagination, and finally a small wristlet filled with her spider-bombs as well as a few other club essentials. She then completed this ensemble with a pair of  jet black thigh high socks, and matching boots that seemed to make her  much taller then usual. Noticing Alfonso first out of the rest of the group, she couldn't help but comment on the boy's drastic change in appearance. "Aw, well don't you clean up nice!" 

[Ren✧]

In the week following their confrontation with Valkyrie and Avatar, when Kiara wasn't spending time with the other Titans, she was making her way through the destroyed parts of Aurora City and doing her best to help with the clean up efforts. Early mornings, busy days, and long nights had Kiara collapsing into her bed every night with a relieved sigh as she immediately drifted off to dreamland. Helping with the recovery efforts was her way of dealing with the team's failure, as it was. Blake had obviously thrown himself into some kind of project. She had seen him tinkering on something. She, on the other hand, was just trying to fix the damages that they were partly responsible for.

 

Having returned to Titans' Tower after her shift at one of the makeshift homeless shelters, which had been even more understaffed in the wake of the incident, Kiara had intended to grab a quick shower and a bite to eat before returning to the city to help in the citizen-led missing person search teams. She was instead interrupted when the group received a new assignment from Sybil. Taking a few moments to study the brief video images the case file contained, Kiara shivered. The effects of this drug were unreal, to say the least. Watching it began to remind her of how surreal it had felt the first time she had gone out on assignment as a part of the Night Sisters, the first time she had witnessed the destruction a seemingly innocent body was capable of. 

 

===

 

Perched upon the scaffolding in the unfinished construction site, Kiara...or rather, Eris, tried to look at the two women that waited silently on her left. Not wanting to give any indication that she was feeling any apprehension or unease, she couldn't turn her and the folds of her cloak obscured most of her vision, but from what she could tell they were completely at ease in what they were about to do.

 

"Remember, sisters, dispatch the targets quickly and then return to headquarters."

 

The voice of the girls' training officer sounded in the comm-links in their ears. The other two initiates simply nodded at the reiterated instructions, but Eris...no, Kiara couldn't help herself.

 

"Why are we doing this again?" 

 

Immediately the other two operatives whipped around to stare at her with disdain. They had been conditioned not to question the authority of their superiors. "It is not your place to know or ask why, Sister Eris. Complete the mission or there will be consequences to pay." The transmission in the comm-link cut out, signalling the end of the conversation.

 

Before long, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Their targets were approaching. A woman dressed in an elegant black dress and a string of pearls held the hand of a young boy, who couldn't have been more than eight or nine, as she laughed fitfully at a joke that the well-dressed man beside her had just told.

 

"Oh, Henry, you know as good of a comedian as you are, I don't think you're much of a navigator?" The woman observed, gesturing towards the deserted alleyway they found themselves in.

 

"Nonsense, Martha. This is just a short cut to the car. You, me, and little Hal here will be home before you know it." He explained. Kiara bit her lip as guilt and worry began to gnaw at her insides knowing what was about to happen to these people. 

 

"Engage." Kiara wasn't sure who gave the order, but her two Sisters immediately flew into action, pouncing on the man and woman. It was a matter of seconds before it was all over. A kick to the knees, a palm-strike to the jaw, and then a quick twist of the neck. It was all over. Two lives lost. Mercilessly and violently slaughtered.

 

Her two sisters began to advance on the boy who had run around the corner. Kiara refused to watch any longer. Jumping in front of them, she held out her hand. "I will handle the child." She wasn't sure whether it was her commanding tone or desperate gleam in her eye, but for whatever reason her sisters obliged her.

 

Stepping around the corner, Kiara hadn't taken more than a half dozen steps when she was nearly struck by a broken piece of lumber. Catching the weapon on account of trained reflexes, she looked to see her attacker was the last of their targets. Tears of fright, rage, and sorrow streamed down the boy's face. "Scream," Kiara commanded, and he did.

 

Clapping a hand over his mouth, his scream became muffled before enjoy drawing silent. Kiara brought a finger up to her lip. "Now, run and make sure they never find you."

 

Her efforts would all be for nothing. They would find the boy in the matter of a week, they would kill him, and Kiara would receive 16 hours of correctional shock therapy as consequence.

 

===

 

"It looks like there's a weekend event scheduled to start tonight," he said, turning the device towards his teammates, which displayed a looping animation of a crowd of silhouettes dancing in the midst of a colorful cloud. "PINK MIST. It starts at midnight. It's almost seven now, so that gives us five hours. How about we meet back here at 10? That way, we'll have time to make sure everyone's dressed... appropriately. Sound good? See you then!"

 

At Cygnus' instructions, Kiara gave a deft nod and attempt to plaster a smile back on her face, although it was one that didn't quite reach her eyes. Returning to her room, she began to shuffle through her closet when she came to the realization she had never been to a party. The Night Sisters had taken her at the age of 12, and she'd only had a few months to get accustomed to life outside of their control, there was a whole lot of time to go to ragers. Thus, she had nothing to wear.

 

"Looks like I'm going back into town anyway."

 

---Approximately, thirty minutes later---

 

Kiara stepped through a slightly damaged storefront. As a whole, it had fared better than most in this district. Suffering only a fist sized hole on the east wall and a shattered front store window, which Kiara had helped board up a couple days prior, the store had actually managed to get back on its feet yesterday. Of course, there weren't many customers looking to shop at the moment. 

 

Immediately as she walked through the door, heavy metal rock music seemed to vibrate through her body and shake the inside of the store. The walls of the store were covered in hand-drawn chalk portraits that Kiara had learned had been done by one of co-owners of the shop, Cynthia, though she preferred to be called Sin. Consequentially, said co-owner was manning the register now and was the only other one in the store. Covered in head to toe in tattoos in of her own, Sin had liked Kiara immediately upon meeting her and being only a couple of years older had immediately struck up a friendship.

 

"Is that a Teen Titan in my shop?" Sin asked, stepping out from behind the counter. 

 

"Hey, Sin, I need a favor." Explaining part of the situation, as much as she could without risking the confidentiality of the assignment, Kiara filled Sin in on what she needed. Upon finishing, a devilish smile broke out across Sin's face.

 

"I have just what you need." 

 

---9:45 PM---

 

Having finished her shopping, Kiara returned to Titans' Tower just in the nick of time. Walking out of the elevator and into the Central Complex, her smile was even giddier than usual as she flaunted her new outfit. Dressed in a tight, pink skirt that came down to her midthigh, and donning a strapless top that left her upper chest and shoulders exposed, it was safe to say that Kiara had never felt sexier in her life. Accentuating her style, she had on a necklace embedded with what appeared to be large amethysts and a matching bracelet. In her hand she carried a matching wallet to complete the outfit, although she found it to be a bit ridiculous considering it was completely empty. 

 

"Is everyone ready to go?"

[Mr. Hyde]

"It looks like there's a weekend event scheduled to start tonight, PINK MIST. It starts at midnight. It's almost seven now, so that gives us five hours. How about we meet back here at 10? That way, we'll have time to make sure everyone's dressed... appropriately. Sound good? See you then!"

 

Blake nodded, and silently retired to his room.  Nobody had taken his offer for a suit, which in hindsight made more sense to him.  This was a rave after all, and he wasn't too keen on the hardcore side of parties.  He had mostly skipped that part of his life before he was even legally there.  He took off his scar covering and looked at himself in the mirror.  How was he going to dress for this thing if all he had were casual clothes, or suits?  Blake took one of his less expensive suits and layed it out on his floating bed.  He eyed it, scanning for fashion possibilities and comparing them to search results from the internet, anything that correlated with "rave fashion".  All of it was frighteningly strange to him, why were people so fond of pacifiers at these events.  No matter, Blake had a plan.  He began to undress when a loud yell could be heard emanating from the other side of the hallway.  

 

"BLAAAAAAKKEEEEE!" the voice filled the halls of Titan's Tower.  The next thing he knew, his door had been opened and a dripping mess of a girl stood in the door way.  All she had to cover her body was a loose towel held up slightly with one hand.  "I need to use your techy fix'it thingies to make Arondite look more rave friendly!" she smiled, still dripping water on the floor.  The heavy bat was now in his hands as well.  "She's made of Depleted Promethium if that matters... I'll be back to pick her up in a few, love. Thanks~" before he could even answer the girl, she was gone.  It was almost as if she melted and turned into a puddle in between his room and the hallway.  He hadn't noticed until she was gone, but had Roxxie just seen his scar!?  He shut his door immediately and placed the bat on his desk.

 

"Depleted promethium!?  Where'd this girl find such a thing...at least that makes making this thing glow way easier."  Now Blake had two tasks before leaving his room, raveifying this bat and becoming way more fashionable than any of these chumps.  Blake smiled as he picked up the bat and took a trip over to his closet.  In his closet was a washing machine type of device, but had the words shrink and enlarge instead of the usual things you would see on those dials.  "My molecular compactor is just the ticket for this guy, and it fits perfectly."  The technology took advantage of a black hole simulation, and could compact atoms together so tightly, that the object would become however small he needed it to be, but have it still retain it's mass.  Blake shoved the bat in and put the setting onto shrink.  Before he was done getting clothed, he was sure the bat was to be at a decent size for the night.  

 

Blake now looked at his clothes, and placed his tight black pants on, and left his belt unbuckled.  "Now how am I going to make this suit look cooler...c'mon Blake think!"  He put on a grey button up shirt that he buttoned until it slightly revealed his chest, and a black blazer over it.  He didn't want to reveal too much since a purple light could already be seen from underneath.  He tucked in his button up into his pants and buckled his belt.  However, he now left his blazer open and rolled up the sleeves to both his blazer and button-up.  "Now what suit was complete without a tie?" he said, grabbing a solid black tie and leaving it to hang loosely around his neck.  He looked in the mirror to check if all was well, but only found a sexy beast in his place.  Blake almost forgot about the bat, and went to take it out of the atom compactor.  It was about the size of a glowstick, but was still relatively heavy.  He took some neon paint he had made previously and slathered the bat in it.  He also tied a string around the grip for easy portability.

 

Blake had finally made it out of his room, and everyone was looking the part of a raving teenager.  Roxxie was definitely on the skimpy spectrum of things, not leaving much up to a boy's imagination.  The sight almost made him blush as hard as he had when he almost saw her naked.  Nervously, Blake handed Roxxie her new glowstick bat.  "It's still heavy too, so you'll be able to use it even if it's this tiny.  It should be back to normal size after we get back from the mission.  Just be careful swinging it around if you're actually going to party."  Alfonso was looking pretty slick, but he probably had some perspective from an inside source that Blake wasn't able to get.  

 

"Is everyone ready to go?"  

 

Blake turned around to notice Kiara, and his jaw dropped.  He stuttered as he tried to find the words.  "K-Kiara....you look....you look g-fan-stun,,,magnificent!  You look magnificent."  Blake rubbed his cheek in embarrassment, but instead of a smooth feeling he usually got, it was replaced with roughness.  He had forgotten to put his scar protector back on, and he was now in front of all of his teammates.  The feeling made him sick to his stomach, as he frantically tried to cover it up.  "NO!NO!NO!  You aren't supposed to see me like this...not ever!" 

[Saiba Aisu]

"Frenchy play nice!" Roxie called, her voice drifting after Cygnus as he strode down the hallway, causing him to roll his eyes. Mean, him? Never! The door to his room slid open with a hiss as he approached.

 

"Hmmm," he murmured, tapping his lips pensively as he came to a halt, his dark blue eyes flashing around the serene white room while the door slid shut behind him. "Too quiet. Ok, mise en place l'atmosphère.¹ Computer, access music library, playlist number 7."

 

At his words, the room's computer system sprang into effect, syncing with Cygnus' personal music files; moments later, ethereal electronic music began to blast from the unseen speakers lodged in the room's four corners, filled with breathy female vocals and pounding bass.

 

"That's better," he smiled to himself as he began to undress, tossing his clothes unceremoniously on the bed. Now naked, he stretched luxuriously before walking towards the door that led to his private bathroom, a rather fancy affair with marble countertops and carved silver taps. Within moments the soft roar of water could be heard as a cloud of steam drifted out from the open door.

 

 

An hour and a half later, Cygnus emerged from the bathroom, a white towel wrapped carelessly around his waist while another hung from his shoulders. His white hair was styled a little differently than usual in a messy pseudo-bouffant, the product of a good fifteen minutes with his blowdryer and a bit of hair gel. Although he usually preferred to wear his hair down, he knew from his time as a dancer that long bangs would only get in his way. The same EDM playlist from before still blasting overhead, he strode towards his closet and threw open its doors, displaying a rather eclectic mix of high and low fashion of all kinds from all over the world, with a few key haute couture pieces scattered here and there.

 

"Now where did I put you...?" he asked himself softly, digging through his wardrobe, tossing garments aside in a colorful flurry. "Ah~! Here we go!"

 

Thirty minutes later, his preparations were complete. Cygnus took a moment to admire his reflection in the mirror—a long-sleeved white mesh shirt that complemented his lean physique, black skinny jeans, combat boots, and a pair of silver stud earrings, shaped to resemble the fleur-de-lys. And to crown off the entire ensemble, a high-collared black feather cape that caught the light from overhead, because why the f*** not? Satisfied with his appearance, he dropped his Titan Communicator in his pocket with a faint smile.

 

 

"Sorry I'm late," Cygnus called lazily, catching up with the others in the Central Complex, although he didn't sound particularly sorry. He shot an appraising glance at his teammates, his dark blue eyes traveling across the group as he took in the different ways in which they had chosen to dress for their night out... only to be pleasantly surprised. Maybe they weren't as hopeless as he had thought.

 

"Nice outfit, Kiara," he said, nodding in approval, and for a change, his words were genuine—he was honestly impressed. Pairing amethyst jewelry with a pink pencil skirt with an inverted hem was bold, but her low-cut black top managed to seal the deal, while the small wallet she clutched added just the right amount of classiness.

 

"You look bomb, Blondie, t'es trop canon,"² he said, smiling at Roxie as he took in her union jack crop top, her distressed denim shorts, and her form-fitting black stockings. "But somehow, I knew you would."

 

"You too, Alfonso, your look is very, ummm, classic," he said, trying to find nice words to describe the other boy's outfit. Safe, but a bit boring.

 

Yet the most pleasant and unexpected surprise out of the four was Blake, who appeared to have finally relaxed a bit and let loose. Literally, based on the tie that hung from his neck in a lazy knot.

 

"Wow, Blake," Cygnus said, whistling softly, "you don't look nearly as garbage as I thought you would. Not bad."

 

Having paid this final compliment, Cygnus felt a moment of camaraderie and closeness sweep over him, connecting him and the others. Maybe they weren't so bad, for a bunch of mortals. Maybe they could actually work together as an effective team. Maybe—

 

"NO!NO!NO! You aren't supposed to see me like this...not ever!" Blake howled, clutching at his face.

 

Cygnus sighed. Maybe he had spoken too soon.

 

[spoiler=Learn French with Cygnus: Today's Lesson]

1. Time to set the mood.

2. You look hot!

[Ren✧]

Kiara blushed as Blake stammered to get out his compliment. It appeared that she had the boy genius tied up in knots with her new outfit. She had known that Sin would do right by her. So enthralled by the attention she was receiving, Kiara hadn't taken notice of Blake's marred face at first. It was understandable, of course. The entire team was dressed up quite nicely, ready for a night on the town (even though it would be on assignment). However, it didn't take Kiara long to notice after Blake began making a scene. 

 

"NO!NO!NO! You aren't supposed to see me like this...not ever!" He howled, clutching at his face. Immediately, Kiara was reminded of how strangely he acted on the first day when she had surprised him in his room. This time, the reason for his behavior was more than apparent, however. His face, normally baring resemblance to the idealized busts of old Rome, now sported an intricate scar that caught Kiara's eye.

 

"Is that what you were so worried about me seeing?" Kiara asked, her voice gentle as she tried to calm down her teammate that was quickly nearly hysterics. "You realize we all have them, right?" Pulling her top from where she had tucked it into her skirt, she revealed her midriff to the team and pointed to a small collection of scars. "See? And that's not all." Tucking her shirt back in, she now pulled back her hair to reveal a jagged scar right where her hairline met her neck. "Besides, have you seen these?" She asked, meaning her tattoos. "We all have things we want to hide. It's important to accept that the body you have is the only one you will ever get. If someone else can't deal with that, well, then funk them." Kiara said bluntly, cursing in a rare instance of no regret or apologies. 

[Mr. Hyde]

Through his cluttered and frantic mind, he could hear the faint and kind voice of Kiara.  

 

"Is that what you were so worried about me seeing?  You realize we all have them, right?" Kiara lifted up her shirt halfway to reveal a multitude of small scars and scratches that would look to never heal.  "See? And that's not all." more scars could be seen scattered behind her neck. "Besides, have you seen these?" he implied she was talking about her tattoos. "We all have things we want to hide. It's important to accept that the body you have is the only one you will ever get. If someone else can't deal with that, well, then funk them."

 

Blake clutched his face tighter, tears came rolling down the right side of his face.  No matter how real he tried to make his left eye look, it would never be able to simulate tears like his real one did.  Sure he could make that type of function, but there wouldn't be meaning behind those fake tears.  Blake removed his hand from his face and wiped his eyes.  "Kiara...sure your scars are small...but this is my whole entire face we're talking about!  Nobody looked at me the same way at Interstellar Inc. after i got this!  Everybody was afraid of it, afraid of reminding me of how I got it when I wake up every morning screaming because I remember.  So I hid it...I hid it from all of you to not scare you...so you wouldn't ask."  He flinched, he hadn't intended for his speech to be so hostile.  

 

"I'm...I'm sorry Kiara...I'm just going to..." Blake faded back into the hallway he had previously came from and ran back into his room without finishing his sentence.  "Where is it?!"  He left it on his desk, in a disgusting pile.  He placed more adhesive on and rubbed it against his face.  Finally, it looked normal.  It looked like it always did.  Like how it was meant to look.  He tried to re-enter the conference room, as if nothing had happened.  "I-I had to cover it up anyway...gotta look nice for the party after all..."

[Dad]

"Aw, well don't you clean up nice!" 

 

Alfonso's brain was rather distracted, but when he received the compliment he looked up.  "Yeah, thanks.  I do alright for my--uh-um-I--what?  You look rather--that's a nice--" His eyes ran up and down over every curve of Roxie's body, as a song began to play in his head.  

 

BGM:  Brickhouse ft. Alfonso

The way the crop top gently caressed her torso and accentuated her chest was marvelous.  Her perfect skin shined under the light, glistening as she walked.  Her waist was perfectly secured by the shortest of denim shorts that Alfonso could imagine.  Her gorgeous legs were gripped tightly by thigh high black socks that Alfonso could only wonder where they would lead.  Her hair was as bright as her personality, and she had managed to send Alfonso's thoughts off the deep end.

 

"Alfonso!" Altiana stepped in mentally, as Alfonso's thoughts took her places she wasn't prepared to go.  "I was not willing to learn that you were into. . . those sorts of things!  Goodness!"

 

He inhaled deeply, and exhaled rapidly.  "You look amazing," he said lazily, still in awe at what he was witnessing.  His mouth slightly agape, Altiana caught it, and shut it closed.  Of course, Kiara was equally stunning, but Alfonso only had an eye for the British Wonder.  Or so he had named her in his head.

 

Alfonso kept quiet at the brief exchange between Blake and Kiara.  "Scars, huh?" he thought to himself, moving his hands around in his pockets.  His mind flashed back to the mission.  "I guess my scars are mental."  Alfonso sighed, calming himself down rather quickly this time, thanks to Altiana of course.  

 

"Well!" she said aloud suddenly, unbeknownst to Alfonso.  Altiana made her presence known, fully becoming an apparition above his head.  This was the first time she had shown herself to anyone besides Alfonso's family.  "You all look rather nice, don't you?  I'm of course not familiar with much of this planet's customs, but judging by how highly you value your appearances, I'd say that this is a rather interesting mission you've been assigned to."

 

Alfonso looked up rather ominously, gazing at Altiana, as he said, "Warn me next time, will you?" directing his statement to her.  "Oh, erm, sorry.  Guess I got a bit excited at all the talking.  I only popped in--or, out rather--to say to wish you all luck.  I obviously don't play a big part in your team of friends--and you seem more than capable of taking care of yourselves--but I do hope you all accomplish your goals for the evening.  Oh, and--"

 

"Alright Altiana, that's enough," Alfonso said waving his black hands over his head, as if scaring off a fly.

 

"Right.  As you were.  And good luck, again." The spirit vanished as rapidly as it had appeared.

 

"Thanks.  We'll be fine.  Can we get going?  I'm starting to get anxious and I don't wanna take more time catching this scumbag than we need to," Alfonso said rather aggressively.

 

"Alfie--" Altiana interrupted mentally.

 

"Right, sorry.  Yeah, let's get outta here.  At least I can look forward to having this image of Roxie in my head for the rest of my li--"

 

"Focus, you!"

 

"Eesh!  Sorry!  Mom."

 

Altiana smirked.  "I guess I am, aren't I?"

[Saiba Aisu]

In spite of himself, Cygnus tensed up as Blake starting crying, tears streaming down the right side of his face—he hadn't been expecting an emotional breakdown like that from someone as arrogant and self-centered, but there it was. For the first time in a very long time, he felt a genuine twinge of guilt over his own choice of words, particularly "garbage," as the red-haired boy sobbed through his story before hurrying off to his room, presumably to cover up the injury like he usually did.

 

Don't be stupid, there's no way you could've known, he thought to himself, trying to push away the sense of guilt. Kiara's the mind reader, not you, remember? Still, the sensation of culpability wouldn't go away. That was the problem with being around mortals for too long—one way or another, they always ended up making you feel something.

 

I won't think about that right now, he told himself as Blake returned, using one of his favorite tricks that he had perfected over the centuries to help keep himself sane. I'll think about it later. Right now, I need to stay focused. There's a mission on the line.

 

Fortunately, Altiana chose that moment to act, manifesting herself as a colorful apparition visible to all of the Titans, floating above Alfonso's head. Cygnus raised an eyebrow as he gazed upon the alien's true form: a surprisingly pretty young woman with long white hair and predominantly humanoid features, although her eyes were a piercing shade of turquoise and her skin was a sea-green color. She addressed the team graciously in her musical voice and wished them good luck before disappearing as quickly as she had appeared. Cygnus smiled—he had almost forgotten about Altiana, but it felt good to know that they would have an extra pair of eyes and ears watching out for them tonight. So long as she was careful not to speak aloud of her own volition, there shouldn't be any problems that would blow their cover.

 

"Can we get going? I'm starting to get anxious and I don't wanna take more time catching this scumbag than we need to," Alfonso said rather aggressively.

 

"Well, it's currently 10:40," Cygnus replied coolly, flipping open his Titan Communicator. "What with me being late and some last-minute primping, we're running a bit short on time. I'm ready to go if you are."

[Hälō]

"Blake I f***ing love it!" The girl squealed with excitement as her teammate placed the mini weapon into her hand. Without warning, Roxie broke out into a flurry of wild swings at a set of unseen targets, testing our her new toy with all the joy of child. In fact, she was so enthralled with Blake's handy work that she completely missed the fact that Alfonso had been checking her out, and barely processed the compliments she received from both him and Cygnus. "Aww, thanks, boys... but I think Kiara might have out done me this time! She looks fabulous~" She called over her shoulder as she twirled around, swinging her bat in a wide arc. 

 

And then everything went wrong. In an instant Blake had had a break down about a scar that he had apparently been hiding from the team this whole time. Starring at the scene with a rather perplexed expression, she watched as Kiara sprang to comfort the boy. "We all have scars, huh?" She found her self mumbling to nobody in particular as she took in the other girls words. Thinking back into her past with the Knights of the Round table, the girl tried her best to pluck up a memory to which she could call a "scar"... any instance that she found painful, or something that would stick with her in a way that made her feel anything but anger. She couldn't. Every memory she had with those people brought on nothing but spite... she didn't have any scars because leaving her past behind was the best thing that had happened to her. 

 

As she watched Blake run off towards his room, Roxie's expression shifted slightly. In that moment she realized that though she didn't believe she had any scars of her own as of now, upon coming here and making friends with these people she had left her self susceptible to such damage... If she lost any of this- of them, she'd be hurt.

 

"Love. Friendship. Bonds. You will receive none of those here, child." An all to familiar voice echoed from somewhere within her mind. "A knight is not blessed with the luxury of such frivolous weaknesses!" It was the voice of the man who she once considered the closest thing she'd ever had to father... the man who made her who she was today- for better or for worse. "Now come, Lancelot. Allow me to wipe that blasted smile off your face once more..." Gritting her teeth, Roxie tried her best to force out the voice, pushing out the vivid memory that had begun to play in her minds eye to accompany it. "That will be my gift to you, my daughter." 

 

Luckily, Alfonso provided the perfect distraction in the form of his alien companion. Watching Altiana with a blank expression, the girl seemed to only half hear the spectral woman's words; simply using her as a way to drown out her on thoughts. "Bet that makes showers awkward, eh?" She joked half heartily.

 

Though the mood in the room was substantially less bright, Blake soon returned and Alfonso and Cygnus promptly queued the team to begin their night. Faking one of her usual smiles, Roxie wrapped her arms around both Kiara and Blake's shoulders and began guiding them towards the door. "Alright, lets get a move on then, my dears!" She called over her shoulder, beckoning the other two members of the team to follow. 

 

"You can take your gift and cram it up your ass..." Her thoughts drifted to the U.K one final time. 

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: "Bubbly" (Ban-Ko District, Aurora City, 11:49 P.M.)

---

Aurora City's Ban-Ko District at night. A jumbled, frantic confusion of lights, sound, and activity as hundreds of the metropolis' denizens emerged from the shadows for their nocturnal revels. Despite the lateness of the hour, throngs of hovercars still soared overhead past the multitude of skyscrapers in their aerial traffic lanes, the blaring of their horns and the whine of their engines adding to the chaotic din of a city that refused to sleep. Above them, the stars woven into the tapestry of the sky were faint, only just visible, their brilliance muted by a haze of multi-colored smog and artificial light. Meanwhile, on the ground, pedestrians surged to and fro haphazardly on their business, threatening to crush the unwary, while vendors cried their wares and a handful of escorts and prostitutes beckoned from the mouths of nearby allies. Hardly a welcoming environment, but there was something electric and vital to it—a kind of invisible pulsing energy that made one's heart race. Somewhere, music was blaring.

 

"This way," Cygnus said, looking down occasionally at his Titan Communicator to confirm their trajectory as he led the group, weaving in and out of the crowd. Although his features were arranged in their usual mask of haughty indifference, his senses were drawn as tight as a wire, trying to stay aware of the hundreds of people brushing past him, only too aware that not all of the gazes upon them were friendly. Walking on the ground level of Aurora City in certain districts was inadvisable during the day—at night, it was just plain crazy. The ground level was a sort of tidal basin, a gathering place for the human detritus of the city and all those too poor or too disreputable to travel by hovercar.

 

As the Titans crossed the heart of the plaza, they drew the attention of passerby, male and female alike. A handful of youths smirked and wolf-whistled at Roxie and Kiara's outfits; one of them even reached out towards the latter and tried to cop a feel in passing. Kiara caught the man's wrist with one hand and hurled him aside without breaking stride or looking down. They were given a wide berth after that.

 

"We're here."

 

The group came to a halt before a relatively tall rectangular building at the northern edge of the plaza, tucked away down a side street, as if someone had placed it there and then forgotten about it. Its gray exterior was rather dull and unassuming, save for an electric sign that hung over the entrance, displaying a woman with a breathing mask held up to her mouth, her head tossed back, her features arranged in an unmistakable expression of ecstasy, with the word "0XYGEN" in flickering lights underneath. A massive line of people stood before them, mostly youths in their late teens or early 20s, although more than a few of them looked suspiciously underage. At the head of the line, a team of muscular security guards dressed in dark suits and sunglasses held careful vigil, addressing patrons in grunts and undertones, nodding as they stood aside to let certain individuals pass while others were turned away dejectedly in droves.

 

They had arrived at Club 0XYGEN.

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]Alright guys, we have finally arrived at the exterior of Club 0XYGEN. Feel free to share your character's impressions of the surrounding environment while the team waits in line. Once everyone has had the chance to post their reactions, I'll proceed with the next GM Post.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

The group of undercover super teens had finally made it to the side of the city not many were willing to visit.  It had been a while since he had walked on the surface of the town, and doing it at night might've not been the best refresher course in doing so.  

 

Cygnus was leading the group, checking the Titan's communicator for directions from time to time just so they wouldn't end up lost and alone in some dark alley.  Had Cygnus been down here before, or was he just used to this scene?  Either way, Blake wasn't and his nerves were getting the better of him.  Sure he could fight giant monsters on the daily, but teens at a nightclub were an entirely different monster.  They howled and whistled, presumably at their female compatriots, and were soon well aware to not mess with them in any form of harassment.  

 

"Kiara, cool it...you're going to blow our cover if you start just wailing on people here.  Don't worry though...I think I have an idea.  If I display myself as your escort to this soiree, maybe it'll detour the unwanted attention."  Blake placed his arm around Kiara's waist.  It wasn't flirting, but a tactical ploy to make sure harassment would not play a role in the night's activities.  

 

"We're here." Cygnus said.  Blake looked up to see the big sign read 0XYGEN, with the lady in the sign breathing in a face mask as if her life depended on it.  

 

"Very good marketing strategy they have with that sign...It's like you need to be here to live and breath.  Makes people come back.  Their advertiser would make a fine edition to my company."  He wasn't in charge of Interstellar Inc. at the moment however.  He gave temporary leave to his father, the proud Co-owner of his business.  Blake didn't tell his dad why he was going on leave, but he was sure that his dad could handle everything Blake had taught him.

 

Here he was though, standing in line at the most popular club in Aurora City.  How far had he fallen...but it was all for the mission.  Would those bouncers approve of his outfit to let him in?  He clung tighter to Kiara as well.  Maybe if they knew he was with this smoking hot chick, they would be obligated to let him in with her.  

[Dad]

They had arrived on the scene at last, and it was much more lively than Alfonso had reasonably guessed.  Things were jumping, and music could be heard playing outside from the club.  The line was long, jam packed with people around his age, stretching the block.  The Club 0xygen signage was bright, catching one's eye from afar.  Those waiting to get in were nicely dressed, playing up their images for the sake of being apart of this exclusive venue.  And likely to get their hands on some 'party favors'.  Cygnus was in front, leading the Titans in their undercover mission.  Behind him was Blake, who had just made a move on Kiara, likely for the sake of 'being seen' and securing his entrance into the club without a scene.  This caught both Altiana's and Alfonso's eyes, as Alfonso's eyes drifted to the lower back of Roxie in front of him.  "What are you think--"

 

"I don't have many chances right?" Alfonso thought, with Altiana.  "This is a club scene, and Roxie dressed great for it.  Blake made the first move and showed me up.  Why should I back down, right?   Right?" he said trying to convince himself to step forward.

 

"Alfonso," Altiana said interrupting.  "Don't convince me.  Convince yourself.  Just walk up behind her, and put your arm around her waist."

 

"Just--just like that?"

 

"You can do it!  Don't let Blake out shine you.  Just do it!"

 

"But what if--"

 

"Just do it!"

 

"Altiana--"

 

"Just.  Do it!"

 

Alfonso breathed heavy, but finally drew upon the nerve to approach Roxie, stepping in silently behind her and throwing his left arm around her waist.  With a sly smile, his heart calmed down, as Alfonso said, "They have the right idea, don't you think?" he said as he nodded towards Blake and Kiara.  She was warm, and having his arm around Roxie felt incredibly natural.  This was the most excited he had been in a long time, and the first time he had really taken any initiative.  But, even with Roxie at his side, Alfonso knew there was still a mission at hand.  "Might as well secure our way in.  No way they'll deny me if I'm with you."

 

"sheet!  What did I just say!?"  Not letting his sudden realization show, Alfonso maintained a relaxed, confident smile.  It was difficult to break habits, but perhaps his shyness and laziness would break if he worked towards something.

 

"Well done, Alfonso.  Your father would be pleased."

 

"Not a word of this to my dad.  He'd start giving me . . .the talk."

 

"The 'talk'?  You've lost me."

 

"Remember the uh--er, things--from earlier?  Those images--"

 

"Oh, goodness!  Yes!  Is that what the talk is in relation too!?"

 

"Eyup."

 

"I should make you take your hand down, then."

 

"Altiana!"