Kaleidoscope, Chapter 2
Title: Kaleidoscope (Chapter 2)
Disclaimer: DC's, not mine.
Characters/Pairings: Rose Wilson/Mar'i Grayson, implied Talia al Ghul/Jason Todd, and assorted sons and daughters of heroic and anti-heroic figures in the DCU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Mar'i, Damien, and Lian go undercover, finding some interesting new faces.
The eight youths went to the banquet room, where various snacks were spread before them on the large table in the center. Lynx picked up something that looked like a sugar cookie and bit into it. “Mmm,” she groaned.
Lasher rolled her eyes and picked up a multigrain cracker, chewing it silently while casting scornful looks at everyone else. Dust caught her scornful look and returned it with one of his own. The two stared each other down until Tracer moved in between them. “Hey,” he admonished. “Save it for later.”
The two continued to glare past Tracer and at each other, until Tracer swung his fist at Dust, forcing the red-caped young man to flip backward to evade the punch. “You wanna go?” Dust asked, shifting into a fighting stance with a hand extended in invitation. “Come on.”
Talia interposed herself between the two young men. “You will have the opportunity to fight soon enough. For now, simply rest and get to know each other. Am I clear?”
“Yes,” Tracer answered calmly.
“And you?” Talia asked, turning to Dust.
Keeping his eyes averted from her, Dust replied, “Fine.”
Dart sidled up to Dust and whispered, “You and Lasher look like you’ve got some tension going on already.”
“Just because you’re an indescribable pervert does not mean there is sex in every human interaction,” Dust answered clinically.
Dart snickered quietly. “If you insist.” She moved away from Dust and to the table, pushing her mask up to pick up a multigrain cracker and chew on it.
Dust rolled his eyes in annoyance and surveyed his fellow combatants. They were all pretty young, about his age or somewhat older or younger. So far, the only one he’d seen in a combat situation at all had been Tracer and that had been stopped before it could begin. He wandered around the table, watching the smaller groups that formed from this larger group. Lasher and Lynx seemed to be sticking together, while Tracer, Oni, and Tenshi remained separate yet within arm’s reach of each other. Dust didn’t even have to look to know Ashe and Dart were keeping close to one another.
With nothing else to do, Dust picked up a sugar cookie and bit into it. It wasn’t so bad, much like the cookies Alfred had made for him - and still made for him. He continued his silent observations of the others, certain that the more astute knew he was watching them. That was fine by him; he wanted them to know he was watching them. That way they would stay on their toes around him.
Meanwhile, Dart was eyeing Tracer, Oni, and Tenshi. “Cute guys,” she whispered to Ashe.
“Not interested in them,” Ashe replied. “You can have them.”
“I can? Thanks, but not really interested myself,” Dart admitted. “I’ve got a boyfriend, remember?”
“Yes, one who is still utterly terrified of going beyond kissing with you.”
“I can be very persuasive.” She reached out to stroke Ashe’s arm. “You know that, right?”
Ashe shuddered slightly, her skin feeling like it was on fire where Dart had touched her. As much as she loved and adored Rose, she also had a certain attraction to Dart. She just hoped Rose and Cerdian were up for sharing should the occasion arise. At that moment, Lynx drifted by them.
“Hey,” she greeted them. “Be careful.”
“Why?” Dart asked.
“Lasher’s ruthless,” Lynx replied. “I like her, but I don’t want you two getting hurt by her.”
“And why do you care?” Ashe asked.
“I don’t know,” Lynx admitted. “I just want you to be careful.” She drifted away from them.
“What was that about?” Ashe wondered.
“Don’t know,” Dart replied.
“By the way, Oni’s watching you,” Ashe said, nudging Dart gently. Dart turned and spotted the dark green eyes of Oni locked on her. Dart glared at Oni, as though to ask him what his damage was. Oni merely smirked at her and drifted out of her line of sight.
“I look forward to fighting you,” a soft, measured voice spoke.
Ashe spun around with a kick thrown in the direction of the voice. Her kick was easily blocked by a forearm belonging to one Tenshi, who smiled at her. “You have very good senses,” he complimented her.
“Thanks,” Ashe answered.
After the refreshments were thoroughly consumed by the eight young combatants, they were all ordered to their rooms by Talia and Red Robin. Of course, the boys were expressly forbidden from visiting the girls’ rooms and vice versa. Despite the explicit order to get some sleep, the girls were not exactly forbidden from visiting each other and neither were the boys. As for Talia and Red Robin, the former had chosen to visit the latter in his room.
Red Robin’s room was sparsely decorated. Of course, it was a temporary room, so no one should have expected it to have much decoration. However, his room was bare of anything that could have defined it as being his. Additionally, it was a mess, the bed left unmade and various weapons scattered throughout it.
Talia looked at Red Robin’s room with distaste. “You really must take better care of yourself, Jason.”
Red Robin simply stared sourly at Talia, sitting on his unmade bed. “I take care of myself just fine, Talia.”
“Really? Is that why you run yourself ragged with your freelance assignments?”
“It allows me to go on living.”
Talia looked at him with an expression of concerned scorn. “If you can call it living.”
“Yeah, well, you might as well join me.”
“Make your bed and then we’ll talk.”
“Why make my bed when it’ll just be a mess later?”
“It’s good breeding.”
“I never had ‘good breeding.’” A sneer colored Red Robin’s expression. “Street urchin, remember?”
“Yes, I remember. That’s how Bruce found you. That’s how I found you.”
“Don’t mention that bastard.” He rolled his eyes beneath his mask and made a contemptuous snort.
“Sleep well, Jason.” Talia moved to walk out of Red Robin’s room. “You’re going to need it.” She walked out of his room, leaving the former Robin alone with his thoughts.
Ashe was alone in her room, relaying information to Rose via the quarter-sized communicator in her ear. “Talia’s there. So is Red Robin.”
“What about the other participants?” Rose asked on the other end.
“I don’t know yet what they’re all capable of, although some of them seem more dangerous than others,” Ashe replied. “Of course, appearances don’t always tell the truth.”
“Be careful,” Rose advised.
“I will,” Ashe answered. “Have to make it back to you, Rose.”
“Damien has the camera contacts on,” Rose said. “Through him, we can watch what’s going on.”
“All right,” Ashe remarked. “If he catches me in the bathroom, you might just have a field day.”
“Why watch you naked through Damien’s eyes when I can see you naked when you come back to me?” Rose asked.
Ashe chuckled. “Rose . . .” She rose from her bed and unzipped her top, revealing that her breasts had been restrained via bindings rather than a bra. Of course, Ashe didn’t much like wearing bras, so she hardly wore one, anyway. The half-cape and shorts, along with the boots and gloves soon joined the top. “I’m not wearing anything except my underwear right now.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Rose whispered, her voice low and rough.
“Why not?” Ashe asked. “Tempting you is such fun.”
“Going now,” Rose answered. “Ravager out.”
Ashe pouted. It wasn’t her fault she missed Rose’s touch, Rose’s breath, Rose’s scent. Then again, she supposed they couldn’t have communicator sex while in the presence of enemies and potential enemies. It was just that she ached - body, heart, and soul - for Rose and she was having a hard time waiting for the day (or night) Rose claimed her. With a sigh, she resigned herself to having to bring about her own satisfaction. At least her thoughts of Rose would be a good distraction from what awaited.
Disclaimer: DC's, not mine.
Characters/Pairings: Rose Wilson/Mar'i Grayson, implied Talia al Ghul/Jason Todd, and assorted sons and daughters of heroic and anti-heroic figures in the DCU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Mar'i, Damien, and Lian go undercover, finding some interesting new faces.
The eight youths went to the banquet room, where various snacks were spread before them on the large table in the center. Lynx picked up something that looked like a sugar cookie and bit into it. “Mmm,” she groaned.
Lasher rolled her eyes and picked up a multigrain cracker, chewing it silently while casting scornful looks at everyone else. Dust caught her scornful look and returned it with one of his own. The two stared each other down until Tracer moved in between them. “Hey,” he admonished. “Save it for later.”
The two continued to glare past Tracer and at each other, until Tracer swung his fist at Dust, forcing the red-caped young man to flip backward to evade the punch. “You wanna go?” Dust asked, shifting into a fighting stance with a hand extended in invitation. “Come on.”
Talia interposed herself between the two young men. “You will have the opportunity to fight soon enough. For now, simply rest and get to know each other. Am I clear?”
“Yes,” Tracer answered calmly.
“And you?” Talia asked, turning to Dust.
Keeping his eyes averted from her, Dust replied, “Fine.”
Dart sidled up to Dust and whispered, “You and Lasher look like you’ve got some tension going on already.”
“Just because you’re an indescribable pervert does not mean there is sex in every human interaction,” Dust answered clinically.
Dart snickered quietly. “If you insist.” She moved away from Dust and to the table, pushing her mask up to pick up a multigrain cracker and chew on it.
Dust rolled his eyes in annoyance and surveyed his fellow combatants. They were all pretty young, about his age or somewhat older or younger. So far, the only one he’d seen in a combat situation at all had been Tracer and that had been stopped before it could begin. He wandered around the table, watching the smaller groups that formed from this larger group. Lasher and Lynx seemed to be sticking together, while Tracer, Oni, and Tenshi remained separate yet within arm’s reach of each other. Dust didn’t even have to look to know Ashe and Dart were keeping close to one another.
With nothing else to do, Dust picked up a sugar cookie and bit into it. It wasn’t so bad, much like the cookies Alfred had made for him - and still made for him. He continued his silent observations of the others, certain that the more astute knew he was watching them. That was fine by him; he wanted them to know he was watching them. That way they would stay on their toes around him.
Meanwhile, Dart was eyeing Tracer, Oni, and Tenshi. “Cute guys,” she whispered to Ashe.
“Not interested in them,” Ashe replied. “You can have them.”
“I can? Thanks, but not really interested myself,” Dart admitted. “I’ve got a boyfriend, remember?”
“Yes, one who is still utterly terrified of going beyond kissing with you.”
“I can be very persuasive.” She reached out to stroke Ashe’s arm. “You know that, right?”
Ashe shuddered slightly, her skin feeling like it was on fire where Dart had touched her. As much as she loved and adored Rose, she also had a certain attraction to Dart. She just hoped Rose and Cerdian were up for sharing should the occasion arise. At that moment, Lynx drifted by them.
“Hey,” she greeted them. “Be careful.”
“Why?” Dart asked.
“Lasher’s ruthless,” Lynx replied. “I like her, but I don’t want you two getting hurt by her.”
“And why do you care?” Ashe asked.
“I don’t know,” Lynx admitted. “I just want you to be careful.” She drifted away from them.
“What was that about?” Ashe wondered.
“Don’t know,” Dart replied.
“By the way, Oni’s watching you,” Ashe said, nudging Dart gently. Dart turned and spotted the dark green eyes of Oni locked on her. Dart glared at Oni, as though to ask him what his damage was. Oni merely smirked at her and drifted out of her line of sight.
“I look forward to fighting you,” a soft, measured voice spoke.
Ashe spun around with a kick thrown in the direction of the voice. Her kick was easily blocked by a forearm belonging to one Tenshi, who smiled at her. “You have very good senses,” he complimented her.
“Thanks,” Ashe answered.
After the refreshments were thoroughly consumed by the eight young combatants, they were all ordered to their rooms by Talia and Red Robin. Of course, the boys were expressly forbidden from visiting the girls’ rooms and vice versa. Despite the explicit order to get some sleep, the girls were not exactly forbidden from visiting each other and neither were the boys. As for Talia and Red Robin, the former had chosen to visit the latter in his room.
Red Robin’s room was sparsely decorated. Of course, it was a temporary room, so no one should have expected it to have much decoration. However, his room was bare of anything that could have defined it as being his. Additionally, it was a mess, the bed left unmade and various weapons scattered throughout it.
Talia looked at Red Robin’s room with distaste. “You really must take better care of yourself, Jason.”
Red Robin simply stared sourly at Talia, sitting on his unmade bed. “I take care of myself just fine, Talia.”
“Really? Is that why you run yourself ragged with your freelance assignments?”
“It allows me to go on living.”
Talia looked at him with an expression of concerned scorn. “If you can call it living.”
“Yeah, well, you might as well join me.”
“Make your bed and then we’ll talk.”
“Why make my bed when it’ll just be a mess later?”
“It’s good breeding.”
“I never had ‘good breeding.’” A sneer colored Red Robin’s expression. “Street urchin, remember?”
“Yes, I remember. That’s how Bruce found you. That’s how I found you.”
“Don’t mention that bastard.” He rolled his eyes beneath his mask and made a contemptuous snort.
“Sleep well, Jason.” Talia moved to walk out of Red Robin’s room. “You’re going to need it.” She walked out of his room, leaving the former Robin alone with his thoughts.
Ashe was alone in her room, relaying information to Rose via the quarter-sized communicator in her ear. “Talia’s there. So is Red Robin.”
“What about the other participants?” Rose asked on the other end.
“I don’t know yet what they’re all capable of, although some of them seem more dangerous than others,” Ashe replied. “Of course, appearances don’t always tell the truth.”
“Be careful,” Rose advised.
“I will,” Ashe answered. “Have to make it back to you, Rose.”
“Damien has the camera contacts on,” Rose said. “Through him, we can watch what’s going on.”
“All right,” Ashe remarked. “If he catches me in the bathroom, you might just have a field day.”
“Why watch you naked through Damien’s eyes when I can see you naked when you come back to me?” Rose asked.
Ashe chuckled. “Rose . . .” She rose from her bed and unzipped her top, revealing that her breasts had been restrained via bindings rather than a bra. Of course, Ashe didn’t much like wearing bras, so she hardly wore one, anyway. The half-cape and shorts, along with the boots and gloves soon joined the top. “I’m not wearing anything except my underwear right now.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Rose whispered, her voice low and rough.
“Why not?” Ashe asked. “Tempting you is such fun.”
“Going now,” Rose answered. “Ravager out.”
Ashe pouted. It wasn’t her fault she missed Rose’s touch, Rose’s breath, Rose’s scent. Then again, she supposed they couldn’t have communicator sex while in the presence of enemies and potential enemies. It was just that she ached - body, heart, and soul - for Rose and she was having a hard time waiting for the day (or night) Rose claimed her. With a sigh, she resigned herself to having to bring about her own satisfaction. At least her thoughts of Rose would be a good distraction from what awaited.