Chapter Text
April 3rd, 2017.
The mission was simple: Raven and Robin would talk to their target when he joined the crowd of people, get the information they needed, and ravenous with Blake - who's in one of the many vehicles parked outside of the manner; sitting on comms as well as standby for backup or emergency evac.
There's always a chance of a mission going wrong, and danger is imminent if you're not cautious for anything in this line of work no matter how much you'd like to avoid it.
Raven should've been with the majority of the guests right now, mingling and sneaking her way towards their target through the conversations of the guests... through random stories to be forgotten if it wasn't important or interesting enough to tell to the others during a work party.
Yet, she was up on the second floor balcony, standing alone as she observed the guests around her, and waiting for who they're supposed to get the information out of to leave their cave with complete boredom. If you couldn't tell already, she's not exactly what you'd call a "fan" of formal events in almost any way, shape, or form. (Except for the outfits. They're classy, and She's all for dressing unreasonably well).
Robin wasn't visible in the not-so small crowd of people, but Raven could care less. She knew that Robin was a sneaky little rodent. Yes, I do mean a rodent. You dont notice rodents in your house until they have the unfortunate event of being out at night when you're awake. The rest of the time, they're hidng in places you wouldn't even think to check unless you got them regularly, now would you? (Only god knows how they can manage to get into the higher cabinets). Still, it didn't worry Raven one bit. OK, well... that's a major understatement and a lie. She is worried. Always worried, but that's just code! You watch out for your teammate's backs at all times, especially if you're out on a mission.
Besides, Robin has been her best friend for years now. Their bond has gone all the way back to when Raven first appeared at the workplace herself. (More specifically 4 years ago). Raven was new and ready to train for anything. But of course, she wasn't really talkative at the time. Raven was sitting alone during the lunch hours for weeks, and Robin had found herself pittying the (no longer) quiet new girl.
They hit it off the moment that Raven and Mavis had found that they had more in common than they'd originally thought. Ever since then, Raven has stuck to her side like how superglue sticks to skin; it's hard to get off, and you're scared to remove it because you can rip your skin off with it. But for a better analogy for this close bond... Like how a bee needs a flower.
(Check the bottom of this chapter under notes on what to do if you're unfortunate enough to get super glue on your skin)
Raven walked up to the balcony edge, rested her elbows on the rough sandstone railing, and took a deep breath. Even though the entire grand hall had been decorated and planned weeks ahead until it was considered perfection, merely for the guest's leisure and relaxation... she couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. No... not wrong; more like something was just... off.
The entire room seemed tense. They were glancing around a bit too much for her liking and their actions... well, she knew better than to dismiss them... but she also knew that it was a bad time and place to overanalize every detail. She's not a detective, after all.
Raven chuckled at her own anxiousness and thought that maybe she should take a break from work like her boss had advised her to. Even Robin had noticed her working maybe a bit too much and tried to convince her to stop for a bit. She really did need a break. Desperately. Her being so antsy over subtle details and a bad feeling just served as more evidence that she truly needed one.
She chuckled wryly and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm losing my damn mind." She uttered to herself.
"I can't tell if I should be concerned or if I should welcome you to the party that is insanity." Robin called out from behind her and strolled over; a drink in hand. (More specifically, a can of soda).
Why a soda? Well, because Robin was (and still is), a tetoldler. You'd never catch her drinking even if someone held a gun to her head (which has caused suspicion during missions before, mind you). She firmly believed that it would make her sloppy; unaware. A fool. She's punctual, well put together, and overall, an organized person. Besides, she'd rather not be anything other than healthy, and a hospital trip because of a damaged liver wouldn't be much help with paying for anything.
Alrhough, if you were lucky enough to ever become friends with someone more intimidating, you'll find that she's just making the mess that she truly is less noticeable. After all, you can't hide your humanity nor the secrets you wish to never tell.
Not forever.
Raven looked behind her shoulder and smiled just a tiny bit before she began to laugh. "Is both an option?" She asked jokingly, only for it to be followed up by another much more important question.
"Why're you up here, Robin? Aren't you supposed to be down there with everyone else?" Raven asked.
Robin's expression quickly turned amused. "That's quite the ironic question coming from you, Raven. Especially considering that I could ask you the same." Robin mentioned.
Raven's small smile bloomed into a full-on grin. "Would you believe me if I said that I was watching your back?" Raven replied sheepishly. She knew it wasn't the full truth, but it was enough of it to hopefully get Robin to stop questioning it.
Robin rolled her eyes at Raven's sad attempt at an excuse.
"Oh, come on. I know that's not the actual reason that you're up here..." Robin stated before changing her mind, not wanting to be wrong about what she'd said.
"ok, well, maybe it is. But! I refuse to believe that that's the only reason you'd be up here." Robin responded skeptically, not believing for a single moment that what she told her was the only reason she'd be off track.
"I've really gotta stop being around you... you know me too well." Raven said sarcastically. "But yes. You're, unfortunately for me - correct. I just.." Raven looked back down at the guests below and takes another deep breath, "needed a minute."
Robin's expression changed to concern. Robin knew that Raven was usually energetic and playful. This was out of character for her entirely, and Robin knew it. Which is why she was growing increasingly concerned. So the question now was, well... why?
Robin put a hand on Raven's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her and asked one simple question: "What's wrong?"
Raven looked back over at Robin with an anxious expression, and with short notice, Raven answered honestly: "I just can't shake the feeling that something's off. I can't be the only one who noticed that the room seems tense, right? It's like they're anticipating something that we've got no clue about." Raven ran her hands over her face, "I don't know... I might just be overthinking this, though. You and the boss might be right about me working too much... all of the dangerous missions lately are getting to my head." She explained her worry.
"And they say that similar minds think alike." Robin commented with a subtle, amused smile.
"You're not the only one who noticed. Why do you think I came up here in the first place? To scare you for no reason?"
Raven looked over at robin with a knowing look. "I mean... it is something you'd do, and you know it." She alluded to all of the times in the past where robin has, in fact, sacred her for seemingly no reason other than for her own amusement.
"I- well," Robin attempted to retort, but ultimately failed to think of anything to say, so.. she just conceded and sighed a sigh of defeat. "Tuché." She muttered. Raven grinned at what she deemed a personal victory. Robin couldn't have even blamed her for doing so, but that doesn't mean that she wasn't annoyed by it. She hated losing to Raven, especially since Raven had a history of losing arguments when it came to Robin; she was terrible at proving a point and saying things correctly. She'd be a horrible lawyer if she even tried to be one. So winning a single one was as rare as winning the lottery with 1 ticket.
Nearly impossible.
Robin shoots her a slightly annoyed stare at her grin, which is paired by a quiet scoff not long after. "Oh, stop grinning, Raven. It's not gonna help make your next point any better." She said as if she were scolding her. All because of the simple victorious smile on her face from one of her scarce argumentative wins.
Raven's smile disappeared not long after. Not all of it. It was still there, just more subtle.
"Stop being a sore loser, Robin." Raven remarked, now slightly annoyed at Robin's uncanny ability to not actually want to accept defeat until she's completely cornered. It was a trait she hated most about Robin, yet she still tolerated it simply because she wasn't the worst sore loser when it came down to it. At least she didn't throw fits like a little kid (although it felt like it sometimes).
"I am not a sore loser." Robin grumbled.
Raven looked at her with a purposefully dramatic, skeptical stare that just screamed: 'Yeah... sure. I totally believe you right now.' "Right... and I'm not 5'3." Raven replied slowly with the biggest amount of sarcasm she could muster.
Robin crosses her arms. "Oh buzz off, Raven. I am not a sore loser." She grumbled and restated.
"Really? Because it kinda sounds like i-" Raven was suddenly cut off by a voice blaring through the comms. An annoyed, tired voice. The same voice of their regularly grumpy teammate: Blake.
"Oh my god, shut up! Both of you! You're acting like arguing siblings, and it's pathetic!" Blake groaned, "Get your asses back on track with the mission, and just get it over with! I'd rather not have to hear either of your annoying bickering more than i should." Blake rudely reminded them of what they were SUPPOSED to be doing.
They both sigh, look at each other with the same look, and mutter simultaneously: "Blake."
Despite the fact that Robin and Raven argue with each other like their siblings, there was one consensus they both could agree on no matter how mad they were at each other. Blake... is a massive dick! He had no respect for anyone other than himself, never listened to anyone to the point where it's a miracle that he hasn't been fired yet, and constantly argues with other people about who's right and wrong about something. Don't even get me started on all of the constant cussing and anger. They didn't hate him per se, but he definitely got on their nerves enough to hate working with him sometimes. He could be helpful on occasion, and he's the best evac and backup they could ask for, but man... he made it near insufferable to be around him.
Now, you've got to understand something... Raven... is petty. But she could never be more petty and more of a smart-aleck to anyone else than she is with Blake. So, with short notice, she looks over at Robin, smiles a smug, SMUG smile, and says to her: "I suppose we should respect our elders and get back on track like grandpa wants us to, hm?"
A short beat of scilence.
"... screw you." Blake said a moment later.
"I'd rather not." Raven replied smugly.
"Thank God, I was starting to get worried that you were into me. Then I'd really want to avoid work." Blake mocks.
"Speak for yourself, Blake. You're so grumpy all the time that people want to leave the room if you're in it." Raven jeered.
Blake's scoff could be heard loud and clear over the coms. "Oh, like you're any better. At least people don't avoid talking to me because they don't want to hear an annoying voice telling a crappy story in the common room." He shot back, his voice laced with nothing but anger.
Blake's last comment struck a cord with her. He knows that she's one to overthink what people think of her. She doesn't want to be an annoyance to them. "Well, at least I don't drive people away because they're talking to a pessimistic asshole with no respect for anyone other than himself. It shocks me how you haven't been fired." She insulted.
That stung. "Hey, what the hell!" Blake's offended voice rang into the coms.
"What, was it too far, huh? Or can you not stand the truth being told." She mocks. "You brought that on yourself, Blake. Don't insult me if your ego can't take it." She says.
A brief silence filled into the comms, with blake being just completely and utterly stunned because of it.
Unfortunately for Raven and robin... he wasn't for very long. His voice rang into the coms once more, but it was quieter. Meek, even. She had really gotten him to back down for once. "Just get back to work. You're wasting time." He mumbled.
"Yeah, yeah. We're on it." Raven dismissed, still seething from their short argument.
Raven turned off her comms shortly after she spoke and looked back over at Robin, who had been just listening in like she was listening to some great gossip while she sipped from her can of soda.
Robin sighed once Raven looked over at her. "Unfortunately for us, and as much as I hate to say it, Raven... Blake is right. We don't have a ton of time to do this, and if we don't get the information, then we'll be losing some valuable info for the guy we're trying to hunt down." Robin reminds.
"Your microphone is still on, idiot. I can hear you."
"Just be quiet, Blake. We get it; we need to get back on track. We're doing that. What we need you to do, though, is to stop mouthing off to us so that we aren't distracted from our job." Robin snapped back, having grown tired of his constant commenting.
"Ok, ok! I get it. There's no need to be so rude." Blake grumbled.
"What did I JUST say?"
"..." Scilence filled the other end of the comms once Blake had realized that he should really just be quiet for once in his life.
"Good. Now," Robin turned to Raven.
"Let's go talk to our little party host, shall we?" Robin said before she walked off, heading for the stairs back down.
Robin looked behind her once she reached the steps, looking to see if Raven was following. Once she saw that Raven was still standing there at the balcony, she called out to her: "Raven! You comin' down?"
Raven looked back over at her, tearing her attention away from the guests below once again. "Yep, I'll be down in a moment, down worry!" Raven yelled back.
"Well, hurry up then, yeah? I'm pretty sure the drinks are running low by now! We're gonna have to start paying for em if we don't hurry!" Robin yelled back in response as well, urging her to get downstairs before walking down the steps herself and disappearing into the sea of party guests once again.
Even if Raven still felt as if something was off about the evening, even after the temporary distractions... she forced herself to set her uneasiness aside and went downstairs once again.
They have a mission to do, after all.
The better question is if she could make it through this one.
(End of chapter).
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Notes:
(If you ever get super glue on your skin, don't try to rip it off becauseit'ss extremely painful. It will dissolve off of your skin within a few days. You can help speed up the process by rinsing the area where the superglue is with water or using nail polish remover. Stay safe with glue!thee author.)
Vocabulary word definitions:
(This is for everyone wondering what some of the words mean or what something is.)
Tetoldler: Someone who's sworn off drinking. (Alchaholic beverages).
(To) call out: a cry made to summon or to attract someone's attention.
(It's also the cry of a bird or other animal).
(To) grumble: to complain about something (or someone) in a bad way.
(To ask) Rehtorical: a question asked to produce an effect or make a statement rather than to get an actual answer.
Grand hall: the main room of a large house. (Or the main hall of a hall house in the middle ages).
(To) shoot-back: to give a sudden response or retort.
smug: Someone who is self-satisfied.
(To) mutter: To say something in a low or barely audible voice; typically, when unsatisfied or angry about something.
buzz off: another way to say: "Go away!"