Ah, listening to a jazzed up edition of the Megaman 3 intro- my fav intro of them all.
Also, while I was watching stuff today, I found a BUTT LOAD of 'Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door' movies. Needless to say, I'm very happy with the innovations in the series.
Hop over to
www.ign.com if you're interested.
WOW, EP, your sig is Amy Rose. ^_^ Surprise.
Anyway, since you've all been good, here's what I have of 11 so far...
<-{--[*<Begin Transmission>*]--}->
The Q4D! Saga...
Winds of Fate: The X Factor
Chapter 11- Smashed Destiny
The late morning light made her emerald eyes sparkle as they welcomed the glowing rays in. Her eyelids remained half closed as her face had a dreamy smile plastered upon it. She glanced to her right a little to see Robin's head. His jaw was slightly open, and his eyes were closed. Starfire could feel her head slowly rising and falling in rhythm, and she realized that she was resting on Robin's chest at an angle. This, of course, only made her feel better and want to go back to sleep. It was the type of moment she had only been dreaming of for the longest time.
As she noticed that the door was closed and Robin didn't look like he was about to wake, Starfire decided to relish this moment and milk it for all it was worth. She latched her hand around his own as she snuggled her head a little closer to his neck.
{I am going to assume that perhaps Robin no longer feels he lacks the readiness for a romantic relationship.}
.+.*.+.
"You really DO have to drink that stuff every morning, don't you?" Beastboy asked her, shaking his head.
"Mm hm," Raven replied as she tilted an old ceramic tea cup to her lips.
"Blech!" Beastboy shot out his tongue in disgust.
Tenochtitlan beamed as she shoved a glass of orange juice into his hands.
"I have to drink THIS every morning," she told him. He grinned back at her as his nose shifted into an elephant snout and sucked it all up like a straw.
Giggling, Tay chugged her own drink down in one go. Raven smirked at their horseplay, and they both turned to her.
"Well?" Beastboy said expectantly. As a two pairs of gren eyes stared at her, Raven hatched an idea.
She dropped her tea cup, and it hovered in darkness in the air before her face. She opened her mouth wide as the brown liquid- which turned black- eerily swerved through the air as a beam, sailing straight into her mouth.
"Nice!" Beastboy laughed, giving her applause.
"Wow, Ray, you're not hiding in your hood this morning," Link commented humorously as he used a large mug to give himself a heaping serving of coffee. "That's something new."
Ray smiled weakly, not facing him.
"What, have you found out how nice SUNSHINE is, or something?" he asked her jokingly before gulping down some of his drink.
"You could say that," Raven muttered as she caught her cup in her hand and walked briskly away. After she was gone, Tay was hovering around where Link was standing at the counter, beside the coffee machine. His words somehow felt like needles, and Raven didn't like it in the least.
"Is that...coffee...???" she whispered in excitement. Beastboy's eyes bulged open as he lunged for her, grabbing her arm.
"Ih- NOPE! That's, eh, chocolate milk!" he lied to her, dragging her away. "Isn't it, Link?"
Link stared at him dully, sipped from his drink, and shrugged. "Sure."
"See? NOT coffee, so let's just stay away from it, and-"
"I can HANDLE it this time!" Tenochtitlan whimpered. "I promise I won't go crazy..."
"Oh, that's what you're gonna tell me NOW, and then you're gonna get hooked again, n'-..."
"Fine," Tay huffed as she gave in and began to exit the room beside Beastboy.
"Thanks. That stuff's not good for you- last time I we had to pin you up against the wall and-" Beastboy paused as he noticed that his girlfriend was not beside him. Immediately worried, he spun around to see her diving at the coffee machine, snatching the glass container filled with it and splashing it all over her face. She was squatting on the counter, holding herself up with one arm on a cupboard drawer, the other hand pouring the coffee into her face. Link was standing casually beside her, sucking down his own serving of the caffienated beverage.
With a yelp, Beastboy dashed for her and began attemtping to pry it from her hands as it went spilling all over. Fortunately, it wasn't too hot, otherwise they'd both have been burned quite badly.
"If it's not Raven who's creeping me out, it's someone ELSE," Link concluded with a sigh as he sat on a stool at the island and watched for entertainment.
*-*[(*)]*-*
"AW YEAH!! Twenty-five hit combo, baby!!"
Cyborg grinned widely with glee as he battled against an opponent online on his Gamestation. Mario was relaxing on the couch beside him on the his left, laying back with his legs kicked up on the coffee table and his hands on his neck. He didn't seem terribly excited, however.
After glancing at two large robots beating the crap out of each other on the large screen, Raven sighed and took a seat on Cyborg's right. She smiled as she noticed the ancient book she had been reading on the table. She must've left it there the night before.
Cyborg seemed to really be getting into the action, and some of the guys gathered around to cheer him on.
"That's it, man!" Beastboy cried. Tay flinched behind him with every blow exchanged onscreen. This sort of strange entertainment was still new to her. She sneaked out of the room, letting the boys play with their toy.
Cyborg let out a grunt here and there as he realized he was losing the upper hand.
"What is THAT, man?" Sonic demanded as Cyborg's character was thrown to the ground by a downward vertical punch.
"K.O.!!!" an announcer bellowed.
Raven was staring at the screen in the corner of her eye, and she made a sly remark.
"You blocked when you should have parried."
Cyborg glanced over to her smirking face, and he couldn't help but grin himself. A deep voice boomed from the screen as Cyborg's opponent spoke to him over the net.
"You have been decimated by Atlas, the champion of all!"
Lifting a brow, Cyborg sighed and placed his controller down on the table as he began to stand up and leave. However, Mario kicked down on it with his foot, flipping it upward. Catching it with ease, he pressed the 'Start' button and moved his cursor down to the word 'Rematch.'
Cyborg froze and imediately sat back down. Everyone else in the room grew deathly quiet- Mario was playing.
"Oh, ho!" the mysterious opposition chuckled. "You think you possess the power to triumph over Atlas? Atlas is perfect, Atlas has no flaws. No human can defeat Atlas."
Mario simply cracked a devilish smile.
"Human? Where?" he muttered devilishly.
/__-(+)-__\
Tenoch gasped in shock from her new friend's tale.
"Are...Are you serious...?"
"Psh- yea!" Terra cried out, rubbing her head where a bandaid had been placed.
"Man," Link moaned, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm real sorry I wasn't there, Terra..."
"It's all right," Terra assured him with a smile. "I'm kinda glad you weren't there...I wasn't so sure I could stand up for myself like that, but...I guess I was wrong." She laughed at herself a little.
Tay was still caught in shock, though, and burst out in protest.
"The other Titans said that this Slade person is REALLY dangerous...You shouldn't have tried fighting him alone like that!" she scolded, giving her a shove.
"I was FINE," Terra defended herself. "Besides, I got the diamond back, didn't I? He was going to get away..."
Tay sighed deeply, shaking her head slowly.
"I guess..."
"I proved I have what it takes to be a Titan, though, didn't I?" she asked, feeling confident about herself.
"I'd say so," Link agreed, patting her on the back. "You keep this up and you'll be a true Titan in no time."
Beastboy came bounding in the room, a huge smile plastered upon him. He paused and gave Tay a kiss on the cheeck before sitting beside her and grabbing her hand.
"Dude! You missed it, Tay! Mario SO kicked that guy's butt! It was great! They were-"
Sonic had blown into the kitchen, tossing everyone's hair all over. The girls present obviously made out worse than the guys did.
"Did you guys see Tikal?" he asked quickly, his legs twitching.
"Er...No," Link mumbled. He glanced at the others, who all shook their heads and muttered their "no"'s. Tay and Terra shoved all of their hair out of their face.
"****it," Sonic growled, tossing his arms. "Where is she NOW? She was JUST with me a minute ago, n' then BAM- she's gone. Grrr!!"
He zipped off out of the room, clearly concerned.
"What's his deal?" Beastboy mumbled curiously.
Tenoch giggled, her eyes beaming yellow.
"Tikal's like that," she explained. "She'll be there one minute and off wandering around the next. A real free-spirited girl..." Tay sighed as her mind itself wandered. "I've known her for some while..." She got slightly excited as she began to tell Beastboy about a past experience.
"I remember this one day when I was showing her around my home, and at about EVERY place we went to I'd be telling her stuff, and I'd look, and OF COURSE she wouldn't be there." Tenochtitlan was glowing with joy as she remembered the events.
Beastboy carefully studied her beautiful yellow retinas.
"Tay...You...You're REMEMBERING," he tried to make her realized, squeezing her hand. She blinked out of her vision and her jaw dropped.
"I am!" she squealed happily. "Oh, oh..." She concentrated as she tried to remember more. "Um...Old buildings...Lots of old buildings...And...And trees and fruit, l-like a jungle..." She was squinting, milking the memory for all it was worth, but she couldn't really get any more out of it.
"Hm...That's it," she mumbled.
"It's more than yesterday," Beastboy encouraged, rubbing her shoulder.
Terra was completely baffled about all of this, but Link had attemtped to fill her in on it the night before. It was a real mess, but it made her feel better to know that she wasn't the only one who didn't know what she was doing.
"That would SO creep me out," Terra said to Link, remarking the whole 'not-being-able-to-remember-the-past' thing.
"Meh. It doesn't really matter to me anymore," Link admitted. "I'm where I am- and that's that. Doesn't matter where I was, now does it?"
"...Maybe," Terra shrugged, unsure.
When they looked up, Beastboy was calmly taking the coffee pot away from his girlfriend and placing it on the counter as she wiped the liquid from her face with her arms.
"Happy now?" he asked her with a disappointed face.
+#-*-#+
"Aw, yea, bro," Cyborg said with a nod, hitting Mario's knuckles with his own. "Dat's the good stuff. You kicked it to his FACE, man."
Mario was back in his relaxed position, smirking.
"Mah. That guy got a fistful of his own crap. That's how it's done."
Cyborg laughed a little, impressed by the gaming spectacle he had just witnessed. Suddenly, he felt his arm vibrate as it lit up with neon blue light and the Teen Titans theme was beeped out from it.
He lifted his arm up to his face to inspect his 'phone' and see who was calling. He wasn't greeted by a face, however. Only a black screen with a mysterious symbol on it. It was in red, and it was a pawprint with three claws. A little confused, Cyborg answered.
"Hello?"
"..."
There was silence for a moment, and Cyborg waited quietly for an answer.
"Cyborg. Good morning."
Cyborg lifted a brow, perplexed.
"Uhhh...Yea. Who is this?" he asked, still dumbfounded.
"...This would be Destiny Smasher...Is Robin there?"
Cyborg glanced up at Mario, who was still smirking at him. He shrugged, having no idea where Robin was.
"Haven't seen Bluejay lately," he admitted. "I think he's still snoozin'.
"Is it important? I think the guy's still sleepin'," Cyborg explained. "Got a message ya want me to send him?"
The voice on the other side was solemn and calm as it delivered a response.
"Tell Robin that Destiny Smasher wishes to meet the Titans in person this evening. All of the Titans are to attend- ALL of them. We'll meet on the roof of the Wayne Enterprises building tonight at sunset."
A bit surprised and puzzled, Cyborg gave him a, "Yea, all right...I'll tell him," and realized that no one was there anymore.
"Whoa...Now that's messed up," he murmured to himself. "Yo," he said to Mario, dropping his arm back down. "You know what that was about?"
Mario shrugged, scratching his hair underneath his cap. He nodded toward the coffee table, noting the empty space on the right side where Raven had been sitting.
"Say, eh...Didn't Ray leave her book there?" he pondered aloud.
"...Yea," Cyborg answered slowly, puzzled. "But I didn't see her come back and get it..."
+))-)*(-((+
"Nothing happened!" Robin grumbled to Raven with a huff added at the end. "We talked, and...I don't know, we just...-"
Raven was smiling a big smile, and she rubbed his shoulder a little.
"Oh, I'm not worried about you, Robin. It's HER I'm worried about," she told him with a little laugh.
"...Yea," Robin muttered, feeling uncomfortable.
"So you're going out on another date tonight?"
Robin nodded, looking out of Starfire's window. They were in her room, but she had gone to the bathroom.
"Star said you were going to see a movie..." Robin clearly seemed distraught about something, so Raven silenced herself, waiting for him to say what he was going to- she knew he was going to say something.
"Raven, could you do me a favor?" he asked slowly. He almost felt bad about it, but he felt it needed to be said.
"Yea?" Raven responded, curious.
"Could you tell me...Why do you care so much about MY business with Starfire?" He had a hint of hostility about him, and it was like he had whipped a verbal birdarang at Raven's face. Raven bit her lip, looking down at the floor. She felt pretty foolish.
{I never really considered how ROBIN felt...I feel so stupid...}
"I've been...getting on your nerves..." Raven concluded aloud.
"Yes, you HAVE," Robin bluntly lashed out. "Everyone has- I'm sick of it! This isn't your business, it's mine and hers. If Starfire's going to tell you about what happens, fine. But you don't need to blab about it to everyone else, because-"
"I wasn't!" Raven defended herself, holding her palms out.
Robin huffed and shook his head. "Whatever!" he growled. "I just don't need everyone hassling me about it, all right? If you have your opinions, could you keep them to yourself?"
Raven avoided his gaze, staring at the random decorations on Starfire's beautifully crafted dresser. She felt like hiding in her cloak and storming out of the room. His tone was getting that bitterness to it and it felt like he was yelling at her. Raven couldn't stand being yelled at, for one reason or another. It made her feel horrible.
"Mm," she hummed back quickly. {I get the point!}
"You know how I am, Raven," Robin continued, venting his frustration. "I don't like being told what to do when it's nobody's business, and I need my privacy...So just back off a bit. I don't know what's been getting into you lately, but...-"
He was taking deep breaths, pacing back in forth in front of her bed in a limp. His leg was in a foot cast, but he ould hobble in it without a crutch now. He let loose a deep sigh as he tiredly plopped himself onto the bed's edge, his back facing her. After a pause, he apologized.
"Sorry," he grumbled. "It's not just you, it's everybody..."
"...It's all right," Raven muttered, still feeling afraid to say anything more.
"...Starfire's been telling me about how proud she is about the progress you've made with your powers, and...-"
"...Really...?" Raven was a little surprised, and she turned her head to look at Robin.
"...I know what it's like- feeling lonely when you're surrounded by people...I used to be that way, too."
{...He did...?}
"Star gets so happy when she talks about how much better you're doing lately. And I've noticed that you haven't had any problems with your powers, and you don't spend all of your day by yourself. To be honest, Raven, I'm impressed myself."
Raven's cheecks were pink, but Robin still wasn't glancing her way, so she averted her gaze back to the dresser.
"I didn't mean to be so nosy," she explained slowly. "Starfire's my best friend...I never thought for the longest time I would ever have a REAL friend...Honestly, I'm not sure I KNEW what one really WAS for a while. Ever since I became a Titan, I've always felt...detached...from everyone...But Starfire's helped me realize that I don't have to be. I care about her more than anything I've ever cared about in my life. And I'm sure she cares about YOU even more."
She took a pause to collect her thoughts and breathe. Moving her loose bang from her forehead, she finished.
"I don't want to see Starfire get hurt, Robin. I guess I just want to make sure you don't."
Robin gave her a puzzled expression as he turned around and eyed her. He was still getting over the fact that she hadn't been putting her hood on lately. It made her look like a different person- maybe because she kind of was. The way Star had explained it was that this Raven had been there all along, it just hadn't gotten the chance to come out until now. Robin figured this made sense, but it didn't change how different she seemed.
"Why would I hurt Starfire?" he questioned her incredulously.
Raven shook her head, closing her eyes. "I don't know," she grumbled. "I'm afraid that I myself may hurt her in some way. I don't like seeing people get hurt, especially when it's because of me..."
"You used to do it a LOT," Robin reminded her, his brow lifted.
"I know," she moaned, rubbing her forehead as she sighed. "I don't know WHY..."
"I think I know," Robin theorized- as usual. "You said you felt detached...If you didn't think you could ever have a real friend, you decided that you shouldn't even try and do the opposite..."
"...Maybe," Raven mumbled. It wasn't important anymore. "I don't want to see YOU hurt, either...Because...Star would be upset..." She laughed a little. "And if that happens, I get upset, which makes HER upset even MORE..."
"I think I understand what you're trying to say," Robin concluded. "It's just a security measure. Don't worry. There's no reason I would hurt Starfire."
He made sure he'd caught her attention. He stared at her glassy, purple eyes with his firm, serious face as he told her, "I swear, Raven- I won't hurt her. Just don't butt in, all right?"
Raven smiled weakly. "Deal."
"Now we just-"
"Oh! Good morning, Raven!" Starfire squealed as she floated into the room, discovering her friend. She stretched her free arm out wide as she reached out for a hug. Raven smiled warmly as she rubbed Starfire's back. As they separated, Raven inspected her thoroughly.
"How is your arm?" she asked calmly, still grinning a little.
Starfire's eyes wandered upward, as she didn't know for certain. She moved it a little, and it didn't hurt, so she moved it some more to confirm it. With a gasp of joy, she exclaimed, "It does not induce pain!"
"Great," Raven said eagerly as she used her powers to rip the cast carefully off of the girl's arm and let it drop to the floor.
"And you, Robin? How's your leg?"
Robin, still seated on Star's bed, slowly stood up straight and placed pressure on his broken leg. He continued to do so a few times as he realized that it didn't hurt too much at all.
"...I think it's all right," he hastily spat out once he reached this conclusion.
Raven eyed him suspiciously. She knew he'd lie just so he could be out there fighting crime, but she believed him.
"You're sure?" she checked, readying her hands to remove the cast. Robin nodded eagerly, ready to be rid of the vile attachment.
The cast became surrounded by a black aura as it was shredded apart and fell to the floor in a messy pile.
"OK...But you're still not going to be off waging war with thugs on the street," Raven added carefully, sucking away Robin's anticipation. "That leg's not ready for anything strenuous yet...And Starfire," she turned to her best friend, "Your arm should be pretty fine, but I'm not sure about your head...You should take it easy as well..."
Starfire nodded obidiently, scratching her bare arm- it was itchy from the material that had been on it for so long. Her head bandage had been removed while she was in the bathroom, so now, from an outside look, she was injury-free.
Raven floated up from the ground and drifted toward the door in an eery fashion.
"I'll leave you guys alone," she announced, glancing at Robin for approval. He gave her a thankful smile as he waved.
"Yea, we'll be there in a minute, Raven..."
Starfire turned around to the goth girl, blushing.
"Yes, I shall converse with you later-quite thoroughly-on the topics at hand," she said with a sly smile that Robin couldn't see.
Raven smirked back and pressed a button behind her, shutting the door.
Robin was rubbing the back of his neck nervously as Star beamed at him.
"Was there something you wished to address?" she asked cheerfully.
"Um...Starfire," Robin began slowly. "...We need to talk a little bit."
Star frowned sadly. Was there ALWAYS a problem? Just once, could they have a day without picking flaws out of it?
"...Very well," she mumbled. "What is the matter we must overcome...?"
"It's about us," Robin muttered.
{I am SINCERELY surprised,} Starfire grumbled in her mind.
"Star, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I really don't want all the other Titans to know what's going on between us...Ya know? It just...I need my privacy. I don't understand how you can go and tell everyone things, but I don't really appreciate that..."
Starfire narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure it out.
"Robin, I understand your feelings, but what good comes from an experience if you cannot share it with others...?"
Robin huffed, rubbing his forehead.
"Star, I just mean that there are some things that should be just between two people. The Titans don't have to know EVERYTHING about us."
Star sighed, hoping to end the conversation fast.
"Robin, I believe I can determine what experiences to recall to my friends and which ones not to...If you do not trust me, I-"
"It's not like that," Robin quickly defended. "...Nevermind," he groaned, feleing liek an idiot for bringing it up. "Tell them what you want, you're right...I just get sick of them pestering me about it. I don't need Cyborg's advice about what to do on a date- if I did, I'd ASK. And I certainly don't need RAVEN of all people telling me how to play my cards right, either."
"What is wrong with Raven?" Star asked with a touchy tone.
"Nothing, it's just weird," Robin spat out, avoiding any further conflict. "Let's just sort this out later, it's not important...I didn't mean to get you upset."
"I am not upset," Starfire assured him, though she sounded upset all the same. "I am merely confused..."
"Later," Robin muttered, holding up his palms vertically. "We'll have lots of time tonight."
Star gave a light sigh and nodded. "Mm hm. We shall make an arrangement during our courtship rit-...er...'date'...But at the current moment, I have a strong desire to give my body rations to digest. Shall we break our fast?"
Robin chuckled at her speech and agreed heartily.
~*{|~|}*~
Raven was quite concerned about the fact that her book seemed to have vanished out of thin air. She was patrolling the halls of the Tower in search of her fellows.
Nobody she had found so far knew where it had gone to- or, at least, they said they didn't. It couldn't have just walked away...Then again...
Raven gasped in surprise as she rounded a corner to see a girl with pale orange hair and a loose denim skirt sitting against the wall. She was cross-legged, her blue eyes gazing thoughtfully into the browned pages of a very old book that was in her lap.
"Tikal?? What are you doing with my book?" Raven almost shouted. Tikal jumped with fright, her eyes bugged out with shock. "I trhought I told you not to touch them...They're very old!" she scolded as she swiped it from Tikal's skinny arms.
Tikal gasped, feeling ashamed as she realized that she'd gotten carried away.
"...I'm sorry," she murmured, wincing. "I didn't mean to steal it. I couldn't resist, it was so captivating..."
Raven took a deep breath, gaining control of her anger.
"It's OK. Sorry for yelling, I just don't like people touching my things...I don't have much, and what I DO have are antiques."
She paused as she stared at the book's cover. A strange stone carved into a cut diamond shape was carved into the wooden surface.
"...You liked this, too?" Raven asked slowly, trying to turn the conversation in a positive direction.
Tikal nodded, hurrying to her feet. She dusted herself off quickly and spoke shakily.
"The story is fascinating." She grinned sheepishly, as if she was hiding a secret. "But I believe that some of the history is inaccurate..."
Raven lifted a brow, utterly confused.
"What...?"
Tikal blushed at Raven's odd glance.
"Well...It just doesn't seem right," she mumbled. Now that she thought about it, she realized just how far fetched the situation was.
"...What do you mean?" Raven asked her suspiciously.
"I, uh...I've been reading it, but-"
"HOW?" Raven interrupted in a demanding voice. "You UNDERSTAND it?"
"...Well, of COURSE I do," Tikal mumbled, feeling a little small. "I learned it when I was a child..."
Raven's jaw was slightly agape as she pondered this statement. How and why would she learn an ancient language when she was a child?
"...I thought you said you couldn't remember your past..." she reminded both herself and Tikal.
"I know. I couldn't before," Tikal agreed. "But as I've been reading this book, it's been coming back to me..." She stared at the book in Raven's hands with longing.
"Really? But how?" The gothic girl was completely amazed by this. She almost refused to believe it.
Tikal took a deep breath. {Would she believe me if I told her...?}
Reluctantly, Tikal reached out her hand, hoping to accept the old tome. Eager for an answer, Ravan handed it to her, being careful not to let go until she was sure Tikal had a firm grasp on it.
Tikal opened the cover with care, knowing how touchy the mysterious girl before her could be. She examined the front cover's inside and pointed out some writing.
"See? This is the signature of an old friend of mine..." she mumbled.
Raven stared at it in awe. She placed her palm on the book as she tried to squeeze the past from it. But the memories were very old, and she couldn't get them to come.
"My friend's name was Andlos..." Tikal smiled fondly at the thought of him. She couldn't remember much, buts he felt his presence in her heart and mind. The signature had sparked the memory. "He was very smart. He loved to read, especially about science and history...I'm not surprised this was his..."
Raven suddenly realized something that didn't make sense at all. If she knew this person...If she knew this language...How old was she???
"Tikal, wait." She paused, having trouble absorbing it in. "Are you saying that you were ALIVE when this happened...?"
Tikal's eyes grew sad. {She doubts me...} She nodded slowly, hoping that she could convice Raven that she knew it was true. Inside herself, she could feel these memories. As she read, she began to recall instances and events. It was haunting at times and wonderous at others. It was as if it had become an addiction to read it. She had always made sure to place the book back where she had found it, though. But Raven had finally caught her this time.
"I...I guess so...I don't know to explain it, but I KNOW it...I LIVED through some of these events..." She flipped through the book thoughtfully. She glanced at the pages that spoke of a young princess sealing away the great Chaos that would destroy the planet...And she knew...it was HER...But she wasn't ready to tell Raven- or ANYONE- such a claim just yet. She came upon one page and began to read about what it described, pointing it to Raven, who couldn't make sense of the words, but could understand the picture. It was a girl who had fallen and was obviously dead, but she didn't look entirely human.
"Zepha..." Tikal murmured. "Zepha was a friend of mine...And-and Cyclos...Cyclos was my old boyfriend..." She pointed out a strange creature in the old drawings who had spikey hair. "Cyclos was brave and strong...But he never really liked the traditions our people placed upon him...Father disliked him, and he disliked father..." She sighed sadly. "But when times were difficult, he was always there for the people. He had a strong sense of justice..."
Raven was baffled by how she seemed to talk about him.
"You sound like you don't miss him..."
Tikal shook her head. "Why should I miss him? He's still with me..." She smiled warmly.
"And Zepha...Poor Zepha...You see, disaster struck our people, and Cyclos was sent off to war...Zepha...She loved him just as much as I did. But, well...She never told him. After all, he was my mate, and...-" Tikal sighed deeply, feeling guilty, though she knew she couldn't have done much about the matter. "But Zepha was a dear and true friend to us both. When Cyclos went to fight, she followed him. And...She was killed trying to help him..."
Tikal couldn't bear to speak of the matter further and turned the page to skip ahead.
"Cyclos died during that war...I wasn't able to end it before his death." She wasn't crying, though, and this made Raven very confused.
"I do not wish to linger on old memories," she mumbled, closing the book. "At least not sad ones."
"...Do you miss your old home?" Raven asked as Tikal handed back the old book. Tikal shook her head slowly. "I guess I do not. I am content with friends like those I have here. Friends like you are all I need," she said kindly, causing Raven to blush a little. "However, I am afraid that I may have to return to my old home..."
"Why?" Raven was certainly full of curiosity.
"If the memories I am collecting are all true, then returning home is inevitable to us all..."
"Oh," Raven mumbled, a little disheartened. She was just discovering how great it was to MAKE friends, and before she could really have them, she would have to say good-bye...? As long as she had Starfire, she'd survive.
"We all have choices to make," Tikal muttered. "We all have our own paths to take...Otherwise the world would be thrown into chaos...Chaos can be good, but it can also be very bad...Chaos is power, power that is enriched by the heart...But if misused, chaos is often a terrible thing..."
Raven would normally reflect on such thoughts, but she was eager to move on to other matters. This was a little confusing. She had to investigate it later on.
"Are the others regaining their memories, as well?" she questioned as she placed the book in her arm pit.
Tikal shrugged. "I suppose I should ask, hm?" Raven nodded quickly.
"Sorry, Tikal, I've...gotta go. If you want to look at my book later, you can, but...Ask next time, would you?"
)|)*)=(*(|(
. I think that's weird.
But, it's still fun creating your own fighter, that's for sure.
Sonic doesn't fully realize Amy's dilemma yet, but I have a feeling that tensions will reach a boiling point between Tikal and Ms. Rose (when they meet each other, that is).