2 Chicken or beef Noodles?

As I walked slowly through the city streets, I observed everything from beneath my hood; the passing people, the cars, the advertisements, and anything related to city life piqued my curiosity. I couldn't understand how all these people could go about their routines as if nothing was happening. The numerous attacks the city had faced since we started our work as the Titans had barely changed the rhythm of the residents' lives. It wasn't that I wanted it to be any different, because that would mean the bad guys were achieving their goal. What baffled me was how easily they could carry on. Sometimes, I thought that compared to the inhabitants of Jump City, I was an amateur at hiding emotions.

Of course, my visit to the city center that day wasn't motivated by studying the passersby, but rather by a more specific and somewhat trivial reason. Nevertheless, the walk always helped me disconnect from my responsibilities, even if just for a few minutes. Robin and the others always asked why I didn't just fly there and back, but that would take away the best part of the trip, not to mention significantly shorten it.

I continued walking until I reached the shop I was looking for. A slight smile formed on my lips, thinking about how the others would react if they knew I frequented this place. The characteristic aroma of the drink they served here made me feel comfortable, reminding me why I loved coming to this spot so much. "C'est la vie" was the name of the small French café I had arrived at, located on a street close to the city center. The decor wasn't ostentatious, but it did have that cozy, informal atmosphere. As I entered, I noticed that the place wasn't very crowded, which I appreciated since I hated large crowds. I chose the most discreet table I could find, ready to resume reading one of my favorite books. But just as I placed the book on the table, I saw something that surprised me enormously. A few tables away was the young man who had helped us a few days earlier. My first impulse was to ignore him, but then a more elaborate idea took shape in my mind. I first made sure I hadn't been seen, and then decided to spy on the mysterious guy. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and I couldn't miss the opportunity to learn more about him.

Meanwhile, back at the Tower, the other Titans were going about their daily tasks. Robin was training while carefully following the news for any clues about the mysterious guy we had encountered. Starfire was in the kitchen, searching for some juice, trying not to think about the whole ritual ordeal. She still remembered what had happened that day when we returned to the base and didn't want to dwell on it any longer.

Flashback:

"That was definitely strange," Beast Boy said, scratching his head.

"No doubt that guy who showed up is really powerful," Robin added.

"And the words of that Connor guy weren't very pleasant," Starfire commented.

"It's obvious they want us out of their business," I concluded.

"The question is, why?" Cyborg asked.

"I got it! It must be a conspiracy of radioactive Venusians who depleted all the resources on their planet and are now coming to conquer Earth to extract our brains, which are their main source of energy!" Beast Boy declared enthusiastically, pacing back and forth.

"Please, someone shut him up," I sighed, annoyed.

"Oh, come on! Just think about it a little, and you'll see it all makes sense," Beast Boy insisted.

"Those guys are up to something, and I don't think it's anything good," Robin continued, ignoring Beast Boy's last remark.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Starfire asked, worried.

"Whatever their intentions are, it's clear that we're at a disadvantage against them," I said, removing my hood.

"We've been at a disadvantage many times before, and we still managed to win," Cyborg replied.

"You're right, but something tells me it won't be that easy this time... Well, guys, for now, there's nothing we can do but wait, so let's try to rest a little. We could use it," Robin concluded.

"Ugh! What we should be doing is investigating those radioactive Venusians who..." Beast Boy began to say.

"SHUT UP!" the rest of us Titans shouted in unison, briefly turning into giant beings and attempting to crush Beast Boy with our feet.

Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and I went to our rooms while Beast Boy sat down on the living room couch.

End of Flashback:

The young redhead quenched her thirst with a tall glass of grape juice and then headed towards Robin, who had been almost exclusively watching the news and training since Zarth's appearance. Starfire was starting to worry about her friend's health.

"Friend Robin, don't you think it's time for you to take a break?" Starfire asked, approaching him with a delicious plate of food.

"It's not necessary, don't worry. Thanks for your concern," Robin responded.

"You've been following this routine of watching TV and exercising for days; you've barely eaten anything. We... I mean, we're starting to worry," Starfire continued, blushing at what she had almost said.

"I'm sorry if I've worried you, but there's nothing to fear. I just want to know if those guys make any moves, that's all," the young man replied, giving Starfire a warm smile.

"At least eat something; it will do you good," she insisted, handing Robin the food.

"Honestly, I'm not hungry," Robin answered.

Starfire sighed, feeling discouraged, knowing that nothing she said would change Robin's mind. She decided to go to her room, taking the food with her. Though she knew he would never admit it, one look at Robin was enough to see that he was slowly suffering the consequences of excessive exercise and little food, not to mention sleeping only one or two hours a day. It was clear that the new threat they had faced was affecting him negatively, causing immense pain for Starfire, who couldn't help but worry about Robin's well-being. However, as she walked down the hallway, she felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"I'm really sorry for worrying you; it wasn't my intention," Robin said, looking apologetic.

"I... just... what you're doing isn't good for you," Starfire replied, blushing again.

"I know, Star, but I've finished my exercises and decided to turn off the TV for a while ... Besides, all that effort has made me hungry... Is that plate of food still available?" Robin added, smiling.

"Thank you so much, friend Robin! Of course, the food is still available!" Starfire exclaimed, tossing the plate of food into the air to hug Robin.

"You're welcome," Robin said, surprised, as he caught the food before it fell to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, friend Robin," Starfire said, blushing heavily and feeling embarrassed as she let go of Robin.

"You don't have to apologize for anything," the Titans' leader assured her, preparing to enjoy his meal.

"We should sit down; eating while standing isn't healthy, friend Robin," Starfire added, her huge smile returning.

"Yeah, sure," Robin agreed, a sweat drop forming on his head.

The two Titans returned to the training room, and Robin settled in to enjoy his meal while Starfire watched him. Unbeknownst to them, their feelings for each other were evolving faster than they could understand, much like the Percy Jackson series that teenagers love to read. Their friendship was growing stronger, but so were the feelings of affection and even love. And with the looming threat of Zarth and his mysterious intentions, they would need to rely on each other more than ever to protect their city and their team. The peaceful atmosphere throughout most of the tower was in stark contrast to the deafening noise from the Home Theatre system and the desperate shouts of Beast Boy and Cyborg. They were immersed in a game that was nothing like the epic Mega Monkeys 4. This time, the two heroes found themselves in a demonic hospital, trying to fend off possessed nurses while searching for a code to open a strange box.

"Come on, you goof! Hit her! If you're holding that piece of wood, it's to smack these monsters! What did you think it was? A giant toothpick?" Cyborg shouted, panicked as he watched Beast Boy let the nurses hit him repeatedly.

"Take that, Raven wannabes!" Beast Boy exclaimed, pleased that a single shotgun blast took out all his enemies.

"Wow, looks like your few remaining brain cells decided to work for once," Cyborg said with a grin.

"No silly nurses are going to beat the great Beast Boy."

Just then, another nurse appeared from behind and killed the game's protagonist, causing a huge "Game Over" sign to appear on the screen.

"I guess those brain cells only work for very short periods of time," Cyborg sighed. "At least you saved the game, right?"

"Uh... well... you see..."

"Beast Boy, don't tell me you were dumb enough not to save the game after we've been playing for nearly 10 hours straight!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. You know what? I just remembered I have something super important to do in my room," Beast Boy said, before bolting away.

"Get back here, you wooden-headed moron! Ten hours of gameplay lost! Ten hours! I'm going to tear you apart!" Cyborg yelled as he chased after his green companion.

Meanwhile, Raven tried to keep up with her target, careful not to be seen. The young Titan had been on her "mission" for several hours, and so far, she had discovered nothing. After the coffee, Connor decided to take a stroll in the park, followed by a visit to the zoo and a trip to the mall. He just looked at the displays as if searching for something, but whenever a salesperson approached him, he politely declined their help and moved on to another store. Raven was growing tired of the situation, and just as she was about to give up and leave, Connor exited the mall and headed down a side street.

Raven thought this might be her chance and continued to follow him down increasingly deserted streets. Eventually, Connor turned a corner into a dead-end street, and Raven hoped that all her effort would finally pay off. However, when she turned the corner, no one was there. All that remained were some discarded newspapers and a large dumpster.

Raven felt a surge of anger and frustration but quickly composed herself. She decided the only thing left to do was to head back to the tower and not mention her embarrassing failure to anyone. Just then, she noticed an envelope on the ground. At first, she thought it was trash, but upon closer inspection, it appeared clean and new. Picking it up, she saw it was labeled "For my dear spy." The young Titan hastily read the letter, and a mix of emotions washed over her as she took in the words:

"I truly hope you enjoyed our little outing. I know it could have been better, but I didn't have time to plan anything, so I had to improvise. Besides, you have to admit that this was a rather strange date, so you can forgive me if I didn't give you the attention you deserve. Unfortunately, duty calls, and I must take my leave. But rest assured, I thoroughly enjoyed our time... together? I sincerely hope we can do this again, but the old-fashioned way. I'm not quite used to these modern customs.

Best regards,

Connor."

Raven read the letter several times, unable to believe what she was seeing. She had thought she was the hunter, but in reality, she had become the prey, and worse, she had been blatantly tricked by Connor. For a while, she could only shake her head and laugh; he certainly wasn't a fool, and she wondered how long he had known she was following him. The contents of the letter were amusing, adding a different and somewhat humorous touch to the huge blunder she had just made. Finally, Raven folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and prepared to return to the tower.

"C'est la vie," Raven said, recalling the name of the café where it all began, as she took flight toward home.

Back in the cave that had been the site of his tragedy, Beast Boy couldn't help but feel that with each passing day, his chances of seeing Terra again as a living, breathing person were slipping away. All of his teammates had given up hope and accepted that she wouldn't return, but Beast Boy couldn't let go. He held onto his faith, believing there must be a way to bring her back. But without the help of the others, everything became much more complicated.

Aqualad and Bumblebee had helped for a while, but they eventually reached the same conclusion as the others and abandoned the effort, leaving the poor Titan with no one to turn to. Time and time again, he cursed his luck and lamented his inability to change the situation. He felt so close yet so far from his friend, who remained trapped in her stone dress.

After a few minutes, he arrived at his destination, but nothing could have prepared him for what he found. The place was intact, but something was different, and that seemingly insignificant detail meant everything to him: Terra's statue was gone.

Beast Boy searched everywhere, transforming into various animals, from a Tyrannosaurus Rex to break down walls to an ant searching through cracks. He inspected the walls, floor, and ceiling, but in the end, he couldn't find a single clue as to what had happened. A dark feeling crept over him, and he suddenly understood how Raven must have felt during the final battle against Terra. He felt rage building inside him, his fists clenched so tightly that small streams of blood ran down his hands. If it were anything else, he would have taken it in stride, perhaps with humor or indifference, but that statue was sacred to him. Everyone has a breaking point, and Beast Boy's had been surpassed.

"Whoever's responsible for this is going to pay," Beast Boy said, anger boiling beneath the surface as he headed back to the tower to alert the others.

{{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}~}}}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}}

What happened to Terra's statue? Will there be another "date" between Raven and Connor? Can Cyborg and Beast Boy recover their lost 10 hours of gameplay? Don't miss the next chapter!