Chapter 17

Almost every Titan agreed to join in on the fourth of July festival in the city harbor. The only one who didn’t was Aqualad who had something better to do back in Atlantis. Beast Boy was most excited at the idea, only being marginally behind by Starfire. Cyborg seemed like he was willing to go along with it, and that he might have some fun. Raven was rather disinterested until Starfire explained about how many fortune tellers and mystical books that were being sold.

Which stuck out to me pretty hard because a five-year-old could have told me those fortune tellers and books were going to be fake as hell. Why would she even care?

Robin accepted as it seemed like fun. Starfire smiled and seemed to be about to say something before Blackfire cut her off. And she asked Robin to go to the festival with her. As those words couldn’t be easily misunderstood, Robin sputtered a bit with a red face before agreeing. To which Blackfire smile and nodded.

Starfire frowned at dropped back into her seat. Robin asked her what she was going to say, only for Starfire to comment that she forgot.

Yikes. Talk about being oblivious.

Galatea accepted going to the festival after being explained about some of the games and that you could win rewards from them by winning. Something she seemed to take as a challenge.

Kid Flash was the last person to accept the invitation. Simply because he hadn’t been at the dinner table until much later. Something he was well known for. After arriving he quickly devoured a similar portion of food to Blackfire, Starfire, and Galatea. Gulping it down before asking around.

After he learned about the fourth of July festival in the city, he was pretty happy.

“So…Blackfire, baby, I’d be happy to show you around the sights of-“

Robin interrupted him with a raised hand and an amused smirk.

“Sorry KF, but she’s already asked me to do it.”

Kid Flash paused at that. He seemed surprised before going through a mixture of emotions before simply giving a nod at Robin.

“…I see. Uh, Starfire, baby…”

He immediately sped next to her seat at the table, to which she didn’t even so much as react. Simply picking at her food with her fork, while her head rested on her other arm. As Starfire didn’t respond to him after a few seconds he responded.

“…Ah, got you. Not in the mood. I’ll try again later.”

His eyes immediately darted to Raven. To which she visibly grimaced. As she was constantly wearing her hood that obscured everything but her mouth and eyes, it was pretty easy to spot.

“Don’t-“

Kid Flash immediately sped next to her and put his elbow on the table next to her. To which she gave him a very unamused look.

“Third times the charm. What do you say, beautiful?”

“…Wow. I’m your third choice in a room with four girls. I’m sooo honored.”

Raven stated with a deadpan look before going back to her food. Kid Flash waited a few seconds before finally speaking up.

“So…is that a no, or-“

Kid Flash then seemingly tripped and smashed his head against the table as he fell down. Grimacing and audibly complaining before picking himself back up. As he did so, his eyes eventually fell on Galatea.

Leading him to hesitantly use his super speed in order to go over to her. Leaving her to look down at him.

“Hey, Galatea. I prefer to be the stronger one in a date, but I think we could make it work.”

Galatea tilted her head in confusion whereas Cyborg audibly choked on his food for a second. Following afterwards, Starfire and Blackfire immediately narrowed their eyes at Kid Flash. He rubbed the back of his head as he let out a weak laugh.

“That was uh…a joke. So…are you interested in taking anyone to the festival? Someone…fast and human?”

Galatea blinked at that.

“…We can take people to the festival?”

Kid Flash grinned before nodding his head.

“Yeah. It’s called dating.”

Galatea immediately looked towards me with a firm look.

“Sidekick, you-“

“No. No I won’t.”

I immediately put her down, to which she simply narrowed her eyes at me before returning to her food. Kid Flash was actively frowning at this point.

“Uh…would you like to go with me?”

“Why would I want to?”

This time Cyborg failed to hide his laughter as he choked. Leading to Kid Flash to glare at him. Only for just about everyone else to start laughing in response. Hell, even Raven cracked a smirk. Leaving Kid Flash thoroughly embarrassed and chastised.

He made some excuse to leave the table. Likely to go clear his head and jack off or something. I have no clue about the type of shit that goes through that guy’s head. He’s pretty much the only Titan I couldn’t really even begin to grasp thought wise or emotion wise.

The next day we did a few patrols and chores before finally heading out of the Tower. Leaving it without anyone guarding it for once. Cyborg seemed to start having second thoughts before finally rationalizing that it would be better if someone stayed at the Tower. Though it was pretty evident that there was something else holding him back.

Kid Flash immediately left the group in order to get to the festival quicker. Blackfire had intertwined Robin’s arm with hers, which caused a watching Starfire to frown in annoyance. Which left a group compromising of Beast Boy, me, Galatea, and Raven.

Beast Boy was practically salivating the moment he entered the festival, and quickly took off. Leaving a curious Starfire to follow him. Raven had disappeared from the group rather quietly and seamlessly. Which left only me and Galatea.

“Who has the strength, the power, the sheer ferocity to be consider a strongman? Step right up, and prove yourself. That is, if you aren’t chicken.”

Galatea’s attention immediately narrowed onto a small man with a megaphone neck to a strongman line of people. She easily floated towards it, and got into line with the others.

…Yeah, I definitely wasn’t getting paid enough to get into her hijinks. So instead, I simply wandered around on my own around the festival. Besides, I had a plan to follow.

It didn’t take long for me to find my way to more than a few booths, and quickly becoming unpopular with them due to my constant successes. I wasn’t an idiot however, and knew how much I could take before they’d complain or attempt to kick me out.

And then afterwards I would walk around with the stuffed toys, of which a lot of people were interested in. Mostly kids, who then forced their parents to ask and then pay for the toy. As a true Gothamite, I could eyeball and take a decent guess about how much they were willing to pay. Leading to my prices to go every which way.

In all, I probably made about four hundred bucks in forty-five minutes of this. Though that didn’t really include the money lost by playing the games. Eh, it was still a pretty decent haul.

After walking around a bit, I noticed Raven at a small booth with a gun. A rather cocky looking fat man smiling as she took her shot. It was one of those super rigged knock the bottles down kind of things. After hitting her target and it still didn’t go down, she pulled out a twenty and put it on the counter…that already had three other twenties.

Holy shit. Someone had a problem.

I considered simply leaving her to her devices, before deciding against it. Besides, I owed her a bit for the meditation lessons. It also helped that she was attractive.

So, I spent several minutes watching and palming my hand until I was finished making a small ball before going up towards her. She paused and looked over towards me, which had the man behind the counter scowl.

“Hey, wait your turn. The little lady’s still going at it.”

I ignored him in favor of Raven.

“Didn’t realize you were so interested in a shooting gallery.”

She shook her head in the negative.

“I’m not. It’s that book I’m interested in.”

She pointed to it as one of the toys. It didn’t seem particularly special. Just looked like a pretty sort of diary thing for children. Equipped with that shitty small lock on the side that never did shit.

Still, if she wanted it, there must be some value in it that I couldn’t see. I nodded towards her and the gun.

“Do you mind if I have a try?”

She shrugged and started to pass the gun to me, before being interrupted by the man.

“Hold on now. The little lady paid, so she’s the only one who can shoot. Capisce?”

Damn, he was really trying to bleed as much money as he possibly could, huh? I could respect that on some level. Unfortunately, the person he was trying to bleed was me and Raven.

And I didn’t exactly take kindly to such things.

“…Alright. Can I at least help guide my girlfriend here? She’s not exactly used to shooting.”

He gave me a side eye before finally shrugging. To which I closed the distance between me and a Raven who’s eyebrow was reaching upwards on her emotionless face.

“Girlfriend huh?”

I shrugged.

“Had to say something to convince him. Now, let me help you.”

Raven allowed me to position myself behind her, and grasp her arms into mine. Pulling her gun and body back slightly and tilting it downwards. Making the small shitty ball inside fall out, and replacing it with my own. Before tilting the gun back into sight of the booth owner.

Guiding Raven’s hands, I directed her to aim and shoot exactly where I pointed. She was pretty good with directions, as she hit the pin dead on. Causing a small explosion that saw the other pins fall down hard to the ground. The booth owner looked shocked, but simply frowned in response as he couldn’t find any evidence of foul play.

“…You can take your hands off me now.”

My satisfied smirk then looked back down to Raven who was still in my arms in a very romantic looking position. I shrugged before pulling my hands away from her. To which she immediately pulled her cloak around her like it had been earlier.

The Booth worker then approached with…some ugly looking stuffed toy in his hands. A shit eating grin in his hands.

“Here’s your prize.”

“Sorry, but we want the book instead.”

He shook his head in a condescending manner as he simply put the toy on the counter in front of me.

“That’s not how this game works. If you want the book, you’re just going to have keep trying and-“

He was cut off as I grasped his out stretched arm gently. Causing him to frown in confusion and look down instead of immediately jerking it away. To which his eyes immediately rolled up in the back of his head and he started to fall backwards. I carefully let him down before simply dropping him the last bit of distance to the ground.

Hoping over the counter I grabbed the book and threw the shitty two-dollar toy at the guy’s face. Before hopping back over.

Presenting the book to an unimpressed looking Raven.

“…That was a bit much.”

I shrugged in response.

“Not really. He’ll wake up in an hour or so. Besides, you already paid for the book and then some. No one is really missing out here.”

Raven shrugged uncaringly before continuing to walk away. This time with me accompanying her. Mostly due to having nothing else to do. Raven then proceeded to look down at her book, admiring it instead of looking where she was going.

“…thanks.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“No need to thank me. I didn’t do it for you, I did it because he tried to cheat me.”

“I don’t remember you paying for anything though…”

I wiggled my hand at that.

“Semantics. It’s the principle of the thing.”

Raven then nodded her head before looking at a nearby tent. Ah, a fortune teller. Likely one of those complete hacks, though as Raven was walking proof that magic was real…I guess it was possible that they could be real.

Raven started to make her way into it before pausing and looking back towards me.

…Eh, what the hell. Why not?

Raven was about to say something before her eyes widened as I approached. Going inside the tent next to her as she seemed surprised. Only moving after I took her hand and pulled her in with me.

As expected, there was a woman wearing the whole trademark gypsy outfit with a crystal ball in front of her. She welcomed us in with an obviously fake accent.

“Ah, let me guess…newlyweds?”

Hey eyes darted between me and Raven, to which I nodded with a smile on my face.

“Oh definitely. How could you tell?”

She waved off my words with a smile.

“Oh, you learn a thing or two when you practice the mystical arts.”

“Fascinating…”

I commented, to which Raven gave an unamused look. I shrugged in response. This was me playing into this fortune teller shtick. She then proceeded to read my palm and look into the crystal ball with it.

“Yes…I see…good fortune in your future. Hardships that when endured, sprout a beautiful bounty.”

Ah yes. Meaningless vague drivel. Very impressive. Raven once again gave me an unimpressed look as I simply smiled at the Fortune Teller.

“Wow…how amazing!”

I commented easily. To which the Fortune Teller seemed to take easily. Then she switched to Raven, who offered her own palm up, before she began to then discern her future from a crystal ball.

“I see…yes…great suffering. Anguish. Pain. And then…nothing at all. Life, but with no emotion.”

Wow. Truly impressive. She said exactly what she saw when Raven walked into the tent. I was left completely flabbergasted. Which meant it was time for me to liven up the ordeal.

“How many children does she have?”

The Fortune Teller then appears to look deeper into the crystal ball.

“Ah children…I see a set of two…twins!”

I put a hand over my heart. Before gripping Raven’s shoulder.

“Truly? I thought we’d at least have three…”

“Ah…I see….three…no, four? Five?”

Oh my.

“What’s the wedding like? Is it everything we hoped for?”

She waved her hands once again over the crystal ball. Causing the smoke within to swirl around.

“Yes…I see…hopes…dreams…and..and…a sea of red.”

…Well, that didn’t sound very good at all. Her eyes opened, but she was no longer looking at either us.

“I-I see the world…destruction…so much destruction…and a Titan. A-a red Titan wh-who will bring about the end times…”

She paused.

“Because of you.”

And then she fell to the floor, having gone completely limp. Huh. Well. Wasn’t that neat? At least she sold the act.

After I checked up on her to see if she was alright, Raven was quick to escort me out of the tent before commenting that she was heading back to the tower.

Guess she wasn’t in the festive mood after…whatever the hell that was.

As she turned away, I gripped her arm. Pulling her back slightly.

“Raven, wait-“

She quickly turned back to face me. Which saw me immediately tense up as I thought she was about to punch me in the face. Instead, however she simply leaned upwards to my face to give me an incredibly serious look.

“You don’t understand-“

She paused slightly as my hands drifted to her hips. Holding her slightly as she continued to stare up at me. Her eyes meeting mine. They darted to my left eye, and then my right as she simply didn’t say anything. Allowing me to slowly bring my head down and-

She quickly broke off the contact, and immediately started to fly away.

Oof. Well…

Could definitely be worse. 

Could be Kid Flash.