Cyanocitta

i. only after success

"Robin..." Hesitantly, the girl flew out of her room, glancing at the Earth clothing she currently wore.

"Star, you look great!" Robin was also dressed in casual clothing; something she was not used to. Instead of wearing his mask, he wore sunglasses instead - ones that covered his face much like his mask did. He had a duffel bag at his side, and she was curious as to what was in it.

Robin wanted to take her out for the night, and of course, Starfire agreed. He didn't want to take breaks often - even after the trouble they encountered in Tokyo, he was still as determined as ever. Though she didn't know where he was planning on taking them, she wondered if it was some special Earth holiday she didn't know about. Still, she always enjoyed the rare moments when they - just them - got to be together.

"I already told the team we'll be gone for most of the night," He said, and then mentioned, "And Cyborg and Beast Boy promised that they wouldn't watch 'Trial of the Dragon' until tomorrow."

That was right; today was their normal movie-marathon day. She smiled, "Glorious! I do wish to see the trial that the dragon must undertake!" He grabbed her hand and grimaced when she squeezed it a little too tightly. As they walked out, however, the Tower began flashing red.

"Ugh," Robin groaned, letting go of her hand and running into the living room where the screen was displayed, "Titans, what's the trouble?"

"We got this, y'all," Cyborg turned to them as coordinates of the recent criminal activity popped up on the large screen, "It's Red X again." Sure, he'd faced the Titans a handful of times, but recently he'd been a little quiet.

"No," Robin was adamant. He was still hung up about Red X being his responsibility. "I know how Red X's suit works better than anyone. Give me-"

"Dude, we can handle it," Beast Boy insisted. "We've fought him like a billion times!"

"Yeah," Cyborg smirked at the two, "You guys on your little date . We got the crime this time."

As the three prepared to leave, Robin tried to convince them otherwise. Starfire, in the meanwhile, floated there dejectedly. She was disappointed the thief had picked this inopportune moment to strike.

"Red X hasn't been active in awhile. He could have new tricks up his sleeve and letting you guys go without -"

"We contacted Titans East," Raven said calmly. Though the thief wouldn't give them that much trouble, she knew it would assuage Robin's worries. "Speedy said he had something to do with Green Arrow back in Star City, but everyone else is on the way. We will be fine. Go to the circus. This could be the only time it's in the city."

Starfire blinked. They were going to the circus? Had Robin told everyone his plans but her? Was the circus that special on Earth? He sighed, gritting his teeth together as their teammates ran off. She frowned, turning to him. She knew he was in distress. Robin was not the type to sit out on missions, especially not ones he felt responsible for.

"Please, Robin, do not despair! I am sure the circus will be great fun!"

He sighed once more, relenting, "Yeah...and they said they've contacted Titans East. I'm sure they'll capture Red X this time. We can find out who he really is." He seemed like he was trying to convince himself as he walked back out of the Tower, Starfire following right behind him.

Since they were in civilian clothing, Starfire decided that she would instead ride a motorcycle (riding the R-Cycle would be a bit too conspicuous) with Robin, arms firmly around his stomach in a tight hug. "Robin, what is a circus like? We do not have them on Tamaran."

"Well, the circus that we're going to was pretty famous a few years ago. After a...um," He paused, clearing his throat and then continuing, "...an accident, the circus sort of lost some steam. But they're back in town again. And, well, I think it would be cool if I could take you to it."

"Yes! It would be very chilling indeed!" She chirped, resting her head on his back. "Tell me, Robin, is this circus one you always used to frequent?" It had to be special if he was willing to let the other Titans handle Red X.

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, he sounded sad. "Yeah...I guess you can say that."

The rest of the trip was quiet. Starfire sensed the sadness in his voice, and did not know if it was not tracking Red X that was troubling him, or going to the circus. The silence did not last long, however. Soon, the tent of the circus and all the bright signs came into focus. Robin parked the motorcycle, and hopped off.

There was laughter and people running about everywhere. Starfire even saw cotton candy - oh, and the balloons being sold made such wonderful shapes! She glanced up at the neon light sign that led to the circus, reading Haly's Circus. "I am sure this Haly is a wonderful person!" She chirped.

She followed Robin, who seemed to know where he was going. A particular poster drew her attention, one that was hidden out of sight from the crowd. It was faded, like it had been there a long time. There were three silhouettes of acrobats on the poster. The act was called 'The Flying Graysons', and for some reason, this poster caught her eye the most.

Not noticing the antiquated nature of the poster, she innocently asked him, "Will we see these Flying Graysons tonight?"

"Star, I was thinking..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

He was nervous, and she wanted to know why. Suddenly, it popped into her head. She gasped, "Robin, you are not thinking of joining the circus?"

"No, I was thinking that...well, maybe it's time I tell you about me. I mean, the guy under the mask. After all, Batman got a new Robin so...I've been thinking about taking up a new identity," He laughed nervously, remembering what Starfire had told him about her encounter with Nightwing. "So...before I do that, I want you to know who I really am."

Of course, Starfire had always been curious as to what color Robin's eyes were. Or what he would look like without a mask - or sunglasses, in this case. Or what his actual name might be... She knew, however, that he would tell her when the time was right. They were in a spot where no one was coming by, after all. Starfire could hardly contain her excitement - it took willpower to stay rooted to the ground.

"Uh...remember that race a long time ago? With Ding Dong Daddy stealing my briefcase?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Yes! I recall that inside was a costume."

"An acrobat's costume, for a circus act," He continued, gesturing to the poster, "My name is actually -"

He was cut off by the T-Comm beeping, coming from the duffel bag. She frowned - so he couldn't stay away from justice after all. He turned away from her and opened the duffel bag, unzipping it just a little so she couldn't see what was inside. He pulled out the communicator and said into it, "Titans, report."

"Hate to interrupt you and your girlfriend, Rob, but we need you and Star," Cyborg said, and through the communicator they could hear the clash of metal in the background, along with a few cries. His voice seemed far away for a moment as he yelled, "Yo, BB, watch Raven's back! Bumblebee, get that one over there!" Then, back on the communicator, "You guys need to get your butts over here!"

The two exchanged glances. It sounded like more than just Red X.

"We'll be right there," Robin responded, sighing and then turning around. "Sorry, Star," He frowned, "I guess...we'll save this for another time." It only took a moment for them to change back into their normal uniforms, and then they were off.

"I cannot believe that the Red X is being the stump to our friends!" She exclaimed as she flew alongside Robin's motorcycle. The road they were taking was cliff side, only the guard rail separated them from the ocean. Looking out at the Tower, however, Starfire noticed something different.

"Are those more of the Red X's gadgets?" She asked, pointing out what appeared to be floating discs in the sky, surrounding the Tower. Staring at them for a bit, she realized that they had to be spaceships.

"I don't think allying with aliens in Red X's style," He responded, muttering, "He's not the type to ally with anyone."

After a moment of silence, Robin said, "Be on your guard, Star. We're nearing the coordinates."

They came up towards the docks to see the area in utter chaos. There were spaceships floating above the docks, with the Titans scattered everywhere. Lasers burned holes into the cement, destroying the buildings they happened to grace. Their friends were doing poorly against this new menace; they were getting thrashed by ships being piloted by creatures that looked much like Glgrdsklechhh, the green blob she had almost been married to.

As Starfire flew higher into the air, however, she noticed Red X taking advantage of the chaos and running away. She did not know if the two incidents were related, but she was about to find out. Letting out a cry, her eyes glowed emerald and she zoomed towards the running Red X. She threw a few starbolts at him - that certainly got his attention.

"I thought you were going to stand me up, cutie," He said, shooting an X at her. Though the X enlarged as it came towards her, Starfire was able to dodge it. She threw a starbolt at him that knocked him back, and quickly she closed in on him. She grabbed his wrists and shoved him to the ground, using her strength to keep him there. He ruined her date with Robin, and now he had summoned the people of Drenthax Four to hurt her friends! He wasn't going anywhere until she got her answers.

Her eyes a bright green, she asked angrily, "Where are your friends from?"

"Friends? I don't have any friends, honey. It's just a coincidence your alien family came to visit," He said, angling his palm towards her so that when he shot an X at her, it pinned her arms to her side, knocking her off of him.

"My alien family?" She asked, gasping as her sister flew into view. "Sister! Why are you here?" Her eyes turned green as she clenched her fists in anger, "I sent you to the Swamp Moons of Drenthax Four!"

Her sister was wearing the familiar Jewel of Charta upon her collar, as was evident by the red bolts appearing on her hands. There must have been more on the planet. Starfire struggled to get out of the binding Red X had put her in, but it was no avail.

Blackfire smirked, landing next to her sister. Though Starfire was able to shoot eyebolts at her, Blackfire easily walked around them. In her hand she had a collar that she was twirling around her finger. "Thanks for your help, thief. You see, sister dear, I've been using my exile productively and figured out something that would give me an edge for my revenge." She leaned down and snapped the collar on her neck.

"It also has this neat little feature I think you'll enjoy," Smirking, Blackfire showed her a remote in her hand, pressing a button. An electrical shock caused a burning sensation to course through the redhead. She bit her lip and aimed her eyebolts at Blackfire, who merely smirked and sidestepped them once more. If Starfire could just move enough to get a good angle of her sister... "I don't think you like it enough, sister dear," Blackfire drawled, twisting the dial so the pain amplified.

The shock was so great that she let out a shriek, trying to break the binding so she could shoot her sister back. But the X binding her was too great, even for her super strength. "Stop, please!" She shouted, squeezing her eyes shut as the pain ripped through her.

The awful sensation was subdued when Blackfire was knocked back, the control falling to the floor. As the last licks of electricity stung her, a sudden wave of lethargy washed over her, and Starfire struggled to look at what was going on. Blackfire's arms were pinned to her sides by a red X.

She heard the thief say, "Sorry," but that was all that filtered through her mind. His voice sounded far away, and though she heard him say something else, the words weren't clear to her. So they weren't working together? She tried to think through the situation, but nothing was permeating the layer of numb coated over her brain.

"Ugh..." She groaned, feeling something on her shoulder. That was the last thing she remembered before the world revolved to black.