Teen Titans: Next Gen IC

[GothicVampire]

If you wish to play, please go to the thread in the link below so you may enter your character and be informed what is going on:

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=630477

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It was a dark and dismal place, distorted and tainted by the immorality that had befallen onto the now hapless Jump City, the streets now loaded with what would be considered filth. No one was anyone’s friend here, only accomplices as the motto was “every man for himself” in this dog eat dog world of a city which was inhabited entirely by villains and criminals alike. Anyone who dared to come here was nothing short of a fool, for survival was scarce among any good man and most lives were made short. And if you have a hopeful mind to believe that someone will come and rescue you from the terrors of being ripped to shreds by monsters in the dark of the night, make known to yourself that your cries have all been made in vain. The Queen of Spades, the ruler of this degraded city, outlawed all and any do-gooders and she makes that clear as she rules with an iron fist. If you were to have a quick glimpse of the city, you would find large screens with the repetitive feed of the Queen herself, serving as a constant reminder who was in control. In short: What was once a carefree and beautiful city was now nothing more short from literally hell itself, the very state that it once was now buried in the past…but not completely forgotten.

A dark figure stood in the midst of that very city with eyes as brilliant as moonbeams, observing the passerby as the being took everything in.

“Mother was right, Shadow.” He noted silently to himself. “This city has taken a dreadful turn for the worse.” Not that he had ever seen this place before in his life, only knowing the rich and heroic stories he was once told. “Be a fool’s gala to try to sustain here, they‘d need a gambit in order to. This place is terribly dreadful beyond reckoning.”

What imbecile would live here he could not surmise as to why or how. He felt his heart wrench as distant memories of what once was came to him, which then altered into the horror that had inevitably transpired almost a decade ago. The horror filled screams echoed through his mind as the images people suffered from the chaos that had plagued and stolen their lives. Half of the populace had escaped, while others were misfortunate and forced into slavery, or worse, murdered. What hurt him worse was the tears and cries of the children, it appalled him so much he became indignant. Mark his words, he would never forgive such heinous acts.

But out of all of the vile antagonists that now walked the streets for it was now considered to be the norm, one of them happened to stand out. His eyes literally landed and froze on her and all that he needed to know was revealed to him. In his mind, he saw her as a green child, the main source of the chaos as she twisted and bent the world in minds of both the innocent and the nefarious. While she tortured the psyches of the blameless, trapping them inside worlds that brought about their own worst fears, she made short of those who happened to displease her most, controlling their minds to commit horrible acts of suicide. It was like this girl could make anyone die the way she pleased, it was no wonder she was called “Death Wish”. However, he got the feeling that she did not know any better. Of course by now, the girl was no longer that of a child and she bore a frightening resemblance to that of his mother, only she inappropriately paraded about in what looked to be black lingerie and her body type made her appear quite obscene; her outfit was very lacey and she also wore thigh-high stockings, fishnet on her arms, black pumps, black fingerless lacey gloves, and a small hat strapped onto the top left side of her head of untamed long hair. She was humming an ancient nursery rhyme, Ring-Around-The-Rosy.

Don’t fool yourself. A depraved voice whispered as all the ghostly images finally faded, like poisonous vapors up into the heavens. You could easily fit in with these trifling nonentities, despite the very fact of that is what they are and nothing more. …The pitiful worms.

Paying no mind to that part of him, he decided to journey his way to the destination that had the last speck of hope left, Titan‘s Tower. In an instant, he disappeared completely. Once having arrived there, he remained hidden as lurked in darkest places, becoming one with the shadows themselves.





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There we go, to get things finally started.... >>

 

[Eazy]

The presently invisible flying jet craft, courtesy of a few connections on a certain female speedsters behalf, soared through the air and high above the cities below as it sought out its next destination. At the pilots seat was one of the people whom, at one point in time, was one of the least likely candidates for being allowed usage of League property. Sitting beside said pilot, a duffel bag of personal belongings placed upon the floor between them, was a considerably younger figure whom, despite how he may be feeling about the reason behind this trip, clearly wasn't enjoying the drawn out flight he'd been saddled into. In general, the father and son duo got along pretty well, though one likely wouldn't realize this by their present exchanging of words.

"You know, it's not too late for us to head back home so you could prepare me a bagged lunch. Maybe scribble up a few notes for you to pin onto my sweater? Did we forget my mittens?" Commented the young redhead as he slouched back upon his seat, elbow resting against the armrest as his head remained propped upon his opened palm

"Sarcasm noted, thanks." Replied the teens father as he glanced over at his only son, his surprisingly pink eyes, which nonetheless matched his hair, staring at the young man as he continued, "I know you're not thrilled about me accompanying you, especially since you could easily outrun this thing on your own two feet, but your Mother and I just wanted to make certain you get didn't make any unnecessarily dangerous side trips along the way."

"This is about that bank robbery I got sidetracked with while heading out for groceries again, isn't it?" Responded the speedster after a few seconds thought, giving his old man a roll of the eyes as obvious frustration built up over the memory of many lectures, "Look, it's not like I did anything you two wouldn't have done if you were in my place. And nobody got hurt."

"You were shot in the butt!" Hex fired back in a nearly surprised tone, seemingly bewildered over his sons apparently nonchalant attitude toward his first and, thus far, only bullet wound in his relatively short career.

"...by a ricochet." Mallory squeaked out after a moments hesitation while he squirmed briefly over the memory, glancing away as he reflected upon his own mistakes and begrudgingly admitted, "I suppose letting them empty their rounds at me instead of taking them down immediately really wasn't the best approach."

"You're only figuring this out now?" The former villain asked as he raised an eyebrow over the teens comment, then deciding on forgoing the rest of this topic so they could deal more directly with what they were facing, "Besides, I'd wanted to speak with you for a few minutes, and figured you wouldn't stay still long enough if I tried it back home."

Letting out a light groan, Mallory sunk further down into his chair, arms crossed over his chest as he grumbled to himself more then toward his father, "Here we go again...."

"Oh, settle down, I'll make this one short." The former Titan exclaimed as he focused his attention upon reaching their destination, knowing they'd gone over this stuff many times during the past few weeks, but going ahead with another stab at it anyway, "We know you're a lot more mature about the responsibilities which comes with your powers, but both of us just want you to remember how this isn't a game. The type of criminal element you're bound to face could cost you the lives of yourself or others if you underestimate them and slip up. You need to be careful and take care of yourself, Mallory. And this is a team effort, so don't forget that there's a group of powerful young people right there to call on for help."

Glancing toward Mallory's direction once again, Hex wanted to make sure his son was paying attention as he started to wrap up his short speech, "Also? Be certain to look after your teammates back and always be prepared for helping them out. Especially where it relates to your friends."

Staring back at his father from his slouched position in the secondary seat, an expression of curiosity showed itself upon the young hero's face as he questioned, "I guess I can understand that when it comes to Jullian, but how am I supposed to look after Alice? She could beat me in arm wrestling with her index finger."

"I thought she used her pinkie?" The older male remarked upon the aforementioned memory, a hint of teasing made evident upon his smirking features and tone of voice, shortly before he resumed a more serious expression as he finished, "In either case, looking after each other has a lot more meanings then simple showings of force or power. All I'm saying is to try and watch out for the others on your team. Even if some of them may appear to be little more then near constant pains in the asses at first."

Hex, of course, spoke from a great deal of personal experience in dealing with much of what he preached about. His time with the Titans, and the time spent with former members long after the team had disbanded, ultimately amounted to a life altering experience. Not simply in terms of 'career' paths, but in the way he himself as a person had grown and matured over the years. Looking at his son now, he recognized that Mallory was on a considerably better path then himself already, though at times questioned if the degree of protection Sally and himself had provided from the more dangerous aspects of their lives was such a great idea. Ultimately, it would be up to the young man beside him to decide on his own path and destiny out there.

For his part, Mallory did recognize that his parents meant well with their persistent pestering, but also felt as if they weren't giving him quite enough credit. Mistakes were made in the past, of course, but nothing so serious as one might think from how they could react at times. Especially when it came to his father, whom always seemed more worried about losing people he cared about then the fairer sexed half of his parental figures tended to be. Regardless, as he kept an eye out for the Titans Tower while they passed over Jumpy City, he resided himself on silently hoping they would recognize what he had to offer after a few weeks as part of a professional team.

"Here we are." The former villain announced as he gazed upon the familiar sight of a structure he'd considered a constant source of loathing at one point in his life, and the closest thing to a home during another.

A couple more minutes were spent closing the considerable gap which remained between the Tower and where they first spotted it in the distance, followed by taking it off stealth mode before temporarily landing the craft within a suitable location in a neighboring hangar on the island. Soon as they landed, of course, it seemed as if Mallory couldn't get himself free of that slow moving (by his standards, anyway) piece of machinery fast enough.

"Thanks, Dad! Bye Dad!" Mallory blurted out in such a sped up manner that the words could just barely be picked up on by a regular set of ears and register as anything close to coherent, as his body leaped from its seat and dashed away on its two feet in a flurry of super speed motions toward the back of the craft.

The former Titan sat there calmly for a couple of seconds, pinkish hair briefly blown back by the gust of wind caused by his son's sudden movements, as he patiently tapped his fingers against the dashboard while seemingly waiting for something else to happen before he moved.

This brief showing of patience was rewarded, as Mallory came walking back in an almost sheepish manner, leaning down to grab the bag which, amongst other things, carried his current choice in costumed attire, "I, uh, guess I'll be needing this, huh?"

Watching as he father gave a semi-mocking nod of his head, the young hero offered an awkward smile as he slung the bag over his back, before resuming his previous course for checking out the Tower in a little more then sprinting pace.

Hex simply shook his head as he shut down the systems for now, pulling himself out of the chair and steadily making his way for the exit of the high-tech aircraft, "Kids today..."

 

[NiteCrowe]

The boy pushed a strand of long black hair from his face as he looked at the tower.

They are going to slaughter me alive when the find out who i am, He thought , A team of superheroes with a member who's the cloned spawn of 4 of the worst criminals ever.

And Harvey Dent, aka Joker, wasn't joking. He was the bastard clone of 4 of the most dangerous people on the planet. ScareCrone, A woman who could make anyone piss themselves in fear. 2-Face, a former attractive young DA who was now a scarred, multiple personality agent of chaos. Catman, one of the worlds greatest cat burglars and Harlequin, an Insane madman who scared more people by smiling than ScareCrone ever could.

The thought reminded him briefly of that fateful night, but Harvey quickly shook his head and focused once more on the task in front of him.

He began to whistle, wondering if they would be happy with his prankster like nature, hell, he was even wondering who would be on the team.

20 minutes later, he was still stood on the same spot, wondering what the hell he should do.

 

[kittenofdeath]

The lights of the bathroom flickered for a second, bathing the room in darkness before the lights came back on, but one shadow remained on the wall even though there was nothing to cast it, it was pitch black, seeming to suck the light from around it, then without warning a figure floated through, hanging still in the air until the shadow dissolved behind him.

He gracefully lowered to the floor, not making a sound as his bare feet pressed against the tiled floor and slowly carried him to the mirror over hanging the sink. There was a small sigh before he pulled back the hood of his coat, an old memento he had found in his fathers room, then looked up in to the mirror.

The right side of his face was covered in blood, all stemming from a cut just above his eye “dam ricochets” he muttered as he cleaned the wound and started to patch it up with a small first aid kit he pulled from his pocket. He had been out ‘shopping’ or stealing as most others would call it, but someone else was angry that he had beaten them to the punch, they fired off a few shots, two went in to the truck behind them, and another was blocked by his arm when he threw it up, the little chunk of metal smashing in to one of his fingers and fragmenting, one metal sliver hitting him in the face.

“At least now you know what had you feeling so bad this morning” he said to himself as he looked in the mirror, now finished with his forehead and washing the blood from his claws, a dark smile stretching across his face as he remembered how it got there, nobody attacks him and gets away with it.

“Could have been worse, remember what happened last time you felt like this?” he asked the mirror, it was true, ever since he had woken up he had the worst sense of foreboding, like something terrible was about to happen “ended up in a death match with your sister” he tapped the mirror with his middle claw “didn’t you?” he chuckled inwardly, feeling a little better now that he had that burden off his back, he still felt like something bad was going to happen, but he was fairly sure that the little scuffle just now was it.

Once he was done he left, stopping by his room to change in to something else, jeans and a grey singlet, they had far less blood on them, only a spot or two here and there, barely noticeable really. After that he headed in to the lounge room, probably the biggest room in the building, not that he had been everywhere yet, the buildings warden, some kind of specter calling itself Phantasm, had been a little restrictive of his explorations.

“I like this place” he said as he jumped over the back of the couch and lied down, pulling the harmonica from his pocket “so quiet, so empty, so alone” he smiled, then brought the instrument to his lips and played, the subtle blues tune working its way through the tower.

 

[Mephistophelily]

"I used to be the team leader here, you know." Rikki Grayson glanced at her daughter over her shoulder as the bike came to a stop before the building, resting her foot against the pavement to keep the motorcycle from falling over.

Jessi simply rolled her eyes from behind the visor of her helmet, shaking her head. "Really? You've only told me that a good 20 times in the last week. My memory isn't that bad, ya know, mom."

"I'm telling you because you've got the family name to live up to," Rikki replied flatly, an obvious tone in her voice that she wasn't impressed in the least bit with her daughter's words. "Between myself and your grandmother-"

"I get it, I get it. Relax. You make it sound like I'm gonna blow the damn place up." Removing her helmet, it was her turn to frown as she caught the look on her mother's face while she was takin gher bags from the back of the bike. Resting her hand on her hip, she returned the look her mother was giving her, tossing her head indignantly. "Oh, come on. That incident at the high school wasn't completely my fault. And the sprinklers came on! ... Eventually..."

"All the more reason why I'll be stopping in to check on you once in awhile, Jessi."

She froze in her approach of the doors, turning about on her heel to stare at her mother in horror. "You're gonna WHAT?! You gonna come tuck me in for beddy-bye time, too?! I'm 18 years old, for crying out loud! What type of impression is that going to make; that I'm a momma's girl? I'll call you every week, I'll even use the comm so you can see that I'm not doing anything wrong. Please- don't visit like that..."

Rikki just chuckled, shrugging slightly. "We'll see."

Grumbling as her mother took off into the streets of Jump City, she picked up the rest of her bags and started to tromp inside. The last thing she wanted was for this new team to deem her a weakling simply because her mother was being overbearing. So she had a little bit of a bad record thanks to high school... but if her mom had taken even a chance to hear out her side of the story, she would have seen that Jessica had her reasons for her actions.

Ah well. At least maybe here she could start off on a better foot than she had left school with.

 

[Wyldfire]

The grounds in front of the Tower stood silent, not a being to be found. Then they were their. The young dark haired girl made a gagging sound but managed to keep her dinner down. The older woman laughed "I warned you about that. It gets easier but it takes time," Olivia Queen smiled at her "granddaughter", "Points for the moxie. I threw up so bad it was pitiful. The Bat never let me live it down either."

Young Ollie almost preened under the praise, but not visibly. Gran was the one to go to for the positive enforcement. Granda and Mom were a different story. Granda would have just glared at her for almost losing it, and Mom would have just given a so non feminine grunt.

"Now remember what I've taught you about team dynamics girl. No hearts. Especially Teammate hearts. That will get you in trouble every time. Look at you're Mother as proof of that. Look at me and Dino as further proof."

Ollie's face clouded a bit at this "But Grampa Dino and you are great! I mean, yeah he's a bit of a prude, and he cut your partying days short, but the two of you are so good together."

Green Arrow laughed "Dino Lance is a crotchety old man these days but don't you forget he was The Black Corvis in his day. He was the original Bad Boy, and he knew it. I was his from the minute he decided I was. Remember that. Me, the Queen of the Party Girls fell with the look of a Bad Boy. Don't you do that, keep the bad boys at arms reach and never ever let them know you might be interested."

Ollie was appropriately chastised, "Yes Gran. Bad boys are definitely out," then she peeked up from under her dark dark hair. "But what about Bad Girls?"

Olivia Queen turned a bright crimson before giving way to the laughter she had been trying desperately to hold back. "You got me there girl! I have no wisdom to give you on that point! Even your Mother who claimed to dabble in that direction couldn't. Just be careful okay?"

Olivia wrapped her still strong arms around the girl in a hug. Ollie returned the hug just as hard. "Don't worry Gran, I won't embarrass the family name."

The older woman looked over her slightly clad prodigy and asked "You sure I can't talk you into at least wearing fishnets in that piece of string you're calling a costume?"

"Oh come on Gran," Ollie struck a provocative pose that highlighted her bare legs, "And detract from these legs?"

Olivia Queen laughed, smiling she said "Make the family proud girl. And make sure the name of Arsenal makes it into the League someday okay?"

With that the older woman shimmered and was gone. Ollie thought "Thanks Mom. Thanks for taking Gran away before I could say I Love You to her."

Ollie picked up her bags and headed to the Tower's entrance.

 

[NiteCrowe]

Still stood outside in the same place as he had being for over two hours now, Harvey finally came to his senses and began to slowly make his way inside.

Infront of him in the distance he could see two figures entering the building.

Perhaps, I shouldn't have come in costume....or maybe i should have changed costume completely...oh god i'm gonna waltz right in their in costume, looking like the villain i once was, and they're gonna attack me cos they will think i'm a villain and won't realise i'm here to join the team...

At this he quickly about turned, and began to walk in the opposite direction.

Yes, but if you wore a different costume, people wouldn't realize that you were trying to atone for your crimes.

He turned 180 degrees and began to walk back to the building.

But they'll beat you up!

Now he was heading away from the building.

So what, you'd do the same if you were in their position.

Now he was heading towards the building.

They won't trust you.

Now he was heading away from the building.

Trust has to be earned remember

Now he was heading back towards the building.

You don't belong here.

Now he was heading back away from the building.

So! Where do I belong? Harlequin wants to kill me, Catman has no idea of my existance, Mums dead, 2-face is MIA, and sis is dead. At least here your making up for your wrongs and could possibly make some REAL friends

Now he was facing the building once again.

But...

SHUT UP! I'm going to do this okay!

Harvey sighed, the one problem with being a partial clone of 2-face meant that he was in two minds about everything...One personality, but 2 opinions.

Shaking his head and looking at the tower he realised that he was once again in the exact same spot as he had being for the previous 2 hours and 15 minutes.

'Grrrr'

Grumbling, he finally decided to walk towards the building and enter, and if he got beaten up, then so be it.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Alice (Knave)

"Up. Up."

Stretching her arms up high, her whole body taut with the need to be held, she patiently implored the pink-haired man to hold her. Her memory did not stretch very long as she wasn’t very old at all and did not find many of the events most would, remarkable. Ever since she could remember, she’d been surrounded by strange faces. Some smiled, some scowled, and some even avoided her gaze completely. Yet, she knew this man, his hair, his smile, his eyes. She knew he was safe, somehow, even though she had never laid eyes on him before. So to everyone’s distinct surprise, she’d toddled over to him and demanded his attention with a broad smile.

It seemed like forever until he finally obliged her and she was cradled, giggling, in his arms. Her gaze was far too serious for her age as she gazed at him. She was watching him, studying him, comparing him to an image she couldn’t clearly recall, but was left with the feeling that he had changed anyways. Small hands reached out to stroke his cheeks. Then they journeyed upwards to his vibrant hair and she made little cooing noises at the pretty color that she could touch. The strands felt soft in her little fingers. Then all of a sudden the man holding her uttered a sharp sound and she looked at him, startled. The others were suddenly so loud around her and she looked at their angry and worried faces before noticing that she still held that bright hair in her hand that was far away from where it should be firmly planted. Frantically, she tried to put the strands back, but they wouldn’t stay even if she patted them down. Fear coursed through from what she’d done and the anger that seemed to surround her, causing her face to screw up in a grimace just as she began to cry.
________

Blood, warm and full of the life that had been taken away, squelched under her feet as she walked through the streets. Screams could be heard in the distance but no one made their presence known to her grinning self. All she could see was the smoke and fire that stained the night sky and the bodies that lay strewn at her feet.

Waking up suddenly, gasping for breath, she lifted her head in sharp panic at the feeling of dread that inexplicably filled her. What awaited such a swift action was a rather loud crunch as she belatedly realized that her back was on the ceiling and what she thought was her bed beneath her turned out to be nothing but thin air.

“Ow! Fuck, that hurt.”

Bits of concrete floated down as she let her body tumble back onto the white sheets beneath her and away from the shallow hole she had knocked into the ceiling. Grumbling to herself about involuntary floating and rude awakenings, she rubbed her sore head idly before taking her covers and shaking them so the pebbles and dust went onto the black floor instead of remaining on her beautiful bed. For once, it was actually mostly quiet in the Tower or what was left of it, though she didn’t doubt Phantasm was lurking somewhere. For the past few months, volunteer heroes had been helping to renovate and re-outfit the place to catch it up to the 21st century as it were. Not to mention expand the basement. They were trying to be covert after all. So that meant living underground leaving the actual tower more or less desolate, emphasis on the less.

Of course it wouldn't be that way anymore for long. A smile flirted across her mouth as she pulled her closet doors open. Compared to the bare blackness of her room, her closet was almost glaringly bright. The walls were painted a dusty peach and amidst the many items of clothing was a vanity decked out in varying shades of said color. She'd done it all herself, a symptom of having far too much time on her hands while living here these past couple of weeks. She hadn't even been able to visit her friends, afraid that if she left and came back too much that she'd draw attention to the tower being occupied, which was another reason why she was so excited about today. They were coming and living here. It was so weird, she'd always had to travel halfway across the world to visit someone or another, but now her two best friends would be practically next door.

Well, there were others coming too and this was a serious endeavor after all. Wagging a finger, she half-heartedly chided herself in the mirror as she arranged her hair, shoving flower pins here and there into the demi-buns. She may be all excited now, but she couldn't forget that there was a city outside full of heinous things that she wished she couldn't put a name to. An image flashed in her mind, a gruesome remnant of what she'd been seeing in her dreams lately, and she shuddered, hurriedly shoving the thought out of her mind. It was probably just some errant remnant of those before her, or even simpler a nightmare brought on by nerves. A voice reached her ears, causing her to look up and then scowl as she caught the end of his little one on one conversation.

She'd never had any particular fondness for Jullian's brother and even though she'd spotted him all of twice lately, since he happened to have taken one of the rooms above ground, living together really hadn't changed her opinion of him at all. If anything it just made moments like these, conveniently acting as if this place was all of his alone, even more irritating. Huffing, she muttered to herself as she tuned Ravenor out. There were far more important things to pay attention to after all, like what she was going to wear. Musing over first impressions as she stood in her underwear, she finally picked out what she wanted for the day. She supposed she should wear her costume instead, but she didn't really see how it mattered. If there was something they needed to attend to, she could change quickly. Besides, she was pretty sure Mal would understand.

Minutes later, she was down in the control room, munching on an apple and watching the panels of monitors as they flickered from camera to camera. Everything was pretty dead so far. That'd been the norm as far as she could tell. Anything worth stealing in this place before had been stolen decades ago so no one even bothered with the place. Of course, that was probably helped by Phantasm keeping a silent sentinel all these years. Suddenly something flickered at the edge of one of the screens and she narrowed her eyes as she pressed a button to keep the screen on that camera. It wasn't there any more, but another screen showed something else, well someone else, and Alice gave a little squeak of excitement as she ran out of the room.

Heels clicked on the concrete as she walked calmly into the bunker now that she was closer to the secret entrance. To her surprise, a few more quickly appeared after her friend and she tilted her head, watching these new people for a moment. She knew who all was supposed to be coming and save for bloody Ravenor, she doubted there would be anymore surprise guests. So it was easy enough to run down the possible suspects. Considering the other boy looked nothing like a prince, she was thoroughly confused. Shrugging. she stepped away from the ceiling and let herself fall towards the floor, laughing along the way.

"Mal!"

Slowing herself down enough that she didn't do any damage, she wrapped her friend, Mallory, in a hug before settling down to the ground and looking at the others.

“Hey! Which is which? And who are you?”

 

[Wyldfire]

Ollie slipped into the Tower to the new entrance. She took a moment to look at the outer building. A perfect Haunt for our sorority ghost mom. She shook her head at that. Mom had brought her here for the first time when she was like a week old and introduced Phantasm to her, not that Ollie remembered that. It was something she was told happened when Mom came to the Tower to make sure the old ghost was still alive.

Olivia entered the newer subteranean sections, seeing some of her new team mates, one crashing into the other in a hug before turning towards her and saying “Hey! Which is which? And who are you?”

Olivia turned on her "On face", all asian grace and charm "I'm not sure which is which, but I'm Arsenal, or Ollie."

She noted that the girl wasn't in costume and smiled "Nice top. The floral print does good by you. Let me get my stuff put up and let me get comfortable and I'll be right back." Ollie smiled as she started towards her room.

 

[Eazy]

Mallory (Stat)

"Mallory! Will you slow down?" Called out the older male as he tried in vain to keep track of his son without having to actually break into a full blown run, knowing that the boy would just see this as an excuse to pick up his own pace.

Truthfully, the young speedster wasn't going anywhere near what would be considered top velocity, or even the more average level of speed force usage he'd display during uneventful patrols. Still, as his legs carried him out of the hangar and toward secret entrance, he could keep from quickening his step as the mounting anticipation over the past few weeks and months was nearing a boiling point. This was the Teen Titans, after all. A number of great heroes, including both of his parents, were part of this legendary team long ago. And one of his parents had gone on to join the Justice League itself, while the other...well, his Dad had grown to become fairly well respected despite his villainous past. In a world of heroes who could be less tolerant then they'd like to believe, that definitely counted for something of an accomplishment.

Not only this, but he was going to be fighting alongside his two oldest friends; living out a fantasy he'd told them about many times growing up, "I know the way, Dad! I'll just meet you there, OK?"

Mallory showed enough patience to turn around and call back to his Father, but didn't wait for long before dashing off ahead of him at superhuman speed. Any words Hex would have said, either for or against the notion, were lost upon the youngster as he raced along the compound. Though it was his first time here, which showed by his nearly getting lost during near split second detours and overshooting the secret entrance a couple times, he had looked over a couple of basic plans for the place in preparation of their arrival. Looking back, he probably should have paid those pieces of paper a little more attention. However, sure enough, it turned out he did remember enough to successfully locate the entrance and bunker on his own.

Whistling as he looked over the, least to him, amazingly impressive interior of the renovated headquarters; his attention eventually shifted toward the entrance once again as others started showing up. The young hero held the single duffel bag in his left hand while raising the other to greet the growing number of arrivals, when the sound of heels clicking upon a hard surface recaptured his focus; causing him to turn around once more. For most any other young man, the sight of a blond woman hurdling downward from a ceiling would be cause for alarm. Or the start of a very good dream come true. For him, it was a simple case of Alice being Alice.

"Mal!"

The speedster barely had time to react as he found himself embraced by his childhood friend, causing a goofy grin to spread across his face while wrapping his free arm around her in return, temporarily shattering any image of a more 'serious' crime fighter during the short embrace. Eh, there would be plenty of time for proving himself later. It felt as if it were forever since he'd last seen Alice, and, while Jullian was there for him to spend time with during this period, it never really felt the same whenever one of them was missing for any extended amount of time.

“Hey! Which is which? And who are you?”

Mallory straightened himself out and attempted to recapture an air of professionalism as he gazed toward those of few whom were gathered. Unfortunately, he was about as lost when it came to identifying these other Titans, which was perhaps a good thing. If one of their own couldn't immediately identify other young heroes of their generation, then this made it even less likely for any of them to be figured out during undercover work.

"I'm not sure which is which, but I'm Arsenal, or Ollie. Nice top. The floral print does good by you. Let me get my stuff put up and let me get comfortable and I'll be right back."

Watching as the young Asian woman introduced herself before starting to make off in search of her room, Mallory turned toward the others while offering up a quick introduction of his own with a wave of his free hand, "Guess now would be a good time to say my name is Stat, or Mallory, for those who didn't catch the first part of it being yelled out a minute ago."

Glancing at Alice with a teasing smirk on his face, he only now had a chance to take in the details of what she was wearing, since she wasn't presently tossing herself at his direction, "She was right about the floral print doing good by you, Alice. You look great! Although, I do think you'd look even better in something with long, red sleeves. Maybe a little more white within the center of the top..."

The smile he tried to fight back, with mixed results, was a clear indication of the mostly humorous nature in which he let out that last part. Mallory truly did think she looked good, as his eyes slowly (least for him) gazed over her figure before returning his immediate attention to that which resided above the neckline. All the same, he did play a big part in designing and putting together the uniform for her new alias, and that part of himself was genuinely interested in seeing Alice dressed in it again. Both due to the general enjoyment of his knack for designing different styles of costumes, and a sense of personal fulfillment to see one of his oldest friends and now fellow crime fighter decked up in one of his own pieces which she seemed to enjoy.

 

[Eazy]

Ronan

Near the back of a large subterranean vessel which moved steadily far beneath the surface level, sat a lone figure whom silently contemplated upon the agreement he made with his parents. Even if one hadn't familiarized themselves with the hierarchy system of Atlantean culture, it would prove rather difficult for the naked eye to not recognize the young man as a figure of relative importance. Sitting upon a lone throne near the center of his private quarters, Ronan was presently dressed in a one of his better suits. The royal uniform was predominantly white and blue in its design, save for gold strips and jewel embedded designs which decorated the garments in a relatively modest, yet undeniably extravagant matter. Even the silken material itself was made from a material rare in the undersea world, and nearly unheard of above ground. Truly, a single sleeve torn free of the suits body would be worth more then enough on land to set a person up for life.

Not that he would willingly walk amongst the others in such luxuries, let alone plan on wearing them whenever it came time for him to dirty his hands on the fiends which he was expected to aid them in dispensing. No, a less then modest wardrobe of 'regular' surface styled clothing was already purchased and awaiting his arrival up in the Tower. Nay, this was but what he chose to wear during the journey toward the location of the island which housed what would be his new home. Or at least for the following year, as was the trial basis agreement set about in the terms discussed between himself and his immediate family members. A year spent strictly upon the surface world, with options to move and go between the two worlds as he pleased once this allotted amount of time was spent.

Nevertheless, he didn't exactly plan to stick around for much longer once that day eventually came. Not that he was so conceited or naive to believe every surface dweller to barely be worth his time. After all, his father was one of them, and despite his occasionally temperamental nature, Ronan considered Terran Markov to be one of the finest men he'd ever known. Of course, little did he know just how low a measuring stick a number of older heroes and heroines would consider his father to be. In either case, for both of his parents sake, but especially his Mother, he would attempt to make the best of his arrangements. Which included heeding his fathers advice of not angering any 'demonic she-beasts'; whatever that may have meant.

Suddenly, a low pitched sound filled the room, alerting the young half-breed that one of his escorts was requesting entrance into his quarters, as he called out simply, yet accordingly, "Enter." *

One of the select few guards which were sent to accompany the royal heir entered as the doorway slid open, bowing his head as he reported as previously asked, "Prince Ronan, sire? We're nearing your final destination. Do you continue to insist on us letting you travel the remainder of the way on your own, or do you wish for us to surface beside the predestined isle of land?"

Waving a hand in dismissal of the second notion, the young Atlantean elaborated on his line of reasoning once again, "No, I'll make the rest of the trip on my own. If I show up in this, it'll likely draw too much attention. Not to mention draw out a number of tiresome questions from anyone already at the Tower."

Questions which, in all likelihood, would probably annoy the Prince to the point of becoming snippy toward whomever was pressing on such subject matters, "I might not feel particularly enthused about this agreement, but I may as well make an effort to get it off on the right foot, as they say. Now leave me be while I prepare myself."

"Very well, my Prince." The guard promptly acknowledged as he bowed once more before backing out of Ronan's temporary quarters, the door closing on its own only seconds after said guard was out of the way.

Left to his own devices once again, the young male let out a heavy sigh as he slowly stood from his comforting seat, before steadily strolling toward a nearby reflecting glass. Ronan watched his reflection for a few parting moments, dressed up as the royal Prince he was for what would likely be one of the last, or at least very few, times during this coming year. In a way, it felt like turning his back on a large part of his heritage. Then again, some would say he'd been doing as such with his dismissive nature toward the humans above. Whatever the case, it certainly seemed that it was finally time to see how the other side lives.

Turning away, he started to undress as he prepared for the mile long swim which was going to remain between this vessel and what would be his new home at Titan Towers. It was with considerable hesitation that he dressed into what would be considered regular clothing on the surface world. A basic gray jeans and light blue tank top, which was brought down amongst a few other articles of clothing in advance, to allow the Prince a chance of growing used to the style and material. That was over a month ago, and it still felt as foreign to him as it did back then. Regardless, once these surface clothes were slipped on, he followed it up by wrapping himself within a vacuum sealed body suit of a similar color and design as his royal garments. It would serve in keeping the clothing beneath dry for the short swim which remained, and spare him the indignity of allowing those few of his people traveling with him to see their Prince in such a horrid excuse for fashion.

Taking another, shorter look at himself in the reflecting glass; Ronan grimaced noticeably at the sight which greeted him as he muttered in frustration, "This is going to be a very long year."

Several minutes and a number of reassurances about his personal safety later, the young Prince departed from the undersea vessel in order to begin his mile long swim toward the location of the Titans old base. Fortunately, while he was half-human, Ronan had inherited every possible trait of a regular Atlantean. It allowed for an increased amount of speed under the water, which shorter swim then a normal person would require. His Mothers side also made his body temperature warmer then a humans, preventing himself from feeling any effect of the cold water which engulfed his form as he remained underwater for the duration of this swim. The large body of water was also surprisingly quite for being this close to the surface world, which made it all the harder for the Prince when he reached the point of needing to finally surface.

Glancing up at the large structure which he recognized from the images viewed in his lifetime, the young Prince couldn't keep from scoffing at the T shape of the headquarters which, honestly, was only a step up from designing your own base to appear as a giant bullseye, "Suppose it makes this as easy a sight to locate for the heroes then it does the villains, at least."

Departing from the comfort of the near icy body of water, the Atlantean moved barefoot upon the rocky terrain which the large structure was built upon. Not exactly a comfortable way to rock around, but he currently preferred it over wearing those bothersome excuses for footwear he'd tried out back home. Toughing it out, he drew nearer to the secret entrance of the Titan Tower before pausing for a minute to strip off the body suit, revealing the dry, if slightly wrinkled clothing underneath. Save for the wet strands of hair which were mostly slicked back at the moment, there wasn't much indication he'd just risen out of the water.

Folding the wetsuit up neatly, Ronan held it underneath his arm as he walked toward and entered through the secret entrance of the Tower. Standing by the entrance of the bunker, he came upon the scene inside just quickly enough to catch one of the females introducing herself as Arsenal, or Ollie. Strange name for a woman, but much about these people was rather foreign to him. The Prince then listened as the redheaded teenager by the lone blond female in this batch introduced himself by his own first name and superhero alias. Code names rarely did make sense for Ronan, which was why he never bothered coming up with an official one. Not as if he had a regular life amongst the denizens of this side of the world, and his lack of a mask made it even more pointless. Besides, if his Father felt going by a first name basis was suitable enough, then he presumed it fine for himself.

Steadily realizing this was an introduction period for those whom were to be his teammates, the young Atlantean stepped forward and switched to English as he announced his own presence in a proud manner almost befitting his status, "And I am Prince Ronan. Son of Ula, Queen of the Idyllist, and Terran Markov. It is a rather....unique, pleasure to meet each of you."

*all exchanges between these two were spoken in the Atlantean's native tongue, but written in English for easier reading....and since I've no idea how they would speak anyway. But, as you can tell by now, he's fluent in English.

 

[NiteCrowe]

hehe, don't you just love internal monologues

Harvey finally reached the building and peeked through the door, there was a large gathering already and he was quite scared (yes the son of Scarecrone was scared.... a little bit), and so he meekly decided that he would wait and watch for a while before entering....


....after all, Nobody was expecting him.....or were they?

Who knew?

Sighing, he turned his attention back, just in time to see a girl suddenly envelop someone else in a bear hug.

Oh gods, this was a bad idea.
No it wasn't
well you should have at least told someone you were coming
I thought I did
Did you?
I think so
you forgot
no i didn't
yes you did
fuck.
you sure?
yep
bollocks.

 

[GothicVampire]

The one whom calls himself “Shadow” continued to lurk within the darkness. The images of beforehand racked through his psyche, which he had been subsequently struggling to force away ever since he initially received them. He could not permit himself to get livid, no matter how much he could not tolerate such deplorable acts. Negative emotions were prohibited, for such feelings held a major consequence for him and no good ever came out of it. Unfortunately, he could not evoke any moment he had ever experienced complete rage, having only to go by the assertions of the witnesses from his childhood. He could not endure the mere concept of it, that he could become such a ghastly fiend when that hazardous red button of obliteration was eventually pressed. Becoming such an individual as that was utterly undesirable, detestable, and completely inexcusable, at least that is how he deemed his “dark side” to be. Since childhood, he was compelled to vigorously push his morbid half back to the darkest regions of his being, confining it, contending with it from time to time. As time passed, he inwardly grew precarious of himself by the inevitability of what would someday resemble his incessant nightmares. Each time he was provoked, the more he found himself hanging from a precipice, dangling as he desperately latched onto what he could so he would not fall into the unspeakable destiny. Not something he was in the least keen to think of, not now, not ever. No matter how much his darkness quarreled with him, that was not who he was, or at least desiring to be.

He was usually a man of decency for he was reared in etiquette, his mostly raven and violet attire well suited him as it defined him perfectly, a peculiar form of gentleman, a top hat, cape, the Ritz in it's entirety. He was an astute individual and had a well natured, exultant, and carefree attitude, tagged along with a mischievous sense of humor as well as he was considered to be outright eccentric. His skin was a pasty jade, his hair like a deep purple midnight sky, his golden eyes were like that of a feline’s which had distinguishing marks and darker colors of ash and jade around and on his eyelids, and he had placid facial features. And his voice was soft and gentle, yet he was entirely capable of a falsetto, and when he spoke, he often did so eloquently. He was typically an empath, as well as a demon among other things, and despite the fact that he was quite powerful, the gentleman in him would not consent to his devilish side to break certain boundaries, especially if they were considered private or personal.

He remained one with the shadows and being part of it, he could see everything. He was anywhere and everywhere, he could see and hear everything, making the analogy “the walls have eyes and ears” seem all the more literal. Of course a part of him was arguing with him about his current mannerisms, stating that he was, in fact, ever so improper and not to mention discourteous for hiding from sight and not entering the premises in a proper fashion.

He eyed the current Titans and the newer arrivals, debating whether or not he should come forth. Despite how friendly he was, he was practically leery of everyone he met. Being an empath has made him see other sides of people he found to be disconcerting, particularly when it came to regarding himself. As a child growing up, he experienced the hatred towards the fact of who and what he was, their minds riddled over his future, thoughts filled with repugnance as they looked down upon him with disdain.

No wonder why his mother was so protective of him. In the past she tried her best to keep from the rest of the world, eventually she realized that a sheltered life was not beneficial for him, so she insisted that he should join his friends in becoming one of the Teen Titans in hopes it would do him more good than harm. Being the overprotective type, he knew she would be displeased with him for disappearing from their estate like he had done. He will no doubt be receiving a urgent phone call from home, her scolding him for being so slapdash. Fortunately, he had Eddie to calm her down. Edward was like a father to him of some sort, especially when he knew nothing of his own father, not even his name. It became a forbidden topic for the family, so in time he learned to never question about him and in time he learned to accept it as it was.

Of course he traveled and he had done so quite often, seeing the world in both it’s splendor and in it’s calamity. And of course, his mother had to hold his hand wherever he went, even if she was the one held responsible for most of the roaming they did all over the world. Fortuitously for him, she would not be able to do so any longer…at least he hoped, knowing her she would want to intervene in every dire situation that had the possibility of presenting itself in his existence.

The memories of this place cascaded through his mind, memoirs of a past that were the essence of “better days”. Eventually, they began to mingle with the current happenings, the newer Titans standing in the midst of them. With one decision, the apparitions went out like a light in his mind.

He observed the figures before him, a particular cluster became the primary focus he had chosen. Recognizing them for who they were, he excitedly came forth out of the darkness, his form assembling itself as he sprang over towards them in the form of a bizarre looking black feline that had two pairs of gleaming white eyes, and remarkably his coat contained darker raven stripes. He rubbed his small form up against the two, more than delighted to see them.

 

[Wyldfire]

On the Rooftop.

The shadows on the roof of the Tower shifted and moved with the lights of the city. During one such shift the tattered brown cloak and the white gloves and mask became visible.

"They're here," the figure said to itself, "And I am here, away from so much life and vitality."

The entity glided along the rooftop, "They will need their time to get comfortable here. I will let them know of my presence when they are comfortable."

It had been so long since there had been any real life here. She knew they had had to go, but it had hurt. To be left alone for so long. She had agreed to this duty, but she had been so young when she'd claimed the Tower as her Haunt. Boston Brand had come to her and explained it all to her, how she would become bound closer and closer to the Tower. How the Tower would be her life.

Now it stood in disrepair. They'd returned and began doing improvements for the next group that would become the Titans. Phantasm had been as much of a shambles as the Tower, and, as the repairs proceeded she continued to get better as well. The Haunt was the ghost. The ghost would always reflect the conditions of the Haunt.

Phantasm remembered her brief bout of madness after the last had left the headquarters. It had been what had kept the initial waves of vandalism and thrill seekers away. But when they returned they helped her come back to herself. They had tried to remind her she was Danielle Chase, but that hadn't worked. She was now and forever Phantasm.

And still she "walked" the halls of the Tower, doing her duty to keep the Titans safe.

 

[Mephistophelily]

Jessi simply stared in surprise at the rather hyper one that greeted them, her bag still slung over her shoulder as she let her arm go limp. She had half a mind to just turn around right there, to call this all a simple misunderstanding and take off on her own somewhere-

And then what?
Mom and gram on her ass, telling her how much she was wasting her life and talents by hiding away to play video games and movies instead of utilizing the gifts they had given her. It wasn't that she didn't want to try, or that she didn't feel the same 'need' that her mother did when it came to people committing crimes... She just didn't respond to it in the same way as the older heroes and was a bit afraid of her own temper. Under the wings of the Bird and the Bat, they kept her in check; reined in her anger before she caused serious damage. On her own, she had no idea what could happen. And then to be stuck in a house with a bunch of other hormone-driven hero kids? Good god, it was already sounding like The Real World with superpowers in her mind.

Even the simple question the girl had asked left Jessica hesitant on how to answer. Both Gram and mom were always pushing the importance of keeping her identity a secret. But wasn't she standing here in street clothes? It didn't seem to be too much of an issue for anyone else, either; there was a mix of costumed and normal outfits around her. How'd mom manage to keep herself in Robin mode 24/7 with this many people around... stay in her suit all the time?! Man, she must've reeked with as much as she trains...

"I'm Kestrel," She finally called out flatly, taking up her mother's usual somber tone as she dropped her bag to the floor. "My mother used to be Robyn."

 

[NiteCrowe]

Harvey finally shook his head and opened the door and entered. He could feel all eyes turn to him and he cringed slightly.

Run

'Hey,' He finally muttered, 'I'm Joker.'

 

[UnseenMaiden]

OMG is a belated Christmas Miracle!

Alice (Knave)

"I'm not sure which is which, but I'm Arsenal, or Ollie. Nice top. The floral print does good by you. Let me get my stuff put up and let me get comfortable and I'll be right back."

Grinning at the compliment, Alice looked down at herself and ran her hands over the satiny bodice. Truth was she had a horribly flamboyant love affair with her clothes. To her mind, the body was a work of art and the clothing that adorns it should always do it justice or it really wasn’t worth wearing. Her stand on this was strong enough that she’d been a rather persistent urban legend in the fashion world for the past several years. Though, lately those tales had been getting really out of hand. There was no way she would ever torch a store just because she couldn’t find anything she liked in it.

"Thanks. I got it in this little shop out in Venice last month."

"Guess now would be a good time to say my name is Stat, or Mallory, for those who didn't catch the first part of it being yelled out a minute ago. She was right about the floral print doing good by you, Alice. You look great! Although, I do think you'd look even better in something with long, red sleeves. Maybe a little more white within the center of the top..."

Snickering, she pinched his cheek lightly as he enquired about the costume he had made for her, or lack there of on her body. She didn’t miss the appreciative gaze he gave her or even that Arsenal had flashed a winning smile her way. She just didn’t dwell on it. She had an awful habit of throwing herself among strangers in clubs all over the world and was just far too used to people liking her physical appearance to care anymore. Though she had to admit, it was rather nice that someone she had known since they were both knee high to a grasshopper still took the time to acquaint himself with the look of her.

“Oh yeah? And the fact that you’re utterly bias for that outfit has nothing to do with this observation at all, huh? Look at it this way. Next time you see me in it I’ll be all super and heroic and then it’ll be even more awe inspiring.”

"And I am Prince Ronan. Son of Ula, Queen of the Idyllist, and Terran Markov. It is a rather....unique, pleasure to meet each of you."

Looking the prince over, she raised an eyebrow at him. She’d heard a lot more of his parents of course than the prince himself. Alice had also visited Atlantis a couple years ago out of blatant curiosity, but her stay had been a short one and she’d never even bothered to venture into the Idyllist Colonies. She opened her mouth to say hello, but the feeling of something twining around her legs stopped her and she looked down. Then she exclaimed with almost childish glee and scooped the feline looking creature up into her arms, hugging him close against her.

"Jules! I wondered when you were gonna show up."

"I'm Kestrel. My mother used to be Robyn.”

“Hey. I'm Joker.”

Making happy little sounds, she nodded as she continued cuddling the kitty. It may have been weird, but he always struck her as the softest thing, even when he wasn’t busy playing an animal. Then it occurred to her that in certain situations like these, what she was doing was considered terribly rude, and she lowered her arms, letting her friend drop harmlessly to the floor before sweeping a grand bow.

”Oh crap, that’s right! How silly of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Alice, the Knave, and with my sparkly rainbow powers the evils of the world stand no chance against me!”

This declaration was immediately followed by derisive giggles as she gave a wide grin at her own silliness. She really had had far too much time on her hands these past couple of weeks and it showed. The click and whirring of hydraulics reached her ears moments before the floor pulled away from itself some feet away, revealing an expanse of water before a ship popped into view. Then a scantily clad girl appeared at an opening and suddenly she was in front of them and Alice’s eyes were bright as she looked her over.

“Oh my stars and garters, you are something else alright! And you’re so pretty! I can’t wait to dress you up and play with your hair. I’m thinking braids!”

Walking towards her, she gave a careful eye to the girl’s body, figuring measurements in her head automatically along with various colors and fabrics that would look good with her sort of coloring. Making little hmming and uh-huhing sounds, she walked slowly around the Princess. Really, it had to be the alien princess after all with that sort of ship. Plus she looked every bit like someone used to being called royalty as the prince over there did. Pausing in front of her, she tilted her head up to look her in the eye, tapping her chin in thought. Out of pure curiosity, her hands reached up and squeezed her rather large breasts before stopping this molestation and giving a little squeal at acquiring a new doll.

”Well, with this amazing chest and your height, you won’t really fit any of my stuff too well and even if I brought some of Mal’s things, it’d probably still be a rather tight fit boobwise. Oh well, guess that just means I get to take you shopping!”

X’Hal (Bluefire)

”Calm yourself, daughter. Soon the world around you will become akin to chaos. You must seek peace within yourself, if you wish to survive it.”

Blue light stained the white walls and floor of the room and, she fancied, even the very air as it filtered into the room through the sheer curtains that surrounded them. It was an unusual place of peace on a planet that had long ago adopted war as its’ culture. Many thought it an abomination to bring such an alien concept of tranquility into their midst. Yet, the king adored his wife and there was little they could or would do to stand in his way. As soft-hearted as he was, it was well-known that his wrath held no equal and to incur it was indeed exceedingly foolish. So while frowned upon, the alien queen and her half-breed child was let alone to do as they would in that curious room. The peace of the room was not broken, as most would imagine, when a raven haired woman laughed. Instead it only changed a little, soaking in the joy of the laughter as if it was just as the light itself.

“X’etta, dear. Do come down from there. You know better than to try and catch them.”

A child, no more than five, frowned in distinct frustration as she tried once again to clasp her hand around a glowing orb that hung a little ways from the ceiling. It was not that she did not succeed. Rather when she had finally realized her goal, the light would slip from her fingers to hang as a ball in the air, unhindered once again. Her mother did not have the gift of flight and so could not chase after as her father would have, but the woman did not fret over this difference. She had confidence that her daughter would soon give up and drift back down to the floor. Which was exactly the case, for one little X’Hal saw her mother’s loving gaze focused upon her, she gave a sheepish grin and let gravity overtake her so that she stood some feet in front of the woman and bowed her respect to her.

“Yes, Momma.”

Resuming her appointed place on a plush cushion, she crossed her legs underneath of her, copying the elegant turn of her mother’s fingers with her own. The training was still relatively new to her, though she had watched her mother meditate many times. She couldn’t really feel others yet. Though sometimes she got a glimmer of something. Which was why she tended to stay close to one parent or another even more so than most children her age. She did not like what she felt when left among the other citizens of Tamaran. This meditation was supposed to help her cope with the way things were now, before she grew into her heritage and had little choice but to know the hearts of those around her.

“Now, close your eyes and take deep breaths. Yes, just like that.”

Staring at the blackness behind her eyelids, she took great pains to follow her mother’s example and fill her chest completely with air before letting it flow back freely through her mouth. Earthlings perhaps, would assume she would be trying to clear her mind, but this was not t all the case. She was to be creating a wall between the world and her heart, or more a tower. Something to let her see without being touched. A feeling akin to being splashed with cold water came suddenly over her and her eyes flew open in surprise.

“Momma?”

It hadn’t occurred to her to wonder at her mother’s silence, even as it had stretched into many minutes. Now she did and wondered why she hadn’t bothered to before. Her mother was staring at something in the distance, eyes wide with terror. A sickening black substance crawling over her skin. Panic overwhelmed her as she watched it claim more and more of her mother’s features. Scrambling off of the cushion, she ran to her mother, shouting her name frantically. Only to have her crumble to dust as soon as her fingers touched her.

The scream was her own, though she would never admit to it if one of her servants had chosen that moment to check on her. Still, such pride did not erase the fact that her nude flesh was clammy with the cold sweat of fear and her heart pounded painfully in her chest. When she was younger, she would have shed tears after such a nightmare. Now she did not allow herself the weakness. No amount of crying would ever bring her mother back from the veil and it was useless to try.

A soft click of a panel revealed a screen alerting her of her proximity of the planet and reminding her of why the ship happened to be so quiet and empty feeling. She was alone. It was a curious feeling. She had never been alone in her entire life. Even in the wilds, during her Kel N’Rem, she had felt the primal needs of the animal hearts. She supposed she should enjoy it while she could. Her father had told her that she would be living with a handful of other ‘teen superheroes’. It still struck her as odd that Earth would be so full of frail creatures with only a few among them strong enough to serve as protectors. Save for the Green Lanterns, she had never encountered such a thing before.

Slipping from her bunk, she pressed a nearby button, cleansing herself of the grimy sweat of her nightmares, before kneeling in front of a small alter in reverence. Her father had named her after the Goddess who, in her anger, caused her people to rise, from the peace they had once known, into righteous fury so that they could seek vengeance for the grievances that had been visited upon them by the hands of others. Even now her name was spoken in hushed whispers for the awe and fear she inspired. To be named after such a being was indeed an honor and showed how greatly her father thought of his child. So now, she gave thanks to the Goddess X’Hal and prayed for the guidance to become a worthy ambassador of her people.

Hours later, the Justice League assured of her identity and her ship cloaked from those that would do her harm, she watched as water engulfed the vessel and the instructions programmed into the ship’s computer allowed her to slip quietly through the bay’s depths and up through a large hole that seemed to lead to a building of some sort. She did not fret over her appearance before she opened the hatch and flew over to stand on the floor in front of a group of whom she assumed were her teammates. While physical beauty was appreciated and even celebrated rather enthusiastically among her people, she had never had any doubts over her physical appeal, even if it had never made any dent on the feelings of her people when directed towards her. Besides, with the aura of hate, greed, fury, and many other nasty emotions she was feeling from the city near the tower, she doubted she would be able to correctly discern these new beings emotions anytime soon. Still the flaxen haired woman that fairly bounced towards her seemed happy enough to see her.

“Oh my stars and garters, you are something else alright! And you’re so pretty! I can’t wait to dress you up and play with your hair. I’m thinking braids!”

X’Hal raised an eyebrow as the girl circled her. She had received some tutoring on several Earth languages as she had wished to be able to have a more thorough understanding of their speech when she had finally accepted her father’s decree. Yet, there were still many gaping holes that she could see as she did not for the life of her understand why this woman exclaimed about stars or clothing upon seeing her. Nor was she entirely sure that she wanted this ‘dress up’ and ‘braids’ used on her.

”Well, with this amazing chest and your height, you won’t really fit any of my stuff too well and even if I brought some of Mal’s things, it’d probably still be a rather tight fit boobwise. Oh well, guess that just means I get to take you shopping!”

To say that her eyes were wide, when she felt hands suddenly engulfing her breasts and giving them a soft squeeze before letting go, was a distinct understatement. Not only did she have the shock of being advanced upon, by a female no less, within moments of arrival, but the touch had sent her mind reeling with incoming information as she immediately absorbed the English language. By the time she had calmed down and come back to the world around her, the blonde, yes that was what her hair would be called, was talking in animated whispers with one of her compatriots, seemingly unphased by what she had just so casually done. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head faintly, deciding to treat the incident as nothing. It would not be prudent to instigate a fight on the first day when it seemed clear that no harm was meant. Looking at the others, she nodded before kneeling down on one knee.

“Greetings, I am X’Hal, daughter of Korand’r and Fiarron, crown princess of Tamaran and heir to the crest of fire. I pledge to honor the implicit nature of this team and work to fight for those who cannot protect themselves as I am told is the way of your superheroes.”

 

[Eazy]

“Oh yeah? And the fact that you’re utterly bias for that outfit has nothing to do with this observation at all, huh? Look at it this way. Next time you see me in it I’ll be all super and heroic and then it’ll be even more awe inspiring.”

A smirk played at the corner of Mallory's lips as the young hero unsuccessfully attempted to mask the amusement and hint of excitement his friends observations and points brought onto himself. This entire set up was serious business, and he knew it, but it couldn't be helped that he felt a little giddy over the prospect of reforming a famous team with his old friends and others like themselves. Least during this calm period before the call of duty demanded them to get down to business, he figured there was little harm from soaking in the atmosphere and excitement. Even if it may not be so feverishly shared amongst every other new occupant arriving at the Tower on this day.

"And I am Prince Ronan. Son of Ula, Queen of the Idyllist, and Terran Markov. It is a rather....unique, pleasure to meet each of you."

The names of the young Prince's parents had actually captured Mallory's attention more then the respective ranks of the reluctant hero and his Mother. While he hadn't many chances of knowing either former Titan, he did know of them from stories told by his own parents. Particularly his father, whom was there during an important part of their shared lives together after the disbanding of the Titans. Studying Ronan for a few seconds, Mallory idly wondered if the young man inherited any of his fathers apparent bad habits. Granted, he held little dread over any prospect of the Atlantean betraying this version of the team, but Ronan did seem to share a faint aura of superiority which matched what Mal's parents described of Terran. Ultimately, the redhead decided on shrugging it off until he grew to know the guy better.

"Jules! I wondered when you were gonna show up."

So caught up in his observations of the growing number of teammates, that Mallory had nearly missed out on noticing the arrival of a feline figure before Alice alerted every one of its presence. A wide grin spread across his features as he reached out a hand and simply rubbed at the back of Jullian's furry head as the Kryptonian held him in her arms; knowing it would take more then he had in him to separate those two at the moment. Still, it was always a pleasure to see his old friend, regardless of what form he chose to take at any given time.

"I'm Kestrel. My mother used to be Robyn.”

“Hey. I'm Joker.”

"Hola, newcomers." Mallory stated in a partially cheeky manner while waving a hand at the latest three to introduce themselves, removing his massaging fingers from the back of Jullian's neck as Alice let him jump down and onto the ground.

”Oh crap, that’s right! How silly of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Alice, the Knave, and with my sparkly rainbow powers the evils of the world stand no chance against me!”

Despite his own odd sense of humor, Mallory couldn't keep from rolling his eyes before glancing downward at Jullian's direction, whispering in a teasing manner despite knowing how easily Alice could pick up on his words even without her powers, "She really does need to start cutting down on those magical girl cartoons."

Not exactly expecting a direct response from his friend while Jullian remained in his present beastly form, the young hero returned his attention to the others in the room just in time to notice the appearance of a newest figure. And what a figure, he silently mused to himself as his eyes widen slightly while taking in the full form of the seemingly alien (though it was hard to tell with this group) female which joined the unusual ensemble of characters. As his friend ran over to greet the new arrival, Mallory's head started tilting ever so slight; as if attempting to take in the finer details of the exotic looking woman with this change in angling his head. Part of him couldn't keep from thinking how she'd look in a 'proper' superheroine suit, but the rest simply wanted to shake the hand of whomever designed the attire she was presently wearing.

As Alice suddenly grasped at the woman chest, the young man had to stifle a chuckle which temporarily brought him out of his daydreaming, musing as much to himself as he was to Jullian while he pointed out, "Well, it is refreshing to see that Alice and the concept of personal boundaries are as foreign to each other as ever."

His comical outlook on the situation took a slight detour, however, when the blond made reference to 'Mal's things' while speaking about playing dress up with the current object of her obsession. A flush of embarrassment graced his features, as he briefly glanced around at those gathered, on the off chance of anyone other then himself and Jullian catching onto what their friend was going on about amidst her borderline rambling of plans.

“Greetings, I am X’Hal, daughter of Korand’r and Fiarron, crown princess of Tamaran and heir to the crest of fire. I pledge to honor the implicit nature of this team and work to fight for those who cannot protect themselves as I am told is the way of your superheroes.”

Ah, yes, it was the Tamaranean Princess. Really, he should have guessed who this was in advance, based on those whom were already announced and those few which remained unaccounted for at the time. Mallory would simply chalk it up as the result of insufficient blood to the brain, as much of its attention seemed at risk of relocating to certain other parts of the anatomy. Of course, it may serve to help in lessening this problem if he could tare his eyes away from the alien goddess across from where he stood.

"Quite the looker, huh?" Came a familiar voice which originated from the side in which Jullian and Alice hadn't been occupying earlier, which caused the young man to jump slightly as he spun around to greet the older male.

"Dad?" Mallory nearly blurted out as he was met with the familiar face of his old man, having seemingly forgotten about Hex joining him on the ride over somewhere between his near fanaticism over being part of an official team and gawking at X'Hal, "What...I mean, uh, I see you finally caught up?"

Raising a hand to calm his son before he could grown too concerned over being embarrassed by one of his parents, the former Titan calmly explained as he started looking over the other young heroes in the room, "Don't worry, I'm not going to stay here long. I just wanted to make certain yourself and the rest of the kids made it into the Tower without incident."

In particular, Hex let his gaze pause upon Ronan for a few seconds, before letting out an amused chuckle over a few memories about his father during their younger days. The others whom he could recognize as belonging to certain families brought about their respective memories on days long past, but none of them affected him like the sight of Alice. Though Mallory was his only child, and Hex occasionally made it a bad habit of spoiling him as such, Alice was by far the closest thing he ever had to a daughter. From those early days when it was unclear on what to do with her, throughout her childhood, and ever since; he's held a rarely spoken sense of responsibility for the girl. Despite whatever road bumps there were along the way, and however many hairs were plucked off his head, he never let a moment of fear or hesitation enter his mind about the girl.

"Glad to see everyone's doing fine." The former villain stated as he stared at Alice for a few seconds more, then returning his attention more evenly to Mallory and the others.

The young hero watched his father during his silent inspection of Alice, but didn't think much of it as he'd grown familiar with and used to the details of his old man's own bit of history with fruits of the cloning project which birthed his friend. Hex's part in defending Alice during those extremely rocky early years, and the continuously rough patches which followed long after was one of the many things Mallory respected about his father. That, and how he was able to walk around with pink hair and somehow, somehow, actually be able to pull it off, dag nabbit. Let's see Wonder Man pull that one off.

Turning his attention back to his shape shifting friend, Mallory spoke in a whispered tone as he started to kneel down and tried nudging his fellow teammate into speaking up for himself, "Hey, Jules? Don't you think it's about time you introduced yourself to everyone else?"

Mallory didn't want to put his friend on the spot, which was the reason behind his attempt at being subtle about his prodding of the cat. At the same time, he figured a little nudging wouldn't hurt in getting the last official member of their team to give a formal introduction to those who remained gathered.

 

[NiteCrowe]

Harvey stood in shock at how nobody was attacking him.

They don't know who you are...Haha, shows that you werent much of a supervillain now, doesn't it.
Shut it
You're obviously not going to be much of a superhero either
Shut it
Look at them, those two seem to be more interested in the cat and the alien, people are treating Kestrel like you, and the Atlantean seems to be up his own arse, you obviously don't belong here.

Harvey ignored the voice and indeed began to look around. The atlantean did indeed look bored, and Alice and Mallory did indeed seem far too interested in that cat, the alien looked confused, and Kestrel looked bored.

Haha, So this group of titans consist of 2 members of royalty, a cat, a robin hood reject, a girl who watches too much powerpuff girls, a speedster and Kestrel, who will most likely be your worst enemy.
Huh? Why?
She's the granddaughter of the Bat duh! You know, your parents were her worst enemies! Surely this one has read the database and knows the villains, thus any second she'll know who you are and kick your ass back to kingdom come!
No she won't
Oh really?

Harvey nodded slightly, knowing that this was probably the truth, and began to study Kestrel, trying desperately to keep himself ready to defend himself on a split second notice.

 

[GothicVampire]

Taking after his mother, Jullian loved animals, especially felines. Growing up and living with his mother, the estate was literally littered with cats of all variety of breeds, there was not even a single room without at least a few kitties lingering about. So, it was no wonder why he chose to morph into different species of felines, and principally since it was the first creature he had ever changed into.

"Jules! I wondered when you were gonna show up."

Jules mewled as he was quickly lifted up and then was held. He purred as his friends petted him, liking the affection that was bestowed upon him. Of course, when Alice cradled him closer, he found his head wedged into the middle of her bosom. He mewled as he tried his hardest to remain civil and calm, and if a cat could somehow flush, he was doing exactly that. He shifted his head, trying his best to maintain his gentleman status, the first thing he need was his first impression to be marred by the appearance of being an absolute pervert. That is when he then realized his other friend’s hand moved to the back of his head, right behind the ear, rubbing it. The action sent shivers down his feline spine, causing a bit of his hairs to stick up.

“Oh, yeah. That’s it. That’s the spot. I like that.” He thought as he purred, his head leaning in more towards Mallory’s direction.

Jules had heard the introductions of Arsenal, Ronan, Kestrel, and the one whom called himself Joker. He gazed over at the four, his feline eyes examining them very intimately. He noted to himself on how awkward they were standing there, not that he could blame them, they were all if not nervous, even if just a tinge. Of course, the aquatic prince carried himself quite well, despite how he felt irked by perhaps having to grace everyone with his presence, people he did not know or knew he could trust. However, Kestrel seemed tense, her aura emitting vibrations of dread and not really wanting to be here. Now the Joker, he was completely nervous, in fact, almost a complete wreck, his aura stating that there was conflict going on with inside himself as he stood there debating whether he should or not be here. The only one who seemed to be dealing quite well with the situation was Arsenal. And he also noticed the quaint presence of the phantom of the Tower, but did not believe he should mention it. Though, he also sensed someone else was here in the Tower, but likewise as the spirit, chose not to dally amongst them and remained away in his own solitude. Of course he knew already, quite perfectly well, indeed, without even having to sense any of it.

He found himself mewling again when Alice decided to place him back down onto the ground. Once he landed on all fours, he looked up at the blonde haired girl as she introduced herself. He somehow managed to then grin as she let out a spoof of giggles, truly she was a gold mine of radiant energy and her personality shined like diamonds.

He immediately looked up when his sensitive ears heard peculiar whirring sounds, his senses told him that something big was coming, if not the cloaked ship then someone else who was important. He watched intently as moments passed, and continued thusly when in a matter of minutes the next new arrival revealed herself.

The moment his eyes landed upon her, they grew three times as large. He knew better than to gawk, but he could not refrain from doing so. He silently cursed himself, he knew he was being obviously rude with the horrid incessant staring at the newly arrived stranger, but his brain could not function properly. At least he was not ogling like his friends, even if a part of his brain was going off, it’s barbed wired hooks trying to pull him into the dark recesses of his mind, commonly known as “the gutter”. Certainly, a couple of people were to blame for being such bad influences.

He closed his eyes, his whiskers twitched as he put himself on pause for a moment, pushing back any uninvited thoughts before his eyes gradually opened again. It was not just he himself that was thinking these thoughts, but something else, something that was wanton, twisted even, and none too friendly.

His ears perked up and his fury brow furrowed as he then witnessed the blonde circling the princess as if she was a priceless doll on display, chattering on about the two of them playing “dress up”. He chuckled quietly to himself, his low laugh resonated like a growl. His eyes widened slightly, however, when he watched the girl practically molest the other female she was eyeing.

His tail wagged as he thought to himself; “Leave it to Alice to behave in such a manner as this.”

He felt stress emitting off of the raven haired girl, though he doubted it was mostly from the unanticipated gauche contact, MOSTLY. No, something deeper.

When the blonde bounced back over towards Mal’s and his direction, his attention immediately was now focused entirely on her. "Please refrain from undressing the princess with your eyes. It's very rude and disrespectful." He chided her psychically.

Alice laughed and decided to change the subject; “What? What are you talking about? What have you been up to? Like what I am wearing?”

“Yes, it is very lovely. Suits you quite well.” He answered, studying her for a moment, but he was not deterred however. "Why'd you have to go and do that?"

The girl looked at him, rolling her eyes before she spoke, informing him the reason as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Because her boobs are fucking amazing, duh."

He narrowed his feline eyes at her, though it was clear that it was a teasing gesture. "I beg your pardon?"

“You heard me.” She replied, wiggles her eyebrows. “And they're really soft, too.”

His eyes widened as his visage turned red, though the blush fortunately remained hidden under his luxurious dark fur. “Oh my lord! Good heavens, Alice!”

She looked at him innocently, but that grin sporting on her face tarnished it. “What?”

He gave her mocked dirty look, a look similar to that of an adult who was scolding their child for their silly behavior. “You naughty, naughty girl!” He accused, but then grinned cheekily.

She quirked a brow at him. “Jealous?”

“Maybe.” Was his derisive reply, puckering his bottom lip and then looked away from her, pretending that he was no longer going to provide her any more attention. "...Then again, perhaps not. But you shall never know, my beloved dear old friend."

Once the princess had given her introduction, Jullian afterward found his attention drawn to his other friend, who was now speaking with his father. He did not know of the family’s entire history, especially when it came in regards towards Alice, but he was not one to pry or even dare to rudely obtain the information desired by meddling inside of their psyches. No, he trusted them, and when you trust someone, you do not commit such a deplorable deed, particularly to your friends. Of course, this did not mean he was not permitted to read their auras or translate their vibes into understandable emotions or thought patterns. Though, his darkness would egg him, popping questionable doubts and feeding them to him, incessantly prodding him about practically everything that entered or was currently already in his life. Again, furthering his insecurity with his lot in life, specifically with other people and how they may perceive him as. And then there was that other voice, that other part of him he always had to vie with.

For a moment, he lost himself in thought, but soon snapped out of it as he realized Mallory was now speaking to him, nudging him as he did.

"Hey, Jules? Don't you think it's about time you introduced yourself to everyone else?"

He snapped his head up and looked at him, a benign grin developed upon his face. “Yes, certainly, it is about time.” He spoke as he chortled slightly.

With a grandeur display, he transformed before their very eyes. His shadow became very much alive as it entangled itself around him, engulfing him as it gave a ghostly inhalation, from there he grew into his height, releasing him in another light yet eerie exhalation, unwrapping him as it spun around like ribbons in a playful wind, making him appear as if he had popped out of a airtight can that was full of surprises. A sly smile played upon his lips before he gave way to grinning much like the Cheshire Cat himself. He removed his top hat with his one of his already raised hands, holding hit in front of his chest as he bowed down respectfully before his new cohorts.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Princess and Prince, I am pleased to make all of your acquaintances.” He spoke, his Bristish accent thick, and then kneeled down upon one knee. “My name is Jullian Logan, but you all may very well refer to me as the one called Shadow.” His shadow wriggled like tiny tentacles at the base of his feet before going back to what was considered "normal" by human standards. "It is both sincerely an honor and a pleasure being here."

He remained in place for a brief period of time before standing back up gracefully, he then positioned his hat back onto his head, while his mantle blew gently in the whistling breeze. His shadow shifted towards the sun, defying logic as if it was rebelling against the beams of light. He grinned at the tiny crowd around him, tittering a bit as he saw the peculiar stares he was receiving.

He pursed his lips, fiending embarrassment. "Pardon me, is there something a matter? It's because I'm green, isn't it?" He quipped.

 

[Wyldfire]

It took Olivia no time to find her room. she just dropped the three duffle bages and pulled off the mundane clothing. Out od habit she opened the first duffle bag and there it was. a red fishnet body suit. "Ah, what the hell she thought as she shimmied out of the mundane clothes she had been wearing, The body suit went on first followed by the unitard that made up the majority of her costume.

Gran and Mom were going to be so proud. She slung the quiver over her back, the bow collapsed on the back of the quiver. Oliie went to the second duffle and opened it drawing forth the Soul taker and sheathing it under the quiver of arrows.

She then donned the domino mask that would complete the costume. She felt over covered but that wasn't a bad thing. She let out the pigtails she'd been wearing and laughed as her hair came free and resumed it's oh so not asian curliness.

After changing and donning the domino mask that completed the outfit she went back out amongst her fellow Titans and said "So, what's on the agenda for the night?"

 

[kittenofdeath]

Ravenor had always dulled his senses, shutting out the auras that flooded through this violent city, it was so much simpler to ignore it all that way, plus, exposed to all the hate this city had for such a long time, it would drive him over the edge. But he could still sense those individuals that had a bigger impact on things, those with more power, and there were a few down stairs, it disturbed him, or at least one of them did, there was an abomination downstairs, and he wanted nothing to do with it.

He heard footsteps and stopped playing his harmonica, quickly silencing himself and pressing down in to the couch, trying to stay hidden, and since there was no evidence of a reaction to his presence, he assumed it had worked, he almost got up to leave and go about business of his own, but decided to wait longer, and soon she came again, returning to join the other useless people downstairs, only this time she was far less… covered.

“Finally” he muttered to himself once she was out of earshot, pulling himself off the couch and walking over to the fridge, pulling out a sandwich and heading over to the main security panel “now how do I do this again?” he asked himself, holding the sandwich in his clawed right arm and slowly munching away at it as he tapped away at the keys, remembering what he had learned from his own fiddling with the towers systems and the few writings on such things he had found in his fathers room.

Luckily, one of the things he had found was a master code for the tower, apparently some lady called robin had thought his father was stable enough to make the right decision in cases of emergency, something to do with his lack of emotional ties, he often wondered if he had taken it as a complement or an insult to be given that responsibility, his fathers writings were ever so vague, vague and encoded, he still hadn’t completely figured out the system.

But that was beside the point, reading that stuff only ever gave him more questions, not answers, the command code was one of the few useful things he had found. He programmed it in to the computer and enabled the protocols he wanted, a complete and total lockdown of the tower, not that it was going to happen that way, those particular systems were damaged, but he knew that the door they were all standing near worked, and that it would lock tight enough to give him a little more time to himself before someone, namely that Alice woman, simply kicked down the door, god knows what else the people down there could do.

“Done” he took another bite of his sandwich and closed the terminal, locking out any other access anywhere in the tower “now I just need to think of something else to do…” he looked around, his eyes wandering around the massive and mostly empty room, he hadn’t actually though of anything to do with the time he had bought himself, he rarely thought ahead, and sometimes he counted it as his biggest fault.

“Dam… why do I always do this to myself” he sighed and finished the last of his sandwich “sometimes I hate this life” he walked over to the TV and sat back on the couch, flicking it one with the remote, there wasn’t much on in this area, but luckily the tower was equipped with all the things needed to catch broadcasts from other places.

“Whats on?” he flipped through the channels, eventually coming to one that he could understand, well, one with subtitles he could understand anyway, it was a movie he saw the end of a few days ago, it didn’t make much sense, some kind of fight between good and evil, with magicy stuff… he would have to visit Russia some day, looked so interesting, and there was all that white stuff, snow it was called, he wished it snowed here.

 

[Eazy]

Ronan, with a little Mallory

“Greetings, I am X’Hal, daughter of Korand’r and Fiarron, crown princess of Tamaran and heir to the crest of fire. I pledge to honor the implicit nature of this team and work to fight for those who cannot protect themselves as I am told is the way of your superheroes.”

Another member whom descended of royal bloodline. A pleasant surprise, though Ronan held little pretense of this single similarity helping him relate better with the Tamaraneon over anyone else on their team. After all, if he could barely relate to those with whom his people shared this planet, then what were the chances of anything more from someone who was born off world? Giving the Princess a courteous bow, his eyes soon averted themselves toward the rest of the heroes which had filled out the room. Specifically, the older male whom was now standing beside the teen which had previously introduced himself as Mallory.

It took the Prince a few seconds, but he soon recognized the pink haired male from images and stories his parents hold him while growing up. From there, it was a simple enough task to put the two together. Their respective hair and eye colors certainly didn't give one an impression of being related, though they did share a slightly similar style of skin complexion. Albeit with a seemingly more 'natural' lighter complexion on the son, when compared to the grayish tone of his fathers skin. In either case, he hoped that Mallory wouldn't assume his fathers begrudging friendship with Ronan's would influence their own relationship. Far as he was concerned, just because their parents were on friendly terms, it didn't mean any of them were going to be anything more then teammates.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Princess and Prince, I am pleased to make all of your acquaintances. My name is Jullian Logan, but you all may very well refer to me as the one called Shadow. It is both an honor and a pleasure being here."

A faint golf clap made itself heard as Mallory clapped his hand together a few times, teasingly emphasizing the overly flashy manner in which his friend decided to introduce himself to their new teammates.

Fantastic, the Atlantean thought to himself. It seemed at least half of his new team were as much into this for the theatrics then they were for fighting the supposed good fight. Least that was the first impression Ronan's all business persona took from the scene as he watched the green skinned teen form itself out of the shadows which had only moments ago engulfed the creature standing beside the speedster. The showing of abilities did catch the Prince a bit by surprise, but he at least knew enough about the former Titans to expect such a display of power. Still, it was enough to leave his figure somewhat stiffened until Jullian was finished with his introduction, though he maintained a rather perplexed expression on his features for a short time afterward.

"Pardon me, is there something a matter? It's because I'm green, isn't it?"

"Surprisingly, that was one of the less glaring curiosities about you which captured my attention." The Atlantean Prince said in response as he continued gawking at the teen, Jullian's humorous intent appearing to have temporarily fly over his head, though Ronan would likely pick up on it when reflecting on the scene later.

Blinking a few times over the Atlantean's response, Mallory attempted to loosen the blond up with a cheesy attempt at humor, "Ro', I know you're used to living miles underwater, but now that you're up on land, you really should try to avoid letting things go over your head."

A curious expression was left on the young Prince's face for several seconds, until he finally caught onto the meaning behind the speedsters odd humor, causing a slight scowl to show itself as he responded, "As I believe the saying goes, you truly are your Mothers child. And I'd thank you to refrain from creating nicknames from my name."

Mallory appeared as if he were about to try again to get Ronan to lighten up, when he felt his father nudge at him to give it a rest for the time being. Begrudgingly, he complied and resumed silence as the young woman from earlier suddenly returned from getting herself settled into the place. While perhaps not so eye poppingly obvious as X'Hal in her own physique and choice of clothing, the Asian looking young woman was certainly a rather striking beauty in her own right. Of course, her presence also served as a reminder of how he needed to control that occasionally wandering eye of his.

"So, what's on the agenda for the night?"

"I was wondering this myself. If nothing else, I'm rather interested about getting settled in or finding a chance to take in some exercise." The young Prince quickly interjected as he stood with his arms crossed, seemingly wanting to either get down to business or be left to his own devices for the remainder of the day.

Unexpectedly, it seemed the Tower itself went into lock down against its new occupants, as the entrances and exits of the room they were in suddenly shut themselves off. Thick doors of metal had slid down and across before apparently locking into place, providing layers of steel to keep anyone from going further into the longtime headquarters of the Teen Titans. As should be expected, this seemingly spontaneous act had appeared to catch many by surprise, including the young Prince he swiftly straightened himself out in preparation for any the possibility of being put on the offense.

When nothing else appeared to be happening, Ronan maintained a semi-fighting stance as he glanced around at the others and dryly asked to nobody in particular, "I'm guessing this wasn't precisely a scheduled part of our first day orientation?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

Great. So two royals... This was going to be one big ol' ball of fun. Jessi sucked on the side of her cheek as she glanced over the team, listening to the various introductions and trying to keep them all straight. Ieesh. Gram had taught her various ways of keeping her memory in check, but these guys had to expect her to get a few things wrong for the first couple of days.

It wasn't like she was that memorable herself; What'd she have going for her? She was the founding team leader's daughter. Woo-hoo. Here they had the prince and princess, the shapeshifter, the-

Wait, what'd the guy next to her refer to himself as?

She hesitantly glanced over her shoulder to the curious looking fellow, raising a hand cautiously to rest on the strap of her bag. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gave him a once-over, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt over his place in the tower. After all, each of them had a reason for being here- but the first instant she took any doubt over him, there was going to be some heads butting.

Glancing up as yet another new face entered the room, she remembered mom's warning on her old place in this building. Steppin up, she gave a light shrug and cleared her throat. "Might I suggest that we all get settled in, then take up some proper introductions? We're all supposed to be... family... here. May as well get to know each other." She paused, glancing around the group, only to give a quick frown. "Anyone know how to cook? Maybe we can get a nice group dinner set up and then set about on our game plan on handling things in the city."

*Nice.
Now they think you're queen of the bitches.
Should've just shut up, Jessi.*

 

[GothicVampire]

Jullian blushed upon receiving his friend's applause, and the two grins he received.

"Surprisingly, that was one of the less glaring curiosities about you which captured my attention."

Jules could not seize the slightly amused, yet, curious look that had developed upon his countenance, all the while his shadow convulsed because of him having heard such a comeback. Two pairs of bright red and bloodshot eyes emerged, which then shifted, disdainfully eying the Atlantean. Tentacles like wisps of smoke sprouted out from the edges of it, it now seemed relatively ghoulish.

The young demon heard a low snarl resonating off inside of his psyche, the sound similar to that of a prowling lion‘s rumble. There was a simple answer for this as to why this was occurring, his dark side, who decided to take a better look at the one who said “the insolent remark”. He knew that his other side knew what the aquatic lad was thinking, and quite honestly, he did not like it very much. Nefarious limbs began to stretch outwards towards the prince, fingers curling, wriggling as he was scheming to snatch him and then pull him into the consuming darkness.

"Ro', I know you're used to living miles underwater, but now that you're up on land, you really should try to avoid letting things go over your head."

"As I believe the saying goes, you truly are your Mothers child. And I'd thank you to refrain from creating nicknames from my name."

Jullian's eyes widened, his heart now pounding in his chest as the urge to defend his friend arose, anger threatening to overcome him. Not something he wanted, no. "Don't get angry." He told himself inside of his mind as he tried to desperately push back the negativity rushing at him, finding it hard to control that which was a part of him. “Stop.” He beseeched silently. His skin began to prickle, just before his veins began to emerge.

That is when Arsenal appeared again. "So, what's on the agenda for the night?"

Jullian sighed in relief, finding himself fortunate for the quick distraction. The pairs of eyes closed and faded away before his shadow became still and the appendages rapidly retracted. His skin faded back into normal.

"I was wondering this myself. If nothing else, I'm rather interested about getting settled in or finding a chance to take in some exercise." Answered the Atlantean, obviously oblivious of what might have happened.

“Might I suggest that we all get settled in, then take up some proper introductions? We're all supposed to be... family... here. May as well get to know each other." Said Kestrel. "Anyone know how to cook? Maybe we can get a nice group dinner set up and then set about on our game plan on handling things in the city."

“I can cook.” Jullian chirped a merry reply, delighted that someone had asked, not minding any of the emotions he picked up. “I positively LOVE cooking.”

Just then, Jullian’s ears caught the pitter-patter of feet moving around inside, sensing the energy he realized it was the other individual who had decided to not join the party, avoiding them like the plague. He heard the beeping of pressed buttons, which later was followed by a mechanical clicking sounds, no doubt the locks all around inside of the building.

“How intriguing, the fool locked them all out.” Spoke a voice sounding not similar to his, hoarse and deeper, inside of his head. “Too bad he does not realize that he cannot hinder us. It will take a lot more than childish antics.”

Jullian witness as the building went into lockdown, his eyes wandering about, following each window as metal shields came immediately down over them, locking them in place in arithmetical order. His eyes turned towards the door, which then barricaded, blocking anyone from coming in. He heard fading footsteps, the individual casually walking away from the controls.

"I'm guessing this wasn't precisely a scheduled part of our first day orientation?"

Jullian looked at the Atlantean. “If it was, then I misread the invitation.”

His eyes quickly turned and landed upon his female companion, who apparently was far from pleased at this occurrence. He did not have to feel any vibes to know that she was, without a doubt, pissed. He sighed to himself, pitying the one who had done this. “That poor thing.” The felt the apprehension filling up the room, which then was later mixed with agitation, dashed with a pinch of amusement.

He stepped casually strolled over to the main entrance, only then looked back to his teammates. “Anyone who cannot walk through walls or vibrate through particles, take hold of me.” He said. “The last thing we need is a gaping hole in the wall.”

His dark side sighed with a sneer at his offer. Trigon snorted.