Human Behavior

So, Violently Happy became quite popular…and I've decided to do another fic with our girls. It's not a sequel but a continuation of VH, picking up where it left off with the epilogue. If you have come across this story without previously reading VH, you might be confused as to certain plot elements and the like.

Also, this story will venture away from the cartoonish aspects of Teen Titans, becoming slightly more AU. Will focus more on the characters surviving in the city and not so much as the vigilante teens waiting for the alarms to sound.

Again, the title is a song by Bjork, as are a few chapter titles.

Same disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans; the plot and any original characters are mine.

Chapter One: Alarm Call

If you ever get close to a human…be ready to get confused. Because there's definitely no logic to human behavior…no map… They're terribly moody, then all of a sudden turn happy. But, oh, to get involved in the exchange of human emotions is ever so…satisfying.

There's no map and a compass wouldn't help at all…

--Human Behavior--Bjork

There was something raw and primal in the atmosphere; black swirls seething across the sky. Crisp, bitter air and a low distant rumble drowned the senses with one tranquil thought; a storm was brewing in the early morning east. Wind ripped across the bay with a howl; angrily the surf grew rough and frothy. The Tower stood guard ever-vigilant.

A pair of violet eyes peered down from the clouds. The figure hovered in the unpleasantly cold December air, straining, grasping something in her hands as she fought to stay put in the gusty weather. Her thumb traced slowly, almost hesitantly across the coarse concrete, eyeing the object in her hand again as if she were surprised to still see it there. Then again, she was taken aback to see him again. He may not have looked as he did the last time they were together, but who really knows what the creature's true form was. Regardless, that voice, that charmingly evil brogue sent shivers across her skin; once welcomed, but no longer.

Eyes flickered back to the roaring waters below. It was the only thing she could think of to keep the previous episode from happening again. Magic protected the ancient pages from fire, and security systems were apparently no match for someone that desperate to be free. Who knew what feeble soul might come across that wretched book, tricked by the wicked ways of the ancient mage. The best place for her good friend Malchior was where no one could find him and the last place they'd look; frozen shut in time beneath the murky, brackish water.

Fingers gripped tightly around the book. He didn't love her, he used her—why was she so afraid to let go? The bastard came back to seek revenge and then turned it on Raven's new love out of jealousy. Yet despite it all, there was a little part of her that pained to remember how good it felt when she met him; his soothing voice lulling her to sleep; the laughter, the smiles in the early morning sunrise. No amount of pain and betrayal could erase those memories. It only made it more agonizing to try.

Violet eyes blinked away a tear; pale fingers let the concrete coated book plummet to the bottom of the bay. Almost instantly, the ripples vanished into the waves; choppy and cruel, mercilessly swallowing up whatever failed to fight the current. Have a nice life, she smiled.

"Where the hell's my other boot!" Jinx growled, scurrying around on hands and knees in her closet in search of her missing footwear. As impatient as she may be normally, she was even more edgy when awake at four thirty in the morning. It was almost time for her shift to start at the Phoenix Café and the girl was never late a day in her life; this certainly wasn't going to be the first. She peered under the bed only to find a sock, hair tie, and a few gobs of dust.

I just moved in and there're dust bunnies already?

It wasn't like her to lose things, and definitely not her favorite pair of black boots. Unless of course she was absentminded and periodically forgot that it was like her to misplace things. This seemed to be the case as Jinx glared at the boot resting beside a box she hadn't bothered to unpacked yet. Pink eyes ran over the words scribbled hastily in black marker on the cardboard…Do Not Open.

Sure, the phrase was a little cliché but she had to write something there… It was her past; filled with years and years worth of knowledge from HIVE Academy, mission briefings, client intel, some tools of her trade. It was odd to see, knowing what was inside, watching it sit there inanimate. Her stomach fluttered just at the sight of the box, leaving her wishing it really was as simple as sealing up her past behind a strip of duct tape. Discarding said articles would alleviate the problem temporarily, but a part of her just couldn't get rid of the tangible aspects of memories from days long past.

Snatching the boot with an irritated growl, she shoved it on her foot, grabbed the box and cast it rather uncerimoniously into her closet. She leaned backwards against the door, staring at her feet. Everything from the way she fought to the way she tied the very boots on her feet was a trait cemented firmly in her. Asking herself to cease thoughts and nostalgia from her thieving past was like asking her not to breathe. And the feline thoroughly enjoyed breathing. She could feel the box mocking her through the door.

Jinx pushed off the door and sauntered to her bathroom, picking up her toothbrush and squeezing out a little dab of toothpaste. The brand she bought tasted god awful, but kept her sharp canines pearly white. Like the majority of the population, while she brushed, she stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink, making childish expressions at herself. Mmm, baking soda.

Her eyes took in her appearance, judging whether or not it was acceptable enough to venture out of her home. Today was green to go. She kept her hair down most of the time now, the style having grown on her--but refused to dye it another color. Cotton Candy Pink was the only shade for her and she couldn't explain why. After she rid the last bit of paste from her mouth, she lifted her jacket off the hook on her closet door, glaring through the barrier at the box as she zipped up.

Why? Why. It wasn't really a question any longer. Just one constant feeling manifested into that little three letter word. She was finding fewer and fewer reason as the days dragged on. With another growl, she grabbed her keys and locked the front door before she left.

Jinx paused, taking in a deep breath tainted with the promise of rain. As she descended the stairs, she cast a glance towards the bay. A flash of lightning streaked across the far off horizon. She smiled at the storm creeping its way to the still sleeping city. Nothing was better than curling up with a cup of coffee and a good book, watching the rain. And if the storm was indeed coming, business would be slow and Jinx would settle down in her favorite chair.

Not willing to take anymore chances with police officers, old friends, and ancient mages, Jinx had moved her home far from the old apartment in East District. Her new loft apartment in the west overlooked the city…and conveniently placed her closer to Titan's Tower. While it may seem strategically flawed to place ones home close to those who seek out wrongdoers, it certainly made it easier to sneak off to visit with a certain girl that lived atop the tower. If I wasn't already late I'd drop over for a quick visit right now…

"You know, I have little incentive to be here on time if the manager just moseys in whenever she feels like."

Jinx narrowed her eyes at the man leaning against the front door of the Phoenix Café. "It's only four fifty-seven, Scott, shift doesn't start until five," she grumbled as she fished her keys out of her jacket pocket.

"Yeah, yeah, just open the door already; I'm freezing my nuts off here."

"What a shame," she unlocked the door and entered, leaving the door to slam into Scott as he shuffled in with hands buried in pockets.

After several minutes of insults and heated disagreement, Jinx had sent Scott off to prepare the morning coffees. Wandering to the windows, pink eyes watched as the skies finally let the rain fall. Slowly at first, but it quickly escalated to pouring, drenching the city in a violent onslaught of rain. Little drops trickled down the glass, as if in their own world where time was no consequence; sometimes she envied those little bastards. The rain reminded her of two distinct things, and ironically polar opposites; Raven and the thrill of the heist. She sighed, heading to the front counter to await the first of the day's customers.

At quarter after five a girl rushed inside, shaking off as she hurried to the back. Jinx eyed her silently until she was just passing her by…

"Just get here when you can, Lily," The feline smirked to herself as the other girl mumbled under her breath. God, she loved doing that.

Shortly after, a few people filed inside, shaking off coats and making their way to the counter for the first caffeine fix of the day. The process of taking someone's order was agonizingly slow and degrading. Jinx faked a smile, biting her tongue at any and every occurrence of stupidity on the part of the customer. The job didn't bother her as much as the people did. Rudeness, indecisiveness, and pure idiocy were common traits. Her personal favorite were the old conservative women that stared in shock and slight disgust at her wildly pink hair and eyes, asking to speak to the manager, huffing when she informed them she was the manager. Some mornings were just too much for the thief to bear… she could crush them all like bugs, yet here she was, serving them coffee. It seemed wrong, so very wrong.

Her eyes drifted over to an approaching business woman yelling franticly into her cell phone. And much to the feline's dismay, the woman walked up to the register to place an order.

"No, no that's not right, don't settle for that!" the brunette glowered at the air before her, staring vacantly through the girl.

So much for a nice quiet morning in my favorite chair, Jinx sighed. This should be pleasant… "Hi, how are you doing this morning?"

The woman shot her a slightly confused look, briefly flashing a semblance of a smile before barking an order to the poor soul that was on the other line.

"…May I take your order?" irritation seeped its way in as the seconds ticked by.

"The meeting's at one thirty--if that presentation isn't finished by then we're screwed! Get your ass working on it, idiot!" A line was forming behind the yuppie, also growing annoyed by the woman's antics. Yelling and bickering soon filled the normally laid back atmosphere.

Pink eyes darted back and forth between the woman and slightly angry mob of coffee-deprived souls behind her. Is this what her life had become? Selling herself for a meager, legal earning to the general public; waking up at the crack of dawn, painting on a smile to please the rude assholes that called the city home? Thoughts drifted back to nights spent creeping through shadows, picking pockets, robbing people blind… Life on the edge, eluding the authorities; nocturnal prowling through the alleyways, finding the perfect place to score the next big heist. Those were the days that defined who she was, what she was made of; Jinx was a born thief. This was driving her mad.

With a mental sigh, she regrettably tuned back in to the crowd before her, immediately feeling what little patience she had left ticking down to zero as the crowd grew louder and more frantic.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Enough!" she slammed her fist down on the counter top so hard the register shifted a few inches. Silence befell the room; all eyes staring at the fuming girl.

The brunette was the first to speak as she muttered quietly into her phone "…I'll call you back."

Okay, maybe that was a little excessive… "May I please take your order," Jinx growled through a gritted-teeth smile.

"I want to speak to the manager."

Ah fuck it. "I am the manager and I don't give a shit," Jinx ripped off her apron and stormed to the back, happily hearing the silence continue in the dining room. Scott gave her a look, opening his mouth to say something.

"You've just been promoted," Jinx mumbled, throwing the keys (perhaps a little too hard) at him. He stared in slacked-jawed confusion vacantly rubbing his now throbbing chest as the keys rested at his feet. With a quick note written in the office, Jinx disappeared out the back door into the pouring rain.

A dull beeping startled Raven from her quiet meditation. Her eyes drifted to the stainless steel clock hanging on the kitchen wall before she reached down and flipped open her communicator. She was greeted by a soaking wet girl and a small smile.

"Hey…you wanna let me in?"