Bits of shattered window and building litter the street. As a rough breeze rolls through the alley Raven pulls her cloak tighter around her, and sinks deeper into her hood. Normally she loved patrolling this part of the town, the solitude she found in it's dark, ramshackle buildings and empty streets easing her mind. Something was different tonight; the empath could feel something malevolent in the air, something that knew she was there. She increased her pace as she reached the end of the street, turning the corner and running straight into Red X. She stumbled backwards, barely managing to catch herself, her spirit immediately flashing to her hands.

"You!" she seethed, lashing out with her hand as X quickly flipped backwards. "Azarath, metrion,zinthos!" she chanted, throwing her hands into the air and pulling up a large portion of concrete under Red X. As he fell backwards, he pulled two small balls from his utility belt and threw them towards Raven. Acrid smoke rose around them, blinding Raven and allowing Red X to swiftly move behind her. Slipping one hand over her mouth, he used the other to grab her right arm, pull it behind her back, and push her against the building beside them. With her other arm pinned between her and the building and her voice cut off, she was helpless.

"Hey now little bird," X growled as she struggled, "I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanna talk." His words did little to ease her growing anger, and she quickly managed to slip high enough to bite down hard on hishand. He drew back in pain, giving her a chance to flip around and slash at his throat. However, as she turned, she saw him quickly remove his belt and hold it above his head with both hands. Before he had a chance to do anything else, she quickly wrapped the belt in her spirit and drew it to herself, wrapping it around her waist along with her own belt. She didn't know what kind of game he was playing, but she wasn't going to be a part of it.

"You have thirty seconds." she growled as she waved her hand in the air and his own hands flew behind him, cuffed in her spirit.

"Geez, aren't you a little firecracker." Red X laughed, immediately regretting his jibe as she tightened her hold on his wrists. "Okay, okay. Got the picture. Look, I don't normally do this but I need someone to talk to. You were my first option." he breathed, narrowing his eyes and looking off to the side, obviously embarrassed at this admission. "I'm not big on talking things out, so this isn't easy for me." He knew she was the right one to come to; she was a lot more empathetic than the others. "It was a lot of fun running your little team in circles, especially Robin." he chuckled. "Maybe...maybe I miss the old days. Maybe I missing being the hero instead of

the villain." he sighed, genuine sadness written on his face, obvious even through the mask.

Everything had come out in a rush, and Raven was still processing. Whoever this person was, they had a history with Robin. That much was obvious. But who was it under the mask? What had led them to a life of solo crime, and what was turning them back now? Even with all these questions rushing through her mind, she could tell he was sincere. Narrowing her eyes, she slowly released the bonds holding his hands behind his back. Without his belt he wasn't much of a danger to her anyway. If anything he might escape, and they'd just have to track him down again. "Why did you come to me?" she asked, curious why he had picked her over Robin.

"Let's just say the boy blunder wouldn't want to be having this conversation." Red X chuckled.