The New Teen Titans [Next Gen]

[Kenni]

Red Hood:

The damp Titan only seemed more disheveled as she slowly air-dried from beneath a spare Training Room towel. Harper spun in her swivel-seat at the round table of the Wing of Meeting as she waited for her teammates to enter.

Surely there had to be some logical explanation for what she was about to tell them.
As soon as the others arrived, she simply nodded a greeting back to Mar’i and at the boys, then made the revelation.

”I pushed you.”

She looked into Dex’s unseeing eyes, wrapped as they were, almost expecting to see a glint of anger from her treasonous three-word sentence.
The archer didn’t bother searching the other two for reactions; Harper’s recounting wasn’t complete; they needed more to go on than that one inflammatory statement.

”I pushed you, and I’m sorry. I looked for you for hours! It’s so great you didn’t go under too long; I didn’t think they would have let you off so easily if they’d caught you. If they’d noticed you were still alive.”

She launched straight into the explanation.

”They had us outnumbered 5 to 1, but Dex was holding his own, as usual. I managed to hit one of them in the fist, and Dex had one in a grappling match before the air got thick. They sprayed this stuff into the air. It was sickeningly sweet, and spicy. It was making us slower, sleepy even. I think the masked thugs we were up against sprung some mixture of smoke, mustard and sleeping gas pellets on us. I lost Dex in the confusion, and the thickness of the fog. We would’ve both been out cold in seconds, if not for our altitude, so I didn’t take any chances. I pushed him in before he could be captured on lower ground.The stuff evaporated soon enough. I mean, we were on top of a bridge; pretty good circulation up there.”

She joked for a second, lips curling into a weak grin.

The archer kicked the black seat beside her, other pieces of their seating arrangement set spinning as they lined the meeting table.

Her grin evaporated too.

”The smoke-screening, theatricality, taunting, the overall levels of…deception…it could only be the work of..the League of Assassins. Robin…Damian. I think it’s 10-year reunion season. Your Mum’s old friends…and apparently, my Mum’s…”

Red’s voice squeaked uncomfortably.
Red’s tights squeaked uncomfortably against her red, high-backed American Heritage Sloan bar stool.

The jokes ended.

Lian pressed the chair’s depressor.
She sunk low enough that she could rest her chin on their table, like a sad puppy.

”…because the one who pushed me in…”

Hood carefully pulled a chipped fragment of something from a secret pocket within her hood, then slid it gingerly towards her friends.

If she’d been thinking clearly, she would have left her gloves on for its extraction.

She wasn’t.

”…was my mother.” whispered Lian, pulling closer to the table, folding her arms beneath her chin.
Before seeking Dex out in the river for a couple hours, she’d grabbed at the hand that had thrown her off balance into the watery-depths, but missed the majority of the palm, instead coming away with that trinket.

The girl knew of her mother’s on-and-off ties to the League from her father’s logs. Secret linkage and leadership of the organization by Talia al Ghul was easy enough to backtrack from in her father’s files as well.
Whether they went by Assassins, Shadows, or darker aliases still, they had recruited one of the last people Lian would ever think could come up against her for whatever their agenda was on the bridge today.

She had so many questions.

Had Jade pushed her to save her daughter’s life, refusing to allow the victims of the poison gas to be harmed more?
Why had she attacked Lian in the first place with that group?
What was her relationship with them now?

The broken nail, laced with Cheshire’s characteristic poison, glistened green like a cursed jewel on the other side of the tabletop.

“Is it possible…to feel orphaned…when you’ve only lost one parent?” she asked in a small voice, completely against her boisterous nature.

The storm threatening to rain down from her stormy eyes finally drizzled down her left cheek.

She took shelter in the folds of her arms as usually prideful shoulders buckled and rocked with a silent sob.

[Silv]

There was a moment where Damian was going to kill Amber. It would have been too easy to pull out a knife. Too easy to leap forward and kill her before she even knew that her teammate had turned on her. But like Grayson had told him many, many times before, it was too easy. And it was wrong. He snapped out of his blood filled impulse enough to register what the girl was saying.

She was saying he had no right to think he was better because he was trained by Batman. Of course not. That would be silly. He was better because he was the son of Batman and Talia, heir to both the Wayne and al Ghul lines, and had been trained by the League of Assassins. He could take the entire team in a fight and kill them all. And most importantly he did not whine like a BABY. The confident of course I'm better than you, you don't even know what you're talking about expression on Damian's face was just begging to be smacked off.

And it worked when Amber mentioned Mar'i pittying him. The cocky expression on the boy's face died like a glowing ember dunked into a bath of cold water. He looked vulnerable. Hurt. For half a second his masked eyes sought out the girl he so admired, and then the familiar surge of anger was back and Damian's lips drew back from his teeth as he glared at Amber instead. Dastro and his surprisingly mature response to this situation was completely forgotten as the Boy Wonder narrowed in on his target.

His hand was to his belt and he was moving forward only to jolt back in surprise when one of the West twins suddenly appeared in front of him. As much as the West twins irked him at times he supposed they were loyal enough. The newer members didn't understand where Robin was coming from. All of the kids that were born to this, who were the spawn of previous hero generations, they remembered Damian before he had worked with Bruce and Grayson. They remembered the terrifying ten year old who interacted better with fists then he did with words. They knew how far he had come and how hard it was for him to...well, fit in. The others would never understand, because Damian was never going to tell them, and neither would he let the kids in the know tell them.

Lian entered like a tsunami: just as wet and just as unwelcome. Robin glared at her, even though he was glad her entrance took the attention off of his own shortcomings, mostly because whenever she walked into the room Mar'i attention was always taken off of him. That was unforgivable. He watched the display of emotion as coldly as a store manikin. He didn't care that she hadn't actually abandoned Dex, though he supposed it made things less messy, nor did he feel the surge of relief that he was supposed to at the archer's safe return. Or perhaps he did, and simply refused to awknowledge it.

The Harper girl demanded their presence in the conference room. Damian gave her a curt nod and moved to take a step, but then Mar'i was admonishing them all and he stopped to stonewall at what she was telling them all. His face was blank as Mar'i admonished them and gave her orders, like the good child soldier he'd been raised to be. If he didn't agree with her Damian gave no inclination. In fact, he didn't move from his position until she told him to follow her out of the room. He gave her a curt nod and followed her silently. There was a reason, after all, people associated the newest Robin with cats. He was one of the only people that could sneak up on Bruce Wayne.

It was a silent trek to the meeting room. Damian entered after the youngest Grayson and took his customary seat at the table. He would have sworn he wasn't sulking, but there was the downturn to his lips that gave it away as clear as day. He listened to the explanation Lian gave interjecting a quick. “If it was mustard gas you'd both be dead.” in his usual haughty, I know everything because I'm Damian Wayne tone of voice. And while he wasn't entirely correct, a quick sweep over of both Lian and Dex did not show any of the outward signs of mustard gas.

And then Lian just had to mention the League of Assassins. Damian Wayne stiffened in his seat and his gaze bore straight through the young archer. There was no way. His first thought was that his Mother was after him again. The youngest Wayne had a bizarre relationship with Talia. She didn't love him as a mother should, and yet, she had her own odd ways and ideas of showing that she actually did. The result was enough to give a person emotional whiplash.

The youngest Wayne was on his feet and moving forward to see what it was that the Harper girl had put on the table. To see if it was some clue to what his mother was planning. Of all the people in this tower, it was ironic, that Lian was the one he could most relate to. They both had evil mothers. They both has stubborn fathers. They both found a dear friend in the Graysons. “It's entirely possible to feel that way without losing either,” the boy confided to the wounded Lian. It was a rare moment of tenderness. He reached out a gloved hand to pick up the broken nail before he put it back down. It was a clue to the archer's mother. It spoke nothing of his own. He let the girl grieve in peace, uncertain what exactly to do with an emotional female, and looking appropriately awkward and out of his element.

He skirted around Lian allowing the others, the children who understood how to channel their human feelings, get closer to the heart-torn archer. Dealing with that sort of stuff was Mar'i's job. He caught her eye as he made his way over towards the computer in the room. He gave no explanation as to what he was doing, but he had to have more answers. Files flashed across the screen as his fingers danced across the keyboard. With a final click of the mouse Robin swept out of the room with absolutely no explanation.

[Deleted]

ooc: Hey Kenners, wasn't sure if Dastro should know that Cheshire is Lian's mom or not, so I just made it where he doesn't just to be safe.

bic: Dastro watched with relief when Amber stood down. He just didn’t want her to make a mountain out of a molehill. He mouthed a ‘thank you’ to her.

But then Iris stormed over to defend strangely enough Damian. In all her yellings the she superspeedster managed to make a valid point. His bandaged eyes wandered over to Amber. It was true, neither himself nor Amber nor Candy knew Damian nearly as much as everyone else did. This fact personally irked him because like his dad he wanted to know everything about everyone, but still a fact nevertheless. When Iris finished saying her peace, Dastro held his hands up in surrender fashion and took a few steps back. “Hey, why getting so mad at me for? I didn’t say anything about Damian!” inquired the blind teen. It was true though. He spoke ill of Lian, but he didn’t say a whit about Damian. Amber did. And as far as the blind teen was concerned why should he be called out on something he didn’t even do?

And speaking of Lian, Dastro soon overheard the she archer’s voice nearing them and cracking lame jokes as usual. After what she did to him he was in no mood to hear any of them. Besides, what she got to be so happy about? Actually, why is she always so freakin’ happy while most of the rest of them were not? It just struck the blind crimefighter as weird, really, really weird and not normal. “Well, well look at what the cat dragged in,” Dastro muttered with a shake of his head and crossed arms. “I think you owe everyone especially me an explanation to you going all MIA on me during the mission. So, let’s hear it. What’s your lame excuse this time?” inquired the still rather fed up Dastro.

What she said next surprised him, she sounded shocked to see him well and alive. “Wow nice to hear that you all have such confidence in my abilities to survive some HIVE brats! What’s next? You gonna be surprised next time I hit someone? Unbelievable!” he said, more than agitated that the originals apparently saw so little in him. Just because he was new did not make him an incompetent! And while Lian didn’t say that he felt it was insinuated. Then she went on to say how happy she was that he made it to which he made no comment.

Mar’i then spoke up, giving her own two cents on the current argument. Feeling bad he backed down. “Sorry Mar’i,” he whispered, lowering his head in shame.

Lian then finally promised to reveal the why of her previous actions though she wanted to go elsewhere for some reason. Pleased, he nodded. “Okay, I’m coming,” he said and without waiting for anyone else he started to follow her to the Conference Room.

Upon arrival he turned towards Lian’s voice for explanation. So she pushed him? Well, that explained a lot. As she explained he felt his previous anger towards her dissipate. It was soon replaced by feelings of guilt. “You mean…you mean you don’t think they were members of the HIVE FIVE? I…I mean that is a horse of an entirely different color. But…but if it was the League of Assassins then what would they want with me? I’m not even the son of an original Titan,” he inquired the she archer, voice softening.

“And…and it couldn’t have been mustard gas. If it was we wouldn’t be standing here… I think it was just knock out gas,” Dastro added as an afterthought. Of course Damian having to know everything also pointed this out, but in his usual rude tone; which made Dastro scowl. Why must Damian always be such a jerk? Dastro wished he knew.

Then the entire conversation changed and it became sad all of a sudden and his heart sank. He felt even worse. ‘Thanks a lot Lian,’ he thought. But, her words also confused him. Her mom? Damian’s mom? What? He just looked at her in mixed confusion and sadness.

He then felt himself risking a quick suspicious glance at Damian as though their not so lovely second was going to say anything about this; which he doubted. He knew only too well of Damian’s tightlipedness.

His lips pursed into a frown. “Uh, what are you talking about? Are you suggesting that your mother is with the League? Is that was you are trying to tell us? Because it would have been really great to have known you had a villain in your family a lot sooner. I mean if she did not attack us then when were you going to tell us? To tell me? Never?” he demanded, hurt. It hurt him that the others apparently did not entrust him with such sensitive yet important information. He was an equal team member, was he not? Unable to see the archer pull out Cheshire's deadly fingernail he had no idea Lian's mother was really Cheshire of all people. After all, who could have guessed that Speedy hooked up with a criminal?

Then clearing his throat, he continued. "What about the others? Should they not be made aware of the impending danger? I mean the League of Assassins is not a matter to joke about. If Lian's mother truly is after her then we could all be in serious danger! The others should know. They should be warned," he said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

Her rather depressing query made him feel terrible. “Oh Lian I believe it is.” It surprised him when Damian actually had a genuine kind response. Feeling his way towards the she archer he found her and without saying anything more gave her a hug. He felt this action spoke volumes.

As he hugged her he heard footsteps then a door opening and shutting. Since he was still hugging Lian and because he did not think Mar'i would just leave her best friend, Dastro concluded that Damian was the one who left. Being blind pretty much forced you to be observant like that. "Where's Damian going?" he asked the two remaining girls. Then thinking that he was perhaps leaving to warn the others as Dastro previously suggested he added, "is he going to warn the others?"

[Deleted]

Watching the argument close out, Candy was both glad and relieved when Mar’i added her two cents. “Thanks Mar’i. Couldn’t have said it better myself,” she said.

Glancing over at Dastro she shook her head. She could not believe that he was being so harsh and accusing towards Lian without even giving the female archer the chance to explain herself. That and the archer sounded so sad. Seriously, did some of Damian’s not so cheery attitude absorb onto Dex when she wasn’t looking or something? Really, it wasn’t like Dex to be so…rude. All Candy wanted was for their team to get along. Was that so much to ask?

At Mar’i’s request for them to all go to the Danger Room for explanations and training, Candy could hardly refuse and gave her a nod. “This oughta be good,” she mumbled aloud to nobody in particular as she flew after the group. Before entering the Danger Room, however, she watched as the other group entered the Conference Room. She really hated being left in the dark and wondered what explanation Lian had for ‘abandoning’ Dastro during the fight. Indeed, she was curious herself as to what had occurred on the bridge. It was not a good feeling not knowing. It was the feeling of not being in on an inside joke and it made her feel like an outsider. But, it couldn’t be helped because her orders were clear; she, the West twins, Beth, and Amber were not invited; which she found strange. Being part of the team did they not have the right to know the reasons of why a team member ditches their partner? She decided that after their little meeting ended she would ask Dastro what happened with Lian and being her dear childhood friend she felt certain he would tell her everything. With this in mind she just smiled a mischievous little smile. Sure she could easily shrink down and hitch a ride into Dastro’s pocket or something and listen in on the whole meeting, but then the others would wonder where she was, so there was always that chance of getting caught.

Once in the Danger Room, she found a seat beside Amber. “So, anybody have any idea what Lian plans on telling the others?” she asked them, but because the West twins are Speedy’s she figured if nobody else in this room had an idea they might. It was not a good feeling. She found herself sipping on some nectar tea Ben made for her. “I just don’t get why we are not allowed to know the reasons Lian had for leaving Dastro. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’d really like to hear her side of it,” she added in between sips of her nectar tea.

[Feathers]

She opens her mouth and closed. She open them again and close them again, deciding to hold her tongue. Hold her silence. She had already say too much, but her eyes were blazing with fury. What the heck? She thought. When did she became the bad guy, she asked herself. Well, there is a saying ‘you make the bed you lie in.' Who was she to complain of her our action?

She was disappointed with what everyone thinks. How did the conversation turn around making her look like the bully? What the heck? Damien started it first. She then shook her head and told herself.

“Grow up…” She mumbles

Even if Dastro did thank her for saving him, he disappointed her when he say...

“Hey, why getting so mad at me for? I didn’t say anything about Damian!” inquired the blind teen

Who threw her to the wolf. Whoa! Gee… thanks, Dastro. She thought. She rolls her eyes, good thing he couldn’t see it.

Again, she shook her head. Yes, she admits her it was her fault. Her fault for standing up for Dastro who later threw her to the wolf for her outburst. As much as she hates to admit it, Lian was right. She didn’t grow with a Titans parent, who were the spawn of previous hero generations. (Yes, her mother was a hero but in a different dimension). But, she has no right to say ‘mean’ things to Damien. She was completely out of line.

Urgh, sometimes she wishes she had a time traveling machine, so she could fix the past.

Entering the Danger room, her settle back in her seat while listen to Candy.

"I don't know..." She plain say and replies. She just wanted to get over with the training. Today, was a bad day and she could sure use a punch bag.

[Elenaphant]

ooc: The Danger Room and Conference Wing are seperate areas. Only Dastro, Mar'i, Damian and Lian are in the Conference area, listening to her explanation. Sorry if that wasn't made clear. This post will be edited with my response but I want to make sure we're all on the same page.

EDIT: Thank you! Sorry for the confusion >.< I wasn't clear enough.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-Mar'i's Post-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

X'hal, the reason behind the abandonment became clear, and she internally commended Lian for her quick thinking. The League of Assassins in Jump City, and the evidence of Jade's involvement was up there with some of the worst criminal related news Mar'i could get. She held no illusions that they could handle and get away without some serious injuries, or...

With a light, hardly noticeable shake of her head, she put her grim thoughts aside to take Lian's state into consideration. Yeah, it was, and she would have embraced her if Dastro hadn't gotten to it first, The tenderness that she knew Damian was capable of, having seen it herself before, emerged from his hostile shell and she felt assured again of his progress.

Too bad the news didn't allow her to appreciate it. What would Talia want here? The obvious answer was to get to her son, and that thought spun an web of concern in the pit of her stomach. If that wasn't bad enough, the claw's poisonous sheen spoke to her in Jade's voice and it sounded like trouble for Lian. Poisonous mothers, the both of them.

They weren't welcome in her city, and if she had her way (which she would, one way or another) they wouldn't be allowed anywhere near them. Easier thought than implemented. Her team would have to know. She would respect Lian's privacy over the issues with her mother and would refrain from details regarding Cheshire's relationship with their Red Hood, but there was obviously going to be a change of plans and this was not something she could hide. Nor did she want to hide it from them.

She caught his eye and nodded back, not knowing where he was going or what he was doing, but trusting him all the same.

That, and the tracker she put on him back when she kissed his cheek was insurance enough to let him go.

Informing Batman of the League's presence in Jump City, as well as Red Arrow did sit in the back of her mind. They took care of their city just fine, but she had a responsibility to take care of her team. That was worth the sacrifice of pride.

"We'll sort this out, I promise you," she said to Lian, as a leader... but as a best friend too. "You won't be facing Chesire alone, and nothing will make it easy, but we have your back."

Her expression and tone turned more serious. "I don't know exactly why they are here, or how they are going to operate, but we're going to find out and stop them."

[Feathers]

Occ: Elena, sorry for the about the post. My bad. I gotten a little confuse where the other members was and thought everyone was in one place (Danger Room)

[Emma]

ELIZABETH
STEIN

"Fists of steel... Literally!"

FEMALE
SEVENTEEN
TEEN TITAN
PROFILE

I have to reply faster, so many posts to read before I could write this haha.

Gah! I wish i had some popcorn right now! Beth mused, silently sipping her tea, tucked safely out of the verbal line of fire on her perch on the couch. They were in a high stakes business so naturally emotions ran on high. But today the teenage angst was more like an episode of Days of our Lives. It was pure gold!

Sure, Beth probably shouldn't be making light of the situation. After all, a team member was still missing, and Damian looked like a donkey on the edge. But it was always better to get things out in the open and shout madly, cry, and beat on each other talk things through. Emotions were like a rotten piece of food. You can hide them at the bottom of your bag for awhile, but the rotting only gets worse and worse. Better to throw it out early than to lock it away until your entire bag becomes a festering mass of grossness.

Hiding her face behind the teacup, a guilty smile lurked on Beth's lips throughout the whole debacle. Lian eventually arrived requesting some private time with the higher ups and Dex. Naturally Mar'i jumped on the opportunity to break everyone up and put an end to this bitch-fest, sending the rest of the team off to the Danger Room to await her return and some hard core training.

Finishing her tea, Beth placed her cup on the table, unfurling from the couch like a stretching lion. With a bounce in her step she led the way into the Danger Room, taking a spot with her back against the cool metal wall facing the chairs. Tilting her head a little as she listened to Candy's question, Beth shared her own two thoughts.

"I'm sure Dex will tell us all about it when they get out. That or Mar'i will when she plots out an insanely difficult training senario for us with Robin, to emphasise the importance of team work. You heard her back there, even if we hate each other we'll have to put up with one another long enough to survive in a fight... I really hope her master plan isn't to partner us up and cover one of the duo in skunk spray. I love you all, but there's a difference between saving your life, and getting skunk on me to prove a point." Beth finished with a joke, grinning in an effort to help lighten the mood and get the kids to move on to smellier happier thoughts.

[Deleted]

Jai West grinned from ear to ear as Candy complimented the twins on their hilarious antics. Of course they were funny -- the offspring of Wally West were expected to bring joy and cheer and hungry bellies wherever they went. "Silly runs in our blood, Candy Cane. It comes with the perks of being a speedster," he purred, giving the girl a flirtatious wink as his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

He saw the pieces of Trix cereal fly up into the air, aimed towards his mouth by his beloved sister. Opening his jaw, he snapped up the bits of sugary goodness quicker than as a fiddle, running his tongue over his lips appreciatively. Of course, it was just then that he felt a strand of something soft and smooth wrap around his hand, pulling it away from Candy's body. It seemed the girl hadn't taken too kindly to his and Irey's sugar-sweet puns. Yeesh. She was sensitive, wasn't she?

"Bit of a Sweet Tart instead, aren't cha?" Jai teased, a chuckle bubbling just behind his teeth. "Relaaax Candy. It's how the 'lame and cheap' show affection," he added, zipping over to her side and elbowing her in the ribs a couple of times in good fun. Because really, it was fun to see people get irritated so easily.

But now Ben was offering him tea. Yay, a drink to wash down all the food he just ate! "Don't mind if I do, Benjamin,~" the speedster quipped, taking a cup from the proffered tray and downing it in one gulp. "Hothothothothot!" Jai yelped as the burning liquid scalded his throat on the way down. Maybe he should have blown first -- but really, who had time for that?

Jai was too busy panting like a dog in an attempt to air out his throat to really answer Irey's question about Mar'i's welfare, though he'd certainly heard it. He would have replied to the question eventually, had not Mar'i herself suddenly decided to walk in and grace the common room with her presence once more. And then Dastro made his dramatic re-entrance and demanded to know where they were hiding Lian.

"We're hiding her in the oven, kitty cat. She's been baked into the cookies as punishment for...whatevershedid," Jai teased, clearing his throat to get rid of the last of the stinging sensation. He still wasn't entirely sure what Dex was ragequitting about. He should probably listen to these things more.

Brown eyes wandered over to Amber as she proceeded to do the one thing Jai would most likely not attempt to do -- kick Damian while he was down verbally speaking. Even the speedster knew his limits when it came to teasing the newest Boy Wonder, but as he opened his mouth to warn Amber all hell broke loose.

Damian insulted Dex who shockingly remained calm and then Amber spoke in Dex's defense and Irey came to defend Damian and everythingwassoconfusingnow. Normally Jai was a very chatty fellow, but he let Irey take the reins on this one. If any more people were added to this already eclectic mix he felt like the Tower was going to explode -- besides, she was more than admirably defending the Boy Wonder and hopefully preventing him from killing anyone in the process. So, the speedster instead took out a pre-popped bag of kettle corn and began to munch away. Now if only the group were situated just a little closer to the couch; then he really could have made himself comfortable.

"Popcorn Big B, Little B?" he said, offering the already half-eaten bag to Ben and Beth, respectively. If they didn't act fast like within the next ten seconds fast he was going to eat it all anyways.

Jai waited to see if the only other quiet people in the room would take his proffered snack before polishing the bag off, wiping his mouth with his arm as he watched Mar'i take control of the situation. He figured she'd get around too it eventually. And oh, look! Lian was here now! It seemed she hadn't been baked in the cookies after all. Though he figured he probably would have noticed if the butler had turned into a cannibal and began cooking the Titans in his food.

But -- noooooo. He had just refueled the Jai tank! Mar'i couldn't just dump a Danger Room session on them right after excluding him and Irey from a super-secret-superhero-meeting. The West twins were one of the first members to join this team; thus, Jai felt it was his right to feel a little put out that they were being shunned from this little convention of theirs. However, all he really did to protest the matter was stick his bottom lip out a bit and adopt a surly expression. Deep down, he knew that Mar'i had good reasons behind her decisions -- but that didn't mean he couldn't act petulant over some of them anyways.

Just like that though, the pouty face was gone as Jai crumpled up the empty popcorn bag and tossed it to the side. "Raceyouthere!" he challenged Irey, bumping his sister in the shoulder as he hurtled past her. Since he assumed she would need to do a quick change back into her costume, he was hoping he'd just edge her out this time.

Whether he won or not, he would still have to wait for the rest of the team to arrive. How utterly boring.

Eventually, everyone was crowded into the Danger Room, with some of the team griping about the very thing Jai had been moping over just a few minutes ago. Fortunately, Beth swept in with her common sense and something about skunks to diffuse the situation before a dark cloud of suspicion could form over all their heads. "Hate's a rather strong word there, Beth. And here I thought we were all floatin' together in one big love boat," Jai purred. Of course he had to add in a joke of his own to ease the tension. It was just what he did.

[Elenaphant]

Subtly, Mar'i turned away from her best friend and the comforting Dax to address a voice in her ear. She already knew who was on the other end, so she didn't have to say anything when she pressed her finger to the hidden device. 

Robin has left the tower.

Her eyes flashed and her back when rigid. "What?" she said in a not so subtle tone that Batman could be proud of. That little arrogant--when this was over they were having a one on one spar where she could properly interrogate him about his recklessness. "Follow him." she ordered sharply. "Don't lose him. If he knows he's being trailed he'll make an escape. We'll be there for support soon." 

Permission to use guns?

"Granted."

This situation was getting worse. Mar'i at the very least wanted to put in some training and properly prepare her team, but with one member out there alone they had to move. Besides, Mar'i knew nothing could quite prepare them. There was nothing new--no magic manoeuvre--she could teach that they could use. In order to deal with this they'd need to pull from what they knew, what they've already been trained for, and act without hesitation. 

To the two in the room, she quite urgently told them it was time. Lian had to compose herself and become the mask now. Likewise Mar'i had to think how to mobilize her team. Her mind was abuzz with thoughts as she walked over to the computer. Pride had to be set aside. Batman had the right to know the mother of his son was paying a visit; and likewise her own father would know of the teens predicament. Stated was that the situation was on stand-by--they intended to engage the enemy. 

It wasn't just because of Robin's foolish absence from the group. Nightstar couldn't let the villains potentially take lives or do damage in an attempt to draw them out. The city and civilians came first, and then the safety of her team. That meant if they couldn't handle it, the responsible thing to do was depend on someone who just might. She didn't like it; because that would certainly mean a scenario where critical or lethal injuries were present. Nightstar only asked for outside help when the possibility for casualties were very high. 

That was why when she entered the Danger Room, her face was nothing short of grim. "There's been a situation," she informed her team. Using the control on her wrist-guard, she activated the simulated reality training for the Danger Room. Before them the holographic, high-definition image of what they'd be facing. "The League of Assassins have been spotted in Jump City. These are some of the greatest killers ever trained." The image shifted to one particular woman.

"Talia al-Ghul, head of this league and the Black Glove has caused more deaths and more political, economical strife than anyone even knows. All of you should know this woman. We've discussed her and her known motives before. I shouldn't have to stress how dangerous it is that her mere presence is in our city. It is unknown whether she has personally come to visit, but it is confirmed that another high-profile ally of hers is."

The image and stats changed to Cheshire. "This woman's specialty is in poisons. Until today there wasn't any clear connection between Cheshire and the League as we know it, so I can't anticipate what they are planning."

Aside from the fact both their children operated in this city. Was that a coincedence? Nightstar couldn't afford to guess here. 

"In order to protect our city we need to confront this threat now. In order to protect ourselves, we need to act as a team. You are not only responsible for your own lives but that of your comrades. There is no acting alone, and it is crucial you follow orders. Should you find yourself in a situation where you are engaging the enemy alone, you are to fall back and retreat until support can come get you."

Behind her, an enlarged map of the city with highlighted underground paths and safe houses appeared. "You've all been drilled on this. Know your safe houses in case you need to use them. The underground routes will allow for quick getaways and nagivation around Jump City. You know all this, but it's this situation where you're going to need to use that knowledge and apply it." 

Moving to a panel on one of the walls, she pressed her hand and allowed the scanners to assess she was indeed Nightstar. From the wall emerged a drawer and a case. She took this white case and opened it before them. Inside were spherical, translucent containers containing what looked to be a sticky, yellow substance. Next to the rows of those were a case of injections in convenient packs.


"Each one of you will carry one of these," she said as she held up the injections. "Poison is fair game for assassins, especially Cheshire. These are to be administered directly to the heart. Again, remember the first aide training we did for on the field. You will likely be administering these to your teammates."

"The other items are inhalers. These are in limited supply and don't work on everyone. The liquid inside coats the lungs and with permit nothing but oxygen to be inhaled for fifteen minutes. This is very useful against gasses. Since they are in limited supply the bulk of these inhalers will be given to Impulse and Kid Flash."

Nightstar turned to the twins, addressing them directly. "With your speed, you can move around Jump City for the assist faster than anyone. You can clear the area and remove your comrades from gas, as well as quickly administer first aid on the spot. Do not engage the enemy directly unless you have to."

Their leader turned her best friend, having to let go of her own biases as she assigned her archer to what could be the riskiest position. "You'll be moving on the rooftops as our long-range attacker. Your objective is to take out as many enemies as you can and stay out of sight. You'll have to act fast so as not to be found. Candy, you will be providing Red support by covering her and Ben as they need it. Your job is to keep an eye out for potential snipers and assassins operating on buildings. This is imperative for the safety of everyone on the team." 

"Amythest, Dex, you two will be watching each other's backs when you fight together on the ground. Amber, your shields are going to be more useful today than your offensive attacks. The enemy outmatches us there, so we need all the defence we can get. Dex you're just as capable offensively as any of us, but you'll benefit from Amber's defensive skills the most. Likewise, there is no abandoning your comrade--your enhanced senses can best warn her of an oncoming attack." 

Then there was Beth, who would be protecting her most stubborn, arrogant, and loved person on the team. "Robin is the most skilled combatant but he's reckless to a fault. His focus will most likely be on the enemy, but you will be fighting alongside him whether he likes it or not." She wanted to believe that he'd be mindful of her life. Mar'i had a feeling that was the whole reason why he was out there--or he was just overly confident which went without saying. 

As for herself... "I'll be providing aerial support for the four of you. Do we all understand our assigned roles?" She looked at each and every single one of them. Once they left this tower, that was it. There may not be time to question anything. "If we do, then it's time to move out." 

[Silv]

Damian narrowed his masked eyes as he maneuvered through the city at high speeds. No one bothered him. Jump City had been used to seeing a Robin flying through their city on his motorbike for years now, and the black and yellow cape fluttering behind the latest version of the R-Cycle was iconic even if it being hooded was new.

The boy skidded to a stop by the bridge that Lian and Dex had fought the assassins at. He ignored the traffic that slowed to gawk at the Boy Wonder as he took the walking ramp and slid into detective mode. Damian wasn't a natural detective like his Father, or like Tim. He had, however, been taught by someone who was also not a natural detective. There were some instances in which having Dick as his mentor had been beneficial. Even if the man was an oaf.

The good thing about having Dex on the team was that the other teen was incredibly easy to track. He couldn't see what sort of markings he'd left to cover them up. Of course, it was simpler than that. The Boy Wonder paused as a familiar scent floated towards him and his head jerked up. The kid's eyes widened as he recognized the scent and accelerated into a sprint.

It was a smell he'd recognize anywhere. It was his mother's perfume.

Damian pulled out his grappling hook without a thought, flinging himself onto the upper level of the bridge where mostly maintenance men worked. The boy landed silently, like a cat, his masked eyes flicked back and forth warily as he slowly rose to his feet.

No one attacked. He kept his senses on high alert and continued his sweep of the area. He found one of Lian's arrows, or what was left of it. It had been broken and trampled. He was in the right spot. The boy bent down, pulling a sampling kit out of his utility belt and taking samples from the ground and the metal poles. He hoped he had come here fast enough for whatever they had gassed Lian and Dex with to still remain on the nearby surfaces. He took one of his samples and did a rudimentary scan of it using a device on his belt.

“What are you planning, Mother?” the boy murmured as he surveyed the area of attack.

He was fairly sure that even if she had popped up to answer him he would be far from reassured. After all, her intentions towards him were rarely good even if veiled with good intent. She had replaced his spine only to control him with it. She had saved his life only to offer his body as a vessel for his Grandfather. All her attempts to clone him, recreate Damian, had come nowhere near the original. There was a chance she had his best interests in mind. A tiny, tiny chance.

His eyes sought out the silhouette of the tower. He could see it clearly from here. The boy's mind raced like a wild thing, trying to figure out what on earth his Mother was planning and why she was in Jump City. The device in his hand beeped, telling him that it had analyzed the compound. It was organic in nature. Made of...animal cells? The boy didn't have time to dwell on these findings, however, as he heard someone land behind him and spun into attack mode.

[Feathers]

AMETHYST (A.K.A AMBER WINSTON)

FEMALE | SEVENTEEN | TEEN TITAN | PROFILE

Whoa! Was these for real? Was she hearing right? These better not be an April fool, b’cos these was not very funny. But Mar’i started getting into details, the save house, the tools and she was dead serious. These was not a prank or a game, but a reality. The reality that a group of crazy assassin, the League of Assassins plus Cheshire are here in Jump City and of all the target in the world. They came to Jump City! Why Jump City and not Gotham?! And they were going to confront them, really?!

Her right hand started shaking, and she had to hold something to make it stop. She told herself to focus and get a grip. These people means real business, they were train to kill for years and how long has she been hero? Only a year and a half. After she discover her power and found out, that her music teacher, Kimber Fowl was actually Silverwing. She beg her to make her apprentice, taking months of begging. She finally gave in, when she started tagging along with her during her patrol.

But, she was warn about these kind of mission, and she knew the chances they could get hurt bad or never come back at all. Silverwing had always had her back, and now she has to rely on the team, rely on Dex. Right Dex. Dex better be sooo watching...she means covering her ass well, or else she gonna hunt him from the grave. Haunt him and kill him, then raise him up from the dead, as a Zombie and kill him again, or whichever comes first or possible to be done.

She sighed before taking off her cape. Concern, it might get in the way of the mission. She then grab the tools Mar’i had lay out for them. Taking in, important mental notes, like the safe house and escape route. As well as her role and task.

When Mar’I asked them if they had any question? and she shook her head.

“Nothing for now....” She straps on two pouches, one on the left and he right. Equipping with it with tools and gadgets that she was given. She can do these. She thought herself.

Mother. She thought of her beloved mother, who lay asleep, merge within the depth of the planet of Gem World. Watch over me. She thought. Please watch over me and my friends. Let us all come back save...and in one piece.

Credits to Emma

[Deleted]

Candy:

Candy gave a nod to Beth when she confirmed that Dex would probably spill all. “Yes, I am sure that he…” But before she could even finish her statement Mar’I arrived on the scene followed by Dastro and it seemed that she would not have to make Dastro spill it after all.

Mar’I spoke and she listened very carefully to what their fearless leader had to say and what she had to say scared the hell out of Candy. Even her hair seemed to freak out upon learning that their beloved city had been invaded by psychotic assassins led by Talia al-Ghul no less and there was Cheshire to worry about. Candy held onto her lengthy animated hair tightly to keep it from going all over the room knocking things over. She felt her face go bright pink for everyone in the room knew that this is what her hair does when scared. “Please continue Mar’I and don’t mind me, I am just fine,” she lied.

She then watched Mar’I pick up a case of injections. She gave a nod of understanding when Mar’I showed other first aid thing they will be using out on the field.
And then Mar’I went on to assign each of them a job. Even though she was deeply afraid of the mission assigned to them she stood and gave a soldier like salute to her leader. “Don’t worry Mar’I you can count on me! I will not fail you! I shall protect Red and Ben with my life,” she promised. But, this was big. They weren’t just fighting the HIVE FIVE anymore or some lame, second rate villain like Dr. Light. They were about to face the biggest threat yet: the League of Assassins. There was much at stake. After she made her promise she sat back down beside Amber. She nodded at Mar’I end query. Not like she had a choice anyway and she knew how important this mission was and what all was at stake. Let’s just say they better not lose. “I won’t lose. I can’t…” she muttered aloud thru gritted teeth mainly to herself as though saying such would somehow magically help.


Dastro:

After giving Red a hug, Dastro had followed Mar’I into the Danger Room where he just sort of found himself standing beside her as she revealed all to the others. Having already heard the sudden revelation of their fair city being invaded by psychotic killers nothing his leader said really surprised him.

However, it irritated him that he couldn’t see what she was showing the others. All he knew was what she was telling them. And then Mar’I started assigning roles to them and as it turned out he ended up getting paired up with Amber. He hoped she wasn’t still sore at him. He just gave a nod of understanding. “I will not fail again…” he mumbled. “No worries, I got it,” he simply stated upon her asking if they all understood. “You can count on us Mar’i. We won’t let you down. Right guys?” he asked turning towards the table where he assumed everyone sat. He just hoped he wouldn’t mess up again. He really wanted to prove himself worthy of the title, hero. He just wanted the others to think him just as capable rather than a liability.

[Kenni]

OoC; Soso Bonita, I’m writing her’n Samu’s Jai out, sorry about the wrench in Mar’i’s plans there for speed-support. ^^; &&forhowlatethisisahareyouguystillinnerested. :’D I've fast-forwarded to battlystuff, as soon as the others involved here up to a certain point of reason can re-assemble/are found to want to reassemble.|

Irey West/Impulse:

She had been right behind her rowdy brother, and in 13 more seconds might’ve beaten them all to the Danger Room had it not been for a call from the Flash before them, their old man. Irey quickly showed the transmission for help to Jai once next to him again, distilling any left-outedness he’d been feeling from the other two’s family-trouble-super-secretiveness.

“Sorry’da pull the plug on the love-boat’s sink, buddy. We’ve got people’da see. We’ll come back if we finish up early! Be careful..please. Everyone.”
With apprehensive glances back at the team and fond wishes-well, the speedsters were officially off the mission.

Lian Harper/Red Hood:
“Dex. Thanks.” sniffed the spent and melancholy Harper daughter, donning the mask she and her best friend both knew it was prime time she put on in order to keep the rest of the team in favourably non-worried condition. At least, it would help if an instrumental part of their heights-defense wasn’t falling apart at the seams before they even set out.
Lian had let herself be nursed back out of numbness by the unsurprising tenderness Dex had shown her; she was gorgeous after all was said and done, he was an extremely soft-hearted fellow underneath all the strictness and keeping up of appearances to not appear weak to the others.

Talia al-Ghul.
Cheshire, and, with The League.

A sharp nod at the orders Mar’i had laid out for them, and the Red Hood’s hood went up, as a tear-marked backhand fell to her side, the fist clenching and un-clenching as Lian made eye contact with her current squadmates.

Safe houses.
Antidotes.

Ben was on stand-by elsewhere, but Candy seemed ready. It was possible the three of them would need to pace differently to cover ground more effectively, or cover their team mates’ backs much the same, so she didn’t count on being able to see them at all times.

Tricky sticking together, when facing off generally one-on-one against highly-trained ninjas.

Assignments.
Formations.

The choked up teenager blinked at each checkpoint in the mission briefing, nodding barely to signal to her leader they’d all sunken in.

It was a good thing they’d all more or less switched up partners and trios in this very practice hall, and similar configurations had been tested out amongst them for just such murky conditions as they might be facing soon.

It had been tough-goings hearing the plan make mention of her poisonspecialist mother, but she managed to take it all in as simply the mission’s background information it was meant to be this time.

“Acknowledged. It’s time. Don’t worry, I’ve got my hanky handy; won’t surprise blubberattack any assassins this way.”

A weak joke.
A stronger grin…
..a very slight wobble, as of yet unbeknownst to her as a side-effect from whatever she and Dex had been sprayed with earlier on, foreshadowing bumps in their offensive.
Despite the sudden spell, Lian felt she could hold up for now.

There wasn’t any time left not to.

They set out, to where Damian had collected the biological contents of the League’s latest foray into ancient Chinese Gu black-magic. Analyzing the poisons later on would reveal what the sinister nature of their opponents’ research was.

If he and the teens could lose their attackers and get to a safe-house long enough for the contents to process, of course.

FWISHHH!
A well-aimed but comical Punching Glove Arrow gave an annoyed ground operative a right-hook before it's releaser sunk back into the shadows overtop the scene of Damian's investigation. Lian began forcing that long-range attacker back-up Mar'i had charged her with, as soon as the first foot found its way into Damian's shoulder-blade.