concoursec | Tell Me These Words Are A Lie

Characters: Starfire and Dolphin, anyone else
Location: Dreamland
Rating: PG-13 for forced servitude, implied violence and abuse
Open/Closed/Finished: Open
Description: Starfire has a nightmare about her youth - don't worry; it'll have a happy ending

The dream begins in a very dark place. While it may not be physically dark, there is a pressing weight on the area as though something is there that shouldn't be. In the courtyard are a few girls of different alien races, all wearing tattered clothes, doing menial tasks.

One girl is a familiar red-headed girl. She's only about 14 or 15 years and her hair is shorter than it would be later, but still very long. She's one of the girls working.

Suddenly the door into the courtyard slams open and all of the girls flinch almost as in unison. One of the men of yet another alien race who steps out and immediately goes over to Koriand'r, grabbing her arm.

"Come, Princess." He says "princess" as though he is making fun of her. "It's your turn again."

"Please," she whimpers. "I don't want to go!"

"And you think you can talk back to us, slave?!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dolphin puts her hands on her hips and smiles wryly. "He's a boy! Garth was the same when he and I first went out. Dick is crazy about you, Starfire! It'll take a bit of time for him to figure out that he is absolutely in love with you -- and for him to stop listening to Roy's anti-romance garble -- but he is in love with you."

She suddenly feels so much happier hearing that. She had never been expecting to hear that with how little he was able to open up to her. "Thank you... I feel so much better hearing that. I really do like him."

Dolphin puts out a hand. "Want to jump into the present?"

Koriand'r looks out her hand. "I... okay." Then she takes Dolphin's hand.

Things start to shift. "My turn to show you the world?"

She watches in surprise as everything shifts around her, having not really noticed it before. She looks at Dolphin and nods. "I want to see it."

The scene takes place. Titans Tower, San Francisco. Fellow Titans move about the common room, with a blue and black dressed Dick Grayson grumbling over bills at one of the counters. Dolphin of Dreamland is busy fixing breakfast (albeit, an odd, green looking breakfast), and Cerdian is seated at the counter in his highchair.

Dream Dolphin looks up from her spatula and frying pan. "Dick, if you'd like some help..."

Dick shakes his head. "No, no. It's fine. Just keep..." He looks up, his nose wrinkling. "...what are you cooking?"

Dream Dolphin beams. "Seaweed and eggs!"

"...looks good."

Starfire watches. Its such a simple scene, but it makes her excited to see it. The future of the Titans, her future. She looks over at the Dolphin she is standing with.

"That is Dick? As Nightwing?" Thank you Damian for giving her way too much information on the first day... "And is that your baby?"

Dolphin nods, smiling whimsically at the scene. "That's him, all right. I think this was one of those mornings where half the team went out to stop a crime spree or something while the other half stayed to do paperwork." She glances around. Lilith is reading a book at the main table that is used for having meals on. A few children sit in front of the television watching cartoons. Argent is seated next to a blonde-haired man who is trying to politely fend from the blue girl's advances.

Dolphin turns to where Cerdian is seated in his highchair, playing with squeaky rattle. A warm smile covers Dolphin's face and she hugs her arms about her body. "Yes...that's my Cerdian." Cerdian squeals with delight, shaking his rattle very close to Dick's ear. Dream Dolphin gives her baby a warm smile, chuckling.

"Are you giving Dick some bill-paying music?"

"Ahh!"

"He got his musical talent from Garth. I can tell."

"Be good, Dick, or you won't have any seaweed and eggs."

"Uh, I'm okay."

She chuckled. "Dick stayed behind to do paper work?" She could see it, but it was not something she thought about. She looks at the other Titans having seen none of them before. She was curious who they were, but she shouldn't spoil everything should she?

"Cerdian... he's so adorable. Such a cutie." How could she not think the baby was adorable. And playing such music for Dick.

"He works really hard." Dolphin speaks to Starfire, but she's still facing and watching Cerdian. Though only a dream, her chest pangs with the ache of homesickness. Home where her son and her husband await her return.

"He has Garth's cheeky grin. See." She points out the dimples upon Cerdian's little chin.

Starfire can see that she's looking at the baby. She must really miss her child, being here alone without him. She's never even thought about what it would be like to be a parent, but she'd imagine it would be hard to be without them.

She looped her arm around her, hugging her. "I'm sure you'll see him again."

Dolphin isn't surprised by the hug and leans into Starfire's arms. "I know. I just really miss him." She's still considered a new-time mother, with Cerdian having been born only a few months ago.

Starfire smiles, looking back over at the baby, still giving Dolphin a hug. "I know you do, but you'll see him again. He really is adorable."

Dolphin nods. She agrees with Starfire that Dol will return home someday and see her child once more, but it's the far-off fact that it's going to be awhile before that happens that makes Dolphin a little sad.

"His first birthday is approaching soon. He'll be one year old."

"Oh... I'm sorry. It must be hard to be away from him like that."

She really wished it wasn't that way. No mother should be away from her child. Then she wondered... maybe it was similar for her mother, not being able to be with her or know if she was alright.

"It is."

Dolphin shakes her head lightly, and turns to Starfire. "Ready to wake up? Or do you want to see more?"

She kind of wanted to see more, but since it is upsetting to Dolphin to remember she can't see her baby, she decided it wasn't worth it.

"We can wake up now."

Tell Me These Words Are A Lie

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