TTGB Next Gen: The Gathering Storm

[UnseenMaiden]

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X’Hal

“Thank you, Emily, for the report.”

Her eyes stayed on the screen as she spoke, reviewing information, analyzing the seemingly random list of numbers and letters in an effort to glean an answer from it. For two weeks, Jump City had been devoid of all semblances of warfare. The aftermath of the Queen of Spades fall had been a messy affair. Many gangs and some very powerful individuals had hurried to fill the void of a missing monarch. Sometimes, they had fought amongst themselves, but, more often than not, the Titans were seen as their true foes. Then it had all stopped, seemingly overnight. Not even the bank of monitors before her, constantly streaming images of the city, could reveal much of anything beyond the mundane. At first, they had all felt this was surely the sign of a new ruler finally coming into play, but still there was nothing. It was unsettling. Emily’s report had been only barely enlightening, revealing that most of the gangs out there seemed to be taking residence in something the vibrant-haired illusion had described as ‘clubs’. It had required a bit of explanation, but X’Hal had been given to understand that these places were used for little more than entertainment and recreation, which was, in the way of Earth slang, ‘very weird’.

“Yeah, sure. It’s what I’m here for. When’s that leader of yours coming back, by the way?”

A scowl flitted unseen over her lips at, what she considered to be, the rather impertinent inquiry. What she knew of the figment, she respected, but her tendency to ask things she had no need of knowing, and had little chance of knowing, was beginning to wear on X’Hal’s patience. As such, her answer was to the point, each consonant and vowel of the foreign language delivered with soft precision.

“Soon.”

“Tch, real enlightening, princess. Look, I get you can’t tell me details, but..”

“Goodbye, Emily.”

The speaker, so filled with noise earlier, fell silent with the simple press of a button a split second after her dismissal. If she was truthful with herself, and she preferred to be so more often than not, her irritation had less to do with Abigail’s creation and more to with the culmination of all the events of the past fourteen months. Instead of getting better, things seemed to be getting worse for the Titans as time moved on. The princess was sure that the tower would have fallen a month ago, if not for the barrier. Thank the Goddess her father had seen fit to send the technology to her when he found it. As it was, they had lost many of their comrades to this war, though some had turned coward and ran. For her own part, her promised year of participation had come and gone. She stayed on this planet now, because she would not abandon her friends and teammates to this evil city as long as it posed a threat, and it did pose a threat. Another scan of the monitors revealed that all seemed calm in Jump City, but appearances were ever deceiving. She’d grown adept at tuning out the choking emotion of the bit of civilization they were fighting for, but the calm that fell over the city now was something the constantly pricked at the back of her neck. There was menace behind that calm and if she was not a proud Tamaranean warrior, X’Hal would be afraid of what that meant.

Standing up for the first time in hours, the princess stretched, though not entirely to her liking. The control room was cramped and meant to house all the necessary technologies, but it was not made for the full range of movement a body needed, and her body continually protested the time she spent sitting and watching the monitors. Taking one more look, her lips settled in a stern frown as she caught sight of Alice. The blonde woman had gone missing once more last night. She did not fault the covert forays into enemy territory, the empathy would feel any sign of betrayal from her if it was to those means, but she did fault her for the impetuous and foolish risks she was undertaking in doing such a thing alone and without planning. Grief was making the clone reckless and as someone who called her ‘friend’ X’Hal did not like the cowardice involved in such an act. For a moment, fury boiled in her veins as irritation and disappointment gave way to the wish that she would be allowed to ‘beat some sense into’ her friend. Then she let it pass through her with a deep breath and regained her own serenity once more.

She needed to get her mind off of those things that stressed and worried her. Leaving the control room, her bare feet led her to the answer she usually sought when needing to relax, the training room. Restlessness thrummed in her limbs, and if it was not for the fact that she found impatience juvenile, she would have flown down the few flights separating her from her destination. Instead, her sense of decorum won out over what she really wanted, and she determinedly placed one foot in front of the other in a sedate but purposeful pace. She used the time to plan what she would do. There were the same exercises she had done ever since she was a child, but there was no challenge in that. These ‘gymnastics’ Alice was so fond of were well and good for improving dexterity, and she did have yet to master the devices created for the task, but she did not happen to relish the thought of falling, a secret she told no one for fear that they would laugh. What she truly wanted was a spar. There was no lack of partners, each member of the Titans were competent enough to prove challenging in various ways, but most did not wish for a battle so early in the morning.

X’Hal stopped dead in her tracks as she came to the end of a hallway. A woman, that was most certainly not there seconds ago, had appeared in front of a bank of windows. Her hair was pale. All of her was pale, only her hair stood out because there were tints of yellow in it that glinted gold here and there in the sunlight. X’Hal’s footsteps were silent, but the pale stranger turned towards her anyways, as if she had heard the princess’ arrival all the same. Pale cheeks. Pale pink lips. The woman’s eyes were not pale. They were dark as an angry sea, though there was no anger in them. Peace, happiness, and an undercurrent of sorrow was all she felt in this woman. There was also something else. Something she had only ever felt in one other person, the feeling of many whispers at the edge of her being.

“You are dead.”

It had been months since Phantasm’s death, she’d never known the specter in life, nor had her father, so she considered the ghostly apparition’s destruction to be her true death, but X’Hal could never mistake that ethereal quality. It was for this, and the lack of menace in her countenance, that the princess did not attack the stranger. Speaking of which, the strange woman seemed almost amused at the plain words she had spoken. Those pale lips quirked into a faint smile as her contrasting eyes roved over the alien in an appraising manner. Then the strange ghost grinned before responding in kind.

“And you’re not.”

The Tamaranean scarcely had time to draw breath, much less use that breath to form words and demand some explanation of this unexpected haunting of the tower, when the pale woman had closed the distance left between them. In fact, she was invading X’Hal’s personal space in a way that was very reminiscent of how she had first met Alice, without the violation of her body. There was also no bright-eyed look of curiosity about her, though, now that the connection had been made, she did recognize some resemblance between her cloned friend and the stranger before her that was at least refraining from touching her as Alice never seemed to do. The amusement that had been in specter’s eyes faded a bit now, a grave air taking over her features.

“She’s proud of you, ya know? So’s your dad for that matter. How in the world did sweet Kor turn out such a serious kid? You must get it from her. Anyways, your mum thinks you need to move on already. Vengeance and fury won’t....”

In mid-syllable, the woman vanished. As suddenly as she had been, she was not. There was not even the residual trace of emotion to mark her momentary presence. X’Hal was left with something she had very seldom experienced in her life, a feeling that made her tremble where she stood as the blood drained from her skin. She took a small step back as shock made its’ way through her system. It was not what she had seen that shook her so deeply. Months with Phantasm around had numbed her to the surprise of lingering spirits. It was the mention of her mother, and the harrying emotions connected to her memory, that made it hard to breathe.

Alice

Now you say you're lonely
You cry the whole night through
Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river
I cried a river over you​

Music, soft and slow, drifted through the smoke that blanketed the air like a fog. It burned her heightened senses, but she was too deep in the bottle to care. More importantly, she wanted to drown in the inebriation even deeper than she already was. It was dangerous, her being like this, but the bar was more or less deserted and not a single soul that knew her was in a five mile radius at the moment. A lazy grin spread over her features as she motioned for the rather large green man to come fill her glass once more. When he obliged her and came over, the bottle in his hand filled with some dark liquid that burned her nose even worse than the smoke did, she spread her hands out for them both to contemplate.

Now you say you're sorry
For bein' so untrue
Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river
I cried a river over you​

”They look like big, good, strong hands, don’t they? I always thought that’s what they were.”

Well, perhaps they didn’t look it, a fact that had her giggling silently. They were slim, pale, and free of calluses. The only thing that might’ve given their strength away was the blood red lacquer she’d painted over the nails that morning. For his part, the bartender ignored her. She probably seemed like so many others that came to this filthy place to forget. The film, just like this song, was before his time anyways and, of course, went over his head. Even though, Alice could clearly remember sitting in the movie theater, the scratchy material of the seats rubbing against her skin as she watched the Rock Biter become consumed by The Nothing. No, wait, that wasn’t her. That was Kal-El. Laughter, sad, desperate, and so full of longing that it almost sounded like she was crying, even to her own ears, bubbled out of her throat at that realization. She cut off the odd sound with a sharp intake of smoky air, singeing her lungs.

You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head
While you never shed a tear​

“They’re strong, really! They’re strong enough to tear through steel, strong enough to stop bullets, strong enough to tear you apart.”

Ah, that had is attention. He was looking at her straight now, scowling, with a piercing glare on his features. Never threaten the one that serves you drinks. The lazy grin was back on her lips and her eyes glimmered dangerously at the verdant-skinned man, before she picked up the tumbler in front of her and emptied its’ contents into her mouth. See, I’m not anymore of a threat then your usual patrons. I just want to get drunk off my ass and forget. That was why she’d come here, wasn’t it? To do the impossible, and forget the loss, the terror, the helplessness that ate at her heart. Damn, she almost wished she smoked, but nicotine was an empty waste of time and burned too much to be worth it for her, even a little. Still, she had the bartender’s attention.

Remember, I remember all that you said
Told me love was too plebeian
Told me you were through with me and​

“I could have saved him.. somehow… I know it.”

The words were mostly mumbled, as she stared into her empty glass and what was left of the drink at the bottom of it. She would’ve cried then, but the tears were buried under the pleasant numbness of fermented grain. Anyways, she’d cried too much for it to be worth it anymore. That’s what she told herself, but still, that empty feeling in her chest was still there. One of her best friends was still dead and she got to live with the knowledge that it should’ve been her. That was her job, that was her role. She was supposed to be able to save everyone, especially those she cared for! Raising her glass back to her lips, she took what drops that were left and slammed it back down on the bar.

“I know I was useless, powerless, caught up just how Her Majesty wanted me! Damn runes! Etrigan always told me to steer well clear of them.”

Glass skittered across the smooth surface and tumbled off the edge. Alice watched them go and opened her hand, letting the shards that were clinging to her skin fall off and join their brethren. There was no damage to the pale smoothness of her fingers and palm. No matter how much pressure she put on it, that mixture of silicon, dirt, and heat would turn into dust before it ever pierced her skin. Such useless, strong hands. She idly marveled at them.

“There was something at the edge of it…. Something..”

Now you say you love me
Well, just to prove you do
Come on and cry me a river, cry me a river
I cried a river over you​

“Sorry. Guns aren’t my usual style, but,” The metal of the revolver was a comforting coolness against her skin, a pleasing contrast to the burning sensation in her lungs and eyes, a faint echo of the steel she was supposed to be. The dangerous glint that had been in her eyes was still there, as was that lazy grin. She rather pitied this poor guy. If she was in his place, surely she would’ve moved to hurt her too. Keeping the muzzle pressed against his temple, she tilted her head slightly, taking in the luminescence of energy that flared a rather pretty aquamarine around his hands and glowed in swirling patterns over his arms and face. She’d be willing to bet they went everywhere else too, but finding out at this moment would be rather rude. “this way, no one will ever suspect me.”

His blood was red, his brain was oddly black though. Meta-humans were weird like that, she supposed. The splatters on her clothes, skin, hair conveniently matched the color scheme anyways. How was that for a bit of blind luck. Slipping off the stool, she softly clucked her tongue at the remaining patrons. Like she would’ve been so silly as to have not left any avenues of escape the moment she stepped foot into this place. Granted, only a few had figured that out. The rest weren’t backing down from a fight. She was strong, fast, and had a gun, but she was only one against many. Those were some nice odds, right? A smirk, devoid of pity, replaced the grin as she went about casually placing another bullet into the recently emptied chamber.

“You understand, don’t you? I can’t have anyone connecting me to here. Enemies or friends. Nothing personal.”

I cried a river over you
I cried a river over you….​

Alice drifted for a few moments between sleep and awake. Somewhere she could hear the sound of waves lapping gently against the shore. The dreams were getting worse, more realistic, more like what she would do if she was… like that. At least, with the apocalyptic ones she could tell that they weren’t real when she woke up. Lately, she’d been having doubts. For the millionth time, she pondered if going out like this, losing herself to the vices of the world so she could forget, was really worth the not knowing if she was safe anymore or not. Guilt settled hard and heavy in her stomach. She needed to stop. She needed help. One of these days something would go really wrong. The fear that her nightmares might become reality whispered at her.

J’onn.

She called to him, the same way she did every morning, every night, hoping, maybe. There was nothing. The telepathic pathway echoed her voice dully, like a pebble tumbling down a well. He was gone. The single constant in her life was gone. Tears welled in her throat, threatening to prick at her eyes. Alice sighed and then took a deep breath, steeling her nerves against the day, against living, against being, and opened her eyes to the bright rays of early morning sun. They were partially blocked by a rather wet and naked Morgen, who was sweeping a wet cloth over Alice’s face, though whether in an effort to wake her or just clean the burgundy make up off of her skin, she wasn’t entirely sure. For a moment, she felt laughing. The picture they portrayed was very reminiscent of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, complete with mermaid no less.

“Whatever you’re doing lately, you’re getting very sloppy at it. Nearly drowned yourself in the bay before dawn, crashing into the water unconscious like that. You’re lucky that I’m a light sleeper.”

What exactly was she getting sloppy at? The blonde clone pulled herself up from where she’d been laying on the rocky shore and immediately regretted. Groaning, her hands lifted to clutch her head as it filled with pain and a distinct tinge of nausea. One of these days she was going to figure out why she could drink alcohol like water, but not be able to avoid the inevitable symptoms of a hangover. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she willed herself to think of what she had been up to the night before, pushing the events of her nightmare out of the way, or at least as best she could. She had her little disguise of Wrath on so she obviously went into Jump City. No one was contacting her though, so she probably did it on her own stubborn whims. If Kestral wasn’t off and about, she would’ve been in store for one hell of a lecture. Slowly, but surely, the events of the night fell into place as most of the nauseous feeling wore off. Her head still hurt like hell though. She’d just have to put up with it. Turning to Morgen, she sighed and aimlessly nodded her head before lightly tugging on the now stained cloth in the nude woman’s hand.

“I didn’t make you this to use as a pretty rag, you know. You’re going to give poor Ronan a heart attack if he decides to look out a window.”

For her part, Morgen rolled her eyes, but the beginnings of a grin could be seen tugging at the corner of her lips. Alice watched silently, her forehead puckered with her idly trying to will her headache away, as the raven-haired clone took her nice sweet time unfurling the black fabric, before going about scrubbing dark reds out of it. When Alice had designed the dress, she’d been going for an ancient greek meets the middle east sort of look, and part of her mourned the fact that Morgen took to clothes like fish took to a seaweed wrap and wasabi. The outfit worked for her perfectly, and the cloth was well suited to being near constantly immersed in water without experiencing much wear and tear, but it remained that blond was looking at a bunch of bare, slightly glimmering skin, thanks to the sun catching tiny scales just right.

“That man is so sensitive. It’s just skin and flesh.”

“And his mother.”

Alice got the dress thrown at her face for that, a hit that she easily deflected by catching the soaking cloth in one her hands. Then they were both laughing, with most of the amusement being on the sea-faring creature’s side. Alice wasn’t exactly sure why Ronan’s discomfort amused Ula’s double so much. She knew Ula herself wouldn’t have found it very funny if she was in the same situation and the blonde had never bothered to actually ask. Over the months, though, she’d gathered that the mermaid just failed to grasp modesty at a level that even this particular kryptonian and the rather free-spirited race of Tamaran stuck to. When Morgen’s laughter subsided, Alice shrugged her shoulders and threw the dripping garment back at her.

“I know. I know. Just trust me that seeing a parental figure in the nude is incredibly creepy.”

 

[deevo]

William

He was awoken suddenly by the sounds of The Bronx blasting through the speakers by his head. He found that, once you were used to long late nights, the traditional alarm clock buzzer just didn't cut it in the morning. Will stumbled blindly out of bed and staggered over to the stereo, turning it off. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and yawned, looking around to regain his bearings.

The room was pretty sparsely decorated - he didn't have a lot to bring with him in the first place - and plenty of items were still boxed away. He hadn't had time to sort through everything yet. As soon he'd arrived in Jump City, Will was eager to do his share and learn the ropes from the more experienced Titans. They had accepted his arrival, even if the welcome wasn't warm.

He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and slipped on his sneakers. It hadn't been a tough night, just a long one. A few muggings and a bar brawl that was getting ugly punctuated the interminable waiting. This peace and quiet was apparently something new, and Will could tell that it wasn't something the others were entirely comfortable with. That was only natural - they were used to living with constant threats. But right now there wasn't much of anything, which meant one of two things.

1: The city was finally under control (not likely.)
2: Someone was planning something big (very, very likely.)

What that big something was, however, no one could say. Will wondered if perhaps there was anyone they could squeeze for information. Not knowing the threat meant going out was even more dangerous than usual. Still, Will felt the patrols were more pleasurable than having Chandra poke each one of his pressure points in sequence and leaving him temporarily paralysed.

Of course, there were plenty of things more pleasurable than that, and not all of them could get you killed.

His costume hung by the door. There were a few minor tears and the cuffs were a little frayed; he'd have to mend them later. Will smiled and thought, Well, if the hero life doesn't work out I could always become a tailor. And, truth be told, he was wondering if he'd make the career change sooner than expected. Patrols were fine, if lonely; he found it difficult to convince anyone to join him. Maybe they found him overeager, or just didn't like his general demeanour? He wasn't like Jessica; he didn't have her sparky personality. Perhaps they thought it was an act, an attempt on his part to live up to some legacy?

If that was the case, they were wrong. He didn't have a legacy, not really. That was Kestrel's destiny, not his. Perhaps one day his mother would allow him to take on the Red Robin name; other than that, he just tried not to embarrass himself.

It was still early; probably enough time to get a short work out before breakfast. Will grabbed a towel and headed out the door, walking towards the gym. When something was on his mind, physical exercise was always the best answer; it helped him regain focus.

Where was Kestrel, anyway? It was a question that had been on Will's mind since he'd arrived a few weeks before. She was their leader, right? Did she even know he was here? Most likely - as Chandra often said, Bryce knows everything. If Bryce knew then Jessica definitely knew. But what Will wanted to know was how she felt about it.

He was so caught up in his reflections that he almost didn't spot X'Hal standing in the hallway. He stopped himself just in time; invading her personal space could result in a concussion. But she looked pale and as Will drew nearer he noticed a sense of apprehension, perhaps nervousness, about her.

"X'Hal?," he said quietly, walking around to face her. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

 

[Mephistophelily]

She couldn't breathe.

The wind had been knocked from her lungs so many times in the past few days, hours, minutes... Even trying to force air into her lungs left her grimacing in pain. Still, she had to keep moving, command her feet to bring the rest of her body to standing. To show her pain was a weakness, another weakness that would easily be exploited.

"You giving up?"

"Not yet, Grandma." There was a sarcastic tone in Jessica's voice, leaning on the metal bo staff as she worked her back to standing. Forcing another breath to come forward, she took the staff up in both hands, readjusting her stance before giving a stern nod at the older woman before her.

A light laugh came in response, Bryce simply starting toward her in a casual stride. "You're so like your mother. I can tell she's had more influence on you than I have. Even when you're faltering, you refuse to give up. Perhaps it's time for us to stop. You look like you need a rest." She paused as she came to the young woman's side, looking her over for a moment, then taking a cloth from her sleeve and holding it out. "Your lip. And nose."

Jessi scowled, snatching the cloth and running it against her lip as she watched the matron of the Bat family pace beside her. "How are you not winded?," she asked between puffs, cringing as another tear of pain passed through her chest. "Christ, I think you broke a rib..." She yelped slightly as an unexpected fist slammed into her side, right against the pained spot.

"Language, young lady. And I would be winded... if there had been reason to be." Bryce smirked slightly with that, turning away from her slowly. "Come with me. Back to the villa, and we'll get you cleaned up."

Kes was nearly seething now. "I'm not a kid, Bryce. I've done everything my mother has done-"

"-And even she is still a child in my eyes. You don't seem to get it, Jessica. You all are. Each of you are my wards, my responsibility. The path you chose to take was started by my footsteps... So to see you fall in an attempt to keep in step with them pains me. I will do whatever it takes to keep you all strong and able to take those steps. Hopefully they can also help you to find a new path of your own. You don't need to be like your mother, nor like me. You need to be Kestrel. You need to find your own way, in time." She smiled softly. "I'm simply trying to make s ure you stay alive long enough to do that. We all have needed to make our sacrifices along the way, Jessica. Some more painful than others. Everything truly does have its reasons."

"Hmph." Jessica tucked the staff beneath her arm, looking away from Bryce quickly. She knew exactly what she was referring to, and it was a subject she really didn't want to talk about. Instead, she tossed the cloth back to Bryce, limping her way past her on the dirt path. "I need a shower. I reek."

"You should call them," Bryce called after her. "They might like to know that you're finally coming home."

She froze with that, the words taking a moment to sink in. She was letting her go home, finally. How many weeks had it been? Her first broken rib had finally healed- and was kindly replaced with this new one. "Yeah. Bet they would..."

For the first time in weeks, she was smiling.

------

The Wayne Enterprises jet wasn't a new experience for Jessi. She still hated the thing, but knew that at some times it was better to have situations be handled by the more public face of Bryce Wayne than that of her evening counterpart. The 'mysterious trip' she and her granddaughter had taken off for was chalked up as a goodwill mission, Bryce including a large donation to one of the recent disasters to add to the story. Newspapers were quick to pick up on this, the article in one of the most recent copies facing her now as Bryce thumbed through it. "You made the news again, Gram. Different reason than usual this time." She smirked, though grimaced slightly afterward. Her side still hurt, but it was nice to be headed home.

"Say hi to William for me." She didn't even look up. "Your motorcycle is waiting when we land. I still think you should have called them."

"I thought you were all about the mystery of a surprise..." Jessi smiled again, growing annoyed at the lack of response from the newspaper. Sighing, she leaned back, closing her eyes. At least everything she had gone through would keep Gram and mom out of her hair for awhile.

Hopefully.

The ride back to Jump City wasn't a terrible one, Jessi glad to feel actual wind against her body and the freedom of being alone as her bike tore down the open road. Reentering the city seemed so strange; things that were far too quiet, far too simple. Something about it left a chill through her spine, making her even more anxious to get back to the team. She had to find out the status of the city.

Her bike pulled into the garage, Kestrel climbing off it wearily and starting into the building, her arms full with the various bags slung over her shoulders. "Anyone in there near the security comm?," she called to the overhead camera, readjusting the bags. "Kinda... full at the moment here... Can someone open the locks for me?"

 

[Ahren1]

A year ago it had been on a simple, irrational whim that Michael Dalton abandoned his admittedly easy life to join the Titans for unexplained reasons. Because he was bored, he would tell them. Because he figured his abilities should be put to good use, he would say. Were those things true? Perhaps... but they weren't exactly the real reasons.

The chilled breeze caused his blonde locks and dark coat to flow with the air currents as he gazed upon the still ruined Jump City from the roof of Titan Tower. The city was still a mess. The Queen was dead, but the streets were still filled with criminals and wannabe villains, multiplying like roaches yet never any more dangerous than the insects they resembled. It was like trying to drain a boat with a hole in the bottom. The more you tossed out, the more that would seep in. An exercise in futility. Michael was beginning to see why the original Titans left.

He could have always left, too. He wasn't the child of a Titan. He had no family to prove himself to. He had given up on his original goal of hoping the Titans could help him discover more about the nature of his powers and his past. So what caused him to stay? Probably the fact that there was nowhere else to go. Probably because this was a place where his powers did help, however little. Probably because he actually made friends... He had even come to accept Julian in all his abstract ways. Then he had been taken from them. If it hadn't been for that weird, green freak, Michael would have likely never been allowed anywhere near the tower. He never would have met X'Hal, who was perhaps one of the main reasons he hesitated to leave.

She was gorgeous, fascinating, and appealing in ways that he just could not articulate. Being around her just made things feel right. Of course, he'd never say it like that to her. She still had a hard time understanding humans and their ways, so it was often difficult to talk to her without signals getting mixed somehow. Still didn't stop him from spending time with her, though, and they had established a solid friendship over the past year. It was things like that which made him stay. Forget the past, live in the present. Easier than it sounded...

Michael slid a gloved finger across the edge of his sword. It was really his only clue. There was a mythical sort of writing along the hilt that no one recognized. It may as well have been gibberish, but the sword had been with him when his foster parents first found him. It was seemingly indestructible. It was his link to the past and it taunted him. He couldn't bring himself to get rid of it, either... but just what the hell was he supposed to do? The thought made him growl in frustration as his left hand crackled with a blue light, illuminating the area around him under the darkened sky. With a grunt, he shot off a blast of concentrated energy into the sky, parting the clouds momentarily only to disappear as they merged back together.

His right hand returned the sword into its sheath upon his back as Michael walked back toward the roof entryway. After a casual walk down the stairs, he entered a hallway only to be greeted by X'Hal and William, both with very strange looks about them.

"What the hell's wrong with you guys?" He muttered casually only to overhear Kestrel through a security channel nearby. He soon made his way toward the entrance, opening the doors as she requested as well as offering her a hand with her bags.

"Welcome home, fearless leader. Have fun doing... whatever you did?

You know, maybe I shouldn't let you in. You could be a... shapeshifter or somethin'... Care to prove your identity?" He added with a smirk, though he really had no idea what he was getting at himself.

 

[NiteCrowe]

Reddy

In the central room a red figure sat upright, rigid, the television on in front of him. Reddy seemed not to move at all, his mind taking in each individual frame as it appeared on the screen.

As this happened another part of his mind, dwelt on memories. He had been a titan for 3 months now and in those 3 months he had learnt so much more than he had by his sister. He'd learnt about friendship and love, battle and grief. He was beginning to almost feel glad he wasn't human as he'd realised how many of these emotions brought....

... Sadness.

His mind focused back on the television. War, Terrorism, Unhappiness everywhere.

Slowly he picked up the remote and changed the channel. This time it was comedy, which was something which puzzled him to no end. No mater how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to manage it.

Determined to learn, he began to watch.

 

[kittenofdeath]

The room was silent save for the muted tones coming out of the chunky headphones pressed against Ravenor's ears and the gentle but constant whipsered chant that escaped from his lips, amusingly enough to the some tune that was coming from the headphones. Rav didnt sleep as much as the other titans, never had, anything more than an hour or two was just wasteful, but if he did what he would normaly do and went around maiking noise, someone always had something to complain about, at least when there was a war on they were more distracted. So since Rav didnt need to sleep, but he couldnt wander around, he meditated, his brother once taught him how, or tried anyway, it didn't quite work for him, but he did eventually come to his own bastardized version, music to drown everything out, eyes closed, and focused on one thing. It didnt tend to work out to well for the one thing, but it worked for him.

Today it was a wooden statue he had carved out of a bedpost with his claws a long time ago (he wasn't to good at English back then and had the need to describe someone, it seemed like a good solution at the time) it hovered above him, almost hitting the cealing, twisting and cricling in time with the music pounding away in to Ravs ears, like a splintered, wooden ballerina dancing to an audience of no one, not even her creator watched, his eyes were closed.

Suddenly the statue stopped dead in the air and Rav sat up like he had woken from a nightmare "Wha... what?" he mumbled, his mind racing, rendering him oblivious to anything going on around him, until the statue fell from the air and cracked against his head "Gah! fuck" his good hand came up to rub his head, it hadn't hurt, but it was one hell of a shock "If that is you Phantasm, I do not appreciate it" he looked around as he pulled off his headphones, the room filling with the sound of 'Between angels and insecs' by papa roach "that wasn't you.." he sighed as his face dropped, she hadnt come back.

"So who was it?" he asked himself as he held out his hand, focusing on an extreemly long cloth strip on the other side of the room, making fly in to the air and quickly shoot over to wrap itself around his less than human attributes, most of them anyway. He gave his handiwork a cursory glance to check for flaws before pulling himself out of bed and in to some clothes, dark jeans and a black singlet, not the most fashionable outfit, but he still had trouble understanding the reasons behind wearing clothes to preserve modesty, so he couldn't care less.

He headed out the door and walked through the corridors, looking a little jumpier than usual, but normal by his standards. He wasn't sure where to go, Phantasm had always taken care of mystical defenses for the tower, but since she left, they had been rather lacking, he knew how to track spirits, but he had to know where it had appeared first. He let his instincts lead him, they took him past the gym, he didn't like it in there, far to bright, they made the tower so bright, he didn't like it one bit, though he had to admit, the feeling of properly maintained carpet between his toes almost made it worth it.

He passed the gym and continued on, eventualy comming across two of his fellow titans, X'hal and William, X'hal in particular caught his interest today, she looked like she had been frightened by something, odd, she never struk him as the easily shaken type... but then, there wasn't normally spirits about.

"Was it here?" he asked as he walked closer, his scowling face looking as apathetic as ever, but as he got closer, a glint of hopeful curiosity shone through on his face "Tell me, who was it?"

 

[Silver_Identity]

She stared at the medium sized canvas in front of her as she sat upon her bed, her legs crossed beneath her. She had been doing so for about ten minutes or so; she had lost track. The painting lacked of something; she knew and yet she couldn't pinpoint what she needed to add to complete this artwork. Tilting her head, she tried to look at a different angle. And that move helped plenty for her.

A rush of inspiration hit her and she quickly stood up to take her paintbrush from the brush holder and her hand was already moving, adding what she felt would make her artwork a masterpiece and complete. Once she was satisfied, she took a few steps back to admire her work with a small grin on her face.

It had been a long while since she was able to actually lay back and concentrate on a canvas, thus allowing her artistic side to flow out. Most of the time, it was her doing her duties as her alter-ego. So it was actually good to finally relax a bit at least, and focused on something she loved doing. Of course, having time like this to do a painting was something which can be quite unnerving for her. It was very rare for her to actually have peace at this kind of long duration. Though she was certain that her supposedly teammates felt the same as she do.

Putting those thoughts aside as she cleaned her brushes and palette, putting all her paints away as well. When she was done, she put a white cloth over her painting. Now she had to wonder where she would be putting that painting. She looked around in her room and knew instantly that she would not have any more space on the walls. She wasn't certain whether she would be able to put it somewhere in the tower as she wasn't even sure whether her teammates would appreciate art, especially hers.

She had only arrived here almost a month ago as she had transferred from the Justice League to the Teen Titans. The big change was indeed welcomed and she felt she could cooperate with her new teammates well enough, despite their rather unique differences. As the thought ran through her mind, glancing at the emerald ring around her left right finger, she sighed a bit at that thought in her head. She couldn't be any much different anyways, especially when she has her own unique abilities because of the ring she wore.

Deciding she had been locking herself in her room far too long, she exited out of her room despite she didn't really decide where she would be going. She just needed to get out and see the familiar faces or at least mingle with them or something. Walking down the hallway, she soon saw the figures of X'Hal, William and Ravenor around the end of the hallway. Whatever what was going on over that side didn't spark her curiosity as she decided to leave them be and headed towards another direction though she had gave a nod towards them as a sign of knowing their presence there.

When she passed by a nearby security comm, she noticed the familiar figures of Kestrel and Michael through the screen and the image made her pause on her tracks for a moment. Oh, their leader had finally return, she noted and that was rather great news. She had to wonder where their leader had went but she wasn't going to poke her nose into people's business really. She called out to the three teammates at the end of the hallway, "Uhhh. Guys. Kestrel is back, just thought you would want to know."

Picking her tracks again after she spoke, she finally decided perhaps she should head to the gym as she felt she was already neglecting to work her muscles and her fighting skills up. Once she reached to the gym, she opened the door and allowed herself in while wondering whether anybody was using the gym. If there was, perhaps she could ask for a small and friendly spar to get her adrenaline running.

 

[Eazy]

Mallory (Stat)

BZZZ!!

BZZZ!!

The annoying noise of the alarm clock had went on for a good couple of minutes, failing at first in stirring awake the rooms occupant whom had spent a fair portion of the night burning away the midnight oils. Once the redhead stirred awake, however, it only took a split second for his hand to stretch out, moving in a blurring motion as it clumsily felt around for the snooze button and finally found it after several failed attempts. Letting out a long, sleepy yawn, Mallory gripped at the side of the bed as he pulled himself up from his spot on the floor; having passed out underneath several books as the cascading light of the reading lamp perched upon the desk behind him caused his tired eyes to squint in response.

"Morning already?" His tired voice broke the fresh bout of silence in the bedroom as he glanced around the no longer predominantly darkened interior of his surroundings; stretching out both sets of arms and legs a little as he worked out the kinks from his unexpected sleeping arrangements.

The young Titan reflected over the previous night, and how he had spent another night waiting up to see when his friend would finally drag, or rather fly herself back into the Tower. Mallory had tried talking with Alice about her late night habits as of late, but despite a few attempts, nothing of significance was coming out of it up to this point. As such, like a worried wife wondering when her hubby was coming back from a night with the fellas, he attempted to wait up until she inevitably showed up while drunk as a skunk. It was a strange, rather sad point in their friendship, and he didn't even get the occasional 'mercy pop' that said wife would, but Mallory was set upon doing his part in seeing her through this rough patch in her life. If he couldn't do anything for Jullian, then this was the least, the very least, he could do for Alice.

Trying to shake off such depressing feelings as his thoughts began dwelling on their lost friend, the teenage speedster crawled up to his feet and gazed down at the mess left from his own fun filled night. Actually, the redhead supposed it wasn't so bad, as it did give him an excuse to raid the kitchen for bagged chips and canned drinks as he busied himself with rereading a few old favorites between checking in for signs of Alice. Stretching his arms out as he gave his back muscles a stretch of their own while turning from one side to the other, Mallory looked over the empty cans, empty bags and small stack of books.

Letting out a slightly annoyed sigh, the teen used a fraction of his speeding capabilities as he picked up after himself; folding the two bags which had chips inside, then tossing the empty ones along with the cans in the trash, before finally picking up the small stack of reading material and returning them to their proper place on the shelf in his closet. It would take several minutes for the average person, but for Mal it was about thirty seconds before finishing up.

"They say it's next to godliness!" The young man stated as he did a few 'dusting off his hands' motions while looking over the now clean room, until pausing for a second to left an arm and briefly sniff at his pits, "Speaking of getting clean…"

At a similar quickened pace, the teen superhero grabbed a fresh change of clothing before stripping out of the clothes he slept in and heading for the shower. This was one of several things he always did at a fairly normal pace, due in part to his parents attempts at breaking him out of the habit of going through quick baths as a kid. Still, he was able to lather and rinse quicker then most, and was able to dry off within seconds, resulting in the speedster dressing up and preparing to head out of his room within a matter of minutes.

Tossing his used clothing into the hamper for now, Mal took another glance at himself in the mirror by the dresser; smirking a bit as he hypothetically asked with tongue placed firmly in cheek, "And they claim it takes hours to make yourself look this good everyday? Hah!"

Getting that bit of amusement out of the way, Mallory finally departed from his bedroom and into the hallway to greet the new day. He could only assume, hope that Alice had since made it back by now, although the teen figured she may not be in the most ideal of conditions for dealing with any prodding on his part at this early hour. But they would see how the day played out in that department. For the time being, he would see about any early happenings within the Tower, for while the Titan's base of operations was many things, it was rarely boring.

--------------------------

Ronan with more Mallory halfway through

The Atlantean half-breed was currently in the middle of his bi-daily morning ritual of getting in a few dozen push up’s. There was never any set number for this routine; rather he simply did so until feeling like stopping. It helped to wake him up better then any shower, or at least any shower which could be offered through the pipes of a typical surface world dwelling. At times like now, it also offered him a chance to clear his mind as he reflected on the happenings of the past year; in particular during the past few months.

The shirtless blonde directed his blue eyes toward the carpeted floor of his room, watching as the ground came and went with every push, feeling a few beads of sweat forming on his brow as he considered, for not the first and almost definitely not the last time, just what his place was amongst these people. They got along smoothly enough these days, especially when compared to how standoffish and superior his attitude toward them had been during those first few weeks following everyone’s arrival. The problem? Things hadn’t worked out as smoothly when it came to the one person the Atlantean Prince had formed a surprisingly romantic connection with during this time.

Not that the young male had intended for anything like this to happen during his time on the surface. He supposed it was but one of many ways in which these people had taken him by surprise in challenging his perceptions of their kind. Along the way, the Prince was also given his first taste of how the role of leader may conflict with ones own feelings. It was a lesson well needed on his part, especially considering how his own complications in getting along with the team and dealing with their culture hadn’t made matters any easier between Kestrel and himself. And while they remained on good terms after the breakup, the past weeks without her around the Tower had made the blonde realize how much her presence actually meant to him.

Doing several more push up’s, the Titan finally relented after several minutes of this, as he sat there in a kneeling position while reaching for a towel to dry himself off. Fortunately, due to his increased strength, the young man hadn’t generated as much perspiration as a regular human might from this much exercise, but there remained hygiene considerations before he could consider getting properly dressed for leaving the room.

Ronan considered taking a shower for good measures, but saw little point as there remained a temptation for either hitting the training room later or doing a few laps in the surrounding body of water; which would negate the need for a shower in and of itself. Besides, due to his Atlantean genes, he was required to submerge himself in water every so often. Because of that, attempts at a typical shower pattern for reasons of hygiene almost felt redundant when contrasted against his biological needs for the elemental substance.

Instead, he merely settled on a fresh change of clothing before heading out into the hall; not really paying any immediate attention to the surrounding area as he initially started toward the kitchen area. If he had been paying attention, it was likely the Prince would have noticed the redhead who turned a corner from the opposite end of the hall. Instead, Ronan only grew aware of the presence as the speedster sped up and closed the distance between them within the blink of an eye.

“Hey, Charlie Tuna! Fancy running into you.” The younger Titan stated in his own manner of greeting; racing up behind Ronan and giving the blonde a firm, yet restrained slap on the back which Mal knew would at least partially annoy the other male.

The half Atlantean cringed at the speedsters current choice in titles as he paused for a moment to glare in his direction; showing an obvious distaste for the name and the way Mallory approached him, yet keeping a level head as he resumed walking down the hall, “Mal, how long have we known each other now? And how many times have I asked you to quit it with the fish related nicknames and puns?”

The young predecessor to the Flash legacy followed after his teammate while bringing a hand up to rub at his chin in mock consideration for the obviously rhetorical question, “Wait, wait! I actually started keeping track of that after our first month here.”

The blonde glanced at the other Titan once more, rolling his blue eyes over the response, even as a faint smile started to peak out from the corner of his lips. At the moment, after the loss of Jullian and the absence of Kestrel, Mallory was perhaps the one hero left he felt the closest toward. Of course, there was Morgen, but to this day Ronan wasn’t completely certain what to make of the clone. They were technically family, yet they weren’t, and while the Atlantean came to care about the clone, there also remained a sense of uneasiness whenever he took a step back and the cold reality surrounding her existence dawned on him. Due to this, for however many ways their personalities may clash at times, the young hero known as Stat remained the most approachable person on their roster at this point.

Letting the joke drag out for a few seconds, Mallory noticed the expression on Ronan’s features and raised his hands in mock defense; offering up an explanation for his mood as he followed aimlessly beside the male, “Sorry, I just needed a cheap laugh after the night I had. Which reminds me, have you seen Alice today?”

Shaking his head over the question, Ronan wasted little time in responding to his question, while also throwing in a smidgen of his often blunt opinion for good measure, “I’ve been in my room until just now, so I haven’t seen her, nor am I in any particular hurry to see her if she’s been out again.”

Wining a little at the older male’s words on his childhood friend, the redhead didn’t take his words to heart after having grown used to this part of Ronan’s personality, but did let his cheery demeanor drop a bit as he spoke in defense the Kryptonian, “Harsh. I’m not going to pretend to approve of how she’s been dealing with…what happened, but the results of our first year together haven’t, you know, exactly been ideal for us.”

There were times where Mallory wondered how he was dealing so well with his friends passing. It was almost as if he hadn’t quite fully accepted that Jullian was gone; although the teen knew he’d already shed his share of tears over the loss. Perhaps his burying himself in the team and friendships was his own way of dealing with the grief? That seemed likely enough an explanation, but he wasn’t exactly a psych major, even if he’d gone through his share of books on the subject during a few visits to the library.

Shaking if off before he could dwell on this for too long, the redhead gave a shrug of his shoulders as he continued and finished, “And it’s not as if she’s the only one. We’ve outright lost other members, and Jessica had to take a sabbatical a few weeks back. Can’t tell me you’re so quick to write her off, are ya?”

“Yeah, well.” The blonde started to respond with a sign of hesitation, before simply lying to the other Titan as he tried brushing aside the sudden turn their conversation had taken, “It’s all the same to me. I’m not in any hurry to see her again either.”

The teen was about to call him out on this when a familiar voice could be overheard from a distant yet nearby security comm.; causing both of the Titans to stop in their tracks as the short message came out.

"Anyone in there near the security comm? Kinda... full at the moment here... Can someone open the locks for me?"

Despite not having heard her voice for a while now, Mallory and especially Ronan came to quickly recognize whom it belonged to; causing the Atlantean to feel a mixture of feelings, both positive and negative, on the idea of seeing her again. Well, if anything, at least their leader, his ‘ex’, was a lot prettier then Mal and considerably less unsettling then Morgen. As the blonde turned in order to slowly make his way in the direction he knew she would arrive from, however, he did wonder how their inevitable reunion may play out when they crossed paths. Well, better to get it done sooner then later.

Watching as the other Titan changed his direction toward the garage area, Mallory smirked as he continued toward the kitchen area; knowing enough to leave Ronan alone for now, but also tossing in a parting offer, “You want I should make a quick run into the city for a bouquet of flowers or box of candies?”

“Do it and you’re going to find a piranha in your toilet bowel the next morning.” The Prince yelled back without bothering to turn and face Mal; letting his voice drop considerably as he grumbled to himself, “Sometimes I think the universe just waits for me to shoot my mouth off.”

 

[Mephistophelily]

A relieved smile came to Jessica's face as Michael opened the door, the smile growing even more as he took a few of the bags from her. "Thanks. I was trying to reach the control panel, but with all this stuff in the way...."

She paused as he inquired on her trip, rolling her eyes slightly and shaking her head. Gram had warned her on saying too much about the spontaneous trips both she and her mother had a tendency to call her out on. She had rather hoped that they would have ended with her joining the Titans... After all, she was the leader now; she had responsibilities of her own to deal with in Jump City. Not the case. They were a bit less common as they once were, but still happened. This particular one was far longer than any of her previous sessions; a weekend suddenly becoming almost 4 months.

And good lord was she feeling it.

"Oh yeah, it was a blast. Got my ass kicked by BatGram the entire time." She sighed slightly, shaking her head once more at his accusations on being an imposter as she hoisted the slipping bag on her left shoulder a bit higher. "Shapeshifter, huh? I do feel like a puddle right now, but I don't think I'll be turning into anything more. C'mon man, let me in or I might just fall asleep right here on the doorstep... You want proof? I'd rather not dirty my bags, and I do think I've got a broken rib, but I suppose I could give you a spar right here in the garage with my arms full just to prove I'm me..."

She stayed somewhat lighthearted, but her concerns on the city were still there. Simply driving those streets had felt off, the anticipated relief of finally being home instead being an overbearing dread as she passed through the city. Something was wrong; something was brewing. Sleep could wait. She had to know what was going on.

Then there was going to be the explaining. What was she supposed to tell them? She hated to be like Gram and Mom; the mysterious 'It was something that had to be done' uttered in a deep ominuous tone... She had to give them the truth, or at least as much as she could without risking one of the older women of her family pouncing on her for revealing too much.

And Ronan.

It hadn't been long after they parted ways that she had taken off. It seemed a bit of a blessing to her, really... A chance to focus on something besides the Prince. At least, it was until Batwoman realized something was lingering on Jessica's mind. It became a new source of attack, a new way to bring her to dropping her defenses. "If you truly have feelings for him, you'll force yourself to lose them. Love equals pain, Kestrel. A way for someone to harm you, by harming those you love. There is no room for relationships in your life now.."

That hurt. More than anything else the woman had done to her the entire time.

"She told me to say hi to William for her." She shrugged, the words more to break her own thoughts than to reveal anything further to Michael.

 

[Ahren1]

C'mon man, let me in or I might just fall asleep right here on the doorstep... You want proof? I'd rather not dirty my bags, and I do think I've got a broken rib, but I suppose I could give you a spar right here in the garage with my arms full just to prove I'm me..."

The blonde man chuckled lightly as he moved to the side. "That attitude is proof enough for me..." He commented as he took one of the heavier bags from Kestrel to lighten her load. "I'm pre-emptively ignoring your objections, by the way." He continued, obviously referring to her luggage and the likelyhood that she'd insist she was fine without any assistance. Being the leader meant that Kestrel wasn't always good at asking for help, but it was understandable.

"She told me to say hi to William for her."

Michael just glanced over as they walked inside together and down into the darkened hallways of their home. It was obvious something was on her mind, but he couldn't tell if it was appropriate to ask. Even though a year had passed, he still felt like the new guy. William, who was technically newer, still was known via his family line. His mother and Kestrel's grandmother worked together. Michael was basically a nobody who just happened to have special powers... but at the same time he was never really known for being subtle. Kestrel was one of the few in this group that he could see developing a legitimate friendship with.

"He's upstairs with X'Hal. They looked a bit weird, but don't ask me how or why..." Michael shrugged, staring forward and holding the bag over his shoulder with relative ease. His eyes soon moved back to the shorter woman as if trying to analyze her a bit more. "Glad to have you back, Kes... Hope you found what you were looking for..." He spoke with a brief smile.

 

[NiteCrowe]

'Come on Harvey, Don't you have the heart to give your sister a great big hug?'

'Round and round the mulberry bush, my 2 spawn are traitors.'

BANG!!

'Oh my god!'

'You are the spawn of my enemies, why did you join the titans? Is it to hurt me through my grand-daughter?'

'JULIAN!!!'

'Are you sure you're okay Harvey? You just watched your Sister and Father die?'

'I'm sorry, I have to go, I have to leave the Titans, just for a while, I need to... find myself....'

'Hahahahahahaaa'

In the cold and Spartan quarters Harvey suddenly snapped awake, his body covered in sweat and panting heavily. He'd been having these dreams for a while now, though this was the first time he'd experienced it since moving back to the Titans a week earlier.

Grimacing, he threw back the covers, revealing his naked form and pulled on a pair of shorts, while towelling himself down. As he did he began to think about what had changed in the tower since he had been gone. New members had joined, and Harvey had half expected to find his old room occupied, but had been happy to discover it wasn't.

Determined as always he moved towards the bedside table and applied his make-up, giving him his clown faced visage. minuts later he was finished, and content, he made his way out of room just in time to hear;

"Anyone in there near the security comm? Kinda... full at the moment here... Can someone open the locks for me?"

The moment he heard that he froze. He knew exactly who it was, for it was Kestrel, the only other person apart from Julian, that Harvey had felt he could have been friends with when he had first joined the titans. Oh how things had changed. The thought of the legacy hero brought up another memory, that of intensive interrogation at the hands of Kestrel's grandmother, Batwoman, who had staunchly believed that Harvey was planning something nefarious and had wanted him to leave both the team and the city.

In fact, that was one of the reasons he had left. Walking, he began to wonder if Kestrel even knew he had returned, or whether she just thought he'd left forever.

Though, having said that, it didn't matter, he had returned and he was here to stay, screw what anyone else thought. It was at this point that he nearly walked straight into Mal and Ronan.

Quickly he stopped, and not fancying a conversation, not least with the Atlantean, he quickly turned, hoping he had not been noticed, and moved off in the direction of the pool.

His mind a mess of thoughts, he changed into his shorts as he reached the pool, and, grimacing about what it would do to his 'face-paint', he leapt straight in and began swimming.

 

[deevo]

Michael was there and gone before William could say anything, Jessica's voice over the security comm catching the attention of both men. Will watched him go and was grateful for the distraction X'Hal was providing. He'd have to face his older cousin eventually, but if he could postpone it for another hour while investigating this mystery he'd be grateful.

"Was it here? Tell me, who was it?"

William turned his head as Ravenor marched down the hallway towards them. Like X'Hal he seemed a little unnerved - and considering Rav's usual disposition, that alone gave Drake reason to worry.

"Was what here?," he asked. "I was heading to the gym when I bumped into X'Hal. We don't have an intruder, do we?" William frowned; with things so quiet recently, it wouldn't surprise him that a sneak attack on the Tower was in the works. But that both of them might have seen something in different parts of the building made things a little more interesting.

"Can both of you tell me what you saw?," said Will. "Then maybe we can figure out whether or not we need to worry."

 

[Mephistophelily]

"A building full of people running around in spandex and masks, and you're talking about people who look weird." Jessi shot a sidelong glance at Michael, smirking lightly. It really was good to be back. Trying to even crack a slight joke with Bryce resulted in a punch in the stomach or a slam to the jaw. Gram had no sense of humor, especially when it came to training. Mom was a slight bit better, but not by much. At least she laughed before she decked her.

His comment, however, didn't fall on deaf ears. It took a bit to set X'hal off, and if William was anything like the rest of the family, he wasn't easily spooked either. Something was up. "I'll look into it. We need to regroup anyway. I need to know what's going on... and explain a few things, I suppose." She paused as the bag he took was slung over his shoulder, Kestrel giving a quick raise of her head and clearing of her throat. "Hey, careful with that. I'm not sure exactly what she may've tucked away in there. Gram has a wonderful habit of sending along her idea of care packages... I had a bag blow up on me a few years ago thanks to her..."

"Glad to have you back, Kes... Hope you found what you were looking for..."

What she was looking for.
Even Jessica wasn't sure what that was. It was something to lead the team better, to help strengthen them, to unite them and keep this city safe-
It was also to remind her of who she was. What she was to the team.
To forget what she was forced to forget... No matter how much that hurt. (Grandmom was sure to enforce that many times.)

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did...." She trailed off slightly with that, sighing softly as she continued down the hall with him. She didn't want to linger on it too long. There were more important things to worry about. "How have things been since I left? Have things been quiet?"

She didn't specify if she meant Jump City- or the Tower itself.

 

[Ahren1]

Michael chuckled at Kestrel's initial comment. It was definitely a good point. How was one supposed to define weird with some of these people, especially in reference to their appearance. Strange costumes, or in the case of people like X'hal, lack of them...

"Hey, careful with that. I'm not sure exactly what she may've tucked away in there. Gram has a wonderful habit of sending along her idea of care packages... I had a bag blow up on me a few years ago thanks to her..."

The blonde man could only blink in response at first. "Right, well..." He began, suddenly taking more care in his steps as he cradled her bag gently. "Remind me to take a vacation before you have any family reunions." He finished with a smirk. Meanwhile, the young leader's words faded as she affirmed his curiosity about her search, although not doing much to clarify. Michael decided not to press the issue. It was her business... Still, she didn't seem very convinced. Though before he could ask if anything was the matter (not that he would have expected a genuine answer anyway), Kestrel inquired how things were going for him, instead, or rather the Titans.

"How have things been since I left? Have things been quiet?"

"Too quiet, if you'll forgive the cliché." Michael's smile had mostly faded by now, glancing back forward as his brow furrowed slightly. "Even with the Queen dead, some idiot would still pop up now and then thinking they were hot shit, but the past couple weeks... nothing. Call me a pessimist, but I can't just believe we scared them all off, you know? Don't know how else to explain it, though. X'hal would probably have more information for you... I pretty much stick to the skies, and I haven't seen anything from up there lately..."

 

[Mephistophelily]

Kestrel finally laughed with his comment on vactioning before any family visits, nodding slightly. "I'd rather run away from them myself, if I could..."

His response on the state of affairs around them wasn't as wonderful as she had hoped, but more along the lines of what she had imagined it to be. So he was feeling it too. The whole team was most likely having that ominous overhead cloud lingering over their shoulders; the worrying feel on the back of her neck that flat off said bad things lay ahead.

She didn't have her doubts on her team. They could handle anything that could be out there- but knowing what may be laying in wait would make things far easier to anticipate. As if things could ever be easy...

"All the more reason to call a status meeting..." She frowned slightly, wrapping her hand tightly about the strap over her shoulder. "And here I was hoping to get settled in a little before going back into the swing of things. Maybe we're just paranoid... Hm." The doubt in her voice was openly obvious, the frown growing a bit more. "I appreciate you keeping tabs from the skies, Michael. I know anything out of the ordinary won't slip by you. X'hal's stepping up to take on leadership while I was gone has left me in her debt as well. As rough as things may have been for me the past few weeks, I never had any worries on the status of the City. I trust all of you, and know that you would do everything in your power to keep it safe."

Stepping into the main living area, she dropped her bags onto the floor, glancing around as she rubbed the side of her cheek. Funny, she had half-expected this room to be trashed. "Right, then. Guess we should round everyone up..." Moving to the comm center, she paged throughout the building, the crackling buzz passing through the overhead speakers before she spoke. "Titans! Status Report!" She rolled her eyes slightly with that, closing the line. It made her feel like she was on one of those cheesy space explorer shows; the captain calling out to his crew after a battle with an enemy vessel. "Pretty sure I know who's going to be the first to comment on that...," she grumbled, shaking her head as she crossed to the fridge, taking out a bottle of juice and opening it. After a sip, she made another face, almost spitting the drink back out. "No one's cleaned the fridge while I was gone, I take it..."

 

[UnseenMaiden]

X’Hal

Moments of time slipped by as she stood there, staring at a space that was no longer occupied, a hand poised over her mouth, a physical motion meant to keep the tears welling in her throat at bay. She was a warrior, proud and strong. She would not show weakness even to herself. Physical blows were nothing to her, like the rain, she could let that pain flow away from her as if nothing. Despite her years of keeping with her mother’s training as best she could, emotional blows were still somewhat more of an obstacle for her. Taking a deep shuddering breath, she willed herself to shrug off the heartache that bloomed from the mention of her mother. Even if a strange apparition was the one to do so, this was still no different than waking from a nightmare. This was what she told herself.

"X'Hal? You look like you've seen a ghost."

She didn’t jump. The only sign she gave at being surprised by her fellow titan was a sharp inhalation of breath and a quick widening of the eyes. Then her lips settled in a grim line of annoyance at herself. She had allowed herself to become so engrossed in her own personal loss that she had neither heard William’s approach, nor felt the characteristic whispers of emotion that was his heart. It was a mistake that only a small child of Tamaran would make. If her K’norfka had been here to witness such an event, she would have been forced to practice sparring until she collapsed from exhaustion. When Michael approached, it was a different story. Thoroughly snapped out of her reverie, she was ready for his appearance moments before she actually saw her friend’s familiar face.

"What the hell's wrong with you guys?"

The princess opened her mouth to answer them both when Kestral’s voice could clearly be heard coming from the communication hub she’d occupied only minutes ago. It seemed a lifetime since she’d left off staring at those screens, but she knew that seeing the ghost, speaking to her, had taken no time at all. Before she could speak, Michael left, presumably to ease the return of their leader. With only William around now, she considered waiting to speak until Kestral was among them once more. While she hadn’t felt any reason to be wary of this entity, beyond her own personal reaction, it was none the less a possible matter of security.

“A moment, William. Perhaps..”

Her words were cut off as her head snapped towards the oncoming, almost overwhelming presence that was traveling swiftly towards them. Pain, nearly identical to her own drifted beneath a flurry of confusion, worry, annoyance, and hope. When Ravenor appeared, she wasn’t surprised, though she was entirely aware how it was possible that he knew of what had passed here, she nonetheless was sure that he did. That knowledge was present in his very stride, in the scowling features of his face, and his intently aiming for the two of them.

"Was it here? Tell me, who was it?"

"Was what here? I was heading to the gym when I bumped into X'Hal. We don't have an intruder, do we?"

There was hope in his eyes as he looked at them, echoing the emotional turmoil she felt so clearly with his presence. She didn’t need to ask him to clarify what he meant by it. Yet, that hope of Ravenor’s kept her silent. Her eyes settled intently upon the man, calculating her next words, as she softly shook her head at William’s inquiry. There was no intruder, at least not one that they should feel the need to attack yet.

"Can both of you tell me what you saw? Then maybe we can figure out whether or not we need to worry."

It was not her intention to be rude, but she did ignore those concerned inquiries for now. She was still quite intent upon Ravenor’s situation and how she would take action to alter the glimmers of hope she felt with in her teammate. That kind of soft emotion was so rare since Phantasm’s disappearance that even she was loathe to squash it. Yet, to tell a lie would both be dishonorable and foolhardy. As painful as it might be, she needed to say those words.

“I am sorry, Ravenor. It was not Phantasm. Nor was it any being I recognized.”

"Titans! Status Report!"

Kestral’s voice echoed over their heads, every speaker throughout the tower more than likely carried that same message throughout its’ walls. She let her gaze linger on Ravenor a few moments more, making herself fully witness the damage she had caused, before finally answering her other teammate’s questions.

“I do not believe the apparition poses a threat. There was no malice about it. I will relate what I have seen once all of our teammates have assembled.” Turning towards William, she caught his gaze, a solemn frown on her lips showing her sincerity. “I am sorry to have caused you momentary concern on my behalf. I was merely taken by surprise. It is.. a rare occurrence.”

With that, she turned on her heel and headed towards the room that seemed to be the unspoken center of all the meetings of the titans, be they for battle or more recreational purposes.


Alice

Alice had been avoiding the inevitable. When she entered the tower, Mallory was going to be there and he was going to be disappointed and she was going to have nothing to say to defend herself. Oh, well, sure she could tell him the truth. She had actually been doing very important undercover work, beyond the apparent drunk state she’d allowed herself to fall into. He’d more than likely believe her too, but, it wasn’t as simple as all that. For one, she wasn’t entirely sure that what she thought as the truth was the truth anymore. If she became dangerous somehow, the less her friend knew, the easier it would be not to reason away the need to dispose of her. On that hand, she could also just plain out lie. It would be easy to get away with it, unless X’Hal’s empathic self happened to be nearby at the time, and if he was still disappointed in her, well perhaps it was better that she let the distance between them grow, safer.

“Kestral’s back.”

The blond paused in her musings, as her sensitive hearing tuned into what Morgen’s sense of smell had already found out. Groaning, she flopped back on the bed of rocks behind her, accidentally cracking some of the smaller ones in the process, making her wince.

“Fuck. She’s going to have my head if she realizes what I’ve been doing.”

Morgen snorted beside her, clearly both unimpressed by Alice’s griping, and not the least bit concerned about what Kestral actually would do the kryptonian clone once her little outings were found out. Alice’d come to grow used to that kind of apathy from her friend. If it wasn’t actually life threatening, the aquatic woman wouldn’t lift a finger to help nor spare any pity for the ‘victim’. It wasn’t really surprising, actually, when she thought about it. The blonde doubted she would be much for sympathy either if she’d grown up in the thick of Jump City’s villains. Her brief time being captured gave her just enough insight to leave dreading what such an upbringing could have been like. Giving one last grimace, Alice heaved herself off of the rocks and made her way away from Titans’ tower. She was waist deep in the water of the bay before she looked back over her shoulder at the raven haired woman that still kneeled on the shore.

“If I know our leader, she’ll be calling a meeting sometime today. So see you later and make sure to come dressed, if only for Ronan’s sake!”

Taking a breath, she dived under the surface, and swam away. It wasn’t like she was running off, nowhere even close to that actually, but even with superspeed, there was no way she was risking being seen by entering the through the main entrance. She’d rather avoid a lecture or two as long as she could. So what she was doing was going for a more subtle type of sneaking in. As soon as the shelf that surrounded the little island finally dropped away, the kryptonian headed down towards the tower’s aquatic entrance. You had to know exactly where to look, but there was a security panel hidden inside a fake robotic fish. Once she found it, she pressed in the security code, had her retinas scanned, and then waited patiently for that all to process. When it did, the large metal doors slid semi-silently open. It was supposed to be silent for most people, but she could still hear the hydraulics pumping away as metal slid against metal. At least she had access now.

The heartbeat was her first clue that the pool wasn’t exactly empty like she had hoped. Cursing silently, she steeled herself for running into practically anyone at the moment as she swam into the Tower proper. The bay doors shut behind her, but she didn’t look back as she scanned the water for her fellow titan. He was staring at her when she did. Alice didn’t particularly blame Harvey for that. If she was him, she’d be staring at a fellow titan making that kind of conspicuous entrance too. Still, she did her best to play it off, grinning up at him as she placed a finger over her lips. If she was carefree enough about it, then maybe he wouldn’t press her too much for details. Swimming past him, she broke the surface and rose up into the air until she could safely set her feet on the tile floor.

Keeping her breathing steady, Alice pulled the vibrant wig off of her head, yanking the band out of her blond locks in the process. If he asked, she was just going to tell him she’d gone to a bar. It wasn’t exactly lying. She had been in a bar at one point during the previous night. Squeezing the excess moisture out of her tresses, she made her way towards the locker room. Once there, she was quick to rid herself of stiletto leather boots and the skintight jumpsuit she’d been wearing. For a moment, she considered removing the burgundy nail polish from her nails as well, but that would mean going to her room. She hadn’t exactly planned on coming into the tower this way. The only reason she was stopping in the locker room at all, beyond knowing she couldn’t properly explain being soaking wet in the clothes she had been wearing, was that she’d left her workout clothes last time she’d gone for a swim after working on gymnastics.

"Titans! Status Report!"

“Well that was sooner than I thought.”

Grumbling to herself, the blonde, after shoving any incriminating evidence into her locker, came out wearing a sports bra and shorts, with her, now dry, hair readily pinned into a bun. Looking over at Harvey, she offered him a smile and half-hearted shrug.

“Any chance you could be a sweetheart and act like you haven’t seen me?”

 

[Eazy]

Stat (Mallory) and Ronan

"Titans! Status Report!"

Like the majority (if not every) of people within the Tower, both Mallory and Ronan could hear the voice over the com system as it crackled to life within their respective areas. It caused the Atlantean half-breed to pause for a moment, halting his foot steps until he stood perfectly still within one of the many hallways that made up the infrastructure of the headquarters. Despite his earlier determination of meeting her face-to-face, there remained a slight hesitation as he considered reaching for the nearest com and responding in kind. Besides, assuming anything awkward came of his attempt at touching ground with Kestrel again, it would actually end up broadcast over the system for everyone else to listen in on them.

On the other hand, as the young speedster sought out the kitchen within the main living area of the Tower at a brisk pace, it didn't take him long to enter the same area as their leader as she gave her initial broadcast to her teammates. It was pure dumb luck, really, which perhaps described how a lot of speedsters within the superhero community tended to get by at times. Still, as he strolled in within the blink of an eye, the red-haired Titan watched his leader from a short distance as she finished retrieving a bottle of juice from the fridge and appeared displeased about the choice almost immediately.

"No one's cleaned the fridge while I was gone, I take it..."

This comment caused Mallory to stop in his steps as he raised a waving hand and was about to greet the young member of the bat family. That hand went toward his chin, rubbing it in thought as he tried remembering if it was his turn on kitchen duty or not. Responsible as Mallory had become, there remained those bouts of forgetfulness when it came to chores around the Tower. As his mind clicked briefly (as in little more then a second) on trying to remember whom the guilty party may be, a slow smirk spread across his features as an idea came to mind.

"Hey, it's great to see you, Fearless Leader!" The young man finally spoke up as he stood on the other side of the large living area; waving a hand as he promptly offered up a potential answer to her likely rhetorical question, "You know, I think it may have been Ronan's turn to clean out the fridge. Or maybe it was somebody else. But let's go with him being the culprit."

The speedster wait long enough to make sure he caught her full attention before offering up his own assistance, "So wait right here and I'll fetch him so you can give the bum a piece of your mind."

Regardless of what she may or may not have said in response to this, her fellow Titan quickly turned and zipped out of the room within the blink of an eye. Stat had a decent idea of where Ronan may be, and it wasn't like it'd take him long to search around the surrounding area if he wasn't right on the money with his initial destination. Heck, if he wanted to, Mallory could physically check every section of the large building they called home within minutes.

On the other hand, the blonde haired half-breed hadn't moved made much actual progress one way or another as he lingered within the hallway. Strange how a Prince like himself could be taught many things since birth in order to better prepare him for important decision making, yet the relatively simpler items such as how to break the ice with an old love could prove so problematic. Things around here were so much simpler when he didn't care what any of them thought of him.

His current train of thought was interupted, however, as a familiar figure came around the corner and bolted toward in a near blur while victoriously exclaiming, "Hah! Caught you!"

Before the young man could think to ask his teammate about what exactly had him in such a hurry, the redhead slipped around to his back and began pushing the reluctant Titan forward as he finally blurted out, "Mal?! What are you doing?!"

"Being a pain in the ass." He admitted, continuing to push his friend forward with two palms placed into his back as he elaborated, "Now come on! We're going to talk to a lady about an issue with some refrigerated goods."

The steady push continued for a few seconds, until Ronan realized (or at least had a vague idea) of what the teenager was getting at and started to plant his feet in silent protest of what Mallory had in mind. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on whose perspective you were looking from), the speedster had already planned on switching to a different approach upon being faced with defiance from his fellow Titan. Within a second, Mallory had snuck in front of Ronan, crouching down just enough to scoop the blonde onto his back in 'piggyback' position.

"You'd better hold on." He warned while keeping his arms hooked around the Atlantean's legs.

"Put me dow-AH!" Ronan started to protest, then suddenly being cut off as the second generation speedster dashed off at such a velocity where the hands that had tried pushing off from the back were now clinging onto his shirt to keep from slipping off.

It didn't take long from there, as even while using only a portion of his powers the young hero known to the public as Stat was able to return to the main living area of the Tower within minutes of his earlier exit. The blonde on his back had settled on trying to cling on to prevent injury, but as they finally returned to the area where their leader had tried contacting the other, the sudden stop had caused him to lose his grip and fall back first onto the ground with a thud as Mallory loosened the grip on his legs.

"Here he is, boss lady!" The redhead announced as he smiled proudly at the young heroine; seemingly ignoring the Atlantean until said Atlantean managed to pull himself to his feet and grabbed Mal by the collar to begin shaking him.

"What did you think you were doing?! I'm not a ten year old, you speed freak!" The Titan scolded his often impulsive friend; looking like he wanted to take another a at the teen when his attention finally diverted itself to the young woman in the room with them.

As he finally released the grip upon Mallory's top, the redhead couldn't help but smile faintly as he watched the pair while trying to straighten out his clothing while awaiting the arrival of any others. He already knew that Ronan was eager to see Kestrel now that she had returned to them. This was just his own admittedly strange way of giving the blonde a nudge in that direction.

"Hey, you." Ronan finally let out in his own way of greeting Kestrel, his blue eyes focused on her as he inquired, "So, you just stopping by, or are you going to be hanging around here for a while?"

The Atlantean gave a short pause, tilting his head slightly as he maintained a cool exterior while seemingly studying the woman, even as he at least admitted to her, "It hasn't been the same around here since you left, you know?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

She tried to keep her stone demeanor.

After all, she'd been gone for some time. To let them see that Bryce had gotten to her... That things had been so much harder than she had expected, that she had almost broken down so many times...

She wasn't supposed to show a weakness. She was supposed to be a leader.

It was time to stop focusing on herself. Everything that she had gone through in these last few weeks was for a reason; to make her more useful for the team. The City needed them, and from the sounds of it, there was reason to be on guard both on the streets and in their own home.

Kestrel watched as the team slowly began to make their way to the impromptu meeting, an eyebrow cocking at the orange-skinned Princess and the comments made by Michael earlier. Something that had spooked X'hal... Now that was something to be curious about.

The emptied juice bottle now set upon the counter, she kept her arms folded across her chest as she leaned against the counter, waiting for everyone to arrive. Mallory's momentary lingering in the room was a sign of trouble; not for the team, but simply on his part. It was never a good thing when he took off with a smirk like that. With the mention of Ronan, her eyes widened- just for a second. "N-No, no, Mal, really, its-"

It was like arguing with a doorway.
Maybe because she WAS now.
Damn his fast feet...

She rolled her eyes slightly, shaking her head as she glanced to Michael. "Has it been like this the WHOLE time I've been gone..?"

No sooner had she asked than Mallory returned, the aquatic prince held upon his shoulders- and now resting upon the floor. She simply stared at the two for a moment, unsure of what to say. Stop them? Well, Ronan wasn't actually HURTING him... and if he had done the same to her, she probably would have reacted in the same manner herself.

When he looked at her, however, there was a new reason for her silence. Bryce had told her to keep her emotions in check around him... but that was so hard to do after being gone for so long.

"I won't be going anywhere again for awhile," she responded to his question, smiling softly. "Just had to... deal with some things. Family issues... You know."

Her smile grew a bit more as he continued, glancing past him to the prankster that had delivered him. "Yeah. Looks like someone's been causing far more trouble without me around to yell at him..." Her gaze returned to Ronan for a moment, her lips parting as though to say something more, but the words refused to come out. Something, anything, say it-

"It was... hard without you." She paused, quickly clearing her throat and straightening her back, looking toward the rest of the assembled group thus far. "All of you. Though I was with family, I missed my other family as well."

 

[Ahren]

"I appreciate you keeping tabs from the skies, Michael. I know anything out of the ordinary won't slip by you. X'hal's stepping up to take on leadership while I was gone has left me in her debt as well. As rough as things may have been for me the past few weeks, I never had any worries on the status of the City. I trust all of you, and know that you would do everything in your power to keep it safe."

"Yeah, hey don't worry about it... Can't let you take the credit for doing all the work can I, boss?" Michael replied with a half-smile as he patted Kestrel on the back lightly. He could see her worry about the lifeless city despite commenting on the possibility of just paranoia. The blonde man figured she didn't have time to do anything but always assume and be prepared for the worst. That's what it was like living in Jump City. That's how she had been raised. To not let her guard down. To not take anything for granted. Michael admired that. If it wasn't for her and X'Hal, who knows if he would have stuck around this long?

As she moved into the living area, Michael followed close behind, hopping over onto one of the sofas as the leader tested a nearly poisonous bottle of juice from the being once known as 'the fridge'.

"No one's cleaned the fridge while I was gone, I take it..."

Michael didn't really get a chance to comment on how it had been his turn last week, therefore he was off the hook. Still, had he known exactly when she was returning, he may have made more of an effort to clean up. Actually the fact that the living area wasn't a massacre was probably a step up from the last time Kestrel returned from an absence. The speedster had arrived almost as soon as the call had been made, chiming in about the 'issue' immediately.

The red-haired Titan was gone as soon as he had entered, having made some comment about how Ronan was at fault. Kestrel's attempt to stop him was entirely futile. Michael sighed softly.

"Has it been like this the WHOLE time I've been gone..?"

"Ya know, I don't know... I... try to ignore it." He muttered, resting a cheek against his palm as Mallory had returned in a flash having... carried Ronan into the room, seemingly entirely against his will. Of course this created a slightly awkward scene. Ronan and Kestrel had broken up some time ago so that lingering spark was still noticeable...

X'Hal had made her way over in the meantime, catching Michael's attention from the little reunion. He waved to her casually, gesturing for her to sit near him for the meeting. Who knew if she would take him up on it. They were friends, but there were times when she was distant from everyone. It was understandable. It had to be hard being the only one of your kind on an entire planet... Even though Michael was pretty unique himself, he still felt human... At least he thought so.

"It was... hard without you." She paused, quickly clearing her throat and straightening her back, looking toward the rest of the assembled group thus far. "All of you. Though I was with family, I missed my other family as well."

The dark-coated Titan glanced back over to the current conversation, chuckling softly with a shake of his head. A bit cheesy but still nice of her to call them that. "Missed you too, ma." He joked, smirking in Kestrel's direction.

 

[kittenofdeath]

Ravenor ignored William, he had nothing against the boy, he had the wisdom to have left Rav alone most of the time, but right now he was in the middle of something he knew nothing about and could offer no help with, all that mattered to Rav was X'hals answer. He already knew that it was bad, she wouldn't have paused for that long if it wasn't, she was either in such shock after what she saw that it would need immediate attention, or she was trying to think of how to tell him, he didn't like the first option, and the second pissed him off, he wasn't so fragile that he couldn't handle what he already knew.

“I am sorry, Ravenor. It was not Phantasm. Nor was it any being I recognized.”

A sigh fell from his lips, he didn't want to hear that, and within seconds the walls shot up, every ounce of emotion in him was drowned out by a forced wave of anger and indifference, saving him from having to deal with it and perfectly masking whatever laid beneath, his face following suit and adapting one hell of a convincing look of utter boredom.

“I do not believe the apparition poses a threat. There was no malice about it. I will relate what I have seen once all of our teammates have assembled.”

"Good enough for me" he said with a shrug "just tell me if it starts causing a fuss, the longer a spirit lingers, the harder it is to excise if it outlives its welcome" he turned and slowly followed along after X'hal, intending to actually attend the meeting this time, he never did like them, too many people for his liking, they made him nervous, but Phantasm had always liked it when he played well with the other children.

He walked in as Kestrel finished up her 'family' speech, Rav never understood how saying people were family was a compliment, but there were allot of things Rav didn't understand when it came to dealing with other people, he didn't get Michael's joke either for that matter, luckily he had long since stopped caring about such petty things.

 

[deevo]

William wondered at first if he had been a bit forward, perhaps even curt, as it took X'Hal a moment to answer. Everyone was on edge a little, he supposed; it didn't do good to exacerbate the problem. But the issue was not his attitude. Rather, X'Hal was choosing her words carefully, making sure she did not cause Ravenor any more hurt than she had to.

Ravenor was a curious figure to William. Often distant, giving off an aura of studied indifference. But as X'Hal spoke, an unmistakeable sigh passed through Rav's lips. Before the walls could come up again he had allowed himself a moment to express his pain - perhaps he would see it as a moment of weakness, but William did not. It was those small, minute instances that showed Drake his fellow Titan was more than a beast.

"I do not believe the apparition poses a threat. There was no malice about it. I will relate what I have seen once all of our teammates have assembled," said X'Hal, before turning to William and adding, "I am sorry to have caused you momentary concern on my behalf. I was merely taken by surprise. It is.. a rare occurrence."

"Think nothing of it," said William quietly as she turned and walked away. One did not need to be an expert to see the frustration in her stride. William would not push her for more details. He was a detective, not a supernatural expert, and X'Hal would explain further if necessary.

As she and Ravenor walked away, William sighed and followed. Jessica had finally returned, meaning he was going to have to bite the bullet and speak with her properly. These were the moments of doubt, when he wondered if he'd have been better off staying in Hong Kong - hell, staying in Keystone. Why was it he could spend all night fighting muggers and gangbangers, dealing with the most despicable beings society could cough up, yet the thought of having to sit down and chat with his cousin terrified him?

Because she had been doing this longer. Because she was the leader. Because she was better than him and one day she would inherit the mantle of the Bat. He wasn't even allowed to be Red Robin.

She had already begun when he walked into the room. He arrived just in time to hear her say, "Though I was with family, I missed my other family as well," and he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. He had his mother, yes, and Chandra was like an uncle. But sometimes he felt he couldn't be further away from the family if his surname was Todd. He wondered, did she ever think about her other "other family?" He leaned against a wall at the back of the room, arms crossed, and gave her a polite nod.

 

[Silver_Identity]

She was getting herself prepared for some warms up of her own until she heard the familiar voice of her new leader calling out from the nearby speakers. She was expecting the leader to round up the whole Titan members but she never thought that she would do so just after she got back. Maybe she could train soon when she felt like up to it again.

Then the young Asian started to head to the stairs after leaving the gym, intent to head to the main room where she knew that her teammates would group together. Just as she was about to reach to the stairs, she somehow swore she could hear some voices of disapproval somewhere along another corridor and that actually made her pause in her steps for a moment.

A ghost of a smile touched her lips as a small chuckle escaped from the young heroine then she continued moving, descending down the stairs then entering into the main living room. Her amethyst gaze wandered around as soon as she entered, seeing that most of the members had already gathered at the living room already. Thankfully, she wasn't that late or slow after all. She knew she could just use her powers and phase through the walls when she felt like so. Spotting some familiar faces, especially Mallory, she did gave a small wave of greetings towards him before stepping in further into the area.

Jade managed to step in just in time before Kestrel was started speaking; her words about her missing her other family despite having spent time with her supposedly real family.

She wasn't actually too certain whether their leader meant when she meant her other family; whether that included her and the rather newer members. Despite being here for only a duration of more than a month, she only had to wonder whether she really did a right decision to join this team. Jade was already quite familiar with most of the members; well, the more friendlier ones, she hoped.

After Michael gave his jokingly reply to the leader, the dark-haired female was silent for a moment before she gave her own reply, a small smile adorned on her lips as she faced Kestrel, "Well, it's great to have you back now, Kestrel. I'm sure all of us missed you the same way too." The comment she had stated wasn't touched of any sarcasm, but sounded sincere enough, especially added with that smile on her face.

 

[Mephistophelily]

"Funny...," Kestrel murmured with a sour glance in Michael's direction. At least the rest of the team was finally starting to make their way in, Kes making a mental note on requiring a few more 'immediate response' drills. Things may have been quiet in the city lately, but that didn't mean they shouldn't be on their guard. The still on these streets were the perfect opportunity for someone to think they were unprotected.

A thankful smile was given to Jade on her more sincere reply, Jessica moving to stand at a more central location before the couch and the gathered Titans. "I'm sure you guys were wondering on what I was up to. I'll... try to share what I can, but- first... I need to know what's going on here." She thumbed over her shoulder toward the sprawling windows behind her, shaking her head. "That drive back into the city was one that sent a chill right through my spine. Something's building up out there, and we need to keep an eye on it. Has anyone heard anything on possible activities?"

She skimmed over the group before her, the thin line of her lips barely cracking as her mind continued to race. Ever since the fall of power, things had been far too quiet. It was foolish to think it could simply stay that way. Someone had to be plotting, planning a way to take advantage of this- but the question came down to who.

"We need to increase patrol. Two groups on two shifts, separate parts of the city. Anything out of the ordinary needs investigation, no matter how trivial it may seem at the time." She reached down, tapping the comm on her belt. "All lines are to stay open. We don't need anyone getting in hot water without back-up."

"Right then. With that out of the way..." Her shoulders slumped slightly, the stance she had been holding finally giving way. "...I'm going to hit a shower. There wasn't much for clean water in Thailand..."

 

[Eazy]

Mallory (Stat) and Ronan

At the verification of her sticking around, a small smile briefly peaked on the blonde's features as he gazed over at their leader. He assumed she wasn't planning on leaving so quickly after her return, but actually hearing it out of her lips like this? It was...nice. Comforting. She was missed by many of them, but perhaps none greater then himself. Not that he'd openly admit to such a thing, of course. And at least he could understand, even relate to the need of taking a break from this 'family' to be near another. So he wasn't without sympathy as she explained her reason for being away until now.

Still, while Micheal's quip in referring to Kestrel as a motherly figure to the others brought a short snickering noise out of the often easily amused Mallory, the half-breed Atlantean couldn't help but to let out a slight shudder. Bad enough having a near constantly naked clone of his birth mother hanging around without adding any maternal images of his ex into the mix.

At least it served as a way of breaking any remaining tension a bit, allowing him a chance to formulate his own response, "Incestial undertones aside...I can respect where you're coming from. Even if I'll still grow a little homesick from time to time, it's surprising how much I've come to, well, at least tolerate most of the people here."

The young Titan allowed a longer smile to form on his features, holding it with ease as he gazed over at the female member of the bat family; only to feel it fade a bit when he turned to look at the redheaded speedster, "Most of the time, anyway."

Letting a smirk play at the corner of his lips, Mallory tried biting back the urge of trying to tease his teammate any further; letting things drop with a parting sarcastic response, "Awww. And we all love you too, fishboy. Some more then others."

The redheaded teen gave a knowing wink over at the team leader following that last comment; not wanting to single out only one party before wrapping up his awkward attempt at playing cupid. Still, her sentiment about the team was greatly appreciated by himself, as Mallory watched while the remainder of the team joined the four whom had made it here first. Seemed like it was about time for a group reunion and meeting of sorts, although as further members continued to pile inside, the Titan did notice a couple of members who seemed to be lingering. In particular, a certain Kryptonian whose powers shouldn't make running behind a problem. At least in theory.

Either way, both of the male Titan's listened up as Kestrel started speaking up about her past absence and asking for information on the situation in the city. A lot of what she said made sense, although Mallory couldn't keep from cracking a slight smile at how close she came to being over prepared for the worst. She was definitely raised and trained under the Mama Bat's ever imposing wing.

When it came to filling her in on the city's activities, both of the young heroes seemed to feel it was best left to another, such as X'Hal, who had perhaps stepped up the most in leading things since Jessica's absence. Although at the young woman's mention about needing to hit the showers, Ronan's eyes appeared to light up a little as he fought back the urge to ask if she needed company. A naked Jessica and clean water. There perhaps wasn't another combination within the entire Tower that was more tempting for the young Atlantean Prince.

After a short while, the continued absence of certain members seemed to get to the redhead, "Hey, I'm gonna do a quick check on where the heck Alice and Harv' are hiding. Be sure to fill me in if I miss out on any further details I may miss out on. Or just if anything embarrassing happens while I'm away." The young man excused himself despite a reluctance about leaving; his comments largely directed toward their returned leader, before giving a parting glance to Ronan as he assured the Prince with a smirk, "Don't worry, I won't piggyback them all the way here."

Without waiting for a response, the speedster turned and promptly zipped out of the large area in order to begin his search. Now while Mallory could be an impulsive youth, he wasn't one to completely act without thinking; as the first place his feet carried him to look turned out to be the control room for the Tower. Better to start there then simply blindly checking every section on every floor of the large building. Once inside, he quickly took a seat upon the chair and, while restraining himself enough to not damage the sensitive equipment, let his speedy fingers do the rest of the walking as they brought up different rooms on the monitors in there.

It didn't take long, as the pool area was one of the first public places he'd thought to look; causing a cheeky grin to spread across his features while noting, "Huh, would you look at that. Two birds with one stone. Or rather two Titans in one room."

The redhead turned out of the chair and raced out of yet another room, only this time with a clear destination in mind as he headed toward the pool area. It didn't take long thanks to his powers, as he began to slow upon nearing the door which led to the room the two lingering Titans were to be found; knowing from past experiences that running in an area with often varying amounts of water on the floor wasn't the best of ideas. Stupid walls.

As he entered the area and took a moment to look over at the respective Titans, the teen soon spoke up to announce his presence; even if he imagined that Alice's superhearing would alert the blonde of Mal's presence before his entrance, "Guys, I enjoy a relaxing swim as much as the next non-aquatic mammal, but you two do know we had this whole group meeting thing going on, right? Even Ravenor showed up! No foolin'."

Taking a few steps closer to the Kryptonian, the speedster eventually started to take a look over the young woman; seemingly half-pretending to be an actual figure of authority when it came to their tardiness, yet watching at least Alice with careful eyes for a moment. Mal was no Batwoman, or even close to matching the detective skills of an average member of the infamous Bat Family, but he knew Alice. Knew her well enough that while he wasn't ready to assume to 'worst' upon noticing the lingering moisture in her hair (they were in the pool area), it did strike him as a little odd when considering how late it was when exhaustion made him give into sleep before her return.

"And where exactly were you for most of the night, young lady?" He asked while crossing his arms and tapping a foot in a slightly cheeky manner; not feeling any real anger or anything over the possibility of her being out all night, while also holding enough concern for his remaining long time where an honest answer would have been nice.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Said the mermaid to the robot.

X’Hal and Morgan

"Good enough for me. Just tell me if it starts causing a fuss, the longer a spirit lingers, the harder it is to excise if it outlives its welcome"

The façade her teammate adopted when he heard her less than favorable news did nothing to fool her. As she had felt his hope, she also felt the disappointment and sorrow that replaced it. The princess had never had any particular attachment to Phantasm for good or ill and was only mournful for her father’s sake when she was gone, but she did regret that the truth had caused pain in someone who seemed to feel so little joy. It was necessary and she did not wish to excuse that necessity, but, she would rather prefer to have been able to say that his ghostly friend had returned to their number once more.

"Think nothing of it"

X’Hal inclined her head slightly, an unspoken acknowledgement of his words, but, as he did not ask her for an explanation, she didn’t give one. The walk to the meeting place was a short one, but when she arrived, with Ravenor and William on her heels, it was clearly at the tale end of a conversation. Briefly, she wondered if she had lost the chance to hear something important. In her quiet way, she observed the scene, her eyes alighting on each of the titans that had so far heeded Kestral’s call. Michael’s humor made it seem as if anything that had transpired there was of little consequence. The emotions that ran through the room seemed to relay the same. Indeed, she too would have relaxed and smiled, but there was still the matter of Jump City and the apparition to discuss. Her body remained tense with such important information.

For her part, Morgen was content enough to dampen the couch and listen as Kestral decided to tell them to do something that probably counted as common sense, once she finally decided to make her way in through the above ground entrance. Not like she particularly qualified for leadership. Scratch that, she definitely wasn’t qualified for leadership, but, hey, it still seemed like if people were going to hurt you any day now, yet were being creepy and sneaky about it, well keeping a sharp eye on the horizon was about the first thing anyone should do. Maybe that was just her though. She was paranoid like that. Even existing in this team of do-gooders and seeming saints, she wasn’t so off guard that she wouldn’t have an escape route or two if they decided they liked her better dead.

Mallory’s mention of Alice peaked her interest for a second. Since she had joined, well even before she’d official became a member of their save-the-world team, Alice had always been rather decent to her, without Ronan’s penitent to stiffen around her just because she happened to look like one of his relatives. The blond woman was one of the few that she didn’t suspect of immediately stabbing her in the back, despite her instincts warning her of the danger behind that pretty face. As a friend, she supposed that it would be nice of her to delay Mallory somehow, but, in the end, she found it easier just to let him go. If the kryptonian got found out, then she got found out. It wasn’t like she was out murdering the general populace or anything like that, or so she assumed. Morgen was pretty adept at spotting an evil bastard by now and, frankly, the bubbly woman didn’t seem the type, at least not without the aid of hypnotism or something else trite and mind-altering, maybe some compound 64-B would do it. Before her mind got too carried off with her creator’s scientific formulas, she decided to go back to paying attention to the meeting she’d initially ventured indoors for.

"Right then. With that out of the way......I'm going to hit a shower. There wasn't much for clean water in Thailand..."

For a brief moment, she considered letting Kestral indulge herself with the routine of cleanliness. She was familiar enough with Earth geography to know that Thailand was a long journey from the tower. She had heard enough of the infamous Batwoman to know that she was unlikely to have treated her granddaughter with any kind of indulgent pampering. Their leader was obviously tired, both physically and mentally, and a break was needed to recuperate. Yet, she had said that she meant to discuss the pale ghost at the meeting and she fully meant to. So she spoke, her normally soft voice ringing out with the kind of authority she normally had reserved for the warriors on Tamaran.

“A moment, Kestral. There has been a curious development, most new, in our tower. Only minutes ago I was confronted by a woman that seemed to be that of the realm of the dead. She seemed to have intimate knowledge about myself.”

Her voice halted then as she wondered once more how or more appropriately why the apparition would have any knowledge of her parents, but the silence from her was brief and she continued on.

“I do not fear any immediate danger from that quarter, but I believe you are right in regards to Jump City. The imaginary creatures of Abigail have reported that the current peace on the streets seem to be building towards something most foul.”

Morgen knew the big-breasted woman was supposed to be from another planet, but she really wished she came with a handy translator or something, despite her clearly speaking in english. It wasn’t like she was the dullest tool in the shed, but it still took the atlantean clone a moment or two to successfully decipher what the princess meant. When she finally realized that there was or had been a ghost the topic had already switched over to the ever present danger of Jump City and whoever took over after Queenie after all. So the purple-eyed woman was just left their blinking at the whole supernatural aspect that had suddenly leapt into her life by association. Leaning over a bit, she whispered confidentially to the metal man beside her.

“I didn’t know ghosts exist.. did you?”