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

[Ren✧]

"Thanks Kiara...this place sure is weird...but I'm glad you know a thing or to about it." Kiara almost laughed. She didn't have the heart to tell Blake that everything she had just told him was based entirely on a hunch. The words her mother had told her when she had been apprehensive about running for fifth grade class president returned to her, strangely appropriate for the situation. "Fake it 'til you make it." She had said. And now, over five years later, Kiara found herself relying on that advice more than ever. She didn't seem to have any of the answers that she needed, but still her friends turned to her for the things she didn't have. However, as she watched Blake fly off towards the monstrous nightmare she couldn't help but think that maybe she was starting to get the hang of things.

 

Kiara took a moment to take stock of the situation, rushing into the battle blindly wouldn't do her teammates any good. Cygnus had managed to grow wings and was peppering the monster's face with lunar bolts. Dozens of spiders crawled about the monster's flesh, webbing it's legs, but Kiara caught no sight of Ben. Blake was in the process of a full rush on the beast. Alfonso had made to blind the beast with an explosion of stardust, but from afar Kiara could see that something was wrong. 

 

The flash of light that should have blinded the Titans' adversary didn't appear to be as effective as it should have been. The several dozen glossy eyes still spun about in their sockets, still seeming to comprehend the situation, the creature still thrashed about responding to different attacks and pains. "It would make sense..." Kiara thought, already starting to run at full speed, the monster's blade arm had begun to move to intercept Alfonso's daring assault on the monster's flail. "The creature is a manifestation of the orb, which wouldn't need to 'see' what was happening in here as it should be fully aware of everything that happens in here already." 

 

Leaping into the air, Kiara slammed into the flat end of the monster's blade arm, causing it to go wildly off target. "Alfonso go!" Kiara yelled in case the disturbance had distracted him from whatever he was planning. Falling back to the ground, Kiara rolled between the monster's legs, feeling a few spiderwebs cling to her as she cleared the monster's lumbering form. Briefly out of danger, Kiara hoped that the others' attacks proved more effective because so far the Titans were nothing more than a nuisance to the beast.

[Saiba Aisu]

Cygnus was reduced to a silver blur as he dove in and out of the monster's face in wide arcs, its roars echoing in his ears as he twisted through the air, hurling lunar bolts. While his aim was true, he could see that the attacks were inflicting only superficial damage to the enemy—whatever the hell it was, its skin was certainly tougher than it looked. For the moment, he appeared to have taken on the role of a hornet, or some other kind of insect. Not a major threat by any means, but one that the creature would have dearly loved to squash all the same. Still, that was fine by him, so long as its attention was focused on him rather than Blake and Kiara. He wasn't here to take out the monster by himself, just to buy enough time for his teammates to figure out their next move.

 

He didn't have to wait very long. Without hesitation, Ben leaped fearlessly into melee range, avoiding the monster's flail with a neat dodge roll before vanishing into the shadows on its far side. Taking a brief respite in midair, angelic wings still beating furiously, Cygnus watched as Ben deposited a handful of spiders on the enemy's legs in passing, which instantly set about trying to web them together.

 

Nice one! Cygnus thought to himself, rather impressed by his teammate's battle instincts. Perhaps Sybil had been right to assign him as their new teammate, after all. The spiders would represent yet another dilemma for the monster: drop its weapon and swipe them off using its one good hand, or ignore them at its own peril? Assuming the spiders' web was strong enough and they had enough time, the creature would soon find its lower body trussed up tighter than a Thanksgiving turkey. Either way, the advantage was theirs.

 

Seconds later, a dazzling cluster of miniature stars exploded in the monster's face like fireworks, scattering cosmic dust over its multiple swollen eyes. Alfonso had joined the fray, trying to create an opening that would allow him to steal its weapon. At that moment, Blake's form charged forward in an all-out tackle, shrouded in his personal shield, his armorsuit miraculously restored. So far, so goo—

 

The creature pulled back its blade-arm suddenly, preparing to wind up for a devastating strike aimed at Alfonso. Fortunately, Kiara chose that moment to intervene with a stunning leap, slamming into the blunt surface of its arm, forcing the blow off-course. Cygnus breathed a sigh of relief as the girl rolled between the monster's legs, her momentum carrying her out of harm's way. For the moment, the two sides seemed evenly matched, yet neither had been able to inflict decisive damage upon the other. All that was missing now was some way to pack a serious punch. What they really needed was—

 

"Roxie!" Cygnus called out, turning back towards his teammate. "Dépêche-toi, blondie, while there's still some left! And count on me if you need any help getting in his face!"

[Dad]

"Alfonso go!"

 

"Riiiiight," he said flipping agilely towards their foe.  Kiara had stepped in and prevented Alfonso from getting his head lobbed off, just buying him enough time.  Alfonso leaped forward, twisting through the air in a crazy motion of spirals, before planting one open palm over the top of the monster's flail, charging it with attraction magic.  And now, he scaled the monster's chest, with a similarly colored open palm aimed for his foe's face.  He climed past the breast of the beast, clawing upwards as he began slapping the monster's skull with many bright red brands of attraction magic.  He was met with a nasty gnawing attempt, prompting Alfonso to leap off of the creature's face less he lose his leg.  He kicked off, just moving past Blake who was rocketing into the enemy at full speed.

 

"Have a boost, on me," he said slapping the back of Blake's suit with repulsion magic.  Being repelled away from Alfonso, Blake would receive a further increase of speed as he charged the black skinned monster.  In a few moments time, the big brute was going to have a flail in his face, a robo-boy up his ass, and two wild ladies busting his balls.  It was going to be an eventful evening.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Like clockwork the Titans began their assault on the creature, obviously making use of Benjamin's spiders spinning their webs along the the creature's legs. However, it was also apparent that the others couldn't see him in the shadows, this probably meant neither could the creature. This played in Benjamin's favor.

 

He found himself the wall he needed as he crawled up it, hiding in the darkness as he climbed up onto the roof. Benjamin came up over top of the Titans and the beast on the shadowy roof as he smirked. His spiders along the creatures legs were doing a good enough job, but the thing could still see. But if he were to obscure it's vision... Bingo. That'll help! he thought, his plan now in motion.

 

Ultimate

 

"Heads up, ugly!" Benjamin yelled from the darkness, as he fell towards the creature, landing right on his head. Once on the creature, it became as a rider on a bronco or a bull. The creature started thrashing about, making Benjamin groan a bit as he held on. "Whoa! Touchy lil bugger aren't ya! Here...have fun!" he said, holding onto the creature's head, letting a few more spiders crawl along it's face, beginning to web up it's eyes or even bite at them.

 

This caused the creature to thrash about more, until he finally threw Benjamin off of him, where he landed safely with the other Titans. "That should slow him down a bit more. But don't be expecting anymore surprises..." he said with a nervous chuckle. Only got a few spiders left...and I need them to stay put or else I ain't doing crap! Benjamin thought.

[Hälō]

The 13th Dilemma

 

"Roxie! Dépêche-toi, blondie, while there's still some left! And count on me if you need any help getting in his face!"

 

Roxie's ears perked at Cygnus's call. Beaming at the prospect of getting a lift from Frenchy and his b****in' new goose wings, the girl bolted towards her teammate before leaping high into the air and griping his hand tightly. "Alright, let's do it, Fre-" She cheered as the pair soared towards the creature, only to cut herself short upon setting her sights on Blake in mid-charge directly bellow them. Watching as Alfonso used his gravity manipulation to bolster the armored Titan's already frightening speed, Roxie felt a lightbulb light up in her head- then promptly explode like most things inevitably did in there when she got excited. 

 

Without even bothering to finish her shout to Cygnus, the girl abruptly released her grip on the mage's hand and swung forward into a short free fall. "Woooooooooooooooo!" Landing directly on Blake only seconds after he passed by Alfonso, the blonde's mad laughter filled the battle field as she struggled for a moment to find balance by placing her tiny feet on the boy's lower back and gripping on to his shoulder with her free hand as the new pair rocketed towards their target at tremendous velocity. Though now wasn't the time for her to be enjoying the best piggyback ride of her life- no, not when the fun part was closing in fast...

 

"This is gonna be lovely..." Roxie purred has her eyes began to glow with a brilliant gold. With only mere seconds to work her magic, the former knight charged Blake's suit with as much kinetic energy as she could muster in the short amount of time, causing the armor to shine a telling gold, signifying that the boy had become an even more lethal force of destruction. But she wasn't done there, not by a long shot. With impact mere seconds away, Roxie flung herself forward, using the momentum she and Blake had gathered to catapult herself towards the Beast's face.

 

Grinning madly, the girl brought Arondite hight above her head, charging her weapon to insure that creature would be paid back tenfold for what it had put her through. Though her smile soon faded slightly upon coming to a deviistatining realization. "Guys!?" She called out franticly to her teammates, just before brining her bat down savagilly upon the creature's head sending it's face reeling down towards Blake's devastating blow.

 

"Nobody yelled Titans! Go!!!"  

[Ren✧]

---

GM Post: "It's All In Your Head" (Dreamscape, Final Destination, 4:49 AM)

---

[spoiler=GM Post]

The orb's nightmarish manifestation was sent reeling from the onslaught of attacks. At first, the Titans and their pathetic attempts to harm it hadn't been anything more than a nuisance, but then it's flail had gone flying out of its hand and then not one, but two, powerful blows caused the monster to cry out. To make matters all the more difficult, there were these damned webs everywhere. The creature let out a roar of frustration, the sound now reverberating from every corner of the room. It sounded like a mix between an aluminum can being ground up in a blender and a boar being led to slaughter. Needless to say, several of the Titans covered their ears in response, wincing with pain. 

 

The beast lashed out at the Titans with its blade arm, both those on the ground and in the air, forcing them to give it a little distance and allowing it to rearm itself with its flail. A triumphant roar, this one much lower and filled with mirth, passed the monster's swirling maw of teeth as it swung the flail overhead in an ominous loop. The spiked weapon began to gain speed, becoming a wicked blur and yet its wielder handled it with perfect control. The Titans again were forced to give the creature a wider berth, fearful of its impressive display. 

 

"Make sure you guys stay away from that thing." Kiara had to shout to be heard. Seeing as she had landed behind the monster and had been forced to put more and more distance between herself and it, she was now a ways away from the rest of her team: all of whom were staring down the giant. 

 

"I'll just take it away from him again!" Alfonso declared, charging up his attraction magic in the palm of his hand. However, either having anticipated this action or having heard his plan, all of the monster's eyes immediately swiveled to focus on Alfonso, causing him to falter. The glow in his hand faded away as the images the swam in the orbs decidedly became more intense. 

 

"Alfonso...any time this decade..." Cygnus urged.

 

"It's the eyes." Blake quickly deduced, flying up to join Cygnus and Alfonso. "They are distracting him. It's what almost got Kiara killed in the initial attack." To prove his point, Blake put his hand in front of Alfonso's face and immediately the boy seemed to come out whatever shock he was in. 

 

"BOYS! INCOMING!" Roxie yelled from below, waving her bat about like a madwoman. 

 

It was only a matter of time before the hulking beast got tired of showing off his graceful control of the flail. The business end of the weapon was now headed straight for the conglomerated group of airborne Titans. Fortunately, Blake and Cygnus acted in unison, each casting a protective shield, around all three of them. Of course, the flail still sent them careening for the ground and Ben actually had to direct Roxie to move a little over to avoid being hit, but fortunately they made it out of the sudden attack alive. Unfortunately, the Titans were all on defense now. 

 

The orb's manifestation was no longer playing around; it became a frenzy of ball-and-chain, blade-and-arm, spooky-hypno-eyes-and-swirling-teeth-of-death. Hardly able to get an attack off edge-wise, the Titans were all set to avoid and evade an attack that was inevitably coming their way. Despite the fact that they were only fighting one opponent, it felt as if they were fighting a dozen. 

 

Then in the midst of the chaos, Kiara's voice rang out. "The eyes!" 

 

"Pretty sure I said that about five minutes ago, but good try." Blake said as he flew by, narrowly avoiding being struck by the flail's chain in an overhead blow that had been aimed at Roxie, who had fortunately dove for safety. 

 

"No, no, no, I mean look at the eyes. They are broken." And they were. Having either been cracked or punctured in the stray from Cygnus' lunar bolts or completely shattered from Roxie's powerful blow, several of the orb-like eyes were broken and if you looked closely enough you could see a white mist leaking from those that had been compromised.

 

"I'm not seeing how this is helping, and you are going to get yourself killed." Ben said, pushing Kiara to the ground as the creature's blade arm whistled overhead, just barely avoiding them both.

 

"I think I know how to defeat this thing!" Kiara said excitedly, the familiar thrill of crime fighting creeping into her voice as a plan formulated in her mind.

 

As the Titans worked to remain unharmed in the creature's never ending stream of attacks. Kiara began to explain. The plan was simple enough. Kiara, Roxie, and Blake would work to draw as much as the monster's attention as possible. Then, the more agile Titans, Ben, Cygnus, and Alfonso, would get through its guard and destroy the remaining eyes. The logic behind the plan was a bit more difficult to explain, and in all honesty was based a bit more on a hunch. 

 

Up until this point, the Titans' respective dreamscapes had been held together by the orb's conscious will. The only way to escape the dreamscapes would be to overcome that will or eliminate it from the equation. It wasn't hard to figure out that the creature that they were facing the embodiment of the orb's will, and Kiara wasn't trying to be pessimistic, but she didn't think trying to overcome that monstrosity was honestly something the team could do. At least, not through sheer power. However, if they could take it's fuel source. Then maybe, they'd not just beat it, they'd wake up from this nightmare.

 

"Understand?" 

 

"Honestly love? No. But it sounds like the best plan we have." 

 

 

 

---

[spoiler=OOC]

Time to help this son of a jabroni kick the bucket. If someone would like to suggest an alteration to the plan(want to be a part of the other attack team, for example), have at it. Essentially we are just continuing with the battle at hand with the new information I've presented. Obviously don't take out all of the eyes at once, that's no fun for anyone. Any questions?

 

 

[Dad]

"Altiana," he called to her mentally.

 

"What's wrong, Alfonso?"

 

"How much time do we have?" he asked, as Blake freed Alfonso from the monster's gaze.  Altiana remained silent.  Whether or not it was to gauge his reaction, or to simply tell it all while saying nothing.  Their time was running out.  A cry from Kiara snapped Alfonso from his solemn daze as she pointed out the creature's eyes.

 

"No, no, no, I mean look at the eyes. They are broken."

 

She was right.  A number of the monster's eyes had been destroyed, giving away its very obvious weak point.  This was strange, as it had not reacted much as Alfonso attempted to blind the creature before.  But now, it was losing track of the Titans.  Slowly, the target was becoming easier to mark.  

 

"I think I know how to defeat this thing!"

 

She went into detail about using half of the team as a distraction and the other half to finish the bastard off.  It was solid, crazy, and off the hinges of any standard tactical assault.  "I like it," Alfonso said rolling up his sleeves.  Hovering lazily in the air, Alfonso spread his arms wide, as if posing for his foe.

 

"Ready for the grand finale?" he asked aloud.  If the eyes of the enemy were indeed its weak point, it wouldn't take much to bring it down.  But, in the fairness of combat sportsmanship, Alfonso didn't want to hog all of the glory.  He drew to minuscule stars to either of his index fingers, and launched them into the air above the Titans.  The stars collided, creating a crazy pattern of spotlight as it danced around the dark room.  Putting on his best announcer voice, Alfonso introduced the enemy as the spotlight landed on its blackened figure.

 

"Innnnnnnnnn this corner.  Weighing in at more than nine hundred pounds, with a reach of what might be impossible to measure without getting killed.  Your reigning heavy weight champion of the dark side, he's big, he's bad, and he's incredibly ugly.  The All Seeing Shadow!"

 

Putting on a crowd voice over, cheering for the monster as it eyed him in confusion and annoyance.

 

And as the spotlight rotated over to the Titans, Alfonso resumed.  "And in this corner.  With a combined weight of nine hundred--give or take--pounds, with a quite literally impossible to measure reach,.  Your challengers, the razzle dazzle, light 'em up, hack and slash good guy team of the moment.  The Teen.  Titannnnnnnnnnnnsssss!"  He cheered, throwing his hands into the air as he raised the roof in an effort to amp up, praise, and raise the morale of his allies.

 

"At the sound of the bell, the match will begin.  No holds barred.  Ready?" he said taking a running stance in mid air.  But before the monster could react, Alfonso fired a sneakily hidden cluster of stars directly at its face again, hoping to disorient the creature one last time.  "Titans.  Go!"

[Mr. Hyde]

The plan was discussed, and Blake found no issues with the whole thing.  Alfonso gave his best performance yet as he comically introduced a fight that had already been under way for a hot minute now.  Blake cleared his throat to rally his team with their token battle cry, but as he did so, he was interrupted by Alfonso.

 

"Titans.  Go!"

 

"Hey pal, that's my line!"  With a hint of spite, Blake boosted his jet thrusters.  "Hmph...I guess i'll let it slide this time!"  With that, he was off towards the monster.  He looked into the monsters eyes for just one second, and started drifting off into scenes of parallel worlds where he never made it out of that accident.  When he approached without stopping, the nightmarish monster swung it's mace right into Blake's body.  It dented his chest, but more importantly, knocked him out of the eye contact with the monster.  

 

Alfonso's star attack landed as well, breaking any hint of telekinetic presence out of his own mind that may have been left.  He pounded on his helmet furiously.  "Damn...How stupid could I possibly be!  Satellite, i'm going to need you to blur the eyes of that monster on my HUD...can you do that for me?"  There was no answer, but it happened anyways.  Now that he was totally immune to eye contact with the beast, he made a second run at the monster.

 

"I'll show you that Blake Bradsborn was meant to get out of that accident in one piece!"  Blake flew around the monster like an ironclad mosquito.  Every now and again, Blake would land a kick on the monster, which wouldn't make it budge in the slightest.  However, he activated his thrusters to shoot a large blast of force to the creatures body.  He would move just in time to narrowly dodge a mace to the face, or a blade to the chest.  

 

The monster roared in frustration, exactly what Blake had wanted.  

 

"One of you guys, now, hit this guy hard, and hit him fast!"  

[Ren✧]

Kiara was giddy at the idea of having a plan. It was a crazy plan, perhaps a little too crazy, but for the first time since entering the orb's concocted dreamscapes she felt like she might have some form of control. Hopefully things went according to plan and none of her friends got injured...of course, she wasn't so sure it really mattered if they were injured here. They were in a dream after all. Perhaps it would translate to a mental wound or a loss of memory. Or it could be that this battle in general was a giant waste of time meant to stall them with no real consequences, win or lose. It could just be easier to let themselves get squished.

 

The Titan didn't even consider that option though. As the thought crossed her mind, so did the mental images of her friends as vegetables in hospital beds, completely brain dead on account of her stupid decision. No, they would just have to win this fight. Noticing that Blake and Alfonso had already rejoined the fray, Kiara thought she had probably do her own part, considering that it was her plan. 

 

"Over here!" Kiara yelled, taking off at a sprint around the monster, or The All Seeing Shadow as Alfonso had dubbed. She tried to get his attention by yelling a few more times but came to new avail. Finally out of frustration, Kiara stopped running circles around the monster and daringly ran up to its left foot. "Don't ignore me...jabroni!" She added that last word as an after thought, punctuating her sentence with a double-fisted punch packed with the blasting power of a stick of dynamite. 

 

Kiara had to combat roll away to avoid being squished by the lumbering monster's foot but her foolhardy attack worked, the monster was off balance. "Quit dragging your feet!" She yelled at the Titans tasked with breaking the eyes. "We're giving you the openings you need!" She felt guilty barking orders, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before the Titans ran out of juice. The orb knew it too. They needed this to be over as quickly as possible. 

 

Her voice softened but still rang out: "Let's give'em everything we've got!"

[Saiba Aisu]

BGM

 

Cygnus nodded along as Kiara quickly explained her plan to the team. Improvised and apparently based on nothing more than a hunch, it was nevertheless, as Roxie had concluded, the best option they had. In the worst case, even if destroying the rest of the monster's eyes wasn't enough to break the orb's hold on them, at the very least it would be blinded.

 

As his teammates began their coordinated assault on the so-called "All-Seeing Shadow," Cygnus moved towards Roxie, tapping her lightly on the shoulder before beginning to speak rapidly in an undertone. What he had in mind was dangerous—if not outright crazy—but if they managed to pull it off successfully, the monster would never see it coming. Literally. He smiled faintly in spite of himself as he came to the end of his proposal, realizing that this idea had probably been incubating in some remote corner of his mind ever since he had seen Roxie fighting against the Night Sisters. So much speed, so much power; high-risk for high-profit. It was time to see if that power could be harnessed. Time to even the odds.

 

"Quit dragging your feet!" Kiara cried to the pair, combat-rolling out of harm's way. "We're giving you the openings you need!"

 

"Here we go, blondie!" Cygnus yelled, leaping into the air, letting his angelic wings carry him upwards. It was or never, do or die. They would only have one chance.

 

"Karreylos Ethonim Cazar," he murmured, raising one hand to his mouth and blowing. With a dazzling burst of light, a stream of silver bubbles blossomed from his lips, one after another, expanding rapidly as they drifted through the air. Within moments, the spell was complete and ten translucent spheres—each of them roughly eight feet in diameter—floated serenely before him.

 

With an imperious flick of his wrists and a cry of command, Cygnus directed the spheres downwards, towards the ground, forming a large ring with the monster at its center. Perfect. Before the creature could react to this newest development, he flew forwards once again, spinning and twisting through the air in evasive maneuvers. He dove in and out of the monster's reach in wide dizzying loops as if weaving an invisible net, launching stray Moon Bolts every few moments. The creature roared and lashed out with its blade-arm, making the air hiss as it attempted to knock him out of the skies.

 

Alright, Roxie, the rest is up to you! Cygnus thought, caught in the aerial dance, keeping his gaze trained on the enemy in order to avoid betraying his teammate's actions.

 

The preparations were ready and the stage was set. All he could do now was hope it would be enough.

[Hälō]

"Kiara-love! I take it back, THIS is the best plan we ever had!" Roxie called out to her psychic comrade as she watched her engage the orb alongside Blake and Alfonso. 

 

Visibly vibrating with excitement at the sight of Cygnus's bubbles taking their position around the creature, the girl hoisted her weapon over her shoulder and allowed her form to be veiled in a shimmering golden halo before vanishing in a blur. "Kickin it into overdrive!" 

 

Reappearing at the beast's side, Roxie greeted her target with a two handed swing from Arondite. Having already been thrown dangerously off balance by Kiara's attack, the monster roared in agony as it braced itself for its seemingly unavoidable tumble to the floor- though it seemed Cygnus plan dictated otherwise... 

 

Gritting her teeth to fight back the pain from her own attack, Roxie allowed herself to enter a momentary freefall. "Oh no no no..." her voice trailed off as she landed on one of Cygnus's bubbles. "We're not even close to done with you yet, love!" With grunt, she reactivated her golden aura, using the bubble as launch pad to send herself rocketing towards the beast's right side. "This is for dream-Blake," the girl roared before slamming the hilt of her weapon into the monster's ribs with enough force to painfully correct its balance.

 

Once again up right, the monster found itself being harassed by a golden blur, as Roxie repeated the process of using Cygnus's bubbles as launch pads in what she'd later describe as the best game of pinball ever played. Though unfortunately, she couldn't keep up pestering the orb this way for ever... the feeling in her legs was a clear indication that. Luckily, this was only the first step of the dance. 

 

"Frenchy!" finally halting her angry wasp impression, Roxie launched herself up high above the beasts head with her hands open wide as if she were trying to grasp the heavens themselves.

[Saiba Aisu]

BGM

Turning a somersault to disperse his momentum, Cygnus came to a halt high in the air directly above the All-Seeing Shadow, giving him a bird's-eye view as Roxie launched her high-speed barrage, focusing on the enemy's lower body. The girl's frame was reduced to a golden blur as she rocketed across the battlefield using the ring of bubbles as launchpads to quickly change direction, scoring devastating full-power blows with Arondite in passing. Its knees having given out, caught in a free-fall, yet constantly buffeted back and forth by the girl's strikes and unable to fix its posture, the monster seemed trapped in a thorny impasse. It growled and swiped awkwardly at the blonde with its blade-arm, even trying to catch her in its jaws at one point, but in vain—barely even visible to the naked eye, the young Titan was simply moving too fast to hit.

"Vas-y, blondie, écrase-le!"¹ Cygnus roared in a deeper voice than usual, forgetting his cold demeanor as he punched the air savagely with one fist, caught in the fierce thrill of battle.

Down below, Roxie's super-speed assault was slowing as her human body reached its limits, meaning that it was time for the coup de grâce. Taking a deep breath, adrenaline pumping, Cygnus narrowed his eyes, trying to keep track of the girl's movements, determined not to miss the signal they had agreed upon. And then, it came.

"Frenchy!" Roxie called at the top of her lungs, using a bubble to launch herself high into the sky with outstretched arms. Behind her, no longer plagued by her attacks, the monster had begun to fall once again, crashing to its knees with a resounding thud, forcing it to bend forward and catch itself with its arms. Leaving its upper body utterly exposed.

As his teammate rocketed towards him, time seemed to slow for Cygnus. Every breath seemed suddenly heavy, every beat of his pounding heart louder than a drum, every frame of the action unfolding before his eyes clear and razor-sharp.

"DOX AMARIS!!" Cygnus cried, and at his words, the ring of bubbles began to shine, their surfaces instantly becoming opaque. With a chorus of shattering glass, the enchanted spheres exploded in a hail of jagged shards of light, howling and shrieking as they tore through the air, burying themselves hilt-deep in the monster's swollen eyes and face.

The monster roared as a deluge of the mysterious white mist poured forth from its ruined eyes, its features contorted in agony. Yet Cygnus no longer had eyes for the enemy—his gaze was locked with that of the blonde hurtling towards him. Half-folding his wings, Cygnus caught hold of Roxie by her wrists and swung her around as if in a dance, letting her momentum carry them in circles, building centrifugal force.

"Special delivery!" Cygnus yelled, gritting his teeth as he fought the intense g-force. "From Europe, with love!!"

With a final roar, he unfurled his feathered wings to their maximum span to stabilize the pair and let go of Roxie, hurling her in the direction of the crippled monster.

A 19 year-old British girl versus a 900 pound Cthulhu monster—you had to feel bad. For the monster, that is.

[spoiler=Learn French with Cygnus: Today's Lesson]
¹ Go blondie, crush him!

[Dad]

"What's that saying?" he asked Altiana as he quietly sank into a corner of the room.  Everything was a blur.  Roxie darted around like mad, keeping the enemy at bay.  Kiara tilted their foe, her raw power taking it off balance.  Blake's powersuit provided quite the meat shield, absorbing the monster's strikes with little to no effort.

 

"There are many, Alfonso.  But I know which one you're getting at," she said with a forced smile.

 

" 'When there's nothing left to do, your job is done.'  That's it ain't it?" he asked as the darkness surrounded him.  Slumped against a wall, Alfonso shoved his left hand in his pocket, casually flicking chunks of stars from his right hand, in silence as he spoke to Altiana.  A smile crept across his face, as he looked on.  "It hasn't been long, but they've gotten really strong," he said as his eyes bounced from each Titan, even including Ben.  "Somehow, I don't think this will be a bad thing."  Alfonso stopped to rub his head, as he thought about what was coming.  "Guess this is it then, isn't it?" he said taking down his hand.  The feint glow of a now dying star in his hand barely illuminated his face.

 

If one were to look into his face, they would feel a mix of things.  Confusion, anxiety, fear, excitement, danger, and heartbreak.  "Don't you say it," Altiana chimed in.  Alfonso tried his hardest not to laugh and cry at the same time.  "Told you so," he muttered softly to Altiana.  She could only sigh, as she and Alfonso came to a realization.  "They don't need us anymore, huh?" they asked in unison.  

 

"Not that it's a bad thing!"

 

"Nah, of course not!"

 

"I mean, this is a growing opportunity!  Isn't it?"

 

"Yeah, for sure!  Or it's proof how fast they've already grown."

 

"Then, you shouldn't look at it as if you're finished."

 

"But as though, they're finished?"  

 

Altiana could not reply.  Alfonso continued to look on, as his eyes landed on Ben.  What odd but perfect timing.  And he was a great fit too.  He'd already made such an impression just by presenting his strengths.  And with many miniature allies at his literal fingertips, there was no telling what kind of odds Ben would allow the Titans to overcome.  "Well, he is a playwright.  It only makes sense that there's a new star of the show," he said as he casually plucked another star in the Shadow's direction.  Altiana chuckled at Alfonso's words.  

 

"Just think of it Alfonso.  When this is all over, you have a great opportunity ahead of you."

 

The boy nodded.  She was right, of course.  There was a lot waiting out there for Alfonso.  "I'm nervous, if I can be honest."

 

"That's only fair.  You're becoming a King after all."

 

Alfonso blinked, still mindlessly hurling stars at his foe.  "King, huh?"

 

"Well, you've married a princess," Altiana said, blushing in Alfonso's head.

 

"Don't do that," he said as he felt his face grow hot.  "It's not fair.  I didn't ask for this," he said harshly.

 

"Alfonso, neither of us asked for this.  It was simply fate--"

 

"I wanted to chose my own damn fate!" he snapped, closing his hand and shrouding himself in darkness again.  Altiana went silent, her head held low.  "Look, Altiana.  It's not that I don't care about you.  It's just--I never saw myself getting married to a different species, flying off to some other world, and leading an alien revolution.  I'm nineteen for Christ's sake," he said slumping further down against the wall.  "My entire life is being uprooted and there's nothing I can do.  Friends, family, and this, the only job to go on my resume.  All of it is being changed in an instant.  And, frankly, I'm funking terrified."

 

Altiana stooped now, nearly lowering herself to the ground of Alfonso's mind completely.  "You don't have to go, you know.  A painful, risky process could pull us apart.  You could be free.  You could be normal again, Alfonso."

 

He shook his head in resistance.  "Normal?  Screw that.  You're asking me to throw away our relationship just because I'm trying to figure things out?  You want me to just forget my past--our past--because of a bump in the road?  No way.  We've come too far for that," he said quickly.  Altiana smiled again, knowing Alfonso meant well.  "This is gonna be hard, but I think I can handle it," he said forcing himself to stand up straight.

 

"And what will you tell the Titans?  How will you say your goodbyes?" Altiana inquired.  

 

Alfonso shook his head again.  "There's still a lot you don't know about me, Altiana.  I don't say goodbyes."

 

She tilted her head in confusion.  "What will you say then?"

 

Alfonso's smile returned, as he gave his answer.  "I'll just say, 'see ya later'."

[Hälō]

BMG

 

To say Roxie was excited would be an understatement. To be perfectly honest, she couldn't recall any time in her life when she was ever happier! Yea, she was locked into a life and death battle against some kind of magic orb thingy that wanted her and all of her friends out of the picture for some reason or the other... but that was just it; she was with her friends. All five of these people where here fighting right along side her, not only to defend their own existences, but to assure the safety of one another. They were a team- no, a family- her family. 

 

But now wasn't the time to go soft, she still had a job to do. Hurtling towards the wounded beast at frightening speed, the girl placed her left hand on her right shoulder, and cocked her arm backwards whilst gathering all the kinetic energy she could muster. An instant, the entirety of her right arm was cloaked in her trademark golden aura, which soon began to flicker violently as she approached her target. "No..." Roxie cursed under breath. Her body was nearing it's breaking point, and was struggling to draw back energy that she was forcing it to harbor within itself. Panicking slightly, the former knight shifted her gaze towards her rapidly approaching foe. 

 

"What a shame... your power, it truly is infinite," Upon meeting the monster's cracked eyes, Arthur's voice suddenly echoed within Roxie's mind. "It is only your own limits that inhibits it..." Her glare sharpened at the man's words, causing her to grip her shoulder even tighter. "You're weak." 

 

"f*** OFF!" Roxie suddenly roared down towards the rapidly approached orb, and the memory of Arthur that it had projected upon her with it's psychic powers. Upon abandoning any attempts control her powers, she allowed the golden aura that cloaked her right arm to erupt into an uncontrollable blaze that hung in the behind her in a golden streak as she plummeted towards The All Seeing Shadow's face. "THIS IT," The blonde spat towards the beast only mere inches from it's face. 

 

"SILVER AND GOLD: SUPER IMPERIAL PINPBALL SWAN DIVE VERSION 2!" 

 

Pivoting her body, Roxie swung her fist forward with all of her might as she called forth her completely improvised attack name. Of course there was never an original version of the technique to begin with, but nobody else other then Cygnus would know that...  and if there was anything she had learned from watching her Sunday morning cartoons, it was that things were always stronger when the were the second version of something.

 

Using all the momentum she had been granted by Cygnus, along with her final burst of kinetic energy, the impact from the blonde's punch was titanic and was heralded by a large yellow shock wave that shook he battlefield. Blasted away by the sheer force of the attack, Roxie brought herself to a sliding halt alongside her fellow Titans, before clumsily scooping up Arondite from the ground. A small billow of smoke drifted off the bright red knuckles of her right arm, which was now hanging limply at her side as she did her best to support herself with her weapon.

 

The former knight had reached her limit; with her almost certainly broken arm sending massive waves of pain throughout her body, yet still she found herself grinning like a madwoman. Sizing up the now critically wounded All Seeing Shadow, she watched as one of Alfonso's stars crashed into face once again and felt her grin grow even wider. "Ha! Alfy hasn't even broken a sweat..." She marveled at the fact that her friend had taken up a relaxed position off in the corner, obviously bored now that the battle was nearing the climax. Ripping her gaze from the Aflonso, Roxie called out to the newest member of her band of warriors. "Ben! Finish the bugger!" 

[Ren✧]

In a flash, quite literally, Cygnus and Roxie had turned Kiara's far fetched planned into a tangible reality. Silver bubbles surrounded the monster like honeycomb made of stardust and Roxie, bathed in her golden aura, was the queen been, ferociously striking with Arondite and then buzzing away before the All-Seeing Shadow could beat her away. Kiara smiled at her own wit. She would have to be sure to mention that particular bit of imagery to Ben, she was sure he would appreciate it. However, now was not the time. 

 

It was only a matter of time before the Cygnus-Roxie combo attack ran out of juice. A pang of worry struck Kiara's heart as Roxie came skidding to a stop alongside her, holding her arm at an awkward angle. Nothing was without sacrifice, she knew that. However, she didn't have much time to spend worrying about her friend. Unburdened by the ferocious blonde that had been mercilessly pummeling it, the flail-wielding monster was raring to go again. Fortunately, Alfonso and Blake were still managing to keep the manifestation distracted, but neither were dealing any decisive blows. They wouldn't be able to keep it going forever.

 

"Ben! Finish the bugger!" 

 

"Right!" Kiara thought he sounded nervous, and of course, she would be too. This was his defining moment. The moment that would cement him as a part of the Titans or just a random meta that Sybil found on the street. Plus, there was the whole, the 'lives of the team hang on the outcome of the fight'-thing. It was understandable that he was jittery. 

 

Raising his hands, Ben closed his eyes...and did nothing. The Titans around him waited expectantly. Finally, Kiara spoke up. "Uh, Ben are y-"

 

"Shhh!" He silenced her immediately, his voice a whip. Clearly, he needed to concentrate. Kiara stared at him in confusion, somewhat insulted. A few seconds later the unmistakable sound of breaking glass filled the air. Turning, Kiara noticed that the surviving mass off spiders had congregated around the monster's eyes and appeared to be busy trying to unearth them; they were using their pincers and legs and loosen the orbs, leaving them to fall and crash to the ground.

 

"That's...brilliant." Kiara praised as another eye came loose, causing the monster to roar in agony(as it was no doubt a painful experience).

 

"Thanks, but they could probably still use our help." Ben said, motioning towards where the monster squirmed about, apparently unsure about what to do about the spiders on its face. "We'll be here for awhile still if we wait for them to finish the job." 

 

"Well then let's get to it!" Kiara said, flashing a smile in agreement. With the newest Titan at her side, Kiara charged the monster. As they neared the towering beast, she took Ben's hand. "Up you go!" She cried. A look of worry crossed Ben's face but before he could voice his concerns, Kiara had spun in front of him, took his other hand, completed the spin, and launched him into the air with all her strength. The psychic chuckled as she heard him scream on the way up. "You've got this! You're a Titan!" Kiara yelled after him. She then resolved herself to making as much trouble for the All-Seeing Shadow here on the ground. 

 

 

The wind howled in Ben's ears. One moment his feet had been firmly planted on the ground, the next he was being spun around and he was airborne. A shout of surprise escaped his lips before he could swallow his fright. He had pegged Roxie to be a wild stallion, but Kiara was proving to be a bit...up in the air, as it were. She seemed to have gotten over whatever it was that had been bothering her back at the tower, of course, now wasn't the time to be worrying about that. He was nearing the climax of his rise and it appeared that he wasn't going to quite reach the monster's face. 

 

"Come on, come on, come on!" Ben called out. Just as he thought it might be too late and he was going to plummet back to the ground, a dozen or so fist-sized spiders leaped from above, thick webs trailing from behind them. "Perfectly dramatic!" Ben shouted out, reaching to grab hold of the safety line. He had to fight the urge to grab his notebook and pen and start writing. Instead, he climbed the web-rope and flipped onto the facial region of the monster, using his adhesive abilities to maintain a hold. 

 

"Time to close the book on this story." Running across the monster's face, Ben deftly lept to and fro, planting his feet through the orb-like eyes of the monster. Occasionally he would feel the creature lurch or a shockwave run through its body, no doubt a result of the Titans keeping it busy. Fortunately, Ben was well suited for keeping a solid foothold. One-by-one he crushed the orb-like eyes, the white vapor now coming off the All-Seeing Shadow's cratered face like ash from an active volcano. 

 

Finding the last of the eyes, he made sure not to look into its depths as he removed it from where it sat firmly in the monster's face, ignoring the sickening squelching sound it made as it came loose. He figured that the others would know for sure what to do with it. If that meant just breaking it, so be it, but he wanted to make sure.  "We're done here." Unsticking himself from the face of the monster, he back-flipped off the creature. "I don't really think this through! A little help!" He shouted, really hoping that one of the Titans would catch on that he was now falling. He clutched the last of the orbs in his arms, figuring that if he went splat then maybe he could at least provide some padding. 

 

Meanwhile the All Seeing Shadow, cocooned in the ivory mist that had continued to leak from the pores in its face, collapsed to one knee and then completely fell to the floor. 

[Saiba Aisu]

Beating his wings rapidly to stabilize himself, Cygnus watched as Roxie hurtled through the air towards the All-Seeing Shadow, pulling back her arm, her fist engulfed in a blazing golden aura of kinetic energy.

 

"THIS IS IT!" the girl spat at the monster, letting loose with an almighty blow. "SILVER AND GOLD: SUPER IMPERIAL PINBALL SWAN DIVE VERSION 2!"

 

A massive yellow shockwave rocked the battlefield as the strike connected, critically injuring the enemy and blasting the blonde backwards with its sheer force. She came to a sliding halt by the other Titans, though judging from the looks of the arm hanging limply at her side, she wouldn't be doing anymore fighting for a while. Arching his body, Cygnus swooped down towards his teammates, landing lightly beside Roxie in a flurry of silver feathers.

 

"'Super Imperial Pinball Swan Dive?' Since when did we agree on that?" he inquired coolly with raised brows, trying to mask his concern for his friend's injury. "I don't recall there being a first version either..." He needn't have worried, though. Even with a broken arm, there was no erasing Roxie's trademark manic grin.

 

At that moment, Ben jumped into the heart of the action—or rather, he was thrown into it. Literally.

 

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery, I suppose," Cygnus observed dryly as Kiara copied his motions from moments before, picking up the wall-crawling superhero and swinging him around before tossing him towards the monster. Maybe he should consider copyrighting?

 

To his credit, Ben recovered quickly, using his spiders to cast a handy recovery line, allowing him to scale the monster's face, where he proceeded to wreak general havoc, stomping his way through its remaining swollen eyes as if they were overripe pumpkins, releasing more of the mysterious mist. Revolting, but undeniably effective. Cradling the last eye in both arms like a newborn baby, Arachnid leaped off the creature in a high backflip, twisting in midair before beginning the long fall to the ground.

 

"I didn't really think this through!" he shouted, rather redundantly. "A little help!"

 

"Typical," Cygnus murmured, sighing deeply. "Je m'en occupe."¹

 

He kicked off from the ground once more with his wings, streamlining his body to cut through the air. At the last moment, he managed to catch the other boy by the ankles, stifling a low grunt of pain as his shoulders—already strained from swinging Roxie around like a discus at high speed—protested at this new exertion.

 

Making a mental note to incorporate weights into his workout routine, he spread his wings as much as possible, trying to maximize their surface area and control their descent. Gliding towards the other Titans, he let go of Ben when the ground was close enough to land without injury, allowing him to focus on his own touchdown... And not a moment too soon. As soon as his feet touched the ground, his wings burst into a hail of feathers with a faint hum, shining briefly before fading away. Grounded once more with his lunar magic utterly depleted, it looked like Roxie wasn't the only one unable to continue fighting.

 

"Thank you for choosing Silver Swan Airlines," the white-haired sorcerer announced, rolling his eyes as he dusted himself off. "We hope you'll fly with us again."

 

[spoiler=Learn French with Cygnus: Today's Lesson]¹ I'll take care of it.

 

[Ren✧]

---

GM Post: "It's All In Your Head" (Dreamscape, Final Destination, 5:03 AM)

---

[spoiler=GM Post]

Ben closed his eyes as the polished floor below rushed up to meet him. He began to count his last few seconds as the wind whipped passed his ears, the last of the orbs clutched close to his chest. "1...2...3...4...5..." His counting continued much longer than he had expected. Ben dared unclenching his eyes and found that he had been deposited on the ground by Cygnus. "Uh...thanks." Ben said, shooting to his feet. Cygnus merely cocked his eyebrow in response as if to say 'Don't let it happen again.'

 

"So, as much fun as that was. Doesn't look like it worked. Bastard is down and we're still here." Roxie commented, forgetting that her arm was injured and gesturing to the blank landscape around them with both hands, causing the blonde knight to grunt in pain.

 

"Might be because genius over there didn't break the last eye." Blake said landing next to his team, quick to point his robotic finger at Ben, a haughty tone of superiority creeping into his voice. 

 

"Good." Kiara stated, putting an end to any quarrel that might have started before it did. "Let's add insult to injury." She gestured for Ben to hand her the eye that had excavated from the All-Seeing Shadow's face. 

 

"What're you doing?" Alfonso asked, hovering over the group.

 

"Putting an end to this." 

 

For the first time since entering the dreamscape Kiara activated her telepathy and was hit with a rush of sensations, far too many to interpret, so she didn't try. She ignored them. They washed over her like she was a stone in an ocean. Trying to launch a psychic attack whilst already trapped in a cluster of minds...well it was difficult to say the least, probably highly dangerous, but Kiara couldn't pass up the opportunity to beat the orb at its own game.

 

Finally after being nearly overpowered by the psychic energies being generated by the connected minds of the other Titans she found what remained of the orb's inner consciousness. It was so weak she almost let it flow pass her without a second thought, but another voice called out to her pointing it to her. "Kiara!" Altiana said. "I believe that is what you are looking for." 

 

Kiara was surprised to find that that alien conscious was even able to keep up with the onslaught of sensations, but there were a lot of things that the Titans didn't know about her. She made a mental note to get to know her and Alfonso better after they escaped this nightmare. She tipped her psychic hat to Altiana before going in for the kill.

 

She had to apply little more than telepathic push on the orb's consciousness and the eye in her hand shattered abruptly. Everything went dark, again.

 

 

Kiara promptly threw up upon opening her eyes. She groaned in pain, holding her head gingerly as it pounded vigorously in response to what appeared to be the worst hangover she had ever experienced. In an instant, she realized it wasn't a hangover though. She wasn't passed out in some bar that had neglected to check her ID or any her bathroom. She was on the thirteenth floor of Titans' Tower where the orb had knocked her out with its original psychic attack. "s***." She muttered, lurching to her feet. The orb was nowhere in sight. 

 

Taking a deep breath, Kiara cast a telepathic net as wide as it would go. She wasn't trying to dig into anyone's mind, just searching for where the orb had gone. The initial effort caused her to throw up again. Apparently being trapped in a dreamscape for several hours was not good for telepaths. Her second attempt did not go much better, however, she managed to keep a hold of her stomach contents. On her third attempt she thought she sensed something just off the shoreline of Titans' Island. 

 

She was, however, in no shape to travel the half mile it would take to get down there. "Titans..." She said into her communicator. "It's not over yet." 

 

 

It was a stranger sensation, being forced out of your own mind. The orb didn't quite know how to describe it. Of course, it wasn't exactly an expert on emotions so that wasn't exactly a surprise. It had thought that maybe it could hide. Hide in all the layers of confusion and turmoil that all the humans provided, but alas it had been an effort in vain. Besides, it was really a stall tactic anyway. Even if the telepath couldn't find it, they could have just crushed it, resulting in the exact same thing. This, however, was much...stranger.

 

The orb felt weaker now. Whatever Kiara had done in her last moments in the dreamscape had rendered the majority of its psychic abilities useless, at least for the time being. It could still feel them. Resting. Dormant. The telepath had deactivated them for awhile. "Full of surprises." It thought as it started out across the bay. Its plan had failed. It could only hope that the Titans wouldn't find it now, that it could still somehow achieve freedom. 

 

 

Kiara sent the location she had psychically discovered via the communicators and then promptly collapsed against the wall. She was out for the count. In her scans for the orb she had noticed that several of the other Titans were experiencing adverse effects. Of course, how could they not? She could only hope, that at least one of them, preferably with the ability of flight, would be able to get to the orb before it escaped. 

 

As if to answer her plea, Alfonso's voice spoke up over the communicator. "Comet's on the job." 

 

 

With all the speed he could muster, Alfonso flew from Titan's Tower in the direction that his communicator indicated the actual orb was. "Looks like they still need us. Just a little." He commented to Altiana.

 

"Second thoughts?" She asked.

 

He paused. "No. They'll just have to learn to be fine without me, just like I'll have to learn to be fine without them." He was resolved on the matter. Before anything else could be said he noticed something down below. "That's gotta be it." 

 

Palm glowing red, Alfonso dove closer to the water. It was a simple matter, point and shoot, but it seemed much more dramatic in practice. This thing had caused the Titans so much trouble in the last few hours, no doubt it would cost the Justice League many 

hours worth of therapy. To just simply scoop the nefarious villain out of the water was so disappointing. That was how it went sometimes though, not everything ended in explosions and perfect one-liners.

 

"It's over now." Alfonso said into the communicator, letting the rest of the team know he had apprehended the orb which had immediately stopped glowing when he had grabbed it out of the water. 

 

He smirked. Maybe, he did get a nice one-liner at least, cliche, but nice all the same. 

 

 

Delivering a report on the events of that night was difficult for all of the Titans. Partly because none of them fully understood what happened to them, not even Kiara, but primarily because of the traumatizing events that took place in each of their nightmares. Many details were edited or removed entirely. They would be encouraged to talk about the night for weeks to come. Whether or not they would be different for all of them. One thing was for certain, something had come of the dreamscapes that not even of the orb had anticipated. 

 

There was something inside each of the Titans that they were running from, desperately trying to hide from the others. Already those secrets had begun to endanger the team. Of course, facing the reality of those fears and coming clean about those secrets would be easier said than done. Still, there was much more to the Titans than just heroics, and not all of it good. 

 

For now though, they would just have to carry on like things were normal. The orb had been delivered back into the custody of the Justice League, who had promised to destroy it. Kiara had demanded an explanation on just exactly the orb had been, because obviously it had proven more than just a handy training tool. To which she had been met with laughter, but after some...prompting from Roxie the Titans discovered the orb was a form of arcane-tech. A mix of magic and technology, resulting in a form of artificial intelligence that the world had never seen before. Hopefully one they would never see again. 

 

So, back to normal it was for the Titans. Of course, normal would be difficult after the news they were going to get. An impromptu meeting like this always meant important information and a heavy atmosphere hung in the Central Complex. "Where is Sybil?" Cygnus asked impatiently.

 

"He's not coming, I'm actually the one that called the meeting." Alfonso announced. "We have some news."

 

 

---

[spoiler=OOC]

Does anyone else feel exhausted? I'm exhausted. Hopefully you got something out of this mission. You discovered something about your character, fleshed out your background. It went on way longer than expected. Anyway, it's done. As always we want your feedback so please provide that in the OOC thread, but I digress. So where does this leave us?

The Titans are in a state of shell-shock. They are no doubt relieved to have triumphed over the orb, but they have just had to live through their worst nightmares and went toe to toe with a creature constructed of fear. They are licking their wounds. However, before they can really recover, an even bigger bomb is about to blow a hole in their team and it will be delivered by none other than Alfonso himself. 

This pretty much leaves us at the mercy of Dad to post at this point, but the set up was too good, I couldn't resist. Dad, I'm assuming you know where you want to take this. Time to deliver the bad news. It's time for the rest of us to lose a teammate and friend.

 

 

---

[Dad]

Closing Chapter:  To Infinity and Beyond

 

"We have some news."

 

Alfonso propped himself up lazily against the wall, folding his arms.  "Somehow, through the world of the orb--through a really complicated and long process of psychic channels--Altiana was contacted by her home world.  Altiana, you can take over," he said bowing his head.

 

Manifesting herself beside the boy, the blue spirit took on a fully fledged body, barely covered by her extremely lengthy hair, as it reached her hips.  The tattoos on her back and arms seemed to churn, as radiant glow poured off of her, warming the room.  She bowed her head as she spoke.  "Normally I wouldn't do this, for fear of exposure or putting you all in danger.  But because I have already been discovered, I won't be here much longer.  And so Titans," she said raising her head.  "Blake, Cygnus, Kiara, Roxie, and Benjamin.  It is a pleasure to finally meet you.  I won't bother you all with chit-chat.  I'll get right to the point," she said opening her palm towards the five Titans.  A holographic map spread far and wide throughout the room, giving the Titans an intricate look into Altiana's world.  What they were seeing now was total chaos.  

 

An alien world was under siege by their own kind.  Walls crumbled, and innocents were dragged from their homes.  They were being slaughtered, beheaded on the streets, as two sides clashed.  Those defending the townsfolk were quickly overrun, retreating and being forced back further into a large, fortified castle.  And the castle's peak, a sky blue glow turned feint, as it slowly died.  Then, a distorted, unclear alien voice echoed over the violence, for the Titans to hear.  In an unknown language, it clicked, gurgled, and roared, before the chaos came to a sudden end, as if everything was frozen.  

 

"What you have just seen was my home world, of planet Gilfax.  This psychic broadcast was sent to my mind, traveling several Centillion light years to reach me.  The voice you heard was that of General Kyon'fur by my father's army.  My kingdom--my world--is in danger.  The General warns me of great casualties, as Tsunuldrone forces close in on what was once the strongest empire on my planet.  Now, they seek to overthrow my people, and force them under the dictatorship of a mad man.  And without my strength, he will succeed," she said closing her palm.  The image faded, as quickly as it had appeared.

 

Alfonso nodded, standing up straight.  "In layman's terms, some guy is trying to take over the world, and he's gaining a lot of ground.  Peaceful forces are dwindling, and they need Altiana now, more than ever."

 

"This is where our problem comes in," she said backing up, standing beside Alfonso.  "As you may or may not know, Alfonso and I are bound.  Powerful magic far beyond control has tied our souls.  Severing that bond would result in unprecedented consequences, including the destruction of this world," she said looking to Alfonso now.  

 

He balled his fists, looking the Titans in the eye.  "I have to go.  I've thought about it a lot, and I can't look away from this.  I can't sit by and let her people die, knowing I could've done something about it.  And so, this is my last day as a Titan," he said as he loosened his fists.  "It's kind of funny that just before we learned about this, Ben shows up," Alfonso said nodding to his now former teammates.  "But, now's as good a time as any to turn my old room into something useful.  Like an office space or something," he joked.  

 

He approached the Titans, one by one, shaking their hands.  

 

"Cygnus," he began with his feathered friend.  "Your wit, your magic, and your persistence are invaluable to this team.  Thanks for putting up with me," he said pulling Cygnus in for a hug.  Altiana remained behind Alfonso, silent as she watched him share with his friends.  

 

"Blake.  Your ingenuity, your creativity, and your will are difficult to replace.  Use them wisely," he said pulling in Blake for a hug, as he shook his hand.  Behind him, Altiana smiled, trying her best not to cry.  

 

He took a few steps over to the center of the team, shaking Ben's hand.  "Ben.  I don't know you very well.  It kinda sucks that I didn't get to know you better.  But I feel like what I do know is good enough.  You made friends quickly, and obviously these guys are taken to you.  I don't know the limits of your strength.  But I know that with a team like this, you can go far.  Thanks for showing up when you did," he said hugging Benjamin now.

 

Kiara was next in line, just beside Benjamin.  "Kiara," he began, gently taking the lady's hand.  He kissed it, looking her in the face.  "Your mental prowess, your strength, your leadership, is the reason this team is still going.  Remain diligent," he said hugging her and shaking her hand.

 

Last, but not least.  Roxie.  He took her by the hand, his own hand shaking.  With both hands now, Alfonso calmed himself.  With a deep breath, and a sigh, he pulled Roxie in close.  Running his fingers through her blond hair, he stole a kiss from her lips.  Even if he was smited now, it would have been worth it.  "Roxie," he began.  "From your head to your toes, you're the brightest member of the team.  Literally.  Your power, your passion, and your spirit are infectious.  And I'm sorry if I've ever taken that from you," he said hugging her now, before letting go with a solemn smile.  She shoved him away, a frustrated look on her face.  Then Roxie rushed Alfonso, slugging him across the cheek, causing him to stutter backwards just slightly, laughing as he took the blow.  She collapsed in his arms, beating him in the chest as she began to break down.  she cried, as Alfonso held her up. 

 

Finally, through a cracked voice and tears, she looked him in the face.  "You better not forget about me, Alfy."  Rubbing his cheek, he shook his head as he helped Roxie to stand up straight.  "That'd be impossible," he said hugging her again.

 

Taking a few steps back, Alfonso turned to face Altiana, who ushered the Titans forward.  Wrapping hers and Alfonso's arms around the Titans, they spoke in unison.

 

"This isn't goodbye.  We'll see you later."

 

Opening a large window in the common room, Alfonso perched precariously over the ledge, with his back to the steep fall below.  "I've always wanted to do this," he said with a grin.  Alfonso spread his arms as he kicked backwards out of the window, and went into a free fall.  

 

"See you again soon, Teen Titans," Altiana said, leaping into a perfect spiral and vanishing out of the window behind Alfonso.  Below, a rush of wind, and then a sudden scream.

 

"Woo!!" he cried as he soared up into a loop.  Altiana, in a blue blur, followed behind him, as they hovered outside of the open window one last time.  With a wink from Alfonso, and a wave from Altiana, Alfonso turned his back to the Titans.  "Give me some juice, Altiana."  She nodded, placing a hand on his back.  Glowing with energy, Alfonso took a runner's stance.  "Race you?" he asked her.

 

"Where to, Alfy?" she taunted him.

 

"Alaska."

 

She grinned, and nodded.  "You're on."

 

And in a simultaneous burst of blue and purple blurs, they vanished into the skyline, disappearing over the horizon.

 

 

Sitka, Alaska

 

A knock at the door rattled them from an evening around the fireplace.  Standing to his feet, Reginald Bronson approached his front door.  Through the peep hole, a familiar young man smiled, waving.  Reggie was taken aback slightly, at such an unexpected visit.  Turning the locks, he opened the door, greeting his son.  "Alfonso?  He-hey kid!  What're you doing here?  Don't you have work with the Titans?"

 

"Alfy's home?"

 

"Hey mom," he said peeking his head past his dad's shoulder.  "I'll tell you what you wanna know, but first I have someone you should meet.  Altiana?"

 

His mother approached, wrapping her arm around Reginald's waist.  They both took a few steps back, as the alien woman inhabiting their son's body materialized before them in a mysterious fashion.  "You guys never got a proper introduction, so I figured now was as good a time as any."

 

"Oh dear!" his mom said rushing to grab a coat.  She hurriedly threw it around Altiana's shoulders.  "Come inside, you must be freezing!"  Alfonso chuckled.  "She doesn't feel much cold.  But yeah, we'll come in.  We need to talk."

 

"Talk?  About what, son?" Reginald questioned.  Taking a seat in a rocking chair, Alfonso asked his parents to sit across from himself and Altiana, on the long brown couch.  In intricate detail, he went over the Titans.  Sharing with his parents stories about his friends.  From Cygnus' magic, and Blake's technology, to Kiara's psychic power, and Roxie's raw strength.  He told them vaguely about some of the missions they had been through,  careful not to reveal anything too exposing of the Titans or what they went through.  Nonetheless, his mother was now worried sick.  Reginald, however, was impressed.  

 

"And so, that brings me to this.  I'm leaving the Titans."

 

"What?  Already?  Are you quitting?"

 

"No dad.  It's more complicated than that."

 

"Then what, son?"

 

Alfonso proceeded to explain what was going on some impossible number of light years away.  How, as Altiana's host, he was equally responsible for the people of Gilfax.  And how determined he was to save them.  

 

"Alfonso, first we don't see you for months at a time.  Now you're leaving?  That's absurd.  You can't just leave, son."

 

Alfonso held up a hand.  "I'm not gonna change my mind, dad.  I'm not doing this for anyone other than me.  And you can't stop me," he said standing to his feet.

 

"Alfonso, this is an alien.  World.  You have no idea what you're getting into!  You're talking about going to war!"

 

He shook his head.  "No, I don't know what I'm getting into.  But I know that that world is just as important to me as this one.  And so I'll go.  And I'll save them.  With my best friend right by my side."

 

His mother broke into tears, burying her head in Reginald's shoulders.  "And just what will we do without our only son?  What do you propose, Alfonso?" he asked.  Alfonso looked to Altiana, who nodded, understanding what he was thinking.  "Come outside.  I have something to give you."

 

"Alfonso, what are you--"

 

"Come on dad.  I'm not gonna leave you hanging on to nothing," he said ushering his parents into their backyard.

 

BGM:  Spacebound

 

In a clearing, Alfonso and Altiana stood a few inches apart.  "Stand back," he said to his parents as they now ducked under the awning over their wooden deck.  They obliged, not questioning his words.  Altiana and Alfonso interlocked their hands, looking each other in the face.  In their hands, a great light formed, causing them to carefully pull their hands apart, cupping them.  It was hot, and it was bright, as a star formed between them.  Slowly, they raised their hands to the sky, as the star began to hover above them.  Then, in a rush, it shot into the evening sky, lighting up the city.  Higher, higher it went, until the star settled beside the moon.

 

"That star," Altiana said turning to Alfonso's parents.  "It will burn, so long as Alfonso breathes."

 

"The Bronson star," Alfonso said grinning, as Reginald began to tear up, trying not to break down.

 

"It's beautiful, son," he said approaching the boy and his companion.  Embracing his parents, tears streamed down Alfonso's face.  Prying himself free from his mom and dad's powerful grips, he took a few steps back, and wiped his face.  "Alright, no more mushy stuff," he joked, looking into the evening sky over Alaska.

 

Altiana backed away as well, as she looked to Alfonso.  "Are you ready?" she asked, the glow surrounding her becoming overwhelmingly bright.  Shielding his eyes, Alfonso nodded, facing his parents.  Stepping further into the clearing, Alfonso sighed.  "Brace yourself, Alfonso," Altiana said as the sky above them opened wide.  A powerful blast consumed them, Alfonso's figure barely visible inside of it.  And as his body began to turn into particles of light, Alfonso said his last words to his parents.

 

"I guess. . . I'm space bound now."  With a wave, the light consumed Alfonso and Altiana, as it pierced the sky and roared with power.  The beam could be seen around the state, and by now, the Titans were receiving word about the anomaly occurring in Alaska.  With a final sparkle, Alfonso's presence had vanished from Earth.

 

A little voice in his head rang out, saying, "Good job little brother.  Good job."

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: "Starry Night" (Interlude)

---

In the days that followed the orb's destruction and Alfonso's departure, a heavy silence descended upon Titans Tower, permeating every inch of the massive T-shaped structure. For what seemed like the umpteenth time since they had settled in, the young heroes had seen their world turned upside-down in a matter of moments. The orb had done more than simply endanger their lives: like some cruel implement of twisted dentistry, it had extracted their deepest fears and most painful memories from the dark corners of their minds. Clothed them, breathed life in them. Made them real. It was as if a safety net had been ripped away, revealing the gaping abyss on the other side. One by one, the Titans grappled with their personal demons, realizing that they were much closer to the surface than they had originally assumed. Watching. Waiting. Always just out of sight, hovering over their shoulders or curled up in some corner, searching for the opportunity to strike and catch them unawares. On its own, the experience would have been traumatic—paired with Alfonso and Altiana's abrupt departure, it was devastating.

 

Even Ben, who had spent the least amount of time with the team—indeed, barely enough to get to know Comet and the alien princess, let alone miss them—could sense the difference now that they were gone. When his furniture and personal affairs were finally delivered by mail order, he looked upon them with a strange mixture of relief and apprehension. Comfortable as his accommodations were, he was glad to have his belongings again. They seemed to officialize his membership within the group, and they were also a small reminder of home. Small, but comforting. Still, the question remained, hanging in the air like an invisible pestilence. To move into Alfonso's old room... or not? For the time being, Ben decided to squeeze everything into the guest room, preferring to wait for things to blow over. He knew his teammates needed time to heal and come to terms with everything that had happened. While he couldn't exactly be expected to share their pain, he could respect it. He owed them that much.

 

 

A week later, the summons came. Inevitable, considering that the team hadn't been assigned a mission in ages, yet somehow surprising nonetheless.

 

Team meeting in Central Complex at 9 pm. Don't be late. Try not to look like s***.

 

- Cygnus

 

The words seemed cold, almost surgical, in their precision. But then again, that was Cygnus. You could always count on him to be a heartless bastard when the situation called for it, and oftentimes, even when it didn't. With deep sighs of resignation, the young heroes tidied themselves up as best they could and traipsed out of their rooms into the communal area, which was rather less well-illuminated than usual. One by one, they took their seats on the massive sofa. The last to arrive was the lunar sorcerer himself, clad in his feathered outfit, his shock of white-hair impeccably styled as usual. Ben, Roxie, Blake and Kiara watched silently as he stalked towards the front of the room with his customary arrogant gait, as if nothing at all had happened. Coming to a halt, the mage turned towards the group and crossed his arms, his dark blue eyes narrowing as he looked upon the other Titans.

 

"So," he said simply. "So."

 

Normally, at least one of them would have replied cheekily with, "So what?" Roxie would have commented on the deplorable state of his " fancy French undies" (no doubt in a twist), eliciting uproarious laughs and wide grins from the others. Blake would have proposed inventing some kind of high-tech machine to remedy the situation (with a straight face, of course), while Kiara and Ben would have recommended a group meditation session or perhaps a good book in order to relax. Yet this time, Cygnus was met with silence as his gaze swept his over teammates. What was the point in talking back? Better to let him get on with things and explain their next assignment.

 

"How long has it been since the fiasco with the orb?" he asked, shifting his gaze between them. "Since we were all in the same room for more than five minutes at a time?"

 

The Titans shrugged, clearly uninterested and unwilling to answer the question. Keeping track of time had been one of the first things to go in the chaos following their encounter with the arcane sphere. It was easier that way.

 

"I'll tell you," Cygnus continued sharply, answering his own question. "Too long. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that we're supposed to be the Teen Titans, not a bunch of old ladies crying into their handkerchiefs."

 

The young heroes shrugged again, some of them looking away or rolling their eyes. Cygnus, complaining about others' ways of handling situations? What else was new?

 

"You're probably wondering why I'm saying this to you. After all, what do I care? Shouldn't I just get on with the mission? As you wish, then."

 

The white-haired sorcerer turned towards the massive display screen and clicked his fingers.

 

 

The effect was instantaneous. The four Titans screamed at the top of their lungs as deafening party music began to blast from the room's unseen speakers, amplified to an almost indecent volume that would have given Club 0XYGEN a run for its money. At the same time, brights lights began to flash from across the entire breadth of the display screen, dying the Central Complex in intermittent shades of blue, red, green, and every color in between.

 

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

 

One by one, slowly, as if they were still unsure of what was happening, the four Titans cautiously emerged from their hidden places. Kiara and Blake had plunged behind the sofa like soldiers taking cover from enemy fire; their heads popped up in unison, their noses poking over the edge of the couch. Ben had leaped so high in the air that he had actually collided with the ceiling; he shifted for a moment on all fours, completely upside-down, before lowering himself gingerly back onto the floor. Roxie had jumped to her feet with a battle cry, legs akimbo, arms raised in a ridiculous parody of a karate stance, clearly prepared to do battle. The four Titans were in total shock, eyes wide and mouths open, utterly dumbfounded as Cygnus threw back his head and laughed like never before.

 

"OH MY GOD!" he roared, wiping tears—tears?!—from his eyes. "VOS GUEULES!¹ I wish you could see your faces! Priceless! Ahahaha!!"

 

Still doubled up from mirth, he bent over, trying in vain to contain his laughter. The four Titans exchanged a glance, completely uncertain of how to handle the situation. Then...

 

"Umm, Cygnus?" Kiara asked, rather uncertainly, gesturing around the room with one arm. "What is all this?"

 

"Ahaha! Ahhh!" Cygnus choked, still struggling to master himself. "Oh putain, ça me tue, oh la la la, c'était trop bien!"²

 

After a few moments, he finally managed to calm down, although his mouth kept twitching, as if barely able to keep from smiling.

 

"It's a party, you clowns!" he replied, practically yelling to make himself heard. "What else?! I figured that after a week of moping over Alfonso and Altiana, we all needed a chance to let loose. With everything that happened, we didn't even get to properly celebrate and welcome Ben to the team!"

 

Kiara was nodding along numbly, though she still seemed a little shell-shocked, while Roxie already seemed to be on board, jumping up and down like a dervish in time with the pounding music, cackling with laughter and excitement.

 

"I've got more pizza, french fries, popcorn and cinnamon sticks than we can possibly eat," Cygnus continued, taking the girl's silence in stride as he pointed out the massive boxes of food that covered the kitchen table and counters. "Not to mention a fridge packed with enough soda and alcohol to last us a week. It's time to get unholy, b****es!"

 

As he looked at his teammates in turn, his face broke out in one of the rare smiles that he usually reserved for Roxie.

 

"I know we've been through hell," he said. "First the orb, and then Alfonso and Altiana leaving... The timing couldn't have been worse. But that's life. Sometimes it's good, sometime it's terrible. But it's always worth living. So that's what we're going to do tonight. Eat, drink, dance, and laugh. Live. They wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

 

Cygnus' smile face widened as he tossed his bangs back, dark blue eyes flashing.

 

"So what do you say? Who's up for a round of drinks?"

 

[spoiler=Learn French with Cygnus: Today's Lesson]¹ Your faces!

² Holy s***, that killed me, ahahaha, that was too good!

 

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please read.]Well guys, I hope you all enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! This is your character's chance to let loose and celebrate with some well-deserved party time. The past few missions have been brutal and the next few promise to be just as challenging, if not more so. So for now, take the time to enjoy this cathartic moment, and enjoy life. It's time to party, superhero-style! Teen Titans, GO! ♡

 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Needless to say, Benjamin wasn't so thrilled with being saved by Cygnus like that. And in front of the two girls like that...it was embarrassing. "Let's...never speak of this again..." he mumbled to Cygnus as they landed. But regardless...it was all finished. Kiara made the final blow...it was done! And all that was left...

 

"Alright! We saved the day...yay..." Benjamin pumped his hands into the air, groaning. "Let's just tell Sybil that we'll be taking a day off... You guys ever heard of shawarma? I have no idea what it is, but there's this shawarma joint in the city and I wanna try it out!"

 

This of course, prompted a laugh or a chuckle out of the others, but once again: good things aren't to last.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

"We have some news."

 

Sybil, at least to his knowledge, called a meeting. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. It was both Alfonso and Altiana who called the meeting. He could tell by the other Titans that this wasn't a normal occurrence. And it was then...that the reason was shown.

 

And so, this is my last day as a Titan

 

This truly shocked the entire group, even Benjamin. Though he too found it interesting that he was called right before Alfonso knew he would be leaving. Something deep inside him wanted to suspect that Sybil might've known about this. Could that be it...? he thought, before seeing Alfonso beginning to make his rounds with the Titans, telling them his goodbyes.

 

What floored the young man more was that Alfonso included him in this as well. The two hardly knew anything about each other...and yet...

 

"Ben.  I don't know you very well.  It kinda sucks that I didn't get to know you better.  But I feel like what I do know is good enough.  You made friends quickly, and obviously these guys are taken to you.  I don't know the limits of your strength.  But I know that with a team like this, you can go far.  Thanks for showing up when you did."

 

Benjamin was caught off guard by the hug that Alfonso gave him, but he humored it. He hugged Alfonso back (bro-hug, nothing more) and chuckled at him. "Well, I suppose one chapter closes and a new one begins." he said, before giving Alfonso a bro-fist. "I'll do my best to fill in the gap, Alfonso. Just make sure to come back and tell me some of your tales of your newest adventure."

 

The Titans just watched as they continued to say their goodbyes to Alfonso, before seeing him race off with Atliana. So now where there was six Titans, now stood five Titans.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

It was days later that the Titans finally got over the ordeal with the orb, but for Benjamin, it was different.

 

[Liberating_Detective] And you're sure it was him?

 

[TheSpider] No question, it was Baba...dream hallucination or not. He's back.

 

Benjamin typed away at a message chat between him and his friend, Jaden Kudo, otherwise known as Liberator. He told him about the past few days and his encounter with the orb.

 

[Liberating_Detective] Then that means we need to be on the look out. I'll find some more information about that sickos return. I'll keep you posted.

 

[TheSpider] Thanks Kudo.

 

With that, he closed the message and his laptop, sighing. He stood up and stretched, only to get a message on his new communicator...from Cygnus of all people.

 

Team meeting in Central Complex at 9 pm. Don't be late. Try not to look like s***.

- Cygnus

 

Benjamin sighed before tossing his communicator in his pocket and making his way to the the desired meeting location.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

....Honestly, he was dumbfounded. He had always taken Cygnus, since the day he met, as the one French stick in the mud who truly didn't know how to have any fun. However, today definitely proved him wrong. Though at the same time...he was scarred so badly that he stuck to the ceiling...so he had to give the swan props for even managing to do that. He finally decided to drop down, trying to catch his breath.

 

BGM

 

"It's a party, you clowns! What else?! I figured that after a week of moping over Alfonso and Altiana, we all needed a chance to let loose. With everything that happened, we didn't even get to properly celebrate and welcome Ben to the team!"

 

A party to welcome him to the team, well it was obvious the swan-prince went all out for this...and it would've been a shame for this to all go to waste. And since no one else apparently started to go for it...

 

"Well, I must say I'm touched." Benjamin let out a chuckle, before moving towards Cygnus, shaking his hand some. "Looks like there's a bit of different side to this gloomy swan after all!" he said, before moving past him. He smirked, before a few spiders were launched from his hands, as he threw them up and saw them cling to the ceiling, before slowly falling down as they spun their webs...in a streamer looking fashion. "Heh...couldn't just have a party without streamers! It's like, rule numero uno on parties!" he laughed, as the spiders dropped back down onto him, before returning within him.

[Mr. Hyde]

The nightmares were gone, he was finally back in the realm of reality.  The team had defeated the shadow beast and destroyed the orb.  It wasn't until Alfonso gathered them all together to tell the team his plans that he wished he was still in that place.  He couldn't be serious right?  The marriage, the war on a distant planet, it could all be a lie.  Blake was going to call him on it through the tears, but the hug that he received from Alfonso stifled any thought of yelling at the kid.  

 

"Take it easy out there, Alfy.  Don't be like that Haley's comet...visit us soon."

 

And like that, his friend was gone.

 

---

 

In the past week, Blake hadn't really gone out to do much.  Only coming out of his room for food and drinks, and only interacting with the other titans when they barged into his room.  That encounter with Thaddeus in his mind really showed him how unprepared he was, so he spent his free time modifying a new suit.  One that could easily outmatch anything DM Industries could muster with their whole dev. team.  "Alright...now I just have to reroute the repulsor generator to the...aha!"  He was adding the final touches on it when a vibration from the communicator on his desk interrupted him.

 

Team meeting in Central Complex at 9 pm. Don't be late. Try not to look like s***.

- Cygnus

 

Blake groaned.  If anyone was going to call a team meeting, it was gonna be him.  He looked in the mirror...bedhead to the max.  Blake wondered if he should've just left his scar out in the open for everybody to look at, just to spite the swan prince.  He decided against it.  He fixed his hair and marched his way out of his room and into the hallway.  He wore a white t-shirt and some baggy basketball shorts, an upgrade to his previous legware, the baggy pajama pants.

 

With the titans all corralled on the couch, one wondered what Cygnus had up his sleeve.  Blake stared out the window, past Cygnus, the entire time he was talking.  He only shrugged because he noticed the others were doing the same.  However, Cygnus unleashed an earth shattering sound from the speakers in the complex.  Every beat made his heart shake, it was a shock that he wasn't suffering from an arrhythmia.  When he found himself out of shock, he saw Cygnus with a rare smile on his face...it didn't suit him much. 

 

"It's a party, you clowns! What else?! I figured that after a week of moping over Alfonso and Altiana, we all needed a chance to let loose. With everything that happened, we didn't even get to properly celebrate and welcome Ben to the team!  I know we've been through hell.  First the orb, and then Alfonso and Altiana leaving... The timing couldn't have been worse. But that's life. Sometimes it's good, sometime it's terrible. But it's always worth living. So that's what we're going to do tonight. Eat, drink, dance, and laugh. Live. They wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

 

A party?  It made sense that they should've celebrated the arrival of a new teammate...but was the mourning period of losing one over now?  Alfonso was his friend...one of the very few he had.  If only he had stayed a little longer to have this also be a going away party.  This chummy side to Cygnus was also off putting, since when was he the ray of sun shine on the team?

 

"So what do you say? Who's up for a round of drinks?"

 

Blake stood up from the couch, unamused, and walked over to the fridge.  Drinking wasn't a good idea really...who knows what he would try to invent in a drunken stupor.  He grabbed a soda and popped the top, raising it in the air.  

 

"Cheers."  Blake proceeded to chug his soda.  The carbonation made his throat tingle, and his nostrils burn.  He grabbed another from the fridge, and popped another top off.  The music was starting to grow on him, now that his ears had gotten used to the insane volume.  He leaned up against the counter next to the fridge, bobbing his head to the beat.  

[Ren✧]

Kiara knocked back one drink after another. Burping unceremoniously before she let out a sheepish giggle. She never had a chance to really go through her rebellious teen years...unless of course you count murdering and torturing people against your will as being a rebel, so now given the opportunity to truly experiment with alcohol (even though she wasn't technically of legal age) she didn't hold back. The music thrummed in her head making her giggle some more. She could think of nothing but the steady beat and she was thankful. The last week had been hard on her.

 

Not as hard on her, perhaps, as the weeks before, when she had to cope with trauma of being captured by Mr. Trinity and the Night Sisters, stripped naked, and then beaten. However, it had definitely been worse than the weeks before the infiltration of Club OXYGEN when she had been trying to come to terms with the fact that she had failed her first mission as a Titan. That was a walk in a park compared to endangering everyone you care about, reliving every horrible nightmare, and then immediately losing one of your best friends. Kiara let out hardy laugh and took another drink. 

 

So maybe she wasn't drinking to reclaim the rebellious teen years that she had lost. Maybe she was drinking to forget everything that happened the last few weeks. Of course there had been good things too. They had put away a murderer. Shut down a drug ring. Stopped Matron Supreme from getting her hands on Bubbly. Prevented the orb from escaping and wreaking its havoc. Then there were the more personal victories. Kiara and Cygnus were getting along better now. Blake no longer seemed quite as self-conscious. Roxie and her's friendship grew in strength everyday. And Ben had been a wonderful addition to the team, someone that Kiara was really beginning to like. 

 

It was trying to keep those victories in mind that proved difficult. It seemed like there was always...something waiting to steal the Titans thunder. Not tonight though. Tonight Kiara was determined to party like she didn't have a care in the world. Lurching to her feet, Kiara happily danced in time with the music, surprisingly keeping sync despite the amount of alcohol in her system. 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Benjamin was enjoying himself to the fullest, after all, he was one of the reasons why this party was thrown, so of course he would be having loads of fun! As was everyone else. Blake was currently drinking...he wanted to say his fourth drink, but he wasn't sure. What was worse, was he was talking to Blake and just joining him. And Kiara was already dancing to the song that played out now. Benjamin could only chuckle to himself as he even saw Charlotte dancing somewhat on the counter to the music.

 

"Heh, only reason you can keep up with the music is your eight legs!" Benjamin shook his head, downing another drink. He put the glass down and looked at Blake. "And you, look like some stick in the mud right now. C'mon, its supposed to be a party...get with it! I mean, even Cygnus is getting into it!" he said, pointing back at Cygnus who was doing a small shimmy...or what looked like it.

 

He looked over at the the area where no one was and where Kiara had just stopped dancing. A grin began to form on Benjamin's face as he waited for the next song, whatever it was...he'd go for it.

 

That Next Song

 

Benjamin nodded his head in time to the beat, making his little stride into the area. Suddenly he broke out in a few swift dance moves, making sure he did his moves in time with the music, but then again...with the fact that he had some good balance and even more acrobatic thanks to the spiders in him, he'd be perfectly fine. Benjamin did a flip and even the splits, which was impressive as he even stood back up quickly from it, even motioning for the others to join him in the dance.

[Saiba Aisu]

BGM

 

Cygnus nodded in approval as Ben's spiders scurried across the ceiling in a swarm, working their magic and weaving their webs. Normally, he would have been against the whole "do-it-yourself-arachnid-decorations" gimmick, but tonight was a special exception. And, in all honesty, the streamers looked pretty good, glinting in the multi-colored flashing lights, so much so that one could almost forget they had been made by a bunch of nasty eight-legged bugs. Almost.

 

Putting the creepy crawlies out of his mind for the moment, he watched as Blake traipsed over and grabbed a soda, looking less than thrilled as he chugged it while leaning against the counter. Typical. Leave it to the teenage genius to be a party pooper! He'd figure out a way to deal with him later.

 

Kiara, on the other hand, had the right idea. Cygnus roared in approval as she knocked back drink after drink without hesitation, consuming a surprising amount for such a slender girl. It was good to see her gigging and dancing again like her usual bubbly self, especially after all the terrible things that had happened to her that night at Club 0XYGEN. He joined in with a smile, clinking his glass of Cuba Libre against hers.

 

"Chin chi—Wait!" he cried out, laughing as he caught hold of Kiara's arm, preventing her from downing her drink. "You can't toast and drink without looking the other person in the eyes! It's seven years of bad sex if you do!"

 

The lunar sorcerer laughed again at the expression that appeared on the girl's face at his words. Clearly, she hadn't heard of this particular European superstition before. Or maybe she was still a virgin?

 

"That's it, now don't blink!" Cygnus said, cheering his teammate on as the pair locked eyes and downed their drinks in one shot. Additional toasts followed, growing more and more silly and extravagant by the moment, but it was all in good fun.

 

"To the Teen Titans!"

 

"To Sybil, the hottest boss that ever lived! Goddamn!"

 

"To good drinks, good friends and good sex!"

 

"To Arondite, the real MVP! I love that thing!"

 

"To France!" Cygnus cried, raising his glass high, starting to sing through a few verses of La Marseillaise, although he was the only one who did. "Tu me manques ma belle!"¹

 

Now pleasantly tipsy, he and Kiara moved to the dance floor, only to be joined a few moments later by Ben, bobbing and swaying in time to the music. Cygnus wolf-whistled as Arachnid proceeded to engage in a remarkable acrobatic display, turning somersaults and even dropping to the ground in a jaw-dropping split. Just like when he had performed at Club 0XYGEN, years of experience took over as soon as he set foot there, making him feel perfectly at home. Cygnus threw back his head and ran his hands through his hair as the music changed, rolling back his sleeves as he let his feet carrying him in increasingly complicated steps to match the suddenly upbeat reggaeton music.

 

"Come on guys, it's easy!" he called to Blake and Roxie, both of whom had yet to join the dance and seemed a bit intimidated by the fast-paced rhythm of the Latin music. "It's just step-step-hip," he added, turning to face them without breaking pace as he demonstrated the moves. "... Or you can grab a partner and throw in some merengue, too!"

 

Taking Kiara by the waist, he spun her around in a tight turn, nodding in approval as the young heroine instinctively picked up on the new moves.

 

"Well, now we know that if crime-fighting isn't your thing, you can always be a dancer!" he declared, spinning her around once more in a complex interlocking arm sweep before letting go. "You're a natural, kid!"

 

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

¹ I miss you, baby!

[Mr. Hyde]

The happy-go-lucky mood of the party was starting to irk him, as Cygnus and Kiara continued to down shot after shot, slowly but surely losing all sense.  Blake was still against the counter, the song had changed and the beat threw him off.  He looked to the window, hoping that Alfonso would bust through the window at any minute.  He would've told the team how he saved the planet in record time and he could be a titan again.

 

That moment never came...and it wouldn't ever come.

 

Looking back to his team, it looked like they were all having a blast...celebrating Alfonso's departure rather than welcoming Ben.  Who was this new Titan Ben even!?  One mission and he was supposed to be all chummy with the guy?! 

 

Blake smashed the aluminum can in his hands.  He stopped holding his neutral smile in place.  

 

"What a waste of time..."  Blake pushed off the counter and walked into the boy's hallway.  "I'll be in my room...getting work done.  Have fun with your little 'party'."

 

As he entered his room, and the door slid behind him, Blake turned off his lights.  His suit lie in it's containment pod, glowing the same purple hue his chest did.  

 

"Some team...one members gone and they decide to get wasted.  As superheroes...aren't we supposed to be a little more responsible?!"  Sure it was a celebration...but did it need to be so overboard.  This was their base, not Club 0XYGEN.  He could still hear the booming of the base from inside his room.  As he sat in his think-chair, he placed a plug in each ear.  The vibrations got less intense, and he opened his laptop.  

 

He opened up a new weapons systems  simulation mode, where he analyzed the data of his progress with the designs for his newest suit.