Lurker > Cartridge88

"We started slowing down about a month and a half ago," Art says. "I think that was when business picked up around here, I think special orders jumped up."

"I heard our website finally got up and running," you say. "So how hard is it to get these all out on time?"

"We've slipped down to about a 75 percent efficiency," he says. "I want to give a number for job openings we need but I can't be sure if management will think it's too much."

A) Stick around to time a team and calculate figures
B) Volunteer to help load/unload to get a personal feel
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Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/nonwSr8.jpg

B

"I can tell you his story while we work," you say.

Raven accepts the condition and the two of you swing over the Gravitation Drives.

"Gravitation Drives are installed into ground vehicles to allow them the ability to drive on walls or even ceilings," you explain. "This is possibly through an enchanted gyroscope and shock-absorbing springs. The first check is that they are following the 'exact materials' rule."

You and Raven pick up the power drills and unscrew crossheads again to pop the shells open.

"What is this made out of?" she asks as she looks at the gyroscope.

"The very center is a disk of brass. The framework should all be iron, except for the washers on the outside. Those should be made of a 56 percent copper, 35 percent silver and 9 percent manganese composite."

"Um... I can definitely tell the center disk is brass and these are iron," she says. "Why are the washers such a weird composite?"

"My grandfather had to improvise pieces for the very first Gravitation Drive gyroscope during World War II," you say. "He had no standard iron washer rings, so he used nickels borrowed from an American soldier he ended up meeting and befriending on the battlefield. Before World War II, nickels were 75 percent copper but still 25 percent nickel the element.

"When the war started, nickel became a critical metal to the war effort so the United States federal mint had to change the formual. They were allowed to substitute in silver for nickel and make the mix a 50-50 split of silver and copper, but were allowed to vary proportions and add other metals if needed. The end result was this 56-35-9 split of copper, silver and manganese. Therefore, those were the kinds of nickels Rorek the Sixth's friend had and were the kind shoved into the gyroscope."

"Huh. What a great little history lesson."

"Indeed," you say. "By the way, after the war, the nickel formula was allowed to go back to 75-25, copper and nickel."

Raven nods as you double check both gyroscopes.

"Alright, these all seem to be the right materials," you say. "Gravitation Drives are also proportional in power, so if something is the wrong size, even by just a millimeter, that will prevent it from working."

You take out a ruler and calipers and do the math on these Drives versus the one on Shadowfax. You get the proper lengths, widths and thicknesses of all parts and measure the gyroscopes in front of you.

"Here's the problem," you say. "The inner frame's too thin, it needs to be another two millimeters wider. Not to mention it isn't very uniform, there are spots where it's the right width but then the rest is the incorrect width."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"No, the pieces will have to be made over from scratch so that they're the exact specifications. That means our job here is done."

You make notes on the documents to make sure the engineers know to be more careful with the inner frames. You then put things away and you leave with Raven to the shipping yard, the separate building by the docks.

"Hello," you call as you and Raven approach the men loading and unloading trucks. "Is an Art Wilken here?"

"That's me," a man with long, shaggy hair says as he trots over. "So good to finally meet you, Mr. Null."

"Please, call me Rorek," you say. "This is Raven, a good friend of mine who was willing to assist on my visit."

"Hello," Art says.

"Hello," Raven says.

"Now, I see from this report that the only real problem the shipping yard has is the labor force," you say. "Are we behind schedule that often?"
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/gFO1pfF.jpg

"So he doesn't look like Rorek the First?"

"No, he has green eyes and a sort of 'smokey' off-white color to his hair, same as Reed, who is only a year older than my sisters."

"Okay so I either get a 5 to 1 score or a 3 to 3 split," Raven says. "I don't mind that."

"Well, let's get back to work, shall we?" you ask.

"But I thought you were going to move on to Rorek the Sixth, your grandfather," Raven says.

A) Talk about him first
B) Talk about him while working
C) Talk about him after working
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Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/HtKlgsY.gif

B

"My sisters would definitely approve, so that's two votes for. My grandfather would like you, you have a stong personality, very assertive and confident. Ironically my grandmother wouldn't like that, because while she herself is the strong and confident type, she expects compliance and compromise with the family. That's not to say she wants a submissive or weak woman, just one who will follow the family's lead.

"That makes the score three to one," you review. "My parents would be the deciding factor. I can't be sure how they'd react. They supported me when I chose what they liked, much of which was whatever went in line with what the other Roreks did. Art, poetry, and horse riding were things I pursued and they supported, but only because there was a Rorek in the past that did those things."

"You write poetry?" she asks, intrigued.

"Sometimes," you say. "Nothing special."

"Well, let me hear some and I can tell you if that's true or not."

You think about it, then shrug.

"Alright," you say.

You take out your little notebook and open it to your previous poem, from before the limerick. You take a deep breath before reading.

"Winding road,
Coil of dirt.
Leave behind
Yesterday's hurt.
Wind at my back
It cheers me on
As I ride
From dusk to dawn.
Wind around
The coil winds
Joining me
In my finds."

You put the notebook away and scratch your head nervously.

"So, clearly I wrote that when I was a bit... moody," you say.

"No it's good," Raven says. "It must be about Isabel."

You nod.

"So it was alright?" you say.

"Yes," she says. "Kinda clever actually, using both wind and wind."

"I thought it was a bit confusing myself at first, but it was already on the page so I just left it."

"It's good, it's good," Raven says reassuringly. "Now, what're the things they didn't support you trying?"

"Well, my mother was very worried about my transition from horses to motorcycles, she held out against it all the way until she saw me ride home on my first one. Then both of them were less than pleased with my tastes in music."

"What do you like?"

"Oh a variety of things," you say, "but there's a lot of the newer, rougher forms of rock 'n' roll that I enjoy that they don't."

"You'll have to share those with me later," she says. "But then, you can't be sure how they'll react to your taste in women?"

"No," you say. "I think the probability is that of a coin toss. They'll either add for a whopping majority or tie things up."

"What about other relatives? Uncles, aunts, cousins?"

"Oh, as unfair as it sounds, Uncle Roger, his wife Rita, and my cousins Ross and Reed, don't get a vote in our hypothetical. Only the main line of the family would decide the fate of the Roreks."

"How do you determine who is in the main line?"

"The line that bore a Rorek," you say. "The Null Family main line therefore goes through my grandfather, the previous Rorek, and then through my father after he had me. Equally unfair, would be that even if I wasn't the first born, the fact that I am Rorek the Seventh, my children would still be part of the main line over my sisters."

"Whoa..."

"Yes. I am first born in my family, but my cousin Ross is the oldest of all the grandchildren by eight months. If he had been born looking more like, well, me, and I was in anyway different, he would've been Rorek the Seventh and I would've been named something else."
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/g4b1vGM.png

"That's when he met Ruth Anne Chestnut. Compared to the other candidates, Ruth Anne was not the prettiest, though she was rather lovely. Her family was not the wealthiest, though they were never in need. And they weren't even magical, everyone else in her family thought magic was gone from the world. What made Ruth Anne special was that she did believe magic was still real. That she dreamed of bringing magic back to the forefront to help the world. She has even been credited with the shift in the company's manifest, in that she's the reason we use magic and science together for things like the Ley Line dynamo, heater and freezer."

"Wow, that's pretty incredible."

"Yes, among the 'Wives of Rorek', as the family thinks of them, Ruth Anne Chestnut Null is perhaps the most remarkable of them. Not that my grandmother, who happens to be simply named 'Ruth', isn't incredible herself. But I'll get to her and Grandfather Rorek momentarily.

"The story of Ruth Anne and Rorek the Fifth was rather sweet, at least the way I've heard my family describe it. There are details that sound like they were taken from Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast."

"As in, those fairy tales?"

"Yes, exactly," you say. "There was a ball, and all families with eligible daughters were invited. But the way Ruth Anne herself was, her personality seemed very much like Belle. She was intellectual and eager to learn, and also very kind and understanding. She knew who Rorek the Fifth was, and at first assumed he was snobbish and uptight. But then she met him in town while running errands and saw his modesty and charity and gave him a chance. Also, she marveled at how he was a real life wizard, like she always dreamed of meeting, so that helped.

"Of course, similarly to the story of Cinderella, the Null Family tried to steer the Fifth towards the wealthier and stronger families, and there are footnotes that friends and closer relatives like siblings and cousins tried to steer him towards the most beautiful choice, but the Fifth would not listen. He fell in love with Ruth Anne's genuine concern for others, and her genuine feelings for him, and that was that. The other families were greatly upset, but the Null family accepted his choice."

"And they lived happily ever after, right?" Raven smirks.

"Naturally."

"So... How do you think I'd do?" Raven asks with a shy yet curious look up at you.

"How do you mean?"

"Let's say your family had brides lined up for you, and then they met me," she says, looking down at her knees. "Do you think your family would accept me as an option or would they insist on their choice?"

"That's quite a heavy question for us only just meeting yesterday," you say with a nervous laugh. "But to answer it..."

A) Go with a kindly sparing and general "Yes"
B) Go family member by family member
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Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/Jh5Ygsc.png

B

"Let's rest a bit before getting to the Gravitation Drives," you say. "We've done a lot since arriving, between helping with the marketing, the Ley Line products and pouring mana into the Phase Drive."

"Okay," Raven says.

You two sit quietly a moment.

"So... What're we supposed to do while we're resting?" she asks.

"Oh, I hadn't really thought," you say. "Hold on, I can get us something from a vending machine to eat, I'm sure there's one just outside."

You go out of the room and out of the garage through the back door. Just as you guessed, there is a vending machine on the other side. In fact, two vending machines, one for food and one for drinks. You pull out your $1 bills and use them to buy two cans of colas and two bags of potato crisps, aka American chips.

You return to the side room and give Raven one cola and one bag of crisps before sitting down and popping the pull tab.

"So are you at least enjoying your time here?" you ask.

"Well, I can see why you didn't want to do this, given a choice," she smirks. "But it's not all that bad. I never thought magic could be something so scientific, functional and versatile, it's pretty great."

"I thank you on behalf of the family," you say.

"Speaking of your family," Raven says, "you did promise to talk more about Rorek the Fifth and Sixth when we had the chance. Why not tell me about them now?"

"Well alright," you say. "Starting where we left off, Rorek the Fourth established this company, which was originally titled the 'Null Trade and Service Company' as it was still the days where goods and services were just as good as legal tender. However, it did not 'make it big' during his lifetime, it took smarter and savvier minds in the family's following generations to do that.

"It wasn't until about the... late 17th century, that the business grew with the international interplay of the British, French and Spanish empires. The Null Family truly prospered, and was truly accepted in both magical and non-magical societies as a noble and aristocratic lineage.

"So it was in this time that Rorek the Fifth came along, several generations removed to the point where the family wondered if there would ever be another Rorek. When the Fifth finally did appear, the family took it as a blessing, an affirmation of their prosperity.

"Now, as was the way of such, um, elite families of this time, the Null Family, too, was caught up in the practice of searching for suitors among their fellow elites. While the Null Family was not the wealthiest family, it was the strongest family, both from the legacies of Rorek the First and Rorek the Second and from having taken in the Merlin Druid line through Rorek the Fourth's wife. A combination of wealth and strength was very appealing, so Rorek the Fifth was highly sought after. The short version of it was that he was practically the Prince of Magic, every young maiden fantasized about marrying him."

"The Prince of Magic?" Raven says with a smirk. "Does that make you a prince, too?"

"I try to stay humble about my status," you say. "For one, being 'the Prince' wasn't as fun as it sounds. The courting and negotiations of the Fifth started becoming more and more about the status of the relationship over the feelings of the groom to be. While all the eligible bachelorettes were beautiful, many of them fed into the glamour and superficial elements of the betrothal, which did not help build the Fifth's interest at all.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/JzK11kW.jpg

"Yes, sir," Sebastian says.

"Alright, good," you say. "Now do you have steel versions of the braces?"

"Yes, the set of drawers on the right side, top drawer."

"Thank you," you say. "You may return to your work."

You walk back and return to the side room. You see Raven did a splendid job disassembling the three Levitation Drives, so that all the pieces are seperate and organized. You go to the drawer Sebastian directed you to and find plenty of steel triangular braces. The shaft rods are obvious, they're in a bin on top of the drawers.

You walk over to the table and toss the carbon fiber pieces aside to replace them with their steel counterparts. You then reassemble one Drive completely and attach it to a test motor. You start up the motor, flip on the Drive and loosen the straps on the engine. The whole system, engine and Magi-Drive, float up like a helium balloon.

"Success," you say.

Raven has already taken the initiative and assembled a Drive herself. You deactivate the first and put it away before assembling the third.

A) Move right into the Gravitation Drives
B) Take a break
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Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/GPMLM9i.jpg

B

"Levitation," you say. "We have more of those to work on, and they're arguably the more important Drives."

You bring the three Levitation Drives over, you sit at the one on the left and Raven on the right so that one is in the middle.

The Levitation Drive, being that it is basically what gives the ability of limited flight to the vehicle it is attached, resembles a turbine and uses the vehicle's engine for its power source.

"Alright, we'll do this together, step by step," you say. "First, we need to open up this outer shell, so we start by removing these little screws."

You and Raven use power drills to unscrew the crossheads and pop open the shell like an oyster.

"You should be seeing the system of shafts that interlink with gears like a gear box, or 'transmission'," you say.

"Whoa, I don't think I've seen something like this before," she says.

"My grandfather decided to use an epicyclic gearing system," you say. "It's also known as a 'planetary gear system', and was first created in the 2nd Century by Ptolemy as a way to predict and mimic the movement of the planets in our solar system. The 'Sun gear' is what connects to engine block and it makes the 'planet' gears move around. In this way, not only does each gear spin the turbine blades to create a vortex, the vortex revolve around the center to make a larger vortex. Vortexes within a vortex for the wind element of the Levitation spell."

"Incredible," she says. "And it even has stabilizing braces to keep the gears aligned."

"Yes, and-- wait, what's this...?"

You look closer at those stabilizing braces, specifically at what they're made from.

"Is this carbon fiber?" you say. "Raven, let me see yours."

Raven swings hers over and you look at the braces. They're the same as in the other. You quickly open the third Levitation Drive and access the gear box.

"Carbon fiber here, too," you say. "Raven, could you carefully remove the central bolts and disassemble the drives completely? It's just the Sun Gear holding things in place."

"Sure, but what're you going to do?"

"I need to explain to Sebastian why Null Co. doesn't substitute materials."

You leave the room as Raven uses a power spanner/wrenche to remove the central wheel/lug nut from the Drives.

"Sebastian," you call. "Sebastian!"

"Yes, sir?" he asks as he walks over.

"Why is there carbon fiber in the Levitation Drives?"

"What do you mean?"

"The stabilizing braces, and I think even the Planet Gears' shaft rods," you say. "They're carbon fiber."

"Because they're more durable and lighter weight," Sebastian says.

"Yes, I know they're scientifically more efficient," you say, "but Magi-Drives are part magic, and magic is very particular about what goes into it. My grandfather invented the Levitation Drive using all steel, as he made it in the years before carbon fiber became widespread. As such, the recipe was created and that is the recipe we must use."

"But the carbon fiber--"

"I know, it's counter intuitive," you say. "But think of it as how... you can only make green with blue and yellow. You can't make green by substituting one of those colors with red, it has to be blue and yellow. Therefore, every piece has to be made with the materials detailed in the schematics. Steel may not be as strong as carbon fiber but it is crucial to the Drive. Understood?"
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/dnjmItU.jpg

B

"I don't see why not," you say. "I did ask you to assist."

After disassembling the Phase Drive again, you trade positions with Raven and hold the magi-ometer as she puts a single finger inside the magical charm core.

"To add mana to the core, you should imagine your mana gathering in the very end of your finger," you say. "And instead of shooting the energy out like a bullet, imagine it slowly pouring out like water from a faucet."

Raven focuses and dispenses mana, as tracked by the meter's needle. She has great pacing for her first time interacting with a Magi-Drive.

"That's 50 kilo-mana," you say as the total passes 150 thousand. "You're doing great."

Raven keeps amazing focus, even as she continues to pour mana out from herself and into the machine.

"And... there, 100," you say.

Raven stops and withdraws her hand.

"Wow that really does tire you out," she says.

"Yes, Phase Drives are very demanding," you say as you once again reassemble the device. "Alright, now we test with a total of 200 thousand and... 88 mana points."

You again levitate and start up the Phase Drive. The hum is very similar to the sound you heard just before. You pick up the wrench again and bring it close to the Drive. The wrench passes through!

"Success!" you say as you put the wrench back down. "Now to calculate the exponential rate."

You take the base mana points from the original engine of 4844 and the current mana points of 200088 and solve for the exponent "x".



You then write the ratio of mass to mana points on the official sheet.

1.55:MP^1.43

"Now that that's taken care of," you say as you put Phase Drive and document away, "let's get to the rest. I already know both the Gravitational and Levitation Drives are meant to be proportional so this is just regular maintenance. Raven, perhaps you could assist me more closely with these. Both of us working on separate Drives will save time."

"Sounds like a good idea," she says. "Which ones do you want to start with?"

A) Gravitation
B) Levitation
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/JWgT9Wz.jpg

"Raven, there should be a special tool labelled the 'magi-ometer'," you say. "It will guage how much mana is put in, and its readings can help us keep track of the data points."

Raven rummages and finds what is basically a repurporsed turkey thermometer. She presses the end against the outside of the core and watches the needle.

"Let me know when it reaches every 50 kilo-mana mark," you say.

You begin pouring in magical energy at a moderate speed.

"It just passed 50," Raven says a minute later.

"Not a lot in there to start, huh?" you mutter.

"Now passed 100," Raven says after another couple of minutes.

"Alright," you say as you let yourself rest. "Now, I'm going to put it all back together and give it a quick test."

You reassemble the Drive, levitate it off the hook and start it up.

*Bhhrr...* A nice steady hum comes from the Drive.

"Testing," you say as you pick up a random wrench.

You tentatively bring the wrench closer to the Drive and... *DINK* It smacks against it, or rather it gets lightly smacked away, though you still drop it.

"100 thousand points of mana and it's still not enough?" Raven says.

"Well we're on the right track," you say. "The gentleness of that smack means it is very close to having the right amount of vibration.

"Gentle? But you dropped the wrench."

"Well, that's what pouring a hundred thousand points into something will do," you say as you shake your hand.

"Then, maybe I should take the next 100?" she says.

A) No you can do it
B) Let her take the next 100
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/QWq5eot.jpg

A

"Raven, could I ask for your assistance? I wouldn't want you sitting bored and alone somewhere."

"Sure," she says. "I helped way back when Cyborg first built the T-Car, y'know."

"Oh? How multi-talented."

"Not really, I only handed him tools and pieces he needed."

"That's fine, too," you say as you pull out the tools available in this room. "Pull up a stool and we'll get started. Sebastian, you may return to your work and workers."

"Yes, sir," Sebastian says. "Ma'am."

Sebastian nods in farewell and returns to the main garage while you look at the total of six drives. One Phase Drive, two Gravitation Drives and three Levitation Drives.

"The Phase Drive is the more complex, I'm surprised there's only one to fix," you say. "But might as well start with it."

You swing the metal engine block over to the table as Raven pulls up stools. You two sit and you use a wrench to open it up, one bolt at a time.

"Obviously a Phase Drive is about phasing through solid objects, right?" Raven asks.

"Yes," you say. "It uses the principles of molecular vibration and interdimensional phase to allow just about anything pass through solid objects in our dimensional space. Shadowfax doesn't have one, however, I personally still don't trust their success rate."

You finally get to the core of the Drive, seeing the vibration mechanism and magical charms attached.

"Magi-Drives are a fusion of magic and science," you reiterate. "It allows magic to bolster the scientific effect or bridge the gap current science and technology can't quite yet. The problem with Magi-Drives tends to be that the rules of science supercede the rules of magic. That is to say, a magic spell's size is always, always, always proportional in scale. If you want to cast a spell on one person, you just need to go with the base level. But if you want to cast a spell on an entire city, you need to scale up to the entire city.

"Science, however, can vary. Sometimes it is proportional: two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen and you have one water molecule. Sometimes it is exponential: a chain reaction of nuclear fission can leap depending on how many atoms are adjacent to the instigator. That said, we won't know if the scale for a Magi-Drive is proportional or exponential until we invent, build and test one."

"Wait... What?" Raven asks, her face making it clear her brain is frazzled.

"Scaling up this type of Magi-Drive is difficult because we don't yet know how it behaves," you say. "The original, functioning Phase Drive my grandfather invented acts as the base ratio. This is scaled up, but from what I can tell, it was designed to be proportional. The fact it isn't working is therefore evidence that it is meant to be exponential."

"Oh," Raven nods understandingly. "So the magic inside needs to be scaled to match?"

"Correct," you say. "Saying it is the easy part. We have to dump mana into this machine to find the right level of functionality."

"Seriously?"

"It's exhausting work, I know," you say. "It's why starting with the Phase Drive is for the best, in my opinion. Now, pass the Allen key so I can open the Drive's gear box."

"Allen key... Allen wrench!" Raven translates as she searches. "Here."

She passes you the L-shaped, hexagonal rod, and you put it into the slot to loosen it. You open up the gear box, aka transmission, and now have access to the magical charm core. You stick a finger through the opening and gather mana into the tip.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/dnjmItU.jpg

You and Raven follow Sebastian past the "big rig" tractor-trailer lorries, or "trucks", and to a walled off room. You enter inside and see the almost baker's dozen of Magi-Drives all varying in function and size.

"This was only third on the schedule because...?" Raven asks.

"Magi-Drives are an invention of my grandfather's, Rorek the Sixth," you say. "Therefore, they are the newest innovation in magical items, and are not yet widespread. Think of how televisions and telephones were when first invented. While great inventions, the manufacturing and distributing of them took time, so the same would be natural for Magi-Drives."

"I see," Raven says. "Also, you didn't tell me your grandfather was Rorek the Sixth."

"I hadn't?" you say. "Well we can talk about him and Rorek the Fifth later, we should get to work on all of these. Do you have the paperwork on each drive?"

"Yes, right here," Sebastian says as he fetches a clipboard from the wall.

He hands it to you and you look over the many pages detailing the issues each Magi-Drive is having.

"The Levitation Drives aren't getting the necessary lift," you read aloud, "the Phase Drive isn't attaining proper vibration, and the Gravitation Drives aren't achieving cohesion. This will take some time."

A) Ask Raven for assistance
B) Allow Raven to relax in the employee lounge
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/wODpcqw.jpg

A

"I have better control of lightning magic, and therefore electricity," you say, "so I'm going to start with the dynamo."

You place one hand on the siphon and one hand on the floor. You focus your mind and search out the closest Ley Line. Accessing Ley Lines was a crucial part of your studies, and became part of the Null Family repertoire when Rorek II learned it from Merlin himself.

The local Ley Line is almost a kilometer from here, but distance isn't the issue when the dynamo's main function is to store energy anyway. The flow is healthy, but from your practice with the Lines found in Europe and Asia, you can tell it has a different color to it. It is difficult for magic users to describe the Lines, as a different sense is triggered depending on the person. In your case, you see a different color in your mind's eye.

If you had to describe the three regions, European Ley Lines are shades of blue, while Asian Ley Lines are shades of green. From this initial contact with a North American Ley Line, the general color family seems to be purple.

The best kinds of Ley Line readings for tuning are naturally sight and sound based, as it is just naturally easier to say "match these images and frequencies" than "match these flavors and smells." You focus on the particular shade of purple you're seeing, a lavendar or perhaps lilac, and adjust the "color" inside the Dynamo's system.

The system resists, a natural reaction and the reason you were worried about the explosion of lightning. You go slowly so as not to agitate the system, and cycle through the shades of red to purple. You slow down even more as you approach the matching shade. You "turn the dial" as slowly as possible, given there's no real dial, and finally have matching shades.

"There it is," you say as you lock it in.

You then go to the heater and freezer and tune them to the lavendar color.

"Alright, start them up," you say.

Neal and the others activate each item and everyone steps back. The dynamo's magic reserve fills, the thermometer registers heat from the space heater and cold from the freezer.

"Success!" Neal says. "Incredible work, Mr. Rorek."

"Thank you," you say. "Though, this is just the fix for three models out of hundreds, possibly thousands. As much as I want the family company to succeed, I can't possibly do all that."

"Not to worry, sir," Neal says. "Now that they've been properly tuned, we can just use forms of Copying magic to essentially reproduce these three exact models thousands of times for mass production."

"Brilliant," you say. "If that's all, we'll be moving on."

You shake hands with Neal and his team, you and Raven leave and head out of the main building to the warehouse area to the garage for the multipurpose engineering division. When you arrive, the team here is busily working on various engines and machinery, unlike the previous two teams who were anxiously waiting your arrival.

"Hello?" you call out, getting everyone's attention and stopping the noise. "Might one of you be Magi-Drive team leader, Sebastian Cross?"

"That's me," a man with graying scruffy facial hair says as he walks over while wiping grease from his hands. "Ah, you must be Mr. Null, specifically the son, Rorek."

"Yes, I am," you say as you shake his hand. "I'm sure you're aware, but I'm here to help the engineering division with Magi-Drives."

"Yes, we got that memo the other day," Sebastian says. "This way."
---

And Holo http://i.imgur.com/SnZPSiM.jpg

"The same actually applies to all three products. The space heater has a fake cable to plug into a wall, it actually uses Ley Line energy to generate its heat, and the freezer does the same for cold energy. This way, all three products look incredibly energy efficient on your utilities bill, making them favorable to those worried about the environment."

"So the problem is therefore being able to tap into the Ley Lines of North America," Raven infers.

"Correct," you say. "This is proving rather difficult, hm?"

"Yes, and we apologize for that," Neal says.

"No it's alright, Ley Lines are as old as the planet itself, they're very mysterious magical phenomena. Let me see if I can help."

You step over to the three items and pop open the maintenance panels. You look at the three similarly designed magical siphon-and-conversion systems. The golden glow in the dynamo is for electrical energy, red-orange for heat and a pale blue for cold. The only problem is that neither is getting a strong white glow for the energy from the Ley Lines, which is the logical problem.

"The problem in all three should be the same," you say, "so solving one will solve them all."

"Then why the hesitation?" Raven asks.

"The risk of catastrophic failure," you say. "If the attunement goes wrong, it is death by either electric shock, immolation, or being frozen solid."

"These are that dangerous?!" she says. "Why're you selling them?!"

"Because once they're properly tuned, they're 100 percent safe," you say. "It's when trying to put them together that one must be careful."

You consider the three possibilities and choose

A) Dynamo
B) Heater
C) Freezer
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/nonwSr8.jpg

A

"I like the sound of TherMax," you say. "What are the ad campaign ideas for this one?"

"We... hadn't really created any slogans yet," Elwood says.

"Well, let's brainstorm then," you say. "TherMax... Max..."

Everyone is quiet as they think.

"Well, whether they're called Vacuum Flask or Thermos, the actual term is 'insulated container'," Raven points out. "The slogan should incorporate that, too."

"Right," you say. "Insulation, to keep drinks at the right temperature... Well then this should be a lot easier than it sounds."

You sit up and prepare your best slogan delivery voice.

"When you need to keep your hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold," you say, "take insulation to the max with TherMax, by Null Co."

The employees lightly applaud the idea, Elwood writes it down. The "VacuuMax"/"TherMax" is put on the "APPROVED" shelf.

"So is that all or is there a third product?" you ask as you review the paper.

"No, those were the only products of concern," Bernard says. "Thank you for the help, Mr. Rorek, sir."

"You're welcome, Bernard," you say. "If that is all, we'll be moving on, there are a few more areas to address."

Everyone stands up from the table and you lead Raven back to the hallway.

"Next is Magic Attunement," you say as you return to the stairs.

You go to the second floor and to the end of the hall.

"How was Marketing and Localization a higher priority than something involving magic?" she asks.

"Well, without proper marketing, our products won't be noticed and customers won't buy them," you say. "Without products being sold, we don't make money and therefore no one here can get paid. By that logic, marketing was more important."

"I see your point," she says. "Now, what exactly does Null Co. need a Magic Attunement division for?"

"Well, I do know that we have a handful of products that rely heavily on Ley Lines as sources for magic. I also saved this for after marketing because magic is something I know the two of us are incredibly skilled at."

You open the door for Raven and the two of you enter the laboratory room. Gentlemen in lab coats stand there, very much like the Marketing team.

"Hello, Mr. Null," the lead magical scientist says. "I'm Neal Soap, department chief."

"Good to meet you, Neal," you say as you shake hands. "And don't worry about saying 'Mr. Null', call me Rorek or something like that. And before you ask, this is my good friend Raven of the Teen Titans. She's magical herself so you don't need to worry about our confidentiality clauses."

"Understood," he says. "I'm confident that you're here to help us address the American magic configurations of some more sensitive products."

"Yes, according to this document," you say. "It says here the difficult ones are the Ley Line powered line of home products: the magic dynamo, the magic heater, and the magic freezer."

Those three items are wheeled over.

"Oh, dynamo as in generator," Raven says.

"Yes," you say. "This magic dynamo, nicknamed the 'DyMagic' to rhyme with 'dynamic', takes Ley Line energy and converts it into electrical energy to then be put into any electrical product, whether it be a lamp, a car accumulator-- er, battery, or even a computer. We get away selling this to non-magical communities by having a fake power cable attached, they'll plug it in and 'charge' it for only an hour as the dynamo is actually charged by the Ley Line in that same amount of time.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/5Y7AznY.png

"For example, there is Maglite, a very popular brand of LED flashlight that we would be going up against. The use of 'M A G' and then 'light' or 'lite' is too much overlap that it could be seen as copyright or a form of cybersquatting, the portion of copyright law where having such a similar name is meant to misdirect customers towards your product over another's."

"Then why not just keep it as 'Magi-Torch'?" you ask.

"Because American shoppers don't understand the terminology," Bernard says. "Americans hear 'torch' and think a literal stick on fire. Or welding torches. Either way, they'd get them confused."

"So that's where our alternate name ideas come in," Christie says with a big and somewhat nervous grin.

She turns around the other boxes, and you see the new names across the side, similarly to how "Magi-Torch" is printed on the first box.

"The Wizard Light," you read, "the Witchlight, and the Everlasting Light."

"Isn't 'Everlasting Light' a song title?" Raven says.

Christie looks over at Byron, who nervously slips that box off the table.

"We actually have a pretty good slogan for Witchlight," Christie says.

"Then let's hear it," you say.

"Need to see in the dark?" Christie starts in a very slogan-like manner. "Don't ask 'which light?' Choose 'Witchlight'! Get it?"

"Yes, a play on which and witch," you nod. "I think that could go far."

Christie smiles and the team gives her congratulatory smiles and thumbs-ups.

"We'll get on testing that with focus groups," Bernard says as the Magi-Torch and Witchlight boxes are put on a shelf labelled "APPROVED". "As for our next product, Elwood."

Elwood, who has slicked hair and braces--er, suspenders--fetches the item.

"Vacuum flask?" you say.

"Thermos," Raven translates.

"And there is the problem," Bernard says. "Another term that American customers won't quite get, so we need to come up with a clever name outside of the 'VacuuMax'. Makes it sound like, well, a vacuum cleaner."

"We use special magical charms in the materials that insulate the contents," you explain. "What are your ideas?"

"We thought about 'TherMax', 'TherMazing' and 'TherMagic'," Elwood lists.

A) Go with TherMax
B) Go with TherMazing
C) Go with TherMagic
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/rITf3iv.png

B

"First stop," you say as you organize the documents, "the Marketing and Localization division."

You lead the way past the front desk and up a flight of stairs to the third floor. You walk down a hall and find the door labelled "Marketing & Localization". You open the door for Raven, she walks in, and you follow.

Inside this enclosed office space, one half filled with cubicles and the other a conference table, are just under a dozen employees who are currently huddled between both halves. They stop muttering between themselves and look over at the door.

"Oh, Mr. Null," the man in a suit and glasses says when he spots you. "Or, young Mr. Null. We're glad to finally see you here."

"Yes, thank you," you say.

"And who is this with you?" he asks.

"This is my..." you say as you search for a word, "good friend, Raven. She was kind enough to accompany me on this trip. And don't worry about confidentiality clauses, I'm fully aware of everything in employee contracts, you can talk to her because she herself is well versed in the world of magic."

The employees are immediately relieved.

"Let's get to business, shall we?" you continue. "I have the paper here, and it seems the sales numbers for this branch aren't going so well."

"Yes, please, let's sit at the table," the man in glasses says. "By the way, my name is Bernard, Bernard Dial, I am the head of Marketing and Localization."

"Good to meet you, Bernard," you say as you all move to the table and sit down. "You're alright with me calling you 'Bernard'?"

"Yes, of course, Mr. Null," Bernard says.

"Please, there are too many 'Mr. Nulls' in my family," you say. "You may call me 'Rorek', unless you don't feel comfortable with that."

"Um... I'll compromise and call you 'Mr. Rorek'," Bernard says. "So, Mr. Rorek, you are correct that our branch is having difficulty making sales quotas. The reason for this division at all is to help Null Co, originally an English and European based company, find a way to reach our American demographic, in terms of the advertising and presentation, sometimes even the naming of our products."

"Yes there is often a barrier between American and British cultures," you say. "Despite us both using the English language, we often use it different ways. Let me see what your current ad campaigns are."

"Right," Bernard says. "Christie, Byron, could you bring over the first item?"

Christie and Byron, a young woman in a sharply pleated skirt and a young man with a polkadot bowtie, walk over to the cubicles and return with a few cardboard boxes.

"This is our most apparent obstacle in the localization to America," Bernard says as the product is set on the table.

"Oh, Magi-Torch," you say upon seeing one of the boxes. "The magically powered electrical light. Or, as we advertise to non-magic people, it is powered by a state-of-the-art lithium ion battery that far exceeds other brands of batteries or torches."

"So, it's a magic flashlight?" Raven says.

"Right, that's the word used in America," Bernard says. "However, we can't simply translate it to 'Magi-light', because there are other products in America that have names that either sound like 'Maa-ji-light' or are closely spelled that way.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/T84FZ8T.gif

"Yes, perfect," you say as you snap the picture. "Now the other way."

Raven rotates as you shift over, and now Raven has her arms up to present the Wood in Hollywood.

"Perfect," you say as you snap more pictures. "Alright, I think we've got what we need. Let's continue to National City."

You and Raven return to Shadowfax and ride back down the winding Mount Lee Drive, and make your way out of Los Angeles completely to head for National City.

After a few more hours of driving quietly, you pass through San Diego and arrive into the much smaller National City. You drive down the main street, National City Boulevard, then turn onto Harbor Drive to arrive at the combination corporate and shipping headquarters of Null Co. Pacific.

"Here we are," you say. "What do you think?"

"It's... clean," she says with a slight shrug.

"Yes, our American branch is still growing," you say. "But it's a good sign that we even have one."

You pull into the parking lot and find the space reserved for the Null family. It looks pretty prestine, obviously because no one uses it since the Nulls hardly visit. You might even be the first to use it this year.

You shut Shadowfax's engine down and have him stand, you lead the way into the building from the side entrance.

"I like this interior," Raven notes.

"Yes, it's very much like the main headquarters in London," you say.

You find your way to the lobby and the front desk.

"Oh, hello there," the young woman sitting there says in surprise. "How may I help you?"

"I'm here on behalf of my family to check on the apparent issues this branch has been having," you say.

"Your family?" she asks, a little confused.

"Yes," you say, confused by her confusion. "I'm--"

"Oh, you're young Master Rorek," she says, realizing in that moment. "Yes, we received a call the other day that you would be arriving. I'm sorry for not recognizing you right away."

"It's alright," you say. "But could you please direct us to the areas of concern?"

"Yes, of course," she says as she pulls out some papers. "Here you are."

She hands you the papers, and you count four separate documents. You're vaguely familiar with the layout of the building, so you begin the problem solving tour with

A) the closest
B) the highest priority
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/LLnSv6G.jpg

another note: the merchandise mentioned or described are also real, including prices.


B

"Would you like something?" you ask Raven. "I'll get my sisters something, so I don't mind buying you something."

"Alright," she smiles.

You two walk through the shop and see they have quite a variety of t-shirts, both men's and women's styles. You find the shirts in your sisters' size--because they're twins--and look through the selection.

"I think I'll get this Museum of Death Hollywood skull shirt for Rebecca," you say, "and then this Museum of Death Hollywood bed of skulls for Roselind. Though, as twins they can just swap if they prefer the other one.

"Oh, these hats, too," you say as you spot them on the hooks. "One black and white, and one all black."

You hold the shirts and hats together and look at other things.

"There's a Serial Killer the board game?" you say in disbelief. "Blimey that's surreal."

You look over and find Raven contemplating which shirt to go with. She's looking at one with a black-and-white heart and another with silver text on it.

"Which one do you like best?" she asks.

She then holds each one up against her body, something reminiscent of what your sisters would do. Of course, your sisters don't have Raven's figure, which shines through even these two cotton tees.

"I honestly can't decide," you say. "I like the aesthetic of both. This one with the human heart, with wings and an arrow through it, and how it's meant to look like a page torn from a spiral notebook, a very clever theme. But then the one with the silver lettering, 'Where the stars end and darkness begins', sandwiched between skillfully drawn, ornate skulls and crosses, another great design."

Raven looks at both shirts again, and also seems unable to decide.

"Could I get both?" she asks demurely.

"Well certainly. How much do they cost?"

"This 'blackest heart' one costs 25, and 'Where the stars end' is 20."

You cough out of surprise, like a spit take without a drink. You then look at the price tags on the hats and shirts you were planning to buy for your sisters, and see the hats are $15 each and the shirts are also $20 each. As it stands, that's $115...

"That's fine..." you say a bit reluctantly. "I can manage."

A hesitant you and an excited Raven go to the cashier and put down your items. They scan the barcodes and calculate the taxes, and the final total is $125.35. You bring out $130 and receive your change with the receipt. The hats and shirts for your sisters are bagged separately from the shirts for Raven, and the two of you take your leave.

You two return to Shadowfax and, after putting the bags inside the knapsack along with Raven's snake, drive up to the Hollywood Hills and to the Hollywood sign itself.

The final stretch of road, one Mount Lee Drive, is a winding one within the edge of Griffith Park. After finding a parking space in front of the City of Los Angeles Central Communications Facility, you two walk around to the front of the large white letters.

"Let's get a little downhill here, to get as much of the sign as we can," you say.

You lead the way and get within a few meters of the edge of the slope.

"Hmm, best I can get is Holly and then Wood," you say as you look through the camera phone. "Let's have you stand between the Y and the W, and then we can take two photos."

Raven positions herself as suggested.

"Good," you say. "Now let's turn towards Holly on your right, and maybe have your arms up like you're presenting the letters."

"Like this?" she asks, arms raised with palms upturned.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/dnjmItU.jpg

"Well, it was actually banned in the United Kingdom because the BBFC couldn't find any 'journalistic, educational or otherwise justifying context' for it to be a film, so I can understand why you didn't even know about it."

You feel yourself hyperventilate for the first time in your life. You bend over slightly, then take a deep breath and straighten out.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

"Don't worry, I can handle this," you say. "Though, I wouldn't mind picking up the pace a little."

Raven smiles softly and stays closer to you as you continue moving through the museum. More videos of autopsies being performed and other such gruesome things and after about another half an hour, you find the end and make your exit.

"See?" you say, feeling relieved. "I got through it."

"So... You're not off-put that I was perfectly okay in there?"

"W-What? Oh, Raven, no, it'd take much more than a fascination with macabre to get me to dislike you. Even though, yours is quite a strong one. I'm fine, really."

Raven smiles, reassured, and the two find that you're now in the Museum of Death's gift shop.

A) Buy something for Raven
B) Buy something for Raven and your sisters
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/fFOuMXL.png

note: the Museum of Death is real, as are the exhibits I'll mention, but the employees I will end up describing are not.


A

"We'll go right now."

You and Raven return to Shadowfax and drive down Hollywood Boulevard, past The Hollywood Museum, The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood, The Hollywood Pantages and even The Fonda Theatre to arrive at the Los Angeles Museum of Death.

"Well that skull on the front door is well-drawn," you say.

You two enter through the front door and to the front desk. A young man with sullen eyes and spiked wristbands is there manning the register.

"Hey," he says when he spots you.

"Hello," you say. "Two for the tour, please."

"Okay," he says as he types on the register. "That'll be $30."

You pull out the money and hand it over, he dispenses the tickets for you and Raven, and the two of you head past the front desk. You then hand the tickets over to another employee with a rather large lip ring, who punches the tickets and lets you into the exhibition hall.

Upon entering, your eyes are assaulted with skeletons, coffins, replica autopsy tools and real taxidermied house pets. You gulp out of nerves, Raven practically lights up.

"Wow, look!" she says with excitement. "Crime scene photos from the Charles Manson cases! Whoa, it's the severed head of Henri Landru, aka the Blue Beard of Paris. He was executed with a guillotine in November of 1921 after being arrested for and confessing to the 11 murders he committed."

"I see..." you say as you and Raven look at the desiccated head on a stand inside a glass box.

"He was the inspiration for Charlie Chaplin's 1947 film, Monsieur Verdoux," Raven adds as she bounces eagerly.

"Oh..." you say, slowly following her to the next thing.

Raven looks bright eyed at the various body bags and coffins on the side, set up in a row to show the evolution from linen wrap to modern wood caskets. This is like the goth version of a kid in a toy store. As creepy as everything is to you, you do love that Raven is enjoying herself.

Raven leads you along to the taxidermy area and you honestly do admire the skill to stuffing the deceased dogs and cats.

"Oh my gosh, no way," Raven says. "These are from the Black Dahlia murder?"

Raven looks at the various photos from both the crime scene, autopsy and morgue. You feel a twitch in one eye, despite how wide they're opened...

Raven continues to lead the way as you pass by the "evolution of autopsy tools" area, and you're rather shocked to see pruning sheers are there, labelled as "rib cutters"...

"They have a video section?" Raven says, filling you with dread.

You try not to look at the screens, but you don't want to lose track of Raven in here, either.

"Wait, is this Faces of Death or Traces of Death?" Raven asks an attendant.

"Traces," they answer. "So it's all real."

"Wow...!" Raven says.

"Wait, could you explain what those are?" you ask.

"Faces of Death is a 1978 'mondo', aka an 'exploitation pseudo-documentary'," Raven says. "It was a very graphic film documenting death, but just recreations and reenactments."

"Okay," you say.

"Traces was made in 1993 as a direct-to-video 'Z Movie' 'shockumentary', and is a compilation of real footage of real violence and even deaths."

"Seriously!?"
---

And Holo http://i.imgur.com/GfsNdwz.jpg

A

"Let's take a quick look around this City of Angels," you say. "I'm sure my sisters would appreciate pictures."

You manage to move into the left lane and turn on the signal change to green. You drive down the street and pass though Beverly Hills. You admire the nice suburban expanse to the left and the urban downtown area to the right. You then make your way past the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits.

"Ooo~!" you say as you take pictures of each. "We should plan to visit the art museum on the way back."

You turn North when you arrive in Central Los Angeles and see the Hollywood sign in the distance. You drive up a few blocks and arrive in none other than the Hollywood area.

"Hollywood!" you say as you drive around. "The ArcLight, Hollywood Palladium, which means the Walk of Fame is nearby."

You weave around and find the Walk just off of Sunset Boulevard. You park and excitedly head for the many stars paved into the sidewalk.

"I didn't think you'd be all that into this stuff," Raven says as she follows behind.

"Well not for all the stars on the Walk," you say as you search. "But... aha! Mel Blanc, original voice of the Looney Tunes! Pierce Brosnan, aka one of the many men to be 007. Alfred Hitchcock because, well, he's Alfred Hitchcock. Same for KISS, because they're KISS."

You and Raven return to Shadowfax and continue driving North. You turn left on Hollywood Boulevard and stop at the iconic and now named TCL Chinese Theatre to take a picture of you and Raven outfront. You also see the handprints in the forecourt.

"Oh, Groucho Marx's cigar!" you say before taking a picture.

"Wow, that's quite the eclectic collection of interests," Raven says.

"I prefer to think of it as liking things that are good," you say. "Do you like any of those same things?"

"Hitchcock, and some of KISS's work," she says. "Never been much for cartoons, or James Bond."

"To each their own," you say. "We should think about watching Hitchcock films or jamming out to KISS."

"There is a place in LA I would like to go," she says.

"The Hollywood sign?" you say. "Wouldn't mind that myself."

"Well, we can do that," she says, "but I mean the Los Angeles Museum of Death. It's down Hollywood Boulevard past the Pantages Theatre."

"O-Oh..."

"What? You aren't scared, are you?" she asks.

"N-No," you say. "We'll go..."

A) Right now, then the Hollywood sign
B) After the Hollywood sign
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/2LBQNgh.jpg

A

"What do you say to more photos?" you ask. "A nice beach scene would really amuse my sisters."

"Alright," she says. "Though, we should've done this back in Santa Cruz."

"Too many people for my liking," you say. "I want just a picture of you. I mean, I don't want that to sound creepy or possessive but..."

"No I get what you meant," Raven laughs. "Let's just take the pictures."

You pull off of CA-1 and find your way through winding side streets to enter the Sunset State Beach. You park and take your phone to be the camera as Raven heads to the sand, snake still on her shoulders.

"Are you sure you want that in the picture?" you ask.

"Well, I could pose with it," she says.

Raven unfurls the snake and holds it up, a slight tilt and turn in her hips as she holds the end with the head up high and lets the end with the tail drop low. You hold in your desire to bite your lower lip.

You bring up your phone and put it to camera mode, snapping a couple pictures of that pose.

"Good-- *ahem* Good," you say, having to strengthen your voice. "Any other poses? Perhaps... you lying on the sand?"

"Are these pictures for you or your sisters?"

"Um..."

She smirks, though as if to say "Oh you." She levitates the snake and her cloak as she looks for a clean spot on the sand. She then sits down and stretches out her legs, leaning back to be supported by her hands.

"Is this good?" she asks with the same smirk.

"Yes," you say as you crouch low and take pictures. "How about turning this way?"

She rolls onto her right side to face you, supporting herself on her elbow as her left leg bends alluringly. You take more pictures.

"Alright, is that good?" she asks as she gets up.

"Yes, we can move on," you say as you check the pictures you took.

You look up and see Raven standing up and looking over her shoulders. She surely spots the sand that stuck to her buttocks as you do, and she starts patting and brushing it off. You immediately take pictures, doing your best not to drool.

"Hey!" she says. "Don't take pictures of that!"

She hurries over, very red in the face and even some sparks of magical energy coming off of her.

"Why not?" you say, holding the phone above your head as she reaches for it.

"Because I didn't give you permission," she says.

She realizes how close her face is to yours as she says that and backs off, but her emotion-driven magical aura creeps up your arms with intent to grab the phone.

"We just met yesterday," she continues, "so don't think you can get away with stuff like that just because you're charming."

"Alright, I'll delete that last couple of pictures," you say.

Her aura withdraws and you bring the phone back down. You delete the pictures of Raven's sandy butt, and do your best to commit that image to memory.

"Moving on," you say as you head back to the motorcycle.

You, Raven and the snake head back out on the road, leaving Sunset State Beach behind.

Several hours pass quietly on the road, and you eventually make it to the Los Angeles area. The traffic slows you down, and you have to stop at a traffic light.

A) Do some sight seeing while here
B) Blow on through LA to National City
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/LQnMdXs.jpg

C

"I'll take that snake," you say, pointing at the red and pink snake worth 50 tickets.

The employee manning the prize wall uses a hook and step ladder to reach the stuffed animal and bring it down. You give up all but four tickets and take possession of the stuffed snake.

"Here you are," you say as you give the snake to Raven.

"You really came through on your promise," she chuckles. "Where'm I going to keep this?"

She has the snake draped on her shoulders and there's still plenty to hold up with both hands.

"You could wrap it around a bit more," you say as you take the snake and loop it around.

"Well now I'm like you and your scarf," she smirks as she pets the head of the snake as it rests on her right shoulder.

"No no," you say. "You're much cuter."

Raven blushes and giggles as she hides her smile behind the snake's body.

"So what did you get for Tramm?" you ask Aqualad.

"I went with this paddle ball and this light up toy sword," he says. "I'll make sure to wrap them in plastic before I hit the water."

"Speaking of, we should probably hit the road," you say to Raven. "We can't just waste the whole day getting to my family's company."

"Alright," Raven says. "We'll say hey to the others for you."

"Cool," Aqualad says. "See you around."

You and Raven return to the parking lot while Aqualad heads into town, likely to a conveniece store. You and Raven return to Shadowfax and you pull out Raven's cloak, shoes and belt for her. She puts those back on while you return the sandals to the knapsack. You change your clothes back via the alchemy circles then put your socks and shoes back on. After that you take out the helmets and straddle the bike.

"You ready?" you ask as you look back.

"Ready," she says as she snaps the strap, snake still wrapped around her neck.

You start Shadowfax's engine and slowly pull out of the parking lot. You then get the GPS back up and head out on Highway CA-1 once again.

As you get going on the open road, you feel Raven wrap her arms around you, and even rest her head against your shoulders.

"So have you thought of a name?" you ask.

"Huh?" she asks, lifting her head.

"For the snake," you say. "What will you call him?"

"I dunno," she chuckles. "I didn't exactly name the chicken Beast Boy gave me."

"Where do you keep that, by the way?" you ask. "Didn't exactly see it on the bed or a shelf."

"I shoved it in the closet," she says. "It's between a box of spare belts and my ouija board. ... But the snake will join me on the bed."

You're sure at least a part of that was with the intent to tease you, and it's working. You've never wanted to be a stuffed animal more than right now.

You leave Santa Cruz behind but quickly spot a long stretch of beach, with almost no one around. Certainly not as many people at the Santa Cruz beach.

A) Use this spot for more photo taking
B) Move on, try again at a different time
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/8LxPZo0.jpg

used another coin toss to break the tie

B

10

You keep aiming for the 100 points, rolling another Skee ball. You miss again, but are not deterred. You miss a third time, and are admittedly starting to get frustrated.

30

You roll the fourth ball, adjusting your swing, and finally make it in!

130

You keep going, hitting again with the fifth ball and sixth.

330

Aqualad meanwhile has been hitting the easier 50 and 40 point holes, and has 290. Seems your high risk has yielded a slightly higher reward.

You focus, having only three balls left to roll. You take the seventh and hit, roll the eighth and miss.

440

With all the focus you have, you take the ninth and final ball and roll it. It hits!

"Yes!" you say as your final score is 540.

The tickets spit out from the machine, and by your count, you get 54 of them. Aqualad finishes with 430 points, so he gets 43 tickets.

"What's for 43 tickets..." he says as he looks at the prize wall.

You also look to see what's for 54 tickets. You promised to get Raven a stuffed animal, so a stuffed animal it will be.

A) Teddy Bear
B) Dog
C) Snake
D) Go another nine
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/iGmagqJ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/y7ON342.jpg http://i.imgur.com/95LonMP.jpg

C

"Skee ball."

"Oh?" Raven says with a sly smile. "You aren't just going to settle for something small?"

"I promise to win you some big stuffed animal that will be a minor hindrance to the rest of our road trip," you say with a smile.

"Okay, but no chickens," Raven says. "One, I'm allergic and they're annoying creatures anyway. Two, I already got a giant chicken stuffed animal from Beast Boy years ago when we were still in that phase where he flirted with me because that's just how Beast Boy is."

"Now see I knew he had past interest in you," he says. "Then he mentioned his own 'long story' and I left it at that."

"Yeah, it's still a tender spot for all of us in the core Titans group," Raven says. "But the point being is that it did get him to move past me."

Your Ferris wheel car approaches the bottom, so you and Raven prepare for departure. The employee opens the car and you two hop off, followed by Aqualad and a yammering girl with a side ponytail. She is clearly excited but Aqualad seems to be politely hiding his exasperation.

"Well looks like he found someone to ride with," you say.

You and Raven wait as Aqualad and the overly bubbly girl disembark the Ferris wheel and he makes his way over to you.

"Thank Neptune that wheel wasn't any bigger," he says, sounding tired. "I couldn't be sure what she was going on about, but I know I couldn't endure it much longer."

"Well we're headed over to the arcade and see if they have Skee Ball," you say. "You're free to join us."

"Sure," he says. "I'll win something for Tramm. He really likes surface world toys."

"Tramm?" you say.

"My fishman friend and engineer," he says. "Raven knows who I'm talking about."

"Yeah, Tramm helped us fix the T-Ship while we were battling Trident, a self-absorbed fishman who deemed himself the ultimate lifeform," Raven says.

"Wow," you say.

You three walk to the arcade area of the boardwalk and are lucky to find a set of Skee Ball lanes. Only two are open but that's all you really need. You take one and Aqualad goes to the other. You look and see the prizes are labelled by how many tickets they cost. There are plenty of prizes to choose from, but it looks like the maximum possible score in one round is 900.

"Fifty cents to play," the boardwalk employee for this area says.

You give up a dollar so that Aqualad can play, and the employee gives you tokens to put into the machines. You do just that and the machines give nine Skee balls for the round. You begin, aiming for the special 100 point hole in the corner. Sadly, you miss, but Aqualad misses as he tried for the same shot on his machine.

A) Be conservative, aim for the lower point holes
B) Keep trying for 100
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/oR3I0b9.jpg

A

You take a deep breath in, and sigh as you exhale.

"I am being 'competitive' with him because I admittedly... How do I put it? Even though we just met yesterday, I have become... rather quickly smitten with you. Your gloomy yet elegant good looks, your austere outer shell that belies your more tender and caring natures, and even your incredible skill and knowledge of magic--not that you not knowing of magic would've affected things much--all of it just seemed to come together to attract me--strongly bewitch me, if you will--to you.

"Now, as for Aqualad," you continue before Raven can interject, "I was told by Beast Boy and Cyborg that he was someone you found attractive and intriguing, so I got a bit worried and overcompensated and such, just as you picked up on. I only did it because of how taken I am with you, and was hoping you felt similarly about me. But at the same time, Beast Boy and Cyborg warned me to be very careful with you, that I shouldn't lead you on or do anything to hurt you. I promise you I'm not leading you on, I genuinely want to try and see where this takes us and I hope you're willing to try, too."

You look over at her, suddenly feeling drained of energy. Raven stares at you with somewhat wide eyes but otherwise quiet. The Ferris wheel moves so that you and Raven arrive at the highest point in the meantime.

"Raven?" you say, growing worried.

"I... Um..." she says before biting her lower lip and blushing a little, all of which suddenly gets your heart to flutter.

She curls her legs in a little as she looks out at the ocean just as you did.

"A part of me's really, really glad to hear you say that," she says. "Not the part about Beast Boy and Cyborg talking to you about that stuff and making it like I was that into Aqualad. I'm going to smack those two when we get back to Jump City. I mean, Aqualad's handsome and all, but it was just a short crush."

Raven takes a sip from her milkshake, you do the same.

"I may have tried to hide it or deny it at first," she continues, "but I'll admit I was quickly... charmed by you. You're smart, especially in magic, as well as handsome and all that yourself."

"'All that'?" you repeat.

"Don't make me go into it," she says with a little pout.

You do better to hide your smile this time as she sips her shake again. You two are then quiet as your Ferris car continues down the back half of the wheel. With only a view of the wheel's inner workings, you instead look over at Raven again as she finishes sipping. She looks back over at you and gives a shy smile and shrug.

"So, what're we up to next?" Raven asks.

"Hmm..." you say as you think. "How about something in the arcade? I guarantee I can win you something from the

A) Whack-a-mole
B) Bottle toss
C) Skee ball
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/IGI0r2j.jpg

used a coin toss app to settle this tie, and the winner was...

A

"The Ferris wheel."

"Really?" Aqualad says. "The little roller coaster seems like more fun."

"No, a fast and wild ride like that isn't best for after eating," you say. "Plus, it reminds me of The Eye in London. Just, smaller."

"I don't mind," Raven says. "I've never been one for roller coasters myself."

"Then the Ferris wheel it is," Aqualad says.

You three finish eating, all of it was delicious, and you finish your drinks as you make your way over to the Ferris wheel.

The line for the wheel is not particularly long or short, but it is moving smoothly. Soon enough, you're at the front of the line with Raven and Aqualad.

"No food on the Ferris wheel," the boardwalk employee says. "Please make sure drinks have secured lids or caps."

The employee then sees the three of you.

"Only two to a car," the employee says. "Which two will be riding together?"

"Us," you say quickly, motioning to Raven and yourself.

Aqualad frowns when he realizes he was too slow. The employee lets you and Raven aboard, you smile somewhat smugly at Aqualad. He looks at you stone-faced as the door of the Ferris car is closed and you're moved up the wheel.

You two sip your milkshakes as the wheel slowly moves, raising you higher and higher. You assume Aqualad is in the car below you, probably with fans of his so as not to ride alone.

"What're you smirking about?" Raven asks.

"Huh? I was smirking?"

"Yes, and I could see it because you don't have your scarf to hide behind."

"Oh..."

"You're feeling proud of yourself that you're alone with me again, even though Aqualad's hanging around," she says.

"H-How--?"

"I'm also an Empath," she says. "Remember? I told you the story of how we five original Titans met, that I stopped the fighting because I could read Starfire's emotions."

"Oh..."

"So basically I can tell the two of you are being usual guys," she says with disappointment. "What was it? You both had to be the hero or something?"

"No, nothing quite that selfish," you say before nervously sipping your milkshake.

"Then why the argument? Why were you two trying to be the one to win?"

"It's... complicated."

"Then explain it," she says. "We're on a Ferris wheel, literally the slowest type of theme park ride ever."

You look out at the beach and ocean waves as your Ferris car slowly moves past the first quarter position.

A) Tell her, relationship spiel included
B) Have her use her Empathy to figure it out
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/YwaFabk.jpg

"It's a bit embarrassing, actually," he says. "We were hanging out with the Honorary Titan subgroup, the Wild Beast Society, consisting of Pantha, Wildebeest and Jericho after we all worked together to defeat the reemerging Killer Moth, his daughter Kitty, and their newest army of mutant moth monsters. Things were going great, but an argument between Speedy, Bumblebee, Pantha and Wildebeest escalated into a brawl, and it ended with the security system malfunctioning and several ceilings full of holes."

"What kind of argument was it?" you ask.

"I don't really know," he says. "Mas y Menos seemed to only egg things on, but I couldn't be sure because it was in Spanish. Now, what's this about you dealing with the returning Mad Mod?"

"Well it's been more than just him," Raven says. "Rorek arrived when we were dealing with the now 'golden Adonis', and before even the day was over, we had to deal with Mad Mod twice. The first time, he was using Control Freak's special remote to summon characters from British children's television programs."

"Brum didn't deserve that," you say. "But those teletubbies deserved worse...!"

"The second time was after he got loose from the police," Raven continues. "Seems he was drinking Fountain of Youth water but it wasn't as long lasting as expected, but that's besides the point. Mad Mod then let Atlas the fighting robot on the loose while using Gizmo's gadgets to send a train on a runaway course through town."

"But you caught him, right?" Aqualad asks.

Raven grimaces.

"Stupid old fart..." she growls.

"I just left it at that myself," you whisper to Aqualad, who nods understandingly.

You three take time to eat your burgers and such.

"Delicious," you say after feeling the juicy pickles and warm ketchup on your lips.

"The milkshake is nice, too," Raven says.

You sip your own shake, and enjoy the thick chocolate for yourself.

"So what're you two up to after this?" Aqualad asks after sipping cola. "National City's still pretty far from here, I'd imagine you'll be driving quite awhile."

"We'll take time to rest before heading out again," you say. "Looking at the rest of the boardwalk, I'm liking the look of...

A) The ferris wheel
B) The carousel
C) The arcade row
---

I <3 Catgirls

A

"A burger and fries. It's the 'American way', right?"

"For most," Raven smirks. "But I wouldn't mind one myself."

"Same here," Aqualad says. "We don't get much in the way of ground beef in Atlantis."

"Speaking of which," you say, "what do Atlantians eat? There's so much seafood around yet you avoid it all."

"Well we have our own undersea farms, so we manage to have good vegetation for our diets," he says, "but it's not like we avoid all forms of seafood. It's very common for Atlantians to dine on shellfish."

"Really?"

"Yes. While 'shellfish' and 'selfish' is a pun, it turns out the average crab is a big jerk."

"Ah," you say with an understanding nod.

You three arrive at the boardwalk and find a booth serving burgers, fries and other traditional "fast foods". You three stand in line behind several civilians, who notice you three and have varying starstruck reactions.

"Wow, Raven and Aqualad of the Teen Titans!" a younger boy says as he and some friends walk over. "Can we get some autographs?"

Raven and Aqualad gladly sign notepads, paper scraps and even napkins.

"I... I helped," you say sheepishly.

"Who're you?" a girl asks rather snottily.

"I'm Rorek the Seventh of Null," you say. "Or, Rorek of Null the Seventh... Never really thought of a good way to introduce myself..."

The girl looks at you dismissively and just hands her paper to Aqualad. Bratty little...

After the fans young and old get their autographs, the line for the burger booth settles down and you approach the point where you can read the menu.

"Decent prices for being a boardwalk place," Raven says.

"Could you two spot me?" Aqualad asks. "I didn't bring American dollars."

He flashes a few Atlantian bills, some have Aquaman's portrait while others have the portrait of who must be Poseidon.

"It's fine," you say as you take out your wallet. "I was planning on covering Raven as a gentleman anyway. What is everyone getting?"

"I'll just have a small cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake," Raven says.

"Large double patty with onion rings and a cola," Aqualad says.

"Those and my large single patty with fries and chocolate shake of my own," you say, "makes for... Wait, is there sales tax? How much is it?"

Raven and Aqualad shrug.

"Well no matter," you say. "I'll just give them a Twenty."

You three take your turn at the front of the line, give your orders and then hand over the $20 bill, which is enough to cover it. You put the change away as you three wait for the orders to be filled. As other customers give their orders, they also ask for autographs from Raven and Aqualad, but not you.

"This wouldn't be happening in London," you mutter.

Your order is filled and you three take the wrapped burgers, sides and drinks and go off to the sitting area. The tables are circular so you three sit in a triangle, Raven to your right.

"So what exactly happened with the Titans East tower?" Raven asks.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/JWgT9Wz.jpg

"Alright then," you say. "What would you like to have for lunch, Aqualad? Perhaps some fish and chips. Or maybe a fish filet. Unless that would upset you."

"You're only saying those choices because you know it would!" he accuses.

Raven grumbles and glares, you and Aqualad immediately become like timid puppies.

"In all seriousness," you say. "I wouldn't mind having..."

A) A burger and fries
B) A hotdog/corndog
C) A soft pretzel
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/AHl05CO.png

DrizztLink posted...

(i fucking knew Aqualad was gonna start some shit)

(the best part is that I can imagine Wil Wheaton voicing every line he says, since he's this particular Aqualad for the cartoon)

A

Aqualad and King Shark clash underneath the surface, and their thrashing kicks up large lengths of water. Raven hovers above with magic at the ready as the two fight it out. Aqualad resurfaces after being hit back, King Shark comes up to pursue, Raven fires a blast of her magic aura and hits King Shark in the head.

"Thanks, Raven!" Aqualad says as King Shark staggers back.

"Iton," you begin, "Anygis--"

Aqualad uses his aquamancy to swirl and spin King Shark in a small whirlpool. King Shark tries to fight the current but ends up stuck in the flow, spinning and spinning like a top in the center. Aqualad then throws King Shark to one side, and Raven creates a barrier for King Shark to crash into.

"Nice instinct," Aqualad says as he gives a thumbs up to Raven; she returns one back, and you grumble as your magic fizzles from being stalled.

King Shark springs up again, angrier than before. Aqualad swims at the beastly being, you snap into action as well.

"Iton, Anygis, Osum, Tirisona!" you finish.

Hands forward slightly, right hand down and facing you while left hand up facing out but both touching thumbs and index fingers folded, you use magic to stir up a torrent of wind and water! It grinds its way towards King Shark! Aqualad slams on the brakes as King Shark is hit and brought up into the air! You maintain the magic link as King Shark goes higher and higher, about five stories, and then you sever the connection to let him free fall. Aqualad moves under the falling felon and delivers a powerful uppercut that hits King Shark square in his jaw. King Shark then flops into the water and floats back up, unconscious.

"Victory is ours, then?" you say with a smile as Raven floats back down.

"Yeah, but you could've given me a bit of a warning," Aqualad says.

"Well the same back, mate," you say as you and Raven walk over. "You could've told me you were going to give him a spin, I almost used that spell on you, y'know."

"Sorry, just didn't realize you were going to help on offense," he says.

"Wha--? You didn't notice that I was the one containing that seabeast before you got here?"

"I don't know if putting the eight foot savage son of a shark god in a glorified box counted as 'containing'," he retorts.

"Well it didn't look like your little waterpark ride was going to get the job done without Raven or myself," you counter.

"Waterpark?!"

King Shark stirs, Aqualad prepares a water ball but you aim a finger and shout "Immobilis!", which obviously immobilizes King Shark instantly. You and Aqualad then go back to glaring at each other.

"Hey, hey!" Raven says standing between the two of you. "Enough alpha male crap. The three of us kept the people safe and have King Shark in custody."

You and Aqualad take a deep breath and a step back. Government agents arrive in a helicopter with a huge water tank after another twenty minutes and airlift King Shark away.

"Let's get some lunch," Raven says.

"Yes, let's," you say.

You and Raven AND Aqualad head towards the boardwalk.

"Oh, you're still here?" you say to him.

"I don't see why not," he says. "I don't have anywhere to be."
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/P6fjk6v.jpg

"Stop ignoring your superior, you insolent apes!!" King Shark shouts at the top of his... lungs?

King Shark rushes the three of you, Aqualad dives into the water while Raven takes flight, you

A) Prepare a spell
B) Power your physical attributes
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/DpcuKvS.png

A

"Raven, get those surfers to safety!" you say. "I'll keep the shark back!"

Raven flies over to the kids as you focus your magic. You create a barrier between the shark and the children. The shark bumps into it and moves to one side, you put more barriers to box it in. Raven uses her magic to tow the group of surfer children to shore.

The shark fin dives below the water, you estimate where to put a bottom and create one, and feel the shark bump against it. And then hit it again. And again...? Something seems off here.

"Graaaaaaah!" roars a creature emerging from the water. "Who dares to trap me!?"

"The shark!" you say. "It's part human!!"

"Release me from this glowing prison!" he shouts at you as he starts climbing the barriers. "I will not be held captive by some scrawny human mortal!"

"Scrawny?!" you say. "I'll have you know I have only a little over 10% body fat and-- hey, stay in there!"

You grow the barrier he's climbing and force the man-shark back in. He just gets back up and uses his full body mass--which is quite massive--to ram the walls.

"The kids are safe!" Raven says.

"Good work, thanks a million," you say as you drop the barriers. "Now we can deal with this man-shark without holding back."

"Don't you disrespect me, you puny pale peasant!" the man-shark shouts as he floats in the water. "You must respectfully call me by my proper name! I am--"

"King Shark!" someone else says.

This supposed King Shark turns to look at the person calling him out, and in flies a young man about your age with long black hair in an all blue outfit. He punches King Shark square in his large pointy snout and sends the man-shark tumbling.

"Grah!!" King Shark barks as he gets back up. "How dare you interrupt me, you stupid Atlantian!!"

"Aqualad?" Raven says in surprise.

"Aqualad?" you repeat.

"Oh, Raven," he says in his naturally smooth voice. "Nice to see you again."

"What're you doing here?" she and King Shark ask.

"Well there was a mishap at the Titans East tower," he says, only acknowledging Raven, "so everyone's on an impromptu vacation. I went to Atlantis for a day but they told me about Black Manta, Killer Shark and other villains got loose of the aquatic prison. Aquaman took care of hunting down Black Manta, he let me take care of tracking down where Killer Shark went. And so, here we are."

"Don't you ignore me!" King Shark barks.

Aqualad uses water manipulation to make a big swell wash over King Shark and plunge him under. King Shark then angrily bursts back to the surface, shouting and growling.

"What're you doing here?" Aqualad asks Raven.

"Rorek and I are on a bit of a roadtrip to National City," she says.

"Oh, hey there," Aqualad says when he notices you.

"Hello..." you say as you shake his hand.

"How'd you two meet?" he asks.

"I just sort of rode into town the other day," you say, "helped the Titans against Mad Mod, and while that old duffer is in hiding, Raven and I are visiting my family's company in Southern California."

"Oh wow, you two must've really hit it off if you're already taking a trip like this alone together," he says.

"Oh, w-we're not together, like that," Raven says nervously, hands up again.

"Oh?" Aqualad says with a smile of intrigue. "Interesting..."
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/1qVYsnc.jpg

not to nitpick my own options, but you can't "get lunch first" if B comes second

anyway, I used a randomizing app to settle on...

A

"To the beach!" you declare.

You unwrap your scarf and put it back in your knapsack.

"Is that all you're taking off?" she asks.

"Eager to see more?" you ask with a smirk.

"No..." Raven says, looking sideways before letting a tiny smirk appear for just a moment.

"I do have a trick for this, you see. Watch as I go to the tag inside my shirt collar and use a bit of magic to spark the specially designed Alchemy circle."

You do just as you describe and activate the magic circle. It uses its modified Alchemy to turn your long sleeve tee into a sleeveless one.

"Impressive," Raven says sarcastically. "You shortened sleeves."

"Jest all you want," you say. "It's more than just for shirts."

You touch the tag of your pants, and they magically transform into board shorts. Then you take off your shoes and socks and store those in the knapsack.

"If you'd like," you say, "I could transform your cloak into a nice sunhat and waist-shawl, or perhaps a beach towel to relax on."

"Thanks but no thanks," she says with another smirk as she takes off the cloak and her belt. "I'm already wearing all I need for the beach."

She puts her cloak, belt and even her slip-on boots into the knapsack. You then pull out sandals from the knapsack and offer her a pair. She accepts, and the two of you walk onto the sand in your flip-flops.

The beach is rather packed. Many families together on large blankets as the children play in the sand, groups of friends play beach volleyball or "tailgate", and yet others still sunbathe as if no one else is around.

"Raven, I--"

"I don't have a wedgie," she says quickly as she puts her hands up as if to show innocence.

"I wasn't implicating you had one," you say as you hold in a snort. "I was just going to ask if you'd want to try splashing around in the water for a bit."

Raven smiles and follows you to the water's edge and let the soft waves wash over your feet.

"It feels nice," you say.

"Yeah," Raven smiles as she wades a little deeper. "Even with living on an island in the bay, it's actually rather rare any of us goes for a swim or just plays around in the water."

"The Null Family manor has a pool of its own," you say, "not that I'm bragging. And even with the pool, the family would often take a trip to the beach while on holiday. Er, vacation I believe America calls it, though obviously actual holidays were reason enough for a family trip."

You and Raven smile and laugh as you both kick-splash the water and wade in until it's just below your knees.

"Shark!!" someone screams. "Shaaaaark~!!"

You and Raven look around as a panic breaks out, and spot a rather large shark fin cutting its way through the water. It appears to be going after a cluster of young children as they paddle on their surfboards!

A) Use magic containment
B) Use magic repellent
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/OYV1QNY.jpg

A

"Why don't we take some photos here?" you say.

"Really? Right here?" Raven asks as you start pulling over.

"Why not?" you say. "A nice peaceful cliff by the ocean, makes a good start to our little California slideshow."

You find a place to park on the side of the road and have Shadowfax stand. You take your Magi-Phone out and put it to camera mode as Raven puts the helmet down on the seat.

"Where do you want me?" she asks as she walks forward and you take your own helmet off.

"There's good," you say as she stands in front of you.

You position yourself in relation to her and the breeze that blows right to left.

"Turn into the wind, let it blow your hair and cloak back," you say.

Raven turns to her left, and the wind indeed moves her hair out of her face and her cloak catches wind to float back and give a clear view of the cliff behind her.

"The wind feels nice," she says as she closes her eyes.

"Yes, perfect," you say as you snap pictures. "Lovely."

"But I have my eyes closed," she says with a nervous and confused smile.

"Sometimes art doesn't make sense," you say as you take a picture of her smile. "Here, let's take one together."

You bring the camera with you as you walk over to Raven. You two stand together so that the wind is behind the camera, blowing back your hair along with hers. You and Raven stand side by side for the "selfie" style phot; it's not your favorite style but it gives you an excuse to be almost cheek to cheek with her.

You smile, though you admit the scarf is in the way of your mouth, and take a picture. You then go back over what you took, and take a moment to enjoy the nervous but happy smile on Raven's face.

"Yes, these look good," you say. "Let's move on."

You and Raven get back on Shadowfax and ride back onto the highway.

You keep going South and eventually pass by some small beaches. Lovely to look at but nothing all that worth stopping for. A real American beach is one with a boardwalk and plenty of people enjoying the sand, sun and surf. Pacifica State Beach, Gray Whale Cove State Beach and even a town called Moss Beach don't seem to fit the mold as implied by movies and television.

But then, after about another hour or more, you arrive at Santa Cruz, and receive exactly what you dreamed of! A bustling urban beachfront with a boardwalk carnival and people enjoying the beach itself with swimsuits, towels, umbrellas, and so much more.

"Now this works for some photo souvenirs," you say as you pull into town.

You find a parking lot and pull into an open space. You have Shadowfax stand, shut down and lock up before you and Raven dismount and put the helmets away in the knapsack.

A) Go to the beach
B) Get some lunch first
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/LcNLhEf.jpg

The last person you had ride your bike with you was Isabel, and given how that relationship ended, you're glad you're overriding that touch memory with someone as lovely as Raven. And someone so surprisingly... What's an appropriate word to use here...? Ample? Buxom? Nothing really works to make you sound gentlemanly about it, so it's a good thing you're saying this in your head.

As you ride quietly, you approach the coast and see the waves gently crash against sand and cliffs.

A) Make this your first photo op stop
B) Move on a little further first
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/qqMU1qA.jpg

B

"Let's take a scene route," you say. "More sightseeing means more pictures for my sisters, and more ways to put off visiting Null Co."

Raven smirks as she puts her things away in the sink. You finish your own breakfast and put your things away. After brushing teeth and one last brush of your hair, you meet with Raven again in the hallway. The two of you head to the elevator together as Cyborg comes by.

"Mornin'," he says.

"Good morning," you reply.

"Where're you two off to?" he asks.

"We're going to take a bit of a road trip on the way to visiting the branch office of my family's company," you say. "We'll be sure to come back right away should Mad Mod rear his bowl-cut head."

"Just the two of you, huh..." Cyborg says with a raised eyebrow as he looks you up and down; then he smirks. "Okay then... Have fun~...!"

Cyborg is smirking all the way to Ops while you and Raven enter the elevator. You two ride down to the garage and walk to Shadowfax. You hop on and start it up as Raven opens the garage door for you.

"Okay, hop on," you say as you pat the back of the seat.

"What?"

"Hop on," you say. "Save some energy and ride with me."

"Do you have a helmet? Any helmet?"

You go to Shadowfax's saddle bag and pull out one simple snap-on helmet and one full visor helmet from inside the Magi-Pocket. You hand the snap-on helmet to Raven, she snaps it on and tightens the strap, then straddles the seat, arms wrapping around your waist.

"You might want to hold on a bit tighter than that," you say as you smooth your hair back and put on the helmet. "The Levitation Magi-Drive has a rather high minimum speed to work properly."

You flip the visor down and rev the engine.

"Wha--HA!!"

Raven squeezes you tightly as you take off. You activate the Magi-Drive and glide across the water, making it to the mainland. You slow to a stop, letting Raven relax for a moment as you connect your Magi-Phone's GPS to Shadowfax.

"Hold on again," you say, "we're headed to the highway."

Raven lets out a little yelp as she holds on tight again. You make your way through town and back to the highway you entered in on. You stay in the middle lanes as you make your way South. According to the map, Jump City is in the Bay Area, while Null Co. Pacific is located in National City, near San Diego. You therefore will use CA-1 for much of this travel.

"California has rather lovely countryside," you say as you start leaving the urban area behind. "The grass fields and rolling hills, I've seen places much like this back home."

"Where do you live?" she asks.

"We have a nice little manor that's actually very close to the old grounds of the Village of Null," you say. "I believe the family came into owning the land as far back as Randall Null, great grandson of Rorek the Fifth."

"Wow, that's amazing," she says.

"Yes, I suppose when you look at it from the outside, that is quite amazing," you say. "Generations of my family has lived on that land since Randall bought it, and will continue to so long as there is a Null family to inherit it."

You continue driving along the highway, moving smoothly thanks to the light traffic. It's a good thing you took the scenic route because it'll take more time just on the length of road you'll cover.

You don't look back but you can tell Raven is looking around for herself from her head brushing against your back. She then settles in as she looks to the right, resting against you ever so slightly.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/L0UQlqS.jpg

A

"Um, Raven," you say.

"Hm?"

"Would you want to go with me to visit my family's company?" you ask. "It's far from here but we could make a day of it, get some of those pictures taken for my sisters."

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she smirks with an eyebrow raised.

"Um... I'm not sure how to answer that. But am I to take that as a 'yes'?"

"Yes," she smiles. "See you in the morning."

You nod and take your leave of Raven's room, returning to your own. You won't let Beast Boy's words of warning worry you, you would be a fool to upset such a lovely young woman.

You prepare for bed and finally sleep. The bed is so comfortable you fall asleep right away.

Morning comes quickly enough, you almost don't want to get up. You stretch and check the bathroom. You see it's open, so you quickly fetch your things and take a shower. That helps you wake up a bit.

After your shower, you use heat magic to iron wrinkles out of fresh clothes and a fresh scarf. You then get dressed for the day and go to Ops for breakfast. When you arrive, you spot Raven already at the table having morning tea with toast. She sees you walk over and smiles.

"Is there any more tea?" you ask.

"Yes, let me pour you a cup."

She pours you tea as you make yourself a breakfast of toast with jam.

"I hope the fact I'm having English style breakfast tea is alright," Raven says. "It has nothing to do with you being here, I always have some sort of English breakfast tea."

"It's alright, Raven, I tend to have it myself whenever I can," you say.

You sit with your toast and tea and enjoy a warm breakfast on this brisk morning.

"I see you two are already up," Robin says as he walks over.

"Only just now myself," you say. "You?"

"I get up at dawn, get in an hour of taichi and a jog around the island before showering and having breakfast," he explains as he makes himself a cup of coffee.

"Quite the regimen," you say. "I remember similar being instilled in me in Japan when learning the various arts. It miraculously didn't take."

"Any word on Mad Mod?" Raven asks Robin.

"Not yet," he says. "There's a good chance he had to lay low after the Fountain of Youth's water wore off again. But we'll be ready should he show himself again."

"Then we should have plenty of time to visit your family's company," Raven says to you.

"Oh you two are going somewhere?" he asks. "Rorek's family company?"

"Yes, Null Co. has a fledgling branch out here in America, on the West Coast," you say, "and my family thought it would be a good idea to obligate me into visiting. At the same time, my sisters would love some visual souvenirs of California as well as of Raven, as they're big fans of hers. So it made perfect sense to do all these things at once, as a way to lighten the tedium of doing my father's bidding."

"I see..." Robin says.

"Worry not, if Mad Mod returns to make mischief before we arrive at Null Co, we'll turn right back around and help," you say. "So please, don't hesitate to call for help, literally anything is enough."

Raven actually giggles as opposed to the usual chuckle.

"It's alright, take your time," Robin says. "What route do you plan on taking there?"

"I hadn't really considered it," you say.

You use your Magi-Phone to check a map of the area, zooming out until Null Co. appears in the scope.

A) Take the swift Interstate highways
B) Take the scenic state highways
C) Let Raven decide
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/B6CF6zi.jpg

"Good bye," you say before hanging up.

Raven chuckles a little harder now as you put your phone away.

"Well, with that bit of foolishness over," you say as you get up. "I suppose we should turn in for the night. Good night, Raven."

"Good night, Rorek," she says as she sits on her bed.

A) Invite her on the trip to Null Co, do some two-birds-one-stone
B) Don't invite her to Null Co, she has more important things to do
---

And Holo http://i.imgur.com/H2vtNmx.jpg

I decided to use Mal's since that's another hybrid that gives everyone a little of what they wanted.

A then B

You lace your fingers with hers just long enough to feel the soft, smooth skin slide against the sides of your knuckles. Your eyes lock with hers, and she maintains eye contact as she curls her fingers and opens her mouth ever so slightly.

Her soft lips, the upper a little fuller than the lower, seem to linger there. Does she want to say something? Should you say something? You look back into those blue-violet eyes and see a similar sense of curiosity and uncertainty. And, if you're not mistaken, those eyes seem to be gravitating towards you. Or, are you heading closer to them?

*brzzzz* Your personal phone rings again, as if to aggravate you by some cosmic arrangement.

"I'm so deeply sorry," you say as you take it out of your pocket. "I should have turned this off earlier."

"I wish you had, too," she mutters.

"Hm?"

"Nothing," she smirks as she cleans up her tea set. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

"Might as well," you grumble.

"What?" you say tersely to the Magi-Phone projections of your sisters.

"Oh, maybe we shouldn't have called back, he looks agitated," Roselind says.

"And what a fearsome looking room he's in now," Rebecca says.

"Do mind your tongues when referring to one of my host's room," you say as you move the phone to capture Raven's image.

Your sisters gasp with shock and excitement.

"Is that Raven?!" Rebecca says.

"That's Raven of the Teen Titans!" Roselind says.

"What're you doing with Raven of the Teen Titans?!" Rebecca asks.

"I told you two dumdums that I was spending time with the Titans but you didn't believe me," you say sing-songy.

"Um. Hi," Raven says with a little wave. "And these two are...?"

"My sisters--"

"We're Rory's younger sisters," Rebecca says. "I'm Becca."

"And I'm Rose," Roselind says.

"Otherwise known as the twins, Rebecca and Roselind Null," you say.

"Rory?" Raven chuckles.

"Out with it, why did you call?" you ask the twins. "Is there more I must do in relation to the family business tomorrow?"

"No no, that's as it stands," Roselind says.

"You're having to do something tomorrow?" Raven asks.

"Only if something more pressing comes up," you say. "Like stopping a crazed old man from running amuck, for instance."

"We were hoping you could get us souvenirs of California," Rebecca says. "Nothing much, maybe just some nice sun hats."

"Or sunglasses," Roselind says. "Or sandals."

"You could get your own sun hats, glasses and such at home," you say.

"Yes but then they wouldn't be from California," Rebecca says.

"And we couldn't show them off saying 'look what we got from California!' to all our friends," Roselind adds.

You sigh as Raven chuckles.

"How about he sends you pictures of California instead," Raven says to them. "You can still show them off and it shouldn't cost him anything to send them."

"Oh, yes!" Rebecca says. "Especially if Raven's in the pictures!"

"Yes!" Roselind says. "Then we can say we know Raven, because we do since we're talking with her!"

"Wait..." Rebecca says.

"What're you doing alone with Raven in her room?" Roselind says as both sisters look at you with suspicion.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/4I4jaIu.jpg

"I guess we have that much in common," she says as she places her hand down, fingers overlapping with yours; Raven then realizes she'd done that, and moves to withdraw her fingers.

A) Lace your fingers with hers
B) Let her withdraw
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/Ie6Po3z.gif http://i.imgur.com/daruwJ0.gif

B

"How you met the other Titans. Beast Boy says you've all known each other for years, so how long has that been?"

"I think it's going on four years now," Raven says as she tries to recall. "I guess we're not going to be the 'Teen' Titans for much longer at this rate."

You two share another chuckle.

"But the very first time all five of us met," Raven continues, "started with all five of us converging in Jump City by coincidence when Starfire was escaping from these aliens called the Gordanians. They wanted to enslave her, because as we found out years later, she's actually the princess of the Tamaranian people."

"Seriously?" you say.

"Yes, seriously," she says. "That's a totally different little adventure in itself. Anyway, as Starfire only knew Tamaranian and we only knew English, we couldn't understand each other verbally to talk about the Gordanians, so there was a lot of fighting between Starfire, Robin--who had just moved to Jump City from Gotham--Beast Boy--how had just come from the disbanded Doom Patrol--and Cyborg, who always lived here in Jump City.

"I was the trying to stay out of the fight, but as fighting was getting the four nowhere and I could at least sense her true emotions, I shouted everyone down and got them to listen to reason. There was still the language barrier to get over, but as it turns out, Tamaranians can learn any language if they can make lip-to-lip contact with someone, which is why she immediately grabbed and kissed Robin."

"Well, how's that for an introduction," you smirk.

"So after Starfire was able to explain in English, the five of us joined forces to defeat and drive off the Gordanians, and that's when we became the Teen Titans."

"That's practically legendary," you say.

"It's not that big," she says modestly.

"But it is," you say. "I'm surprised that story isn't more well-known. You did thwart an army of aliens, after all."

"Well to be honest, it gets overshadowed by a lot of other things," Raven says with a smirk.

"So, from here, how did everything else unfold?" you ask. "I'm pretty sure building this tower wasn't easy."

"Cyborg took care of most of it," she says. "A lot of the technology in the tower, he designed and installed personally. Then there was the arguing over who got which room, but things settled down pretty easily there once we were all able to customize our rooms how we liked."

"And the rest is history, as they say?"

"Pretty much," she shrugs.

"So, what was it that brought you to Jump City?" you ask.

Raven suddenly looks a somber.

"It's not really something I talk about," she says.

"Oh," you say. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she says. "I was just trying to get away from... family stuff."

Raven continues to grow somber as she leans against the foot of her bed.

"I actually understand a bit of that," you say. "Being the seventh in a long line of historic figures isn't all great stories and marvelous adventures. There were many times growing up that I felt overwhelmed by the things my family told me. By the standards I was told to keep. By the lessons I was told to master. By the legacies I was told were mine to continue."

You lean against the foot of her bed as well, remembering some of those days. Raven looks up at you, and after looking at you a moment, smiles softly.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/f0kWolr.gif

B

"Well I don't see why not," you answer. "What blend are you having?"

"Lapsang souchong."

"Oh, that's actually a new favorite of mine," you say. "The smokey pinewood accents and rich, whiskey like flavor is why many in China nickname it 'The Westerner's Tea', as it appeals to our Western tastes."

"Yeah, it's strong and hearty," she says. "And health wise it's said to help with blood pressure, so it kinda helps given how annoying things can be."

"Yes, I noticed you looked particularly perturbed earlier," you say.

"I don't wanna talk about that," she says.

You walk with her back to Ops and she turns on the light for you two to go to the kitchenette. She fills her tea kettle with water and leads the way back. She opens the door to her room and walks inside. You stay at the doorway, she looks back at you.

"Aren't you coming in?" she asks.

"O-Oh, um," you stammer. "But, Beast Boy said you don't really let people even look inside your room."

"He's exaggerating," she pouts. "I let Starfire spend time in here. We were meditating together even this morning. And it's not like my prohibiting them from looking inside kept Cyborg and Beast Boy from trespassing before. So, I'm giving you permission to enter."

You nod and step inside, letting the door close behind you. You sit with Raven at her little Eastern tea table as she heats the water.

You look around and take in the accoutrements: a concavely curved chest of drawers under a scalene pentagon mirror; a slanted book shelf stocked full with texts; a rather interesting take on the Greek Muses, Thalia and Melpomene; a hope chest--or even treasure chest--archaic or even gothic in design; and various other gothic and spooky looking items varying from lamps to trinket boxes. You like it.

The water boils and lets steam out of the kettle, Raven pours water onto the black Lapsang leaves, creating the rich red water Lapsang is known for. She serves you a cup, you take it and sip.

"Delicious," you say.

"So, you left off with Rorek the Fourth," she says. "What did Rorek the Fifth do?"

"Oh I don't think we need to rush through all those stories," you say. "I've barely gotten to know you."

"There's... not really much to know," she says with a mix of bashful shyness and reserved detachment.

"But there is," you say. "While I can see how you're brave, brilliant, and a treasured friend, you're also a rather... captivating beauty."

Raven almost spit takes her tea.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," you say.

"C-Capti-- *cough* beaut-- *cough* --y?!" she sputters.

"Well, yes," you say. "Has no one ever told you so?"

Raven blushes and shyly sips her tea.

"Th-Thank you, for saying so," she says.

You smile softly and sip more tea yourself.

"Are you sure you don't feel like sharing something about yourself?" you ask. "I'd really like to know more about you."

"I... I wouldn't know where to start," she says.

"Well, how about we start with..."

A) Her family and home
B) How she met the Titans
C) Her general likes and dislikes
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/OYV1QNY.jpg

Beast Boy and Cyborg look at all the doors to make sure no one comes in.

"Okay don't tell anyone we're telling you this," Cyborg says as the two lean in closer. "There have been maybe two officially recorded instances of Raven being into someone."

"In order," Beast Boy says very matter-of-factly. "Aqualad of Atlantis because he's a pretty boy merman whatever, and Malchior when he pretended to be super charming like Rorek the First. You might actually be the third coming of Raven's romantic emotions because you're actually as charming as Rorek the First while also being a pretty boy like Aqualad!"

"I'm going to assume you mean that in a nice way and not a jealous way," you say.

"Huh? Ah nah man," Beast Boy says as he sits back up. "Raven's a great friend and all, but, uh... Let's just say everyone's got their own 'long story' when it comes to that stuff."

"Fair enough," you nod. "So then, why bring all this up?"

Beast Boy leans back in closer.

"We just want you to be careful, y'know?" Beast Boy says.

"Yeah," Cyborg says. "Raven's feelings for Malchior-Rorek were strong, like, personality changing strong. And then they cut deep when they were pulled out from under her. If you aren't serious about this, you need to make that clear or else things could get messy for everyone."

"We say this as your friends as much as we say this as her friends," Beast Boy says. "Check yourself before you wreck yourself, dude."

"Right..."

"Alright, see you in the morning," Cyborg says as he and Beast Boy leave.

You sit a moment longer after the two leave you alone in Ops. You do have an interest in Raven, an intrigue, fascination, and attraction. You hadn't thought that hard about it, you figured you were going to move on within the next day or so but between Mad Mod causing problems and your family insisting you be the one to check in with the business out here in California, you might be here a few days longer. What if Raven gets the wrong idea from the attention you're showing her? Would it even be the wrong idea? At this point in your life could you even entertain such an idea?

You wrack your brain as you head out of Ops. You find the light switch and flip it "off", and leave the darkened room behind as you return to your guest bedroom. You walk past Raven's room on the way and stop when you hear the door open. Raven walks out and sees you see her.

"Oh," she says. "Hi."

"Good evening," you say. "Or, rather, night, but saying 'good night' usually implies a farewell, so..."

Raven's chuckle gets you to chuckle.

"I was still thirsty for some tea," she says. "Would... you want some?"

The fair warning Beast Boy and Cyborg gave you causes you to pause a moment. What are you after, if anything, with Raven?

A) Go on the emotional relationship concern spiel
B) Just let what will be come to be
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/0cP2O4T.jpg

DrizztLink posted...

but they seem pretty similar.

sorry, I can't think as clearly with this damn vertigo screwing me over. the idea is that one sounds more positive than the other

A

"I'll try."

"You better," mother says. "This is going to be your company one day, you need to show you can be responsible for something more than just yourself."

"Yes, mum," you groan. "Is that all this call was for?"

"Well, other than seeing that you're doing well in America," she says. "You have been doing well, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have," you say. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have more in the way of dinner. Talk to you after I visit the branch office, maybe."

"See you then," mother says before hanging up.

You put your Magi-Phone away before leaving your room. You head back to Ops and see Beast Boy and Cyborg are already sitting at the table with pizza.

"Mind if I join you?" you ask them.

"Go right ahead," Beast Boy says as he slides you a plate.

You sit and put a slice on the plate, pull back your scarf then take a bite.

"The quality of this cheese is astounding," you say as you watch it pull and string out.

"Yeah, Pizza Corner is the best," Beast Boy says.

"We should go there sometime, get it fresh," Cyborg says.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy says.

"Did the others already eat while I was on the phone?" you ask.

"Well," Beast Boy says before slurping up cheese, "Starfire snacked on some Tamaranian berry fruits with Silkie as part of his dinner."

"Robin took a slice with him before going to the evidence room to log away Control Freak's remote again as well as the stolen gizmos from Gizmo," Cyborg says. "And Raven just made some tea and went back to her room."

"Oh bugger," you say. "We didn't go back to drag that ruggish robot Atlas in."

"Wait, he's still out there?" Cyborg says.

"Well, Raven and I worked together to drain his power cells then bind his robotic limbs," you say. "Plus he's buried deep under a hotel. It'd take a lot of time for Mad Mod to even retrieve such a behemoth on his own, gadgets or not."

"I'll have to prepare something for him in the morning, then," Cyborg says as he rubs the back of his neck.

A moment passes quietly as you three eat, you get thirsty so you help yourself to a glass of cola.

"So uh," Beast Boy speaks up. "You and, you and Raven have been spending a lot of time together already."

"Already?" you repeat. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Cyborg says. "Since showing up this morning, over 12 hours ago, you got her to open up about something personal."

"Got her interested in your own stories and stuff," Beast Boy adds.

"And she did call dibs for teaming up earlier," Cyborg says. "She hardly ever calls dibs for anything."

"How is any of this supposed to be of note?"

"We've known her for years and she barely even does one of those things!" Beast Boy blurts.

"... Is it that strange?"

"Very...!" Beast Boy says with squinted eyes and low hissing voice.

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'strange'," Cyborg says. "It's more like... Rare?"

"Hmm..." Beast Boy says as he taps a finger to his chin. "Yeah, that's probably true. It's more 'rare' that she is reacting like this."

"Reacting how?" you say.
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/Jh5Ygsc.png

A

"Excuse me a moment," you say as you go off to your room.

You enter the room and answer your Magi-Phone, letting it project into the air.

"Rory, there you are!" Roselind says.

"Finally!" Rebecca chimes in. "Where've you been? We tried calling you for hours!"

"Both last night and this morning," Roselind adds.

It takes a moment to remember the eight hour time difference from California to England. It's past 11 PM here but that means it's about 7 AM there.

"Really?" you say. "I don't recall my phone ringing. I was underground earlier, and then running around town. Riding Shadowfax, his engine probably drowned out the ringing."

"That's what you always say," Rebecca says. "I bet you were with some girls."

"You'd be right in what you said but not in what you meant," you say. "I'll have you know, I'm in Titan's Tower because I've been helping the Teen Titans all day."

"Are not," Rebecca says. "This is like those times you pretended to relive the adventures of the other Roreks."

"At least one of those was real," you insist. "And so is this. Where do you think I am?"

You show them around the room.

"Some really bland looking hotel?" Roselind says.

"No this is one of the rooms!" you say. "I mean, not any of the Titans' rooms, this is a spare room they're letting me stay in."

"Oh...?" the two say at once; how very twin-like of them.

"Well whether you believe me or not doesn't really matter," you say. "Could you just tell me why you've been calling?"

"Oh right," Roselind says. "We'll get Mum!"

They stay on the line as they walk from the den to the veranda.

"Mum!" Roselind says.

"Mum!" Rebecca echoes.

"Yes?" she says from her seat.

"We managed to get through to Rory," they say together as they hand the phone over.

The phone whips around to face the front of your mother.

"Oh there you are, Rory," she says. "Why weren't we able to reach you sooner?"

"I was busy with the Teen Titans," you say.

"Is this like that time--?"

"This is not pretend!" you say. "Just tell me why you wanted to call me."

"Oh yes," she says. "Father wanted me to ask if you could visit the American Pacific branch of Null Co. within the next couple days, there's some issues going on that we've been meaning to address."

"So let me see if I'm understanding this," you say. "Father asked you to ask the twins to contact me about the family company?"

"Well we figured you would've been used to this by now," mother says. "And it turns out you're already in the area."

You sigh.

"Make sure to relay this to Father," you say.

A) I'll try
B) No promises
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/oGyDjh3.jpg

"Speaking of pushing a line," Robin says as he checks the time. "It's getting late, and with no clue where Mad Mod will go next, we should try and rest up."

Everyone goes to the surface and, after the T-Car finds its way to Cyborg, everyone returns to Titan Tower. As you all return to the top floor where Ops and the bedrooms are, you get a call on your personal phone, which means it is from your family.

A) Answer in private
B) Answer with the Titans around
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/F8jXjkH.png

A

"Then I'll take the train," you say.

You jump into the tunnel and give chase, leaving Raven and Robin to battle Mad Mod.

Your arms may not be feeling very strong but your legs still work. You use some chi to strengthen them and catch up to the train. You jump onto the end and use magic to open the door. The subway train has a rear control panel but it would seem Mad Mod has already destroyed it.

"Everyone!" you say to those in this rear car. "We need to evacuate before this train hits terminal velocity."

The passengers gather and you prepare a slope of magical energy.

"Just roll down this," you say.

The people line up and slide/roll down the slope, tumbling to safety on the tracks below. With this car empty, you move to the next car and have the passengers there move to the end and slide out.

"Anyone going after the train?" Cyborg asks via communicator.

"I'm here," you respond. "I'm evacuating civilians as we speak.

"Good," Cyborg says. "We can hit it with everything we've got once the people are off the train."

"Keep moving, keep moving," you tell the passengers as you bring them to the rear car.

The passengers move steadily, except for a small child. The mother tries but the child won't move from the seat.

"It'll be alright," you say to the child. "You'll be safe, but you need to move."

The child still seems reluctant, so you take out a trinket from your pocket.

"See this?" you say about the little doodad you've had since Japan. "This is a special charm that will protect you."

It's not, it's a little bobble you planned on giving your sisters to add to their collection but oh well. You put it in the child's hands, and they feel confident enough to get up. They go with their mother and get to the end of the car, and together mother and child slide out to safety.

"That should be everyone," you say into the communicator. "Have at it!"

From the far side of the train, you can see Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy as a green elephant approach. The three slam into the front of the car and all the cars screech to a halt one by one. You brace yourself in the rear car as the train is finally brought to a full stop. You then disembark as the three group with you on this side of the train.

"Robin and Raven are battling with Mad Mod," you say as you head back to Station F.

You four hurry out of the tunnel and arrive at the train station. Robin and Raven are there, but no Mad Mod. The people you rescued from the train are all gathered, and they thank you and the Titans for the help.

"Here you go, mister," the child says.

They give you back the trinket.

"Thank you!" they say as they walk up the stairs with their mother.

You wave good bye before putting the trinket back in your pocket.

"How'd he get away?" Cyborg asks about Mad Mod.

"He stole technology from Gizmo," Robin explains. "We had him cornered, but he got the drop on us with a smoke trap and snare."

Raven seems particularly miffed.

"Mad Mod was annoying just using his own schtick," Beast Boy says. "Now he's ripping off other guys' stuff? What's with that?!"

"Control Freak's remote, Gizmo's gizmos, and subduing Atlas the super robot," you say. "Mad Mod's been quite busy since getting out."

"He let that lug nut gladiator loose?!" Cyborg says. "He's really pushing a line now."
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/PSf2KJh.png

A

"We'll take Station F, you three head to E," you say.

"Why F?" Robin asks.

"A hunch based on typical city planning," you say. "Plus, we're closer to Station F according to that street sign."

"Then why don't we all go to F?" Beast Boy asks.

"Because in case I'm wrong, someone has to be headed to E Station."

"Good idea," Robin says. "Titans, Go!"

The others cut communications as Robin and Raven move towards Station F, but then stop when they realize you aren't going anywhere.

"What's wrong?" Robin asks.

"Well, my arms are still a bit weak," you say, "I don't think I'd be able to hold on to Shadowfax."

"Raven, help Rorek out," Robin says. "I'll go on ahead."

Robin takes off as Raven floats over.

"So, what should I do?" she asks. "Do you have a spell or item to get your arms reinvigorated?"

"Well, no," you say, "but you can control Shadowfax for me. Since I'm here I can get him to accept you."

"Y-You mean, ride the motorcycle with you?"

"Well how else would you get me to Station F?" you say. "It'd be a bit awkward for you to carry me."

"So would riding on the same bike," she mutters.

"Excuse my bluntness, but we don't exactly have time for this," you say. "So just get on and drive!"

Raven grumbles as she walks over and you scoot back to make room. She's tentative as she brings up a leg to straddle Shadowfax. You didn't really think about it before, but she shows quite a lot of leg. And has quite lovely legs at that...

Raven sits down in front of you and, after fiddling with her cloak, puts her hands on the handle bars.

"So uh, what now?" she asks.

"Shadowfax," you say. "Start."

*VRUM* The engine starts up and it startles Raven a moment.

"Just relax," you say as you move in closer. "We'll work together."

You put your arms over hers, leaving very little space between your bodies. You help her squeeze the throttle and support her as Shadowfax accelerates so she doesn't lurch back.

"Make sure to lean with me as we weave and turn," you say as you head down the street.

You go past cars on the street, Raven leaning side to side with you. You see the stairway entrance to Station F up ahead and let go of Raven's hand on the throttle. She understands and lets go of the throttle herself, allowing Shadowfax to slow down. You help her other hand squeeze the brake and slow down further, pulling up to the curb in a smooth stop.

"Shadowfax, stand," you order the motorcycle.

"Shadowfax deploys the kickstand and you dismount, but Raven is a bit hesitant.

"Next time," she says, "I'll just carry you."

She follows you down the stairs and into the underground. Robin is already there battling with Mad Mod as a train takes off with screaming passengers.

"Mad Mod's sent that train on a crash course!" Robin shouts. "The others are at Station E but need to circle back!"

A) Go after the train
B) Send Raven after the train

sorry for the delay, I suddenly became horribly ill today
---

Go Catgirls! http://i.imgur.com/9eBrXYC.jpg