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

[Dad]

Alfonso wiped his face dry, glaring, disappointed at himself.  He sighed, trashing the bloody paper towel.  He washed his hands for good measure, and tried to put on a fake smile.  "Guess that's the best I can do for now," he said as the smile faded.  He walked out of the restroom, almost immediately spotting his female acquaintances from earlier that evening, on the other side of the club.  One of them looked his way, putting on a pouty face, disapproving of his disappearing act.  Alfonso rolled his eyes, unable to stomach the thought of beautiful women getting involved with something so ridiculous, like drugs.  Alfonso found the most isolated corner that he could, even among the rowdy club scene, and took a seat, trying to recuperate.  He was still incredibly drained from the events not long ago, and still felt a bit dizzy.  The banging bass didn't help much, but Alfonso understood well enough that leaving the club now was not an option.  He wondered how the other Titans were faring in their infiltration missions.  He had unfortunately not come up with much himself, but at least they could cross the Shades off of the list of suspects who were peddling Bubbly.

 

"Doesn't help that they're pushing drugs at all.  But I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said in his head.  But with the Shades out of the way, Alfonso could perhaps try to relax.  The Titans--individually, and as a whole--were more than competent.  He didn't feel the need to worry for his allies at all.  In fact, he was more curious than anything else.  "But once we figure out who's distributing the Bubbly," he said slowly to Altiana now.  "What the hell do we do then?  Just knock them all unconscious?  Or are we gonna follow them to their plants?  This might take a while."

 

"Don't think about it too hard, Alfonso.  Relax for now.  Your body needs to recover still."

 

"Yeah.  I suppose.  But this bass isn't helping my head at all."

 

But before Alfonso could get comfortable, his three previous assailants had managed to sneak up on him.  "So, Al," one of the ladies said.  "You just up and lef' did ya?" she said swirling her practically empty drink.  Alfonso didn't have the strength to fight, and sat still as the girls berated him.  

 

"You lil' punk.  How-how-how-how the frick'--are--are you gonna--you gonna eat that?  How you just walk away, when we get lit, huh!?" Opal screamed.  But Alfonso was not in the mood.  Not after what he had just been through.  He gave Opal and her friends a nasty glare.  

 

"Listen to me you little slut," he said standing to his feet.  "I'm not interested in kids.  I'm not into drugs, and I hate people who seem to think that sheet makes you cool."  Alfonso grabbed his head, but kept on with his speech.

 

"Who you callin'--!?"

 

"Shut up.  Shut.  Up.  You ladies are beautiful.  But the fact that you walk around presenting yourselves for the first guy you come across to slap their dick across your foreheads tells me you're bored.  Get off of whatever the hell you're on, find a hobby, and get yourselves a decent human being partner.  Like I said, I'm not into kids.  I'm interested in women.  Women who have pride in themselves and don't let the slightest fad change who they are.  But you girls are probably still in high school."

 

Alfonso began walking away, leaving the three girls with their mouths wide open.  "But then, even if I was interested, I couldn't fall for you.  You have nothing to offer.  Not a thing."  It seemed the only place Alfonso was going to get any peace was in the men's room.  Making his way back the questionable fortress of solitude, he closed the lid on a toilet, and sat to wait.  

 

"Sorry about that," he said to Altiana. 

 

She held up a hand, shrugging off.  "I only got glimpses of that, so think nothing of it."

 

"Yeah.  I'm trying not to.  It would only make my head feel much worse," he joked.

[Mr. Hyde]

Roxxie had her hands full, and Blake had to concentrate.  He had an opponent in front of him after all.  His knees were shaking, and his arms were heavy.  If he were about to vomit right now, the contents would probably be spaghetti.  However, on the surface he tried to look calm and ready.  A tongue lash brought him back to reality.  Slowly, Blake lost his center of gravity and fell onto the mat.

 

"Cheap shot!"  He yelled towards Frogger.  Looking back at his opponent, Frogger only shrugged.  He opened his mouth again to release the long sticky tongue that had impacted his cheek mere moments ago.  Blake rolled to the side to dodge the attack, and almost had his head smashed like a grape by Matador's enormous feet.  "Looks like I've gotta give this guy the old blue belt treatment!"  

 

"Blue belt?" Frogger questioned, "In what?!  Cause i'm a brown belt in Toadjutsu!"  The amphibiman jumped towards Blake, his feet aimed at his gut.  Blake grabbed the legs of his opponent and gave him a wicked smile.  

 

"Judo!" Was his reply.  He swung Frogger to the side in hopes of landing a powerful throw blow, but Frogger's skin was so slippery that he managed to squeeze right out of Blake's grip.

 

"BOY HE SURE GAVE THAT NORMIE THE SLIP!"  What was this, commentary during their cage match?!  Blake was almost fed up with the whole situation as a whole.  He reached for some Silver Spiders he had acquired from Roxxie before the match had started and threw one towards Frogger.  

 

"I could always go for a snack!"  Frogger exclaimed, lashing his tongue instinctively towards what he thought was a fly.  While reeling it back in, Blake sent a signal to the spider, activating its soul function as a flash bang.  "AHHH GEEZ!  Who turned on all the lights!?"  This was his chance.  Blake reached for more spiders, this time grabbing two black spiders and one silver.  He threw them all at Frogger, activating them mid flight to explode around him.  An array of smoke and light was blinding the amphibiman's senses.  

 

"This is my chance!"  Blake rushed Frogger, balling his fist, and cocking it.  He was finally going to fight without his suit!  This was his strength!  "Everything I have!  All of my humanity! In this one instant, I will be super without my suit!"  His shouts of fury had gained the attention of everyone in and out of the cage.  Roxxie and Matador both stood speechless, giving each other a quick glance before staring back at Blake.  When he reached Frogger,  he jumped in the air to increase the momentum and strength of his punch, which smacked right into Frogger's cheek.  

 

The force made Frogger's head turn, but there wasn't much strength behind the punch.  "Is that all you've go-!"  Frogger hadn't realized, but the goo he was secreting had pooled underneath him, and as he went to return Blake's gift, he had slipped on his own slime pile.  He fell in a way that his head was the first to meet the mat, and to add on the pain, he also had bitten his tongue.  Frogger was out cold.  

 

"OH-NO FOLKS!  FROGGER'S GONE AND CROAKED!  LOOKS LIKE NORMIES AREN'T TOO BAD!  BUT THEY'VE MADE THE BULL ANGRY, AND NOW THEY GET THE HORNS!"  Blake's pose was still that of him landing his punch on Frogger, to make it more dramatic of course.  He could hear the snort of Matador behind him, but he was in the moment now.   

[Saiba Aisu]

Cygnus took a deep breath as the door to the Frosts' private lounge slammed shut behind him, shuddering with cold, anger, and disgust. Within moments he was enveloped by the intense haze of music, light, and heat that seemed to hang over the main dancefloor.

 

At least now I know that the Frosts aren't the ones dealing Bubbly, he thought to himself, trying to focus and remind himself of the mission. I just hope I didn't blow our cover by losing my temper... Now all I have to do is radio in and tell the others—

 

"If you're expecting me to thank you for rescuing me, you're going to be disappointed."

 

The young Titan turned towards his left in surprise, where the same dark-skinned young woman from before was leaning against the wall, playing with one of her long braids. She was still as beautiful as ever, but a rather somber inscrutable expression lay upon her features, clouding them with bitterness.

 

"No," Cygnus replied after a moment, finding his voice again. "It's me that should be apologizing to you. I'm sorry. I know it doesn't look that way, but I'm not actually one of the Frosts. I didn't know that they were... like that..."

 

His voice trailed off as he grimaced, the memory all too fresh in his mind.

 

"Yeah, they can be a pretty racist bunch of pigs sometimes," the woman replied casually, tossing her braids over her shoulders, the ornaments at their ends clicking softly. "Me and the rest of the black folks that work here try to avoid them if we can. Still, they're the most popular party clan after the Royals—if they order one of us to bring them drinks to their goddamned igloo, there's nothing we can do about it. Torturing us is their twisted idea of fun, I suppose."

 

"That's terrible," Cygnus murmured, still feeling rather guilty about the entire affair. He had just sat there and let Ulrich humiliate her... What must she think of him?

 

"You have no idea."

 

"Let me make it up to you," he proposed. "One drink, my treat. Please, it's the least I can do."

 

The woman glanced at him briefly, as if she were debating whether or not to trust him. After a moment, she shrugged and stood up from the wall, dusting herself off.

 

"Sure, if it really matters that much to you. I have a fifteen minute break before my next shift starts, anyway. I could use a drink."

 

She turned and began walking in the direction of the massive bar at the end of the room, rebuffing the hordes of men that tried to approach her with movements so perfect they were almost certainly practiced. Cygnus lingered for a moment in the shadows by the door where he was less likely to be noticed; raising one finger to his ear, he pressed down on the miniature radio transmitter.

 

"This is Cygnus," he said, speaking just loud enough so that he could be heard over the pounding music. "I've completed my investigation of the Frosts. They're rotten to the core, but they don't seem to have any connection to Bubbly. I'm going to continue gathering intel, but I'll be on standby. Radio in if you need anything."

 

Satisfied with his transmission, he caught up with the young woman just as she slid into one of two vacant seats at the end of the bar and ordered two drinks, sliding him the tab without looking at him.

 

"I just realized," he said, taking the seat next to her, "I didn't get your name. I'm Adrien. And you?"

 

"Orchid," she replied shortly, clearly not very interested in small talk. After a moment, however, she sighed and some of the tension seemed to disappear from her frame. "Sorry," she said in a much more even tone of voice, "I'm not usually so rude. It's just that dealing with those Frosts scares me. So much more than with the other party clans... I don't know what they're capable of, but we've all heard the rumors of what happens to the black folks that crossed them."

 

"Don't worry about them," Cygnus replied, flashing her a faint smile, trying to reassure her. "I don't think they'll be giving you trouble again anytime soon. But if you really hate working here so much, why not go search for a job somewhere else?"

 

"No place in Aurora City pays better than here," Orchid said, stirring her drink with a bitter smile. "Not for a dancer, anyways."

 

"Oh?" he asked, interested in spite of himself. "You're a dancer?"

 

"Most of the time. I sometimes pull a few shifts bar-tending or waiting tables for extra cash, but dancing is my main gig."

 

"I see," he replied. "And how long have you been working here?"

 

"It will be three months tomorrow."

 

"That long?" he asked, incredulous.

 

Orchid looked at him in genuine surprise. "You're the first person that's ever said that!" she exclaimed. "Everyone else seems to think it's hardly any time at all!"

 

"Not for a dancer," Cygnus said with a laugh, sipping some of his drink, happy to discover that it was just ice water, and even happier that the young woman finally seemed to be warming up to him. "At least, it wasn't back when I danced."

 

"You dance?!" she said, looking scandalized and approving in equal amounts.

 

"It's been a couple of years," he admitted ruefully. "But yeah, I used to. Back in the day."

 

"That's it," Orchid declared loudly, finishing her drink and slamming the empty glass on the counter in a manner that was vaguely reminiscent of Roxie. "I won't believe it until I've seen it for myself!"

 

"Well, tant pis," he replied coolly. "Too bad for you. Because there's no way that I'm—"

 

The rest of his sentence was cut off with a yowl as Orchid took him by the wrist and pulled him out of his seat and in the direction of the dancefloor.

[Ren✧]

As the golden grille ascended to grant Haylee and herself passage into the holy domain of the Royal's private lounge, Kiara immediately felt like she was being judged. Everything in sight was so refined, so elegant, so sophisticated, and she was so...well, her. Immediately she tried to stand straighter, keep her chin higher, and admittedly...pushed her breasts out a little farther. 

 

"K'yle! Ohhhhh K'yle~!!" Haylee squealed, addressing someone towards the center of the room. Kiara craned her neck to try and see who it was Haylee was talking to, but whoever it was, they were hidden by the crowd of elegantly dressed individuals. Then suddenly, appearing out of the sea of ornate dress and opulent jewelry, a young man with hair of woven gold and eyes like pools of honey came into view. He managed to appear exceptionally elegant in a room of exceptional elegance.

 

"Good to see you, Haylee! And you brought a friend!" The smile that K'yle offered Kiara and Haylee actually caused the Titan to blush in spite of herself as she meekly waved a greeting. For the life of herself, she couldn't figure out what had come over her. Normally, she didn't get like this, even when meeting exceptionally attractive, charming strangers but there was something about this one that was particularly disarming.

 

The three of them grabbed a nearby empty table and immediately K'yle took to asking about Kiara, and Haylee, but mostly the former. Truthfully, she couldn't help but love the attention. Haylee, however, obviously felt like she deserved a little more attention than she was getting. "So, K'yle did you know that Kiara was a club virgin before tonight?" Haylee said, trying to embarrass Kiara.

 

"I suppose we've all got to have our first time, right?" He said, take a sip from his drink. His response making Haylee even more frustrated. Kiara couldn't help but feel bad, however. For one thing, she was on a mission and shouldn't be enjoying herself so thoroughly. And for another, they had only got this far on account of Haylee's insider knowledge, they owed her, the least Kiara could do was not hog all the attention. 

 

"So, K'yle, what is it that you, uh, do here?" She asked, diverting the conversation onto K'yle. The devilishly handsome young stud flashed another gorgeous smile in response. 

 

"Why don't I just show you?"

 

===

 

In a matter of a minutes, the room had been reduced to just Royal members, Haylee, and Kiara. The staff that had been serving the food and drink had retreated back into whatever kitchen they came from. The guards that had been keeping an eye on things had been dismissed. Now, things had taken on a much more serious tones. The music that had been playing faded and the lights dimmed. And if Kiara wasn't mistaken, she could've sworn she had heard the lock on the golden grille of the elevator 'click' shut.

 

"Alright, Royals, and soon-to-be's," K'yle said, his voice no longer as warm and charming, from the center of the gathered group, "I believe it is time for the ritual." 

[Hälō]

"OH-NO FOLKS!  FROGGER'S GONE AND CROAKED!  LOOKS LIKE NORMIES AREN'T TOO BAD!  BUT THEY'VE MADE THE BULL ANGRY, AND NOW THEY GET THE HORNS!"

 

Clutching her gut, Roxie fell to the cage floor in mad frenzy of laughter. Blake had actually managed to knock out the Frog-man (well kinda… not really-But It was still f***ing hilarious.). Using her index finger to wipe a tear from under her eye, Roxie turned to Matador to see if he had also enjoyed the spectacle. Unfortunately however, it seemed her opponent was nowhere near as amused, and had decided to use the time Blake had used to bask in the glory of his victory as a opportunity to take the red headed lad down. 

 

Rolling to her feet, Roxie broke out into a full sprint towards the Bull-man, leaping into the air just as he placed one of his massive hands on Blake’s shoulder. 

 

“RAAAAAAWRRRRR!” Was the girl’s battle cry, and the only warning Matador received before two boots where jammed squarely into his rather angular, and somehow very handsome face. Suddenly, he seemed to lose of track time. One moment he had gotten hold of the red haired boy who had managed to get Frogger to knock himself out, and was preparing to return the favor. Then next thing he knew: his eyes were locked with the little blonde psychopath’s-well, as best as one could lock-eyes with someone who had planted their feet on your face… and now he found himself on his back, with the girl sitting atop his chest; a rather adorable grin filled with bloodlust and glee plastered on her face, and her left hand firmly grasping at his jacket collar. His eyes shifted from her charmingly brutish expression to the glow stick she was brandishing in her right hand, and his own expression instantly darkened. This was going to hurt… 

 

“Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep~”  Roxie cooed, as she began hammering at Matador’s face with a series of strikes from Arondite, alternating between front handed and back handed swings to assure that each side of his face was equally brutalized. You have to even out the brain trauma, ya know? 

 

The crowd, who had originally been in frenzy after witnessing Blake’s victory, was now dead silent. Even the announcer couldn’t think of anything appropriate to say, as she watched the reigning champion receive such a walloping by a teenage girl.  

 

After what seemed to be the longest forty five seconds of everyone in the room’s life (except of course Roxie, who was thoroughly enjoying herself), the girl finally rose to her feet, her weapon quite literally smoking from the excessive use. Poking the unconscious Matador with her foot, the girl turned to Blake and flashed him an innocent smile. “Hm, he wasn’t so tough… head’s pretty hard though.” 

 

“… Um, ok then…..” The announcer began rather meekly, before coughing to regain her composure. “MATADOUR IS DOWN! I CANT BELIEVE I’M SAYING THIS… BUT WE HAVE OUR TWO NEW CHAMPIONS!” The crowd roared with excitement. “S-Someone want to wake up, Matador? He was sort of my ride home…”

 

                                                                                                                           

 

“- so that’s about it, my love.” Matador concluded before taking another sip of his shardene. “Most of us would never touch the stuff. It makes fights unfair, and generally is just murder on the body! We Howlers our rowdy a bunch, but we don’t need drugs to party.” He punctuated this sentence by placing his arm around Roxie’s shoulder. 

 

After the match, and of course Matador regained conscious, Roxie and Blake had found themselves on the room’s one couch that wasn’t torn to shreds, joined by the announcer, and the former champion himself. Roxie, who was now wearing Matador’s leather jacket proudly over her shoulders like a cape, had been questioning him about the presence of Bubbly within the clan, only to find that the Howler’s knew almost nothing about the stuff other then the fact that they wanted nothing to do with it.

 

“I see…” Roxie trailed off, before playfully swatting away Matador’s muscular hand. She turned to Blake, who had the rabbit-woman sitting boldly on his lap, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well we hate to kick ass and run, but we should probably go meet up with our mates, right, Blakey?” 

 

Raising from her seat, she kissed Matador friendlily on the cheek before making her way towards the door. “Matty, you have my number, I expect you to use it!” 

 

“Of couse! You’re a Howler now, remember?!” He smiled approvingly at the Howler insignia that was branded on the back of the jacket that was still draped over the girl’s delicate shoulders. “Both of you!” He turned to Blake and smacked him hardily on his shoulder. 

 

As the two Titans made it into the elevator, they heard Matador’s voice call out for a final time. “If you two ever find yourself in a jam, don’t hesitate to give us call!” The Bull raised his glass of wine in salute, and as the elevator door began to close, each and everyone of the Howlers roared their goodbyes as their two champions departed.

[Saiba Aisu]

"Alright, party kos and mex!!!" a male voice cried, booming out from the speakers of the main dancefloor as the underlying music faded slightly into the background. "This is your resident DJ Kolaj speaking! I hope you're all having a good time here at Club 0XYGEN's PINK MIST... Are you having a good time?! Are you completely freaking twisted? Make some noise if you are!!"

There was a deafening chorus of drunken cheers as the crowd roared and throngs of party-goers raised their drinks in reply.

"That's what I like to hear!" DJ Kolaj replied enthusiastically. "Now then, it's getting to be that time of night, you know what I'm talking about! So sit back with your friends, pull up some vurrz and some blunts and enjoy our little half-time show!!"
 

There was a long undulating wave of movement as the massive crowd pulled back, leaving a fairly wide space open at the heart of the dancefloor, dominated by eight elevated platforms arranged in a circle, each of them bare, save for a single chair and silver pole. The overhead lights—which had been flashing chaotically in a rainbow-colored spectrum up until now—dimmed before adopting an ethereal blue cast, while the room's smoke machines fired up with a low hum, filling the room with low-hanging fine clouds of mist. A solitary disco ball descended from the ceiling, its gigantic reflective surface casting thousands of slinking silver shards across the walls. A sense of anticipation hung heavily upon the scene like an invisible veil as the music began to build, slowly and softly.

Relax, Cygnus thought to himself, his heart beating rather faster than usual as he took his place on the sixth platform, the one closest to Orchid, only too aware of the hundreds of eyes on him, watching expectantly. You can do this.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see his new friend stretching sensuously, leaning back in her chair, raising one leg high into the air as she limbered up, her fishnet stockings and high heels catching the light from overhead. It had taken some work on her part, but Orchid had managed to convince another of the dancers, Graciela, to cede her spot to Cygnus at the last minute. And now, it was time to do or die. He just hoped that the performance was freestyle rather than choreographed—if not, he was doomed.

"I wanna feel you, I want it all," a female voice crooned, her breathy whispers gliding with haunting intensity over the underlying synths and bass of the music.

At his side, he sensed Orchid begin to move, shifting her weight sensually on the chair, lowering her raised leg slowly, pointing it towards the hypnotized crowd, many of whom wolf-whistled in appreciation. Across from them, he could make out the other dancers, a mix of male and female, each of them apparently engaged in their own distinct routines.

I guess it's now or never, Cygnus thought, slowly unclipping his feathered cape and letting it fall to the floor behind him, leaving him completely shirtless except for the long-sleeved white mesh shirt he wore. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and then, he did something he hadn't done in almost a quarter of a century—he surrendered himself completely to the moment.

"Baby, I wanna f*ck you, I wanna feel you in my bones. Boy, I'm gonna love you, I'm gonna tear into your soul."

The next few minutes passed in a blur as Cygnus twisted, rolled, and dipped, caught in the throes of an elaborate dance routine, each movement completely spontaneous yet seamlessly blended into the next. He could sense a sort of invisible primal energy building between himself and the other dancers, synchronizing their movements, casting a spell upon the surrounding audience. When Orchid and the others got up and turned to their poles, he mirrored their movements, scaling his own without fear or hesitation, as if it had been just yesterday that he had stopped working at Club La Victoire in Paris. He hung there for a moment, looking out over the sea of faces drowned in blue, their gazes fixed upon him. As the music pulsed to a crescendo, he spun downwards, legs locked intricately, his upper body and his arms outstretched in an arc, reaching out towards the audience, as if to steal their very souls.

"You were AMAZING!" Orchid yelled, hugging Cygnus as he and the other dancers gathered at the bar to join in a celebratory round of drinks after their routine. Ecstatic roars still echoed behind them as the crowd cheered for the dancers and surged back onto the dancefloor while DJ Kolaj thanked them for the show.

"It's like riding a bicycle, you never forget!" the white-haired boy replied coyly with a wink, trying and failing to master the wide grin on his face. He was sweating slightly, but he didn't care. He didn't care. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he had been able to let go and forget himself completely. In that moment that had seemed to last an eternity, he could have been anyone else. He was sure that his parents would have been scandalized to know their only son was dancing in a bodega, but he knew that his sister would have understood. No, more than that—she would have been the one cheering and clapping the loudest.

Did you see that, Odette? Cygnus thought, as he joined Orchid and the other dancers in a resounding cheer before downing his drink. Were you watching? It was short, and it didn't mean much... But for that one moment, I felt it. I was immortal. I was perfect.

[Mr. Hyde]

The bubbly wasn't here, not with the Howler's at least.  

 

"Something on your mind Blakey-poo?"  The announcer, named Bonnie, asked him quite concerned.  He must've been too focused on his mission at the moment to pay attention to this lovely rabbit girl sitting on his lap.  Her arms were wrapped around his neck.  Was she trying to flirt with him?  

 

"Yeah...I'm just really wiped after that fight you know?  Can't believe I made it out of there with my head still attached to my shoulders!"  The two laughed.

 

"You're so funny Blakey-poo...for a normie of course!"  As she spoke, her fingers traced the outline of Blake's face to his lips.  "I'm not usually into normies, but you're pretty Special Blakey-poo.  After all...you're one of use now!"  She was uncomfortably close...or was it too comfortable?  Blake wasn't sure, but his face sure made him look like a lobster.  Maybe he would fit in with the Howlers after all.  Embracing his new crustacean persona, he pinched Bonnie's butt with his pointer finger and his thumb.  Bonnie giggled as she smacked Blake's hand.  "Blakey-poo, not in front of everyone!"

 

That's right, he totally had forgotten that Roxxie was straight across from him on another couch, getting all chummy with Matador.  Feelings weren't mutual though, and that was a sigh of relief.  Roxxie was just being her flirty self as per usual.

 

“Well we hate to kick ass and run, but we should probably go meet up with our mates, right, Blakey?”  Blake sighed.  He couldn't stay in paradise forever.  He made sure to place Bonnie next to him before he got up.  She pouted but Blake pulled one of her bunny ears.  

 

"I'll be around BonBon, don't you worry.  I am a Howler after all!"  He smiled, and she reciprocated.  Matador gave the two goodbyes, which was probably going to end up bruising up tomorrow.  As they reached the elevators, their new party clan left them with a mighty howl to honor their new champions.  Bonnie placed a hand to the side of her face, pointing her thum and pointer finger out and rattled it back and forth, the universal sign for "Call me".  Blake nodded, and the doors slowly closed in front of them.  Blake pressed the first floor button.  He nudged Roxxie with his elbow and laughed.  "Hey...good job out there little Ms. Obroxxious!  Oh snap!  I almost forgot!"  Blake pressed the foam that resided in his ear.  It luckily hadn't fallen out during his cage match.  "This is Blake reporting in.  The Howlers are clean, got a problem with bodily toxins.  They don't know where Bubbly's coming from either.  We'll be on the first if anyone needs us!" 

 

With that, the doors opened again.  Blake and Roxxie stepped back out onto the first floor, the smell of the second floor washed away from his nasal cavity as the regular stank flooded in.  Some other Howlers had passed them as they had gotten out and gasped as they saw Roxxie with Matador's jacket.  They howled sporadically as the doors shut on them.  Blake cracked his knuckles and started bobbing to the music.  "I need a drink after all of the sheet that just went down!  Come on Roxx!"  He made his way back to the bar, dragging Roxxie with him.  "I'll need two Cloudy Nebulas!"  The bartender nodded and brought two purple looking drinks, with a white spiral in the middle.  "Our part's done...now lets wait for the others!  AWOOOOOOOOOOO!"  Blake had finally let loose, and downed his drink.  

[Hälō]

 "Our part's done...now lets wait for the others!  AWOOOOOOOOOOO!"

 

Roxie couldn't help but giggle at Blake's howl. He sounded more like a small dog than a wolf, but it was good to see him cut loose a little. Grabbing her drink and chugging it like a lady, the girl flashed her teammate a smile before propping herself up on the bar. She couldn't help but feel like she had gotten a lot closer to Blake through their little bonding experience with the Howlers, and that made her extraordinarily happy.  "Suck it, Arthur...." She caught herself mumbling in a rather spiteful tone. She had been drinking since she had won the match with Matador, and needless to say the girl was starting to feel more than a little buzzed. "This isn't so bad, right? The whole "hero" thing- well, the "official hero" thing." This time she spoke to Blake as she motioned to the bartender to bring them two more of whatever her teammate had ordered, before turning to watch the halftime show.

 

 

"F-Frenchy seems to be having fun......." Roxie handed Blake the next round of drinks, before motioning towards the poll that Cygnus was... welp, she didn't really know the right verbs or adjectives to describe exactly what he was doing on said poll- but he looked a lot like a striper. Downing her second Cloudy Nebula even faster then her first, the girl wiped her mouth before putting her finger to her ear and speaking into her headset. "Yo Alfy, come in. Over."  She spoke as if she was using a classic military radio. "Allfffffyyyyyyy, do ya read? Over."  As she spoke, she watched as Cygnus dismounted his poll (hehehe "dismounted"), and joined the rest of his stripper buddies a little ways down the bar. "Me, Blakey, and Frenchy are at the south end of the bar! Over." She placed her hand heavily on Blake's shoulder, and motioned him to follow as she began walking towards Cygnus. "Let's regroup and whatnot, my dear." With that, she removed her finger from her ear, only to quickly bring her hand back up to the com device only seconds after. "OVER!" She giggled into the mic. Yep, she was starting to feel it now...

 

"Oiii, Frenchy-love~ I saw you shake'en your tail feathers out there!" Roxie cooed, as she came up next to Cygnus and his new friends, Matador's jacket heralding her arrival with the soft scent of lavender. 

[Ren✧]

Kiara anxiously stood in the circle of Royals, her eyes darting between Haylee and K'yle as she desperately tried to gauge what the Hell was going on. Neither would meet her gaze though. Panicked, she reached out telepathically to get some sort of clue, but her own emotions seemed to be impairing her ability because even Haylee's simplistic mind was a wash of indecipherable emotions and thoughts. It seemed as if Kiara would have to fake it through this ordeal until she saw an opportunity to act. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves. "I can do this." She thought to herself.

 

A woman with crimson hair that cascaded down her back brought a chalice filled with a dark liquid to K'yle, giggling slightly as he kissed her on the cheek before taking it from and then she rejoined the circle of Royals. "After tonight, we will all be brothers and sisters in royalty." K'yle said, smiling as he looked at each person gathered before him. His smile didn't comfort Kiara anymore though. It just put her more on edge. 

 

The rest of the Royals gathered repeated K'yle's statement, causing Kiara to jump with fright as they all spoke up in monotonous, and yet enraptured tones. Together they began to chant. 

 

"Siblings of the night

Taken.

Corrected.

Trained.

Enthroned.

We now drink together and are forever marked as

Royals."

 

Kiara's eyes grew wide as flashes of old memories involuntarily plagued her consciousness, causing her to clutch her temples.

 

===

 

Eris knelt on the damp stone floor, she shivered, as her body was only protected by hooded, wool cloak that was draped over. Beside her she knew were eleven other girls that shared her discomfort, but they did not dare turn to each other for comfort. They had learned long ago that, that was not acceptable. They might be sisters, but they were still expected to weather each and every torment alone. 

 

"Rise." In unison the eleven girls stood, their cloaks falling to the floor leaving their bodies exposed. In front of them was their one true superior, Matron Supreme. In her hands was an ancient looking book, stained and cracked. Looking at it, Eris swore she could feel evil radiating from it. The Overlord Grimoire. 

 

"Tonight marks the end of your training and your initiation into true sisterhood. Repeat after me and then I will brand you with the final mark of the Night Sisters."

 

"Sisters of the Night

Rescued.

Corrected.

Trained.

Entrusted.

Branded together we are forever marked as

Sisters."

 

===

 

K'yle deftly deposited a light powder into the chalice, causing it to immediately turn a bright pink color and start to bubble. The gathered Royals started to chatter excitedly. "And now, we drink." K'yle passed the chalice around to his right, letting each of the Royals take a hearty swig. When the cup made its way to Haylee, Kiara desperately tried to will her not to drink it, but she didn't even hesitate. Almost immediately, Kiara could notice the drug taking effect. Those that had already taken a drink were starting to sway and their eyes had started to glaze over.

 

Before long, the it was Kiara's turn to take a drink. Not wanting to raise suspicion, she brought the cup to her mouth, but made sure to not let the liquid pass her lips. She quickly passed the drug on, not looking any of the Royals, especially K'yle in the eye. It didn't take long for people to start passing out. One by one, the Royals fell into a drug induced coma. 

 

"What's the matter? Not thirsty?" Kiara looked up. It was just her and K'yle now. The rest were fitfully passed out on the floor, some of the spasming, others foaming at the mouth. 

 

"I guess it doesn't affect me like everyone else." Kiara tried to cover, desperately ho.ping to maintain her cover.

 

"Maybe. But, I think it has more to do with the fact that you didn't drink any." K'yle persisted, his voice growing more smug and his smile more pointed. "It's alright though, sometimes our initiates need some...encouragement." K'yle snapped his fingers and several of the Royals that were passed out on the ground leapt to their feet, hunched over in a feral, attack stance.

 

Kiara immediately bolted for the elevator, but felt a hand close around her ankle, dragging her to the ground. Within a fraction of a second, three of the previously incapacitated Royals were on her, their fists mercilessly beating at her. Flailing out with her legs and rotating in a clockwise motion, Kiara managed to regain her footing but was immediately faced with a dozen more opponents.

 

"Arcana to Titans. Requesting back up on the third floor immediately." She said into the small radio in her ear.

 

"Don't bother!" She heard K'yle laugh. "This floor is lined with lead. Your friends can't hear you. You're on your own." 

[Dad]

Alfonso was hunched over the sink when he heard Roxie's voice in his ear.  He didn't answer at first, as he waited to see the reactions of the others.  But when she called a second time, she carried on and notified Alfonso of their location.

 

"Me, Blakey, and Frenchy are at the south end of the bar! Over."

 

"Tch.  Guess I better go save face," he said softly aloud.  But Roxie was loud.  Even in the club, anyone could have heard her, if they were twenty-feet away or less.  "Is she drunk?" he began thinking.  There was a good chance this was true.  Roxie was the wild one after all.  "God damn it," he said standing up straight.  Two things he didn't want to deal with were a drunk Roxie and going back outside.  His head wasn't too much better off, but at least he didn't feel like he was being slapped around with a hammer anymore.  Sighing, Alfonso walked silently out of the restroom, and spotted the trio almost immediately across the other side of the club.  He waded through the obnoxious crowd, gently moving them aside as he got closer to the remainder of the Titans.  He sat beside Blake, with his elbows on the bar as he massaged the temples of his head.

 

He sat up straight, and pointed a finger at Roxie.  "Are you drunk?" he asked right away.  He was not prepared for this.  But then Alfonso looked around.  Someone was missing.  It seemed all the Titans had done their job in around the same amount of time, except for Kiara.  "Hang on.  Where's Kiara?" he asked aloud.  He looked around the bar, stood up to peer into the crowd, and even glared into the V.I.P. section.  But he couldn't seem to find her.

 

And slowly Alfonso began to realize what was happening.  All of the Titans who had successfully cleared their Party Clan of Bubbly suspicion had gathered back down on the bottom floor.  The Shades, Frosts, and Howlers were accounted for.  That meant that Roxie, Blake, Cygnus, and Alfonso were here.  That was three of four party clans taken care of.  The only one that remained--

 

"When was the last time you heard from Kiara?" Alfonso said, as he bolted up right.  He began to sweat nervously.  There was no doubt in his mind now that whoever was dealing with this Bubbly stuff was definitely in or among the Royals.  "Altiana.  Can you feel her anywhere on this floor?" he asked the voice in his head.  Altiana, who was also recovering, couldn't do much, however.  "I'm sorry Alfonso, but I'm afraid not.  I'm still a little worn from our previous encounter."

 

"sheet," he said softly aloud to himself.  Was she still investigating?  He didn't want to blow Kiara's cover.  But wouldn't she have contacted them by now?  What influence did the Royals have on her at this moment, if any?  Was she already suspected?  There were a plethora of thoughts running through Alfonso's head, but he couldn't manage to get any of them straight.  Instead, he ducked to the corner of the bar, slightly away from his teammates and tried to reach her.  "Arcana," he said once.  "Arcana, if you're receiving this, please respond.  Our investigation of the three other party clans is complete.  The Royals are your target.  I repeat, the Royals are your target."  Alfonso had to remain patient now.  If Kiara replied, everything would be fine.  They could move in on the Royals together.  But if Kiara took too long to reply, Alfonso had other plans.

 

Getting back to his seat, Alfonso placed his elbows against the bar again.  "I'll give her ten minutes.  If she hasn't replied by then, I'm moving," he said looking to Blake, Roxie, and Cygnus.

[Saiba Aisu]

As Orchid and the other dancers buzzed in conversation around him, Cygnus could hear Roxie's voice in his ear, sounding more than a little intoxicated, urging Alfonso to regroup with the other Titans. Moments later, she and Blake arrived at the bar, the former sporting a leather jacket that seemed to exude a faint scent of lavender. It was a pleasant smell, but it still didn't do much to mask the fact that she and Blake positively stank to high heaven, as if they had tangled with a dozen different barnyard animals. Maybe some things were better left unasked.

 

"Oiii, Frenchy-love~ I saw you shake'en your tail feathers out there!" Roxie cooed, slurring her words slightly. Yep, definitely drunk.

 

"Oh, you were watching?" Cygnus asked, blushing slightly—he had forgotten all about the other Titans during the performance. "Good. Because I won't be doing it again anytime soon."

 

"Ah, don't be like that, Adrien!" Orchid cried, punching him on the shoulder playfully. "I have to admit, I was a bit worried about you before the music started, but you're a natural! On anyone else those moves would have looked a bit dated, but on you it was classy vintage! You totally owned it! Didn't he, guys?"

 

Cygnus' blush deepened as the other dancers nodded their agreement fervently—not because he was shy, but because despite everything, he had still managed to give himself away somehow. He wondered idly what Orchid would say if he told her that it had been a while since he had last worked as a dancer—25 years, to be exact.

 

"You should stick around," Orchid continued, flashing him a smile. "We go on one last time in another two hours, right before the club closes. What do you say?"

 

At that moment, Alfonso joined them and took a seat next to Blake, looking rather worse for the wear due to a nasty scrape on his head.

 

"Where's Kiara?" he asked, sitting up suddenly and looking rather tense.

 

At that moment, for some reason, Cygnus felt a horrible sensation, like his heart were dropping into a gaping chasm. Kiara... In all the excitement, he had forgotten about her. She was the only one of the Titans that hadn't radioed in with a report. Did that mean she was still investigating and couldn't make contact without blowing her cover? Or had she been discovered and captured by the enemy?

 

As Alfonso ducked away to contact Kiara, Cygnus forced himself to smile and turn back to Orchid, who was still watching him expectantly, waiting for an answer. It wouldn't do for her to suspect that something was wrong.

 

"Sorry, blossom," he replied, winking playfully, "but this old man has had enough for one night. Some other time."

 

Orchid rolled her eyes with an exasperated look, then smiled good-naturedly. "Fine, fine. I'll hold you to that!" she warned, turning back to the other dancers.

 

"I'll give her ten minutes," Alfonso said, rejoining the group. "If she hasn't replied by then, I'm moving."

 

"Normally I would say that Kiara can take care of herself," Cygnus replied softly, "but for once, I agree with you. I've got a bad feeling about this silence. Something's not right."

[Ren✧]

Kiara growled with frustration, knowing that K'yle had outplayed her. She wouldn't be able to radio for help and she was now staring into the unseeing eyes of fifteen hostile, well-dressed, drugged-up party-goers, and in her current emotional state, even attempting to send a telepathic communication was out of the question. She would have to stand and fight. 

 

Taking a defensive stance, Kiara didn't want to be the first one to strike. These people were mostly innocent after all, their brains were just addled by the effect of Bubbly and K'yle's suggestion. She didn't have to wait long before having to defend herself. The red-haired woman that had handed K'yle the chalice lunged at her, her beautifully manicured nails aimed to gouge out Kiara's eyes.

 

Dropping to the floor, Kiara kicked upwards sharply, catching the ginger in the stomach and sending her careening into a decorative column. Fortunately, Kiara had the good sense to immediately start rolling because several of the Royals had taken the opportunity to pounce on her exposed form.

 

The attacks from the drug-zombies came in clumsy waves, filled with unbridled strength and hostility but lacking finesse or thought. Normally, it wouldn't have taken much effort for Kiara to easily whoop all their asses and tie them up with the strings of pearls around their necks, but the fact that Bubbly blocked their pain receptors and their sheer numbers kept the Titan on her toes.

 

Every time she was forced to punch one of the Royals, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Sure, they were stuck up, drug addicts, but they hadn't asked to get involved in this. Fighting Haylee, in particular, was difficult for Kiara. The girl, once so alive with naive excitement for the night, now attacked without mercy. Kiara ducked and weaved, trying not to hurt, but it became inevitable that she would be forced to counter attack. "I'm sorry." 

 

With a swift movement, Kiara grabbed hold of Haylee's wrist and flipped her over onto a nearby table. She had prepared to deliver a blow near the jaw that would hopefully knock the girl out but before she could a pair of young men rushed Kiara, forcing her to leap behind the Royal's private, fully-stocked bar for cover. This, however, afforded her a moment of peace. "You know those tattoos of yours, they're quite interesting." K'yle said. His tone, along with his words, made Kiara's hair stand on edge. She could chalk the ritual chant up to coincidence, but K'yle's interest in her sigils was starting to turn a coincidence into a pattern.

 

Kiara grabbed a couple of bottles of wine, which looked far too expensive to be in a nightclub, from behind the bar, before reengaging the throng of attackers. Smashing the bottles over two of her assailants' heads, they immediately went down, not even the pain-blocking drive from Bubbly able to keep them on their feet. "That's what you get, when you mess with Arcana!" She exclaimed, a fair bit of bravado taking over as the rest of the mob backed off, now more wary of Kiara.

 

"I can keep doing this all night." She said cockily, this time directly addressing K'yle, who had moved to one of the walls near the large lion statue that dominated the center of the lounge. 

 

"Tempting offer, but..." K'yle pressed a button on the wall, causing a pneumatic hiss to fill the air. The front side of the lion statue opened up, revealing a secret alcove behind. "...something tells me you won't last nearly as long against these two."

 

Stepping into the light, two women garbed in all black now confronted Kiara. The immediately leapt into action, however, instead of engaging Kiara directly they each moved off to either side. From the unseen folds of the armor, the dark-clad assassins let loose a volley of long, thin needles that, had Kiara not been protected by her runes, she would have been skewered by. Still, as each of the projectiles hit, she could feel her arcane barrier weaken more than it should have. The throwing needles were enchanted or made of Nth metal, neither of which were good. These new contenders would be a problem.

 

Somersaulting into the air, Kiara avoided the rest of the barrage, hurling the remains of one of the wine bottles at one her new attackers. Her attack was deftly avoided, and now the two women were moving in closer. Knowing she was again outnumbered, Kiara figured she would at least try to engage one of her assailants before they could pull off their flanking maneuver.

 

Hurling herself at the leftmost woman, Kiara caught her by her midriff and immediately brought them both to the ground. She wasted no time and wildly punched at the assassin's upper body, most of her hits appearing to having little to not effect. Kiara then felt like she had been hit in the side with a sledgehammer as the second attacker delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to her side, forcing Kiara off the assailant she had managed to pin down. Managing to stay on her feet, Kiara stared down the two rogues, knowing quite well that she was outmatched. Besides, even if she could take them there were still the drug-zombies that K'yle could sick on her with another snap of his fingers. 

 

Her only other option was to talk her way out of this. "So what is this really all about, K'yle? What are you really doing?" 

 

"Isn't it obvious?" He mused tantalizingly. "I'm just reuniting a couple of sisters."

 

On cue the women rushed Kiara, who feebly defended herself, but it was only a matter of minutes before they were able to overwhelm her. Desperately clawing at her attackers, Kiara clutched onto one of their sleeves and tore at it, the stitching giving way to her strength. As the leather fell away to reveal bare skin, she couldn't believe her eyes. Markings identical to those on Kiara's arms were emblazoned there. That was the last thing she saw before she felt a sharp pain in her head and her vision went black. 

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: "Bubbly" (Club 0XYGEN, 3rd Floor, 3:05 A.M.)

---

[spoiler=GM Post]

The next ten minutes passed slowly for the Teen Titans, every second crawling over them like worms, as if they were being buried alive. A heavy silence hung over the group as their thoughts chased themselves feverishly in circles, pondering Kiara's fate. Had there been something Haylee had said about the Royals? Some indication, some clue that they had missed? Around them, the party continued to rage at full force as drunken revelers stumbled across the dancefloor and roared hoarsely over the pounding music, their drinks clutched in their fists.

 

This is my fault, Cygnus thought, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, trying to stay calm despite the knot in his stomach. Kiara tried to prevent us from splitting up, but I insisted. It's my fault. It's my fault if she's dead. Oh God, don't let her be dead. I'll never forgive myself if she's dead.

 

"Alright," Alfonso said grimly at last, breaking the silence as he got up from his seat at the bar. "Her ten minutes are up. I'm going in."

 

"Wait!" Cygnus interrupted sharply. "If we do this, we do it together, and we do it the right way. I'm worried about Kiara too, but if we blow our cover, this entire mission will have been for nothing. In the worst case scenario, we'll have to fight our way out. I'd like to avoid that, if you don't mind."

 

Cygnus' tone was harsh, but he knew it had to be if he wanted to get through to the other man. Something was off about Alfonso, and it wasn't just the mysterious wound on his forehead—there was a hard look in his usually calm eyes, as if he were just itching for the opportunity to tangle with trouble and wreak some havoc. Cygnus wasn't sure why, or how, but something about this mission—and drug dealers, specifically—seemed to have affected him deeply, on a personal level.

 

"We need to be discreet, and we need to stay focused," Cygnus continued, getting up from his own chair and dusting his feather cape off before fastening it around his shoulders once more. "We don't know who or what could be watching us. Let's take our drinks with us. It will help us blend in, if only a little. And let's make our way to the elevator in the same groups we used to investigate before, in short intervals."

 

The others nodded as Cygnus got up, stretched luxuriously, and said his goodbyes to Orchid and the other dancers. Without another look at his teammates, he strode forward and was swallowed by the sea of party-goers. A few minutes later, Blake and Roxie imitated him, and a few minutes after that, Alfonso followed suit, rejoining his teammates at the far side of the room.

 

"Here we go," Cygnus said softly, as the elevator doors slid open and the teenagers crowded inside—thankfully, no one had noticed them for the time being. "Going up." He willed his fingers not to tremble as he pressed the button for the third floor; with a gentle click, the doors slid shut and the elevator shot into motion, climbing upwards.

 

A few moments later, the elevator came to a halt, its doors sliding open with a faint musical chime. A magnificent golden grille lay before them, blocking their way forward. Beyond the grille lay a gaping abyss, a dark maw of pure shadow, and an eerie unnatural silence. Even the roars and cheers of the Howlers raging below seemed to have disappeared.

 

"Looks like the rotters aren't home," Roxie observed, standing on her toes to see better. "You sure this is the right place, Frenchy-love?"

 

"The Frosts told me that the Royals' private lounge was on the third floor," Cygnus whispered back. "We just need to find a way to unlock this gate..."

 

"Why bother with that when you can smash?" Roxie asked, her trademark daredevil smile in place as she hefted Arondite. Before any of the Titans could stop her, the young girl let loose with a vicious swing, knocking the gates off their hinges with a resounding crash.

 

Cygnus winced at the sound, but no security alarms were tripped, no sirens wailed, no armed guards bustled forth from the shadows—it would appear that their little intrusion had gone unnoticed, for the moment. The Titans advanced slowly into the room, unnerved by the unnatural silence, skirting the fallen gates as they spread out. At that moment, the elevator doors closed behind them with a cheerful musical chime, plunging them into complete darkness. Moments later, they could hear the elevator humming as it descended.

 

"Don't worry," Cygnus murmured, raising one hand high into the air. "I'll give us some light."

 

A bright nexus of silver light blossomed at his wrist, illuminating the surrounding area, revealing a sumptuous room, decorated with fine paintings, elegant furniture... and over a dozen youths in formal attire, standing perfectly still around them, hardly even breathing, their eyes glassy and their mouths open.

 

Cygnus screamed and took a step back, almost tripping over Blake, who caught him and helped him back to his feet.

 

"You Troublemakers sure are dumb," Haylee said in a dead, emotionless voice, advancing numbly with her head tilted to one side, like a marionette whose strings had been cut, a kitchen knife clutched in one hand. "K'yle said you would come. That's what K'yle said."

 

"You should have stayed away," another Royal mumbled, the jewelry at her throat shining in the unearthly light as she raised a long lethal-looking fire tong, her eyes utterly empty of all thought. "No outsiders allowed. Now we have to kill you."

 

They surged forwards from all sides, pouncing from sofas and tables, wielding their make-shift weapons, intent on blood.

 

 

Kiara awoke suddenly, her head pounding, her tongue heavy and dry in her mouth. She'd been dreaming... But such terrible dreams. The Night Sisters, Matron Supreme, K'yle and Haylee, their faces distorted hideously, laughing as they stabbed her viciously with long knives, her own screams echoing in her ears as blood spurted from her wounds... But wait, no... She wasn't bleeding. What was happening?

 

The young Titan shivered against the cold floor, and in that moment, she realized she was naked, with her arms tied up behind her to the wall. Turning and straining her neck, she caught sight of two metal clasps, closed firmly around her wrists. She struggled vainly against them for a moment, but the metal held true, biting cruelly into her flesh. They had to be enchanted, or perhaps Nth metal, no normal restraints could have resisted her superhuman strength. But who could have prepared all this? And why?

 

"Looks like you're coming to," a deep male voice said, echoing across the room. Looking up, Kiara watch as a muscular man strode towards her, his shoulders moving with a barely contained savagery, as if they were about to rip through his expensive suit. His face was angular and sharp, his eyes were dark, and his bald head shone in the fluorescent light from overhead. Two triangular earrings shone at his ears, while a fine chain of gold hung from his neck.

 

"I told you she's tougher than she looks, Mr. Trinity."

 

K'yle was there too, stepping out from behind a column, his tousled golden hair and honey eyes as perfect as ever. He smiled cheerfully at Kiara. Behind him, she could make out the two dark silhouettes of the Night Sisters, only just visible in the shadows.

 

"Yes, quite an interesting specimen, isn't she?" the man—Mr. Trinity—mused, coming to a halt before her, his dark eyes devouring the sight of the girl's naked body with relish, tracing the intricate tattoos that covered her skin.

 

"Here's a little Night Sister that got away," he chuckled, his laughter deep and dry in his throat. "Your story must be quite remarkable. Why don't you share it with me?"

 

Seeing that Kiara said nothing, Mr. Trinity laughed again, although the warmth of it did not reach his eyes.

 

"Come now," he said, as if reprimanding a naughty child. "I'd hate to damage such an exotic specimen, but I will if I have to. Who are you? Talk."

 

"Everything will be so much easier if you just answer Mr. Trinity's questions," K'yle said smoothly, stepping forward, smiling at her. "You're going to talk anyways, so why not save yourself the pain? If you don't cooperate with us, well... It would be a real shame if you ended up like her..."

 

The young Royal's eyes drifted playfully to the corner. Turning her head, Kiara caught sight of another naked female figure chained to the wall, lying deathly still, her body covered with wounds and bruises. Her neck hung limply over her shoulders, letting her vivid scarlet hair tumble over her back.

 

"Glimmer," Kiara whispered, tears springing into her eyes as she recognized the girl from Haylee's memories.

 

"Ah, so you recognize her?" K'yle asked, his smile widening at the girl's words. "You're better than I thought! I'm impressed. Yes, Glimmer was quite a catch. In fact, Mr. Trinity was convinced that she'd be perfect for our little plan: strong, beautiful, independent. But she didn't want to play nice, so we had to play rough. A little too much Bubbly, and well..."

 

K'yle shrugged with a rueful smile, as if he were confessing to having broken a toy, or some other trivial manner.

 

"So unless you want us to play rough with you," Mr. Trinity said, unbuttoning his dress shirt and unfastening his belt, "you'd be wise to start talking. I'll ask you again. Who are you? Who sent you here? Answer me!"

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]Alright guys, we are now moving into the final phase of our second mission. Currently, our heroes are in a real pinch! As before, feel free to narrate your combat with enemies, just avoid taking them out of commission permanently. Once everything is squared away, I'll proceed with the next GM Post. Teen Titans, GO!

 

[Dad]

At last, the Titans made their move.  They had sneaked their way into the club elevator without being seen, and had now been gently catapulted upwards two floors, to a practically black floor.  When the elevator closed behind them, and the Titans were plunged further into darkness, Alfonso was gripped by a sickening pain in his stomach.  Something didn't feel right.  And upon Cygnus generating an artificial light to allow the Titans to better observe their surroundings, he really wished his comrade hadn't done so.  The looks on the faces of these heavily drugged teens--no.  They were more like zombies now.  They were essentially husks, barely breathing, hardly living.  And it was around the time that Alfonso noticed Haylee, that he became almost completely consumed with rage.  His fists balled, as he looked into the eyes of the once cheerful Haylee, but what stared back at him was not the same person.

 

They had been manipulated.  They had been used.  They had been twisted, turned, and abused, becoming cheap toys to whomever believed this to be a wonderful idea.  "Alfonso?"

 

There was no reasoning in their eyes.  There was no sign of understanding or care.  "Alfonso."

 

The only thing Alfonso could see was a manufactured high.  A generated, false happiness that temporarily let them escape reality, only to come crashing down like test dummies when it was all said and done.  "Alfonso, don't act rashly.  You have to play this smartly."

 

And what was worse, their lives were in danger.  And with reckless abandon they lunged at the Titans, weapons in hand.  There was a sudden eruption of light, as Alfonso's black hands gave off a soft heat and a burst flash almost like a stun grenade.  The attackers were temporarily blinded, as Alfonso prepared to retaliate.  He tore into his own lip, biting down in a red hot anger that poured from him like an overflowing tea kettle.  But killing these people--innocent people--was not an option.  Instead, he took a deep breath.  He would save his rage for whoever these teens were protecting.  Their boss, their master, their overseer, their creator.  He would hold onto this drug induced fury, and unleash all of it on them.  But right now, he had work to do.

 

He lit a tiny star in his hand, and tossed it gently into the largest crowd of his blinded foes, and let it pop like a balloon.  The resulting pop released hot ash and soot over those in the immediate area.  It wasn't enough to kill them, but the heat and impact would knock out six of them successfully.  Alfonso opened his palms wide, and spread out his arms as he stood blocking the path of the Bubbly crowd.  "Who else wants to be Star Struck?" he taunted.

[Saiba Aisu]

Cygnus instantly regretted his actions as the fifteen or so Royals that surrounded them came into view, their faces utterly blank, caught in some kind of drug-induced trance. He barely had time to scream before they struck, leaping from all directions, brandishing their makeshift weapons. Fortunately, Alfonso reacted quickly, temporarily blinding the enemy with a flash of bright light before tossing an exploding star into their midst.

 

Cygnus ducked as a muscular Royal swung at him with a rolling pin, the weapon hissing over his head. Before the man could strike again, he raised one hand, blasting his foe squarely in the chest with a concussive explosion of silver light that sent him hurtling backwards. The room was lit with uneven flashes of light as Cygnus hurled more of his Moon Bolts at the enemy, striking some of them, while a few attacks went astray, blasting apart furniture and mirrors. He could sense the other Titans fighting beside him, rather than see them—it was almost impossible to see anything in the chaotic melee, really.

 

Taking advantage of a sudden lull in the battle, the white-haired sorcerer raised his arms, preparing to invoke a more powerful spell that would function as a permanent light source, only to collapse onto his knees with a howl of agony, struggling to dislodge Haylee from his back, who had leaped from behind, plunging her kitchen knife deep into his left shoulder. As the girl raised her weapon to strike again, aiming for his neck this time, he blasted her with his lunar magic, sending her flying over the counter of the bar with a loud thud.

 

Con!¹ he berated himself, getting to his feet unsteadily, feeling the blood begin to flow from the wound. He should have expected an attack from behind. Gritting his teeth and trying to ignore the pain, he began to chant an incantation, each syllable haunting and piercing, laden with sorcery.

 

"Karreylos... Ethonim... Cazar!!" he cried, raising one hand to his mouth and blowing. Six swans blossomed from his lips, twisting through the air on wings of ethereal light, banishing the surrounding darkness, until the room seemed lit as if by the midday sun. Hopefully, the other Titans would be able to fight more effectively now that they could see.

 

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

¹ Dumbass!

[Hälō]

The fun was over, and now it was time for business. Sliding her arms into Matador's jacket, and rolling up its sleeves to allow herself free movement of her arms, Roxie watched silently as Cygnus illuminated the 3rd floor of club. They were everywhere. Brandishing makeshift weapons, and a zombie-like expression on their faces, as the Royals surrounded the Titans. Suddenly, Roxie couldn't help but regret having that last drink... 

 

It only took a moment for the action to kick off, and before she could even take up a fighting stance, two male Royals were upon her. Sloppily weaving under a right hook from the bigger of the two zombies, Roxie slammed Arondite into the base of the boy's chin, sending him reeling backwards into the darkness. "s***..." She groaned as her vision began to blur slightly. But there was no time for pity. Especially when the second Royal had decided to take the opportunity to grab hold of the hand that held her weapon. "No touching the goods!" She growled, as she began feverishly pounding at the boy's face with her free hand, to no avail. With his pain receptors completely dead, the zombie had no problem enduring the punishment until one of his companions appeared from the darkness the surrounded the lounge-turned battlefield, and took hold of the girls other hand. 

 

Suddenly, flashes of light from both Alfonso Cygnus’s attacks illuminated the room, allowing Roxie to witness the latter getting assaulted by a Royal with a knife. Gritting her teeth at the site of the knife plunging in Cygnus's shoulder, something in Roxie snapped. Vibrating with rage, the girl thrusted her foot forward into the chest of a Royal that came sprinted towards her, before using all of her strength to rip her right hand free from her captor's grasp. Wasting no time, the girl slammed the base of Arondite into the face of the zombie that held her left hand, causing him to stumble backwards before collapsing from the sudden head trauma. 

 

Watching as Cygnus's attacker was sent flying behind the bar, Roxie stumbled forward before dashing towards her new target with frightening speed. Just then, the room was further illuminated by what she could only assumed to be her teammate's magic; allowing her to lock eyes with the knife wielding Royal as she slowly brought herself back to her feet. The drugs had slowed the other girl's movements, and even when heavily intoxicated, Roxie's training with the Knights of the Round table meant that the zombie never had chance. 

 

"b****!" Slamming both hands on the bar, Roxie swung herself towards her victim in a brutal double roundhouse kick that sent the other girl tumbling over the countertop even faster than she had traveled the first time. The sound of the shattering glass seemed to feed Roxie's drunken rage, and before the knife wielding Royal had even finished skidding across the ground, Roxie was sprinting towards her; smashing her weapon into any enemies that attempted to interrupt her frenzy . "I'll... I'll..." She stumbled over her words as she slammed her boot into the other girl's stomach, watching with a sick satisfaction as her body tumbled into the wall. "You could have f***ing killed him!" Simply saying the words "kill" and referring to one of her teammates was enough renew Roxie rage... 

 

Roxie watched as the husk of a girl began to stir, and attempt to rise to her feet again. Though she wouldn't dare admit it to herself, she was glad. She wasn't through with the btich yet... Not by a long shot. Everything else seemed to vanish, leaving Roxie alone to savor the moment. How long had it been since she'd done something like this? She drunkly contemplated, as memories from her past came surging back. Usually such memories were bitter, but in this instance she found herself relishing in the brutality, the ruthlessness. Though she was far too gone to realized it, the girl had become Lancelot again. 

 

"Com'on, you skank..." Walking up to her victim, Lancelot allowed the Royal to get back on her feet, only to grab her by the hair and slam her right back down to the floor.  "Get up!" She spat, the slur from early still very much present. Sadly enough, the Royal complied; slowly rolling to the side, before propping herself up against the wall. It seemed that the other girl's frail body had reached it's limits... but Lancelot couldn't have cared less. Her gaze hung on the other girl’s discarded knife; more specifically the blood that was painfully present on the blade, Cygnus's blood. 

 

Once, again the blonde was vibrating with furry. “Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up!” Was all she could manage to say, as she grabbed the other girl by her throat and began mercilessly punching her in the face. “Y-You’re not taking them from me!” She barked at the top of her lungs before cocking her fist back. A single tear rolling down her cheek as lightning began to dance around the girl’s fingers, signifying that she had begun charging her fist with kinetic energy. “I’d rather send the lot of you to hell, before losing a single one of them!” Suddenly the face of the Royal was replaced with that of the cold glare of King Arthur, leader of the Knights, and her former father. "Then stop your babbling and do it. Talk means nothing..." 

 

[Mr. Hyde]

Cygnus was injured, Kiara was in danger, and Alfonso and Roxxie were kicking ass.  Between the flashes that illuminated the room, one might be able to see Blake's knees quiver a bit.  He was like a crustacean without it's shell, exposing all the fleshy interior ready to be dipped in butter and ate.  Wow...he must've really been some sort of drunk to be thinking of food in a time like this.  

 

*THUD*

 

The sound of metal could be heard hitting the side of Blake's head.  The force was painful, but the alcohol had numbed most of the feeling.  He turned around while rubbing his head to see one of the Royal girls with a crow bar in her hand.  "As if...I should've hit you with the sharp side.  Then you'd totally be pain-making!"  Blake knew by this time that these teens were under the influence of whatever it was that they were here to investigate.  He didn't even need his scanners to come to that conclusion either, just the old Blake intuition!  As the girl leaped towards Blake to finish him with the sharp side of the crow bar, Blake rolled under her.  As she landed with a grunt, Blake came up behind her and gripped her waist with both arms.

 

"Usually i'd order you a drink first, but I'll make an acception!"  Blake heaved the girl over his head, and slammed her into the floor.  "I need my suit here, and I need it now!  I expect the threat level to rise as we advance, and I don't want to be exposed to the..." as he was in mid-sentence, the girl rose from being suplexed joined by another girl, "...elements."  Blake had been sending a signal from his eye to his suit for the past four minutes, he had hoped it would get here sooner.  

[Ren✧]

Kiara fought the urge to throw up. She also wanted to cry and scream, but mostly she wanted to throw up. Being knocked senseless, stripped, and then chained to the wall be a number of psychopaths had that effect on an individual though. She tried not to look at Glimmer's body, but something kept bringing her gaze back to it. 'That's going to be me,' She thought. 'If I don't get out of this, that's going to be me.' Of course, it could be worse. Oh yes, it could be worse. Her eyes, flicked to the two figures that stood silently in the background. The Night Sisters. They were the worse.

 

If this Mr. Trinity didn't kill her, then she might find herself dragged back to Matron Supreme. No. She would find a way to kill herself before she let that happen. Kiara made a silent promise to herself that she would never find herself in the clutches ever again, no matter the circumstances. If that meant she died, so be it. Even if it meant her friends died, well then it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. They probably wouldn't be able to understand, and she didn't expect them to. Regardless, she wouldn't be going back to Matron Supreme unless it was to finish that jabroni off once and for all. 

 

"Answer me!"

 

Mr. Trinity's outburst snapped Kiara out of her train of thought. She didn't need telepathy to be able to get a read on this man. He was a powerful man, but a simple one, easily manipulated. Perfect prey for the Night Sisters. No doubt he was intimidating to the likes of K'yle, what with his wealth and stature, but to the Sister's, Trinity was nothing more than a sack of testosterone in an overpriced suit. He probably had no idea the extent to which he was being played. Which meant Kiara, despite her precarious position, actually had the advantage here.

 

"If you knew anything about the Sisterhood, Mr. Trinity, you'd know that there's no escaping it. I'm just like my Sisters over there. I'm just playing my part, doing what Matron Supreme asks, and if you don't let me go right now, then you'll have her to answer to." Kiara bluffed, although she thought the lie sounded pretty convincing. Even the Night Sisters in the room wouldn't be able to tell if she were being truthful, the organization had numerous undercover agents that most of the other operatives didn't know about it. As far as they knew, Kiara was one of them. She could only hope that Mr. Trinity was smart enough to fear Matron Supreme as much as he should. 

[Saiba Aisu]

Even with a full load of Bubbly coursing through her nervous system, deadening her pain receptors, Haylee was no match for Roxie, and she was fading quickly under the blonde's savage onslaught. Her manicured nails scrabbled desperately at the former knight's hand, drawing faint lines of blood, trying to break the grip around her throat, but it was no good. Roxie was gone, replaced by some hellish fury that now rained blows upon her, bent on revenge.

 

"Y-you're not taking them from me!" Roxie cried at the top of her lungs, punching the girl's face repeatedly with her free hand. "I'd rather send the lot of you to hell, before losing a single one of them!" She drew her fist back once more, lightning dancing around her fingers...

 

"Roxie, STOP!!"

 

Cygnus' hand closed around his teammate's wrist, struggling to keep her from striking Haylee again, whose head was rolling limply on her neck now, completely unconscious, her face reduced to a swollen a mass of bruises. The boy's own face was paler than usual from loss of blood, but his expression was determined.

 

"Don't do it, Roxie!" Cygnus cried again, yelling to make himself heard over the surrounding chaos, trying to reach the usually cheerfully and sunny girl he knew was somewhere underneath. "Don't turn into a murderer! Don't kill her! It isn't worth it!"

 

He only hoped that she had heard his desperate words, because right now, he really didn't have the strength to stop her.

 

 

"Is that possible?" Mr. Trinity asked, taken aback, turning slightly towards the two Night Sisters standing side by side in the shadows. A faint note of hesitation and concern entered his voice as he considered the possibility of angering the sinister leader of the female cult. "Is the girl telling the truth?"

 

"It is possible, but highly unlikely," the shorter of the two replied after a moment, her cold voice hissing through the void, totally devoid of all emotion. "We were not informed about any additional Sisters being dispatched for this mission. Although Matron Supreme is interested in your little experiment, she wants to keep as much of a low profile as possible, in order to avoid another direction confrontation with the Justice League. You understand."

 

"The Justice League! Bah!" Mr. Trinity spat dismissively, clearly angered by the mention of them. "They're too busy running around saving the world, blinded by their arrogance and misplaced sense of superiority. They would never deal with something so trifling as the adolescent drug trade in a single city, that's a job for the police... By the time they discover our real plan, it will be far too late."

 

"The girl is, or was, a Night Sister," the taller of the two women added, her sibilant voice as chilling as her partner's, issuing from the depths of her black hood like a snake twisting through reeds. "That much is certain—the tattoos on her body are proof of it. And like she says, Matron Supreme has been known to dispatch her personal agents with their own orders from time to time, to function as her eyes and ears... But... As a general rule, those agents are far more cunning and powerful than the rest, more than capable of defending themselves. This girl, on the other hand, is still fresh by our standards. She's strong, but her technique is sloppy, unrefined. I don't see why Matron Supreme would choose someone like her."

 

There was a heavy silence as Mr. Trinity turned back towards Kiara, still chained naked to the wall.

 

"Perhaps I may be of help?" K'yle asked, coughing primly. "After she was so kind as to walk blindly into our trap, Kiara tried to make contact with someone... Or several someones. She said, 'Arcana to Titans. Requesting back-up on the third floor immediately,' if I'm not mistaken. I made sure to leave the rest of Royals in the lounge with orders to kill any intruders, just in case they did come for her."

 

Mr. Trinity threw back his head and laughed, his triangular golden earrings shining in the light from overhead. "I see," he replied, his face breaking into a vicious smile, like a hunting dog that has finally caught the scent of its prey. "So that explains it... The Teen Titans."

[Ren✧]

Kiara bit her tongue to keep from screaming out. Her little mind game had been easily figured out. That said, it was clear that Mr. Trinity was at least wary of the Night Sisters and the threat that they posed. That meant she could perhaps buy herself some more time, hopefully time that the other Titans would use to find her because she couldn't foresee any circumstance in which she got out of this alone. At this point, she would just have to continue create discord between her captors until an opportunity presented itself.

 

"Hm, yes, I guess you've probably seen our tower." Kiara said, trying to appear as if their little deduction didn't faze her. "The thing is Mr. Trinity, if the Justice League really is too arrogant to be concerned with the likes of you, why am I here at all? Why not let you run your little drug ring and go after bigger fish? Go on, I'll give you a second to figure it out." Kiara paused, adopting a smug expression that rivaled the one on K'yle's face. After an appropriate amount of time had passed she began again. "Still stumped? Let me spell it out for you. We're on to you. We've been on to you. And we're here to shut you down. This bigger game you've been playing, it's over, and now that it is, your playmates," Kiara crudely gestured with her chin to the Night Sisters, "don't expect them to stick around for long, you were just a pawn to them anyway." 

 

Kiara felt like her speech had done the trick. Now she just had to wait and see if they would turn on each other like she hoped. Trinity didn't seem like an all too stable man, and she knew from experience that Sisters weren't very patient with men. If she had any luck, perhaps things would come to all out blows between them. Of course, the really lucky thing would be for the other Titans to hurry up and find her!

[Dad]

In a flash, Alfonso witnessed Roxie break down, and nearly kill one of the teens.  Cygnus, who had been stabbed in the shoulder by Haylee, managed to rip Roxie away from her victim, in an effort to keep them alive.  Blake was now being overrun by two assailants, and the Titans didn't seem to be getting anywhere.  It would take a cold knock out to put these teens under, in order to force them to stay down.  With careful aim, Alfonso lit a small barrage of stars in his palms, resonating with a very low heat.  One by one, he began firing the stars like bean bags, plucking them into the horde of teens, aiming for their foreheads.  The force was just enough to knock them on their asses and unconscious, as Alfonso managed to mow down four of their attackers in quick succession.  "And the crowd goes wild!  Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he taunted, still firing ballistic stars at the Royals.  Alfonso began to press forward, trying to pressure the Royals backwards and provide cover fire for his allies.

 

"Get your asses up!  Press on!  Go find Kiara!"  Alfonso pressed forward a bit more, his back to Cygnus, Roxie, and Blake.  The stars he fired kept the Royals oocupied for the time being, forcing them to dance around the chaos instead of moving productively.  And now, to conserve his energy, Alfonso fired from a single hand, his spare hand gripping his wrist tightly.  "I can't keep this up, so you better get moving.  I'm right behind you."

 

"Alfonso.  We don't have the energy for this.  You're pushing your body too hard."

 

Alfonso made a mental note of what Altiana was saying, as he continued to fire.  

 

"Yeah.  I know."

[Mr. Hyde]

He now had two girls chomping at the bits to spill his blood.  "Talk about a royal pain in the..."  Before his sentence could be finished, the girls made a made dash for him.  

 

*CRASH*

 

A Blake sized capsule had crashed through the top of the building and landed on top of Blake, encasing him in a metallic pod.  The two assailants had smacked right into it at full speed, and were now unconscious.  As they slid off the smooth chrome exterior, the capsule popped open with a mechanical hiss.  Blake stepped out, completely covered by his armor.  He walked past the snoozing royals and stretched.  

 

BGM

 

"Reuinited, and it feels so good..." he said with a pleasant tone, almost as if he was sighing blissfully.  Now that he wasn't under attack, he took his time to scan the room with the enhancements of his suit.  This setup was being watched by someone, now he just had to figure out where those someones might be.  He switched between infrared, thermal, and UV settings but came up with no results.  "Hope everyone's got their lead vests on, I'm switching to X-Ray vision!"  As he did, a noticeable hallway appeared behind that ominous black lion statue.  "Secret passage?  Sweet..."  Blake couldn't tell by the wiring where the secret switch was located, but he was sure that the Titans could best the obstacle. 

 

"I can't keep this up, so you better get moving.  I'm right behind you."

 

"Don't worry Alf, you don't have to keep it up!"  Blake boosted his thrusters and flew towards the gathering crowd of royals, knocking them over like bowling pins.  "That should buy us some time.  Cyg, Alf, Rox, help me move this damn creepy lion!"  Blake pointed towards the lion statue he had seen the corridor behind earlier.  "There's a passage behind it, and if we wanna get out of here and find Kiara, that's our best bet!"  It wouldn't be long before the bloodthirsty royals got back to their feet, so it had to be done quick.  

[Hälō]

"Don't do it, Roxie! Don't turn into a murderer! Don't kill her! It isn't worth it!"

 

"Get your asses up!  Press on!  Go find Kiara!"

 

 "There's a passage behind it, and if we wanna get out of here and find Kiara, that's our best bet!"

 

The voices of her friends pierced the cloudy vail that had set in over Roxie's mind, causing the image of Arthur to fade, leaving only the bruised and battered face of an unconscious Haylee. Starring down at the broken form of the girl that they had met at the start of this adventure, the bloodlust seem to slowly drain from Roxie's gaze as she came to the realization that the poor girl wasn't in control of her actions.

 

"..." Unable to form words, Roxie slowly released her grip around the other girls throat and brought herself to her feet. Cygnus was right, it wasn't worth it. Haylee... Haylee was an innocent, a victim in the grand scheme of things. Taking her life would have been simply unacceptable, and Roxie couldn't forgive herself for that. Gently yanking her hand free from her teammate's grasp, the blonde turned to Cygnus, only to quickly spin around towards where Blake and pointed out the obstacle. She couldn't bare to make eye contact with mage... not after what she had just proven that she was capable of.

 

But she didn't have time to wallow in her shame. Not when another one of the Titans- no, her friend was still in danger. Clenching her firsts, the girl slowly walked towards Lion statue, avoiding the eyes of both Blake and Alfonso. She was still angry. No. That was an understatement... she was furious. The girl was going to find whoever was responsible for this, the drugs, the Royals, Kiara's disappearance, all of it. They were going to pay, she'd be sure of that. Haylee may have be an innocent, but them... they were a different story. 

 

"I'm going to go ape s*** in there, so when I say move, move." She warned her comrades as raised Arondite up to her side and took a swing at the statue with everything she had. Oddly enough, though the impact of the strike produced a horrible shockwave that caused the entire room to tremble and a small cloud of dust to kick up from the building's shaking supports, when the cloud cleared the statue was still very much in place. Raising an eyebrow, Roxie turned to Blake for answers.  

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: "Bubbly" (Club 0XYGEN, 3rd Floor, 3:45 A.M.)

---

[spoiler=GM Post]

Despite their superior numbers and the element of surprise, the Royals—even with Bubbly coursing through their veins—were no match for the Teen Titans. One by one, the elegantly clad youths lost consciousness and slammed to the ground, their makeshift weapons slipping from their numb fingers, felled by Alfonso's barrage of stars and Blake's aerial tackles. As the last of them tumbled senselessly to the floor, a brief silence hung upon the room for a moment, broken only by the soft and steady wingbeats of the six swans as they floated serenely in place, casting their ethereal light.

 

BANNNNNGGGG!!

 

Roxie had swung powerfully at the lion statue with Arondite, nailing it squarely in the chest with a blow that seemed to make the walls of the very room tremble, while a low gong emanated from the structure, like a massive churchbell. The chandelier above the Titans shifted fitfully, its magnificent glass surface shaking and chiming faintly in the aftermath, while dust trickled from the ceiling. When the sound faded and the dust cleared, however, the statue was still whole and still very much in place, a fact that did not fail to surprise Roxie as she turned to Blake for answers.

 

"Wow," he whistled, his voice crystal clear despite the fact that it was issuing from within his suit, its visor flashing as he performed a more detailed examination. "Sorry, Rox. If my calculations are correct, this thing is made of pure adamanthium. You don't see that every day."

 

"Meaning?" the girl asked, crossing her arms, looking rather annoyed that something could have withstood a full power blow from Arondite.

 

"Meaning that it's practically indestructible by conventional methods," Blake replied, rather matter-of-factly. "Not to mention incredibly heavy. Looks like whoever's running this operation didn't want to take any chances."

 

"So how do we get past it?" Cygnus asked with a grimace, walking forward slowly, one hand held gingerly to the wound on his shoulder. "Kiara's got to be on the other side. Who knows in what condition she's in. We don't have any time to lose."

 

"For once, I agree with Cygnus," Alfonso said, stepping forward, his eyes narrowing as he raised his black-marked hands, ignoring Altiana's warnings to be careful. "Stand back! I'll handle this!"

 

Dazzling beams of blue and red light shot from the young Titan's palms, engulfing the massive black stone statue until its ruby eyes seemed to come alive, scattering and reflecting the radiance onto the surrounding walls. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, the statue began to lift into the air, hovering precariously a few feet above the ground.  Alfonso gritted his teeth from the effort of keeping it aloft, willing it to move.

 

"Karreylos Ethonim Cazar," Cygnus murmured softly, raising his own hands, still a bit dizzy from blood loss, his eyes glowing silver as he drew upon his lunar magic. Five of the six swans overhead vanished silently, plunging the room back into semi-gloom, save for the immediate vicinity around the Titans, which remained illuminated. Moments later, new constructs of light manifested—long narrow arms ending in wickedly hooked fingers that resembled claws, rather like those of a bird of prey. At Cygnus' command, the hands sped forward, catching hold of the statue on either side, trying to help Alfonso move it.

 

Yet even then, even with two Titans working together, the statue might have defeated them both, had it not been for Blake. With a low grunt, he caught hold of the statue from below, the mechanical joints of his battlesuit creaking from the effort as he stepped sideways slowly. Working as a team, the three Titans were able to move the statue a few feet to the left and deposit it—nevertheless, the statue was so heavy that when it made contact with the ground again, the Titans could literally hear the floor protesting as cracks and fractures appeared across its surface.

 

Alfonso lowered his hands, the light around them fading, and bent over, panting slightly, while Cygnus swayed rather dangerously, as if he were about to faint, only to be caught and righted by Roxie. The blonde's eyes were trained on the newly-exposed stretch of wall that had lain behind the statue. It looked innocent enough, yet according to Blake, there was a secret tunnel on the other side. And perhaps Kiara, too.

 

"Hang in there, Kiara-love," she growled, raising her metallic bat over her shoulder once more, her eyes glowing with golden kinetic energy as she let loose another savage blow.

 

 

"We've been on to you," Kiara said, adopting a smug smile as she lied boldly, trying to play for more time. "And we're here to shut you down. This bigger game you've been playing, it's over. And now that it is, don't expect your playmates to stick around for long. You were just a pawn to them anyway."

 

At the young hero's words, Mr. Trinity pulled up short and tensed, shooting a suspicious glance over his shoulder at the two Night Sisters, who remained silent. The girl was trying to mess with him, break his focus—that much was clear. But what if she had a point? Could the shadowy pair really be trusted...?

 

BOOM!!

 

A resounding crash sounded from somewhere not too far below, as if a wrecking ball had just slammed into a wall at full force.

 

"K'yle!" Mr. Trinity growled. "What's going on? Report!"

 

"It looks like someone's gotten past the statue," K'yle replied, sounding rather less sleek than usual as he quickly consulted his watch, a miniature holographic screen appearing from the device, displaying a feed tied to the surveillance cameras installed in the statue's eyes. "The Royals are down—looks like someone pulled a serious number on them. Friends of yours, Kiara?" he asked, shooting the girl a rather nasty look.

 

"Of course," she replied, trying her best to sound confident despite the fact that she was still chained up and at the utter mercy of her captors. The other Titans! They were coming! "Better run fast before they arrive, little man. If you want to get a head start, that is."

 

K'yle's picture perfect smile faded then vanished completely, leaving his chin looking rather feeble in its absence. He did not look particularly handsome anymore; no, to the contrary, he looked positively terrified, like a prisoner on death row. Behind him, the two Night Sisters began to converse swiftly in an undertone, evidently discussing this latest unexpected development.

 

"This changes nothing!" Mr. Trinity roared, trying to desperately to maintain the illusion that he was in control. He began to punch a series of numerical combinations furiously into his own digital watch, his eyes bulging in their sockets, as if possessed. "Security are on their way. When they arrive, we'll catch your little friends in a pincer movement and slaughter them, and when we do—"

 

"It's over, Trinity," Kiara said firmly, cutting across the other man, trying to diffuse his anger. "Don't be a fool, the best thing to do now is to go quietly..."

 

Her ploy to buy time had worked: now, if only she could get him and K'yle to turn themselves in without a fight... She refused to acknowledge the Night Sisters for the moment, only too aware that surrender was not an option for them. Night Sisters fought and conquered, or if the situation was particularly disadvantageous, turned and fled until they could recover and strike again. But they never surrendered.

 

"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH, YOU WHORE!!" Mr. Trinity screamed, backlashing the girl viciously across the face with one of his massive hands, his face rendered inhuman by fear and rage.

 

At that moment, the locked door behind him was blasted open, shrieking as it was blown off its hinges, allowing the Titans to swarm into the torture chamber. Cygnus was the last to enter the room but as his gaze fell upon Kiara, naked and tied to the wall, Mr. Trinity hanging over her, breathing hard, he pulled up short, his pale features twisting into an expression of indescribable fury.

 

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!" he yelled, his eyes glowing silver once more, raising one hand so quickly that it was almost a blur. A circular barrier of translucent light blossomed in between Mr. Trinity and Kiara, so powerful and abrupt that it caught the man off-balance, forcing him a few step backwards with a grunt.

 

"GET THEM!" Mr. Trinity roared, pointing at the Titans. He turned and ran, K'yle at his heels, in the direction of another door at the far end of the room. The Titans began to move forward, eager to give chase and deal justice—

 

"Watch out!!" Kiara screamed from behind the shield, her voice breaking with panic.

 

The two Night Sisters leaped from the shadows high into the air, their cloaks spreading out behind them like bat wings as they hurled a withering barrage of needles at the young heroes, until the very air seemed to hiss with the sound.

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]Alright guys, we are now in the final phase of our mission. For now, do your best to handle the Night Sisters! As I previously mentioned, these are B Class enemies (our current heroes fall somewhere in between the C or C+ range). They have the same powers as Kiara—super strength and durability due to the enchanted barriers, as well gymnastic ability, but at a much more refined level. I will be posting more information about them in the OOC Thread or the Skype chat. Teen Titans, GO!

 

[Dad]

Alfonso sighed, as the Night Sisters lunged at the Titans.  "I could really, really use a na-"

 

"Alfonso!"

 

"Oh for fuc--eesh!" he narrowly avoided several needles to the face, rolling out of the way.  But that roll that Alfonso used had managed to take the wind out of his sails.  His heart was beating rapidly, his head was bleeding again, and he could feel his head pounding.  Alfonso took cover behind a support column, placing his hand over his heart.  That rage he had been holding onto. . . it meant nothing.  With the previous interrogation having taken such a massive toll on his body, Alfonso was on the verge of falling unconscious again.  He hadn't had much time to recover, before the Titans were forced to engage again.  And if that wasn't bad enough, that statue he had tried to move only hastened his condition.  Last but not least, Altiana couldn't do much assisting, because her interference would likely push Alfonso over the edge.  He had very few options right now, and the most he could do was to lay down sporadic cover fire.

 

His breathing was hectic and Alfonso felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.  Taking a hit now would possibly be the end of Alfonso.  He lobbed slow stars at various angles from behind the column, but he wasn't sure if he was hitting either of the Night Sisters.  He had to be careful not to hit his teammates.  

 

"Sorry guys, but this is all I can do!" he called over the sound of exploding miniature stars.  "Wanna help me with my timing!?" he joked, wondering when and where he should toss his explosive rounds.