Her eyes opened and it was still dark. Her purple curtains allowed for a few stars to be shown in between. It was 3:30 am and no one else stirred in Titans Tower. Raven sighed and her brow relaxed in a contented sort of way. She then swung her legs unceremoniously over the side of her bed and into slippers. She headed toward her door and chanced a glance in the mirror as she pulled on a robe. Hair stuck out at awkward angles from her head and there were traces of her lifestyle around her eyes. She sighed, this time resignedly, and smoothed her mane with a hand. Anything more, the supposed, was excusable in her line of work.

She entered the shared kitchen and went straight for the kettle. She then went to the fridge in search of a condiment for some toast. Something smelled fowl, which she sought and disposed of, a pudding of some sort no doubt created by Starfire and neglected by all. She then grabbed a block of cheese, left partially exposed, cut of the hard, discolored portion, wrapped it proper and placed it back on its designated shelf. A half gallon of soy milk had, at long last, reached its sell by date, and Raven made a mental note to notify Beast Boy. Ah, apple butter, that would do quite nicely.

She set the jar on a tray and began to move it to the table, but stopped. Beast Boy had been left in charge of kitchen duty, last night, so it was in a worse state then usual. Raven levitated the dirty dishes to the area beside the sink and her lips sunk into a slight frown when she noticed last night's food had been left out as well. All in due time, all in time... After at last setting down her tray, she dropped two slices of bread in the toaster then turned to face the kitchen, determined.

Pulling the trash can from under the counter, she scraped the leftovers from off their plates. The dishes were then placed in the sink, awaiting a rinse. Candy wrappers and soda cans littered the opposite countertop and were dealt with accordingly. A new roll of paper towels was added to the dowel and Raven grabbed a sponge and a few kitchen towels. Her toast sprang up and the kettle whistled. In fluid motion, she turned off the stove, grabbed a mug, added a teabag, poured the water, grabbed her toast, and sat down at the table.

Chewing her toast, she listened to the sounds of the tower. She could hear the waves lapping against the rocky beach, she could hear a few gulls calling. The electrical whir of the properly functioning refrigerator and the lack of radio or television. Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Her mind returned as she heard the sound of water running through the pipes. Robin, up early for exercise? Starfire, getting a jump on earthly primping? Beast Boy had a nightmare? Cyborg… but he didn't really sleep, now did he? Who was showering was irrelevant; she had a mission.

Adding her dishes to the sink, she rinsed them and placed them in the dish washer. She then grabbed a few spray bottles from under the sink and took her sponge to wiping every surface and handle. Taking a paper towel and a bottle of blue, she set to cleaning the gargantuan screen in the living room. She took her sponge and disinfected the game controllers. Absent mindedly, she levitated the bags of stale popcorn over to the trash before turning to wipe the table's surface. She kicked one of the many remotes in her walking and shook her head as she hunted the others down and set them in a neat row on the table. Back to the kitchen, she took a mop and squirted some liquid on the floor. While her mop was still damp, she cleaned the entryway floor and the elevator. She returned to the kitchen and thought a moment before placing all her tools and chemicals back in their proper places. The pipes had quieted and whoever had been showering may soon come out.

This had been her ritual, beginning several months ago. In her mind, it was the least she could do for her fellow Titans, for her family. These people she kept foolishly close and yet treated with terrible coldness. Dismissing these thoughts, she hurried to her room to don a leotard and cloak.