The Darkest of Knights

"Sorry to hear that." Alice sympathized resting an arm on Karmy's shoulder still without looking at her.

"Yeah..." Karmy mumbled and rested her head on her best friends shoulder."Guess there's one good thing about the city. It's where we became friends."

"How long will that last?" Alice asked morbidly. Things always tends to fall apart, something Alice was use to. "How's the police officer doing?" She asked.

Karmy had no idea who Alice was talking about. "The who?" she asked, currently having a hard time remember anything. The plane rattled slightly and Karmy felt a wave of nausea pass over her. "Do not..." she wrapped her pale arms around her thin frame. "Like planes.."

11/13/31
Jump City - 7:00 am
Gotham City - 10:00am
Breezy and Cold

The speakers toned Dick's exhausted voice, "We will be in Jump City limits within an hour." Alice looked down from the window and clung onto Karmy unconsciously. "Don't worry about a thing, we're gonna make it all right, got our enemies crossed out in our sight, I take a bad situation gonna make it right. In the shadows of darkness I stand in the light. You see it's our style to keep it true. I've had a bad year, a lot to go through. I've been knocked out, beat down, black and blue. He's not the one coming back for you. If I fall back down, you're gonna help me back up again. If I fall back down, you're gonna be my friend." Alice sung softly.

"Thank you.." Karmy yawned, feeling drained again. "Buddies till the end.. That no other can comprehend.." she tiredly tried out a poem.

"I'll wake you up when we get there." Alice muttered, also feeling drowsy and finally falling asleep.

Thorne smirked lightly, leaning back in his chair and restoring his cigar to his lips. "Well if it's such a small amount then I can assure you I'll be able to acquire it, though it may take me some time to find someone willing to part with it." The crime boss took a slow drag on his cigar. "But, if I may, this is far from an ordinary request..." He blew a long stream of pale smoke from between his lips. "If I could ask something of you in return..." He paused to take a drag on his cigar, and Roxie decided to finish explaining for her boss.

"There are old pictures of you in a scale suit, rumors have it that that suit of yours could take a bullet and let you shrug it off." She waved a hand lightly. "Clearly you're not using it anymore, and something like that could come in real handy in our line of work." The ebony haired secretary plainly laid out the mod's desire for Slade's old suit.

"You wouldn't happen to still have it, or the design specs for it?" Thorne finished, blowing a cloud of smoke from his nose as he leaned over his desk.

Karmy stuttered something inaudible and nodded off, still shaking slightly in her sleep.

11/13/31
Jump City - 7:30 am
Gotham City - 10:30am
Breezy and Cold

Red Robin smelled an overdose of waffle batter pushing up his nose and seeping out his pores. Sweat drenched his face as he threw off his mask and sat up to look at the time. Green numerical flashes of 7:30 am bled through his eyes, they were still sensitive to the light and he restrained from opening up the blinds. The smell was too rich and too saturated, he plugged his nose and slipped his mask back on, it was unusually hot for this time of year. The door automatically opened and Red Robin stepped out. "God, Cyborg what smells?" Red Robin asked swishing at the air in front of him. "And did you turn up the heat? What gives?" Cyborg turned around to eye Red Robin, "Evil doers beware... we have waffles!" Cyborg cheered. "A mountain of grade C waffles? You honestly don't plan on eating all that with me do you?" He asked still plugging his nose. "Hey, I can eat twice this much, and y'all know it!" Cyborg ranted. "Right, well what's the occasion?" Red Robin asked regardless if Cyborg could actually eat twice the mountain of waffles he made. "Got a call early in the morning.. or late last night. The Batman needs a place to crash for a week or two. Titans Tower is always available for a friend in need." Cyborg explained. "So... Dick Grayson, you and me... we're going to eat all this?" Red Robin continued to ask not believing three people could eat it without busting a gut. "Well... he'd bringing some friends." Red Robin looked at the large feast. "Do we have enough room?"

Bored and unsure what to do, Casisus flipped out the journal Greyson gave to him.

Well, Greyson gave it to me, may as well use it.

Speaking of him, that lucky cur is going discovery-channel on Barbara again. In the cocpit. Really, It just couldn't wait untill we landed? How they don't have ten children already is beyond me.

Speaking of children, I've more or less lost MY father of the year award- with Matt's eyes fried and Karmy in a Slump, the only one NOT is some kind of funk in Sarah, who is yapping enough with Slade's spawn to drive a man to drink.

Oh well. One day I'll make sense of this whole fatherhood thing. 'till then

getting frunk works just fine.

The Batship landed on the top of Titan's Tower. The rough landing awoke all sleeping passengers and would alerted Red Robin and Cyborg if they weren't already waiting for them on the roof. "Attention Heroes, we have reached our destination. Please come out one at a time." Dick and Barbara stepped out of the cockpit and on to the concrete, Cyborg immediately brought Dick's handshake into a super-strength robotic hug. "Cyborg!" was the sound that came from Dick's mouth when he hugged him. "Hey man! You look so different! you wear a mask for so long, its hard to recognize you." Cyborg said releasing Dick. "Ironic huh?" Dick asked. "Hey Vic!" Barbara smiled and gave Cyborg a hug, he returned the hug that was significantly less powerful. Raven stepped out, "Hey Raven! How was your vacation?" Red Robin asked. A fist came flying at Red Robin and he quickly dodged it. "You call hiding in Gotham's sewers a vacation?!" She yelled at him. "Whoa, whoa. Isn't it a bit too early to be hitting me?" He asked weakly. "Hey Tim. Long time, no see." Dick smiled and shook his hand.

When Alice shook her awake, it took Karmy a few minutes to get moving. Following everyone out, she forgot the bag and had to go back up to get it. It felt different around her shoulders so she carried it in her hands instead, stuffing the duffelbag Alice gave her inside. She pulled the hood of the jacket over her head and stood next to Alice. "Hey Cyborg." she greeted him with a small wave.

"Yo! It's the hippie that jacked the T-Ship!" Cyborg screamed. "Ya'll never said she was tagging along!" Cyborg fussed not wanting to deal with a ship jacker so early in the morning. "Relax Cyborg." Alice said hopping out. "And its that Malice chick we fought when we were Teen Titans!!" Cyborg yelled again. "Hey, she switched remember?" Dick said elbowing Cyborg. "Ohh... yeah I knew that. Looks like I need to buy more terabytes of memory again." Cyborg smirked scratching his head.

Slade knew the suit Thorne was referencing. The suit he wore in his wild youth. He kind of missed it, but his new Black armor was more efficient for the times. Overall, not much to give considering what he would be receiving. "Consider it yours once I get my unihexium." Slade said. “Sound like a deal?” Slade offered.

First to stumble off the plane was Zero, propped up by Ivy. Poor guy looked like a fish out of water. Next Came Cassius, stooping over so he could get out, and he was closely followed by Rose and Cyrah, practically thing 1 and thing 2 with how their arms were linked like a couple out of a black and white movie. When Cyrah saw Cyborg, she quickly dashed over to him. “Yo, Cyborg, What’s up!?” She said eagerly. She really did idolize him- she more or less owed him her life. If he hadn’t got her out of that hellish X-002 getup….. Well, she didn’t want to think about that.

Karmy bowed her head and said, "I'm sorry.." and hid behind Cassius, not wanting to get into a tiff with Cyborg. "I.. Yeah." she shut her mouth after that.

"Whoa man.. Sarah? Hippie?" Cyborg wanted to know if Cyrah was infected by an LED virus that made the blue armor he outfitted with her green, and he wanted to know what made the outgoing Karmy so timid. "Man.. Beast Boy was right... Things really do Change." He said pulling his hand over his brow. "Well anyway, pay attention y'all! There's a mountain of waffles begging to get eaten! Let's all catch up with each other in the common room!" Cyborg smiled broadly. The last time that Titan's Tower was packed was right after the fight with the Brotherhood of Evil. "Just like old times huh?" Dick smiled back. "Yeah.. Just like old times."

"Let's call it, a favor, between friends." Thorne smirked lightly extending his hand to shake on the agreement. Titles were important in his line of work, making a deal with someone was more common than receiving a mutual favor, and Deathstroke the Terminator was the kind of person it paid to be on good terms with. Thorne liked getting paid.

From what Beast Boy had told her, if Cyborg was cooking, there was no way in hell that it was vegan. So, while everyone else was munching on waffles, Karmy grabbed a glass of juice and sat down quietly. Sure, she hadn't eaten in a while but.. She had gone longer when in the institute and could handle it for a while. Besides, she really wasn't herself right now "Like old times.." she muttered to herself and leaned against Cassius again.

While everyone was eating and talking Alice stood up and grabbed Karmy, that alone caused a scene. But she began force feeding Karmy like she was some rebellious child. "Uhh... Alice?" Barbara asked. "Shut up Babs." She said continuing to force feed Karmy with syrup stained waffles. "If she doesn't want to eat-.." Dick started.

Karmy grabbed Alice's wrist when she first grabbed her but didn't fight back, she had no strength to. She waited for Alice to finish her little stunt, occasionally coughing a bit.

"Alice.."
"Shut up Dick!"
"Alice stop!"
"No!"
"Alice! Get away from her!"

Alice's hand was yanked backward by Dick. "Can't you see she doesn't want it?" He asked her sternly. "Get away from me!" She yelled at him and she stormed out of the common room and down the hall. "Sorry guys... I'll be right back." Dick said chasing after her. Barbara knelt down to Karmy. "Hey are you alright?"

Karmy snapped her fingers, opening up a portal and grabbing the edges. She vomited in it like a barf bag and closed it up. Poor France. Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, she was breathing heavily. "We've been fighting way to much.."

The muffled yelling from behind the metallic sliding doors of Dick and Alice screaming at each other could be heard. Barbara patted Karmy on her back, "C'mon get up. You'll be fine." Barbara encouraged. "I never understood vegetarians." Raven said to Cyborg eating a slice of her waffle. "Well BB turns into those animals so-" Cyborg was interrupted. "But they're already dead. Why the hell doesn't Aqualad eat fish? Its already dead whether or not they were his friends." Raven muttered cutting another slice of waffle. "Hey, ya got me." Cyborg said utterly confused. "Guys.. Can we be a little more sensitive?" Barbara asked hinting the fact that they were being rude.

"Some people live to eat, others eat to live, she's not doing either!" Alice yelled at Dick, tears rolling down her cheeks. "None of you are concerned like I am and that's why none of you are doing anything about it!"
"That's not the way of going about it Alice; if she wants to eat vegan food we can go get some later, but its rude to just run out for one person when you're guests at a gathering."
"Its not that! Back at the batcave she wouldn't eat the vegan food either! She was starving herself deliberately! She's doing this on purpose!"
"But you don't do something that rash in front of all those people! You don't do something that rash period! To your best friend!"
"All you think about is impressing others! And she's going to kill herself because of you!"
"Alice! Listen to yourself! Listen to what you're saying! You just force fed your best friend! That's basically torture! She was force fed tainted meat the night before!"

Karmy ignored the hurtful words of Raven and Cyborg. "I need to.. Leave." she looked at Barbara. "I'm sorry for causing such a fuss.." she looked over at Cassius and gave him the slightest of nods, signaling that if he wanted, she had her com link to him and he could call her whenever he wanted. "I'm sorry.." she snapped her fingers, and fell through the portal, leaving the lantern bag behind.

Karmy landed in the one place she had never wanted to step foot in again, but she had no choice. The place where she had killed Smith. She walked over to the random wall and laid against it, pulling her legs up close as she rested her head against the cool morning grass.