#✫ IC (Mar'i(Semi)) ✫

[starsmuserainbow]

There they were. Alive, younger than she had ever seen them, so happy and blithe, and such a great team in battle - if it weren’t for certain features and their uniforms, Mar’i might even have doubted if it truly were the people who she knew. But there was enough similarity, and maybe a feeling deep down too, to tell her that they were the Titans she already knew, even if different. The young girl walked closer to the fight scene, ignoring the shouts of a few people that ran past her into the opposite direction and tried to warn her. No one was un-afraid enough to try to pull her along, which was good, since she could simply approach further like that.

Soon enough, she could watch from the front row, and ‘ooh’ed and ‘aah’ed to the attacks that happened so close to her. She could even hear their shouts to one another, too, and was startled when something dark appeared beside her and shielded her from a part of rubble. That definitely would have hurt. “You shouldn’t be here,” a voice followed the energy, and Raven landed beside her, to which Mar’i looked up with wide eyes. “Where are your parents?” “You’re Raven!” Mar’i exclaimed in response and hugged Raven (as far as she could reach, so more like hugged her legs), until a little bit of the black energy parted them again. “It is dangerous here. You need to leave.” A bit of rubble came towards them, and Raven blocked it elegantly. “Have you lost your parents?” “Not anymore!” To that, Raven looked around, expecting to see a couple - the little girl’s parents - nearby, but outside of the fighting team and their enemy, no one was here, and Raven turned to the girl again. “Where are they?” “There!” Mar’i pointed upwards to the fighting Titans, and Raven looked over for just a moment before focusing back on the situation at hand. “I don’t have time for this. You have to leave. Now.” Mar’i didn’t even react, she just kept looking up to the fight, and Raven sighed. Her magic connected with a few pieces of rubble and one destroyed car now, and built a sort-of shell around the girl. “Fine. If you won’t leave, stay in there, that should protect you.” With that, and after watching her for a moment longer as if to make sure she really stayed inside, Raven took to the air again to join her friends.

When the fight moved away, well. Mar’i did obey Raven’s order, but probably not in the way that the Titan would have liked. Instead, Mar’i followed the fight with the shell still around her, carrying it with herself through the air to stay close and watch. The team didn’t take note of her again though, not before the enemy soon was defeated, and they landed. She cheered loudly even as the fighting was done, and that was what brought the team’s attention back to the floating girl in the protection-shell. “Seems like you’re not the average kid,” Raven noted as Mar’i landed beside them and the dark energy opened the makeshift shell again. “I’m not! I’m Nightstar!” “Nightstar? I don’t think that name’s in our database.” “Are you a hero?” To Robin asking the latter, and him and Starfire joining the Titans standing around the girl, Mar’i rushed into the air and grabbed both of them into a hug. “Mommy! Daddy! I’m here! It worked!” Both Starfire and Robin blushed heavily now, turning away from one another once the hug was released (though still ‘sneakily’ glancing over to one another) and BB and Cyborg chuckled. “’Mommy?’ ‘Daddy?’ Did you guys forget to tell us something?” “Do your math, Cy, obviously this can’t be true,” Robin answered once he had caught himself a little. “It indeed cannot, we have not done the act of reproduction before!” Starfire added, making Robin more flustered again. “It is true! I’m not lying! You just aren’t there yet!” “What are you talking about, Nightstar? They’re right, you can’t possibly be their child, according to any laws of biology.” “Not yet, but I am!” “Let’s continue this at the Tower. You can do a scan of her, and we’ll know more.” “Will you accompany us, Nightstar?” “Yes mommy!”

They returned to the Tower and Mar’i agreed to being tested, to which Cyborg applied a few cables to her and ran a few things. “I don’t know how, but she’s telling the truth. Her genes prove that she’s your and Starfire’s child.” “Did someone try to clone us?” “Hard to tell, there’s no test for that.” “But how else? Look at her, we’d have to – the team doesn’t even exist for that long yet!” “I don’t know!” “Maybe you should stop discussing and ask her instead,” Raven interfered in Cyborg’s and Robin’s discussion, and both turned to look at Mar’i, who looked rather unhappy, slowly growing closer to tears even, at this arguing. “I- I’m sorry…,” she sniffed, understanding the discussion as a sign of her not being wanted here. “I… I just wanted to see you again! And, and uncle Vic said that I-” “Uncle Vic?” Cyborg repeated, surprised. “Ye-yes, that’s you! Cyborg, uncle Vic!” Cyborg and Robin exchanged looks for a moment. “So… if he’s Vic, what am I?” Beast Boy joined in. “Uncle Gar! And Beast Boy! But I, I haven’t seen you in a while!” “How do you know these things?”, Robin brought the focus back to the big question at hand, and Mar’i hesitated for a moment. “Who taught you?” “You did! And mommy! And all your friends, your family!” “You said that I said something. What did I say?” “Well, you - Uncle Vic - said, that I will be a hero! That mommy and daddy would be proud of me! But, but you are angry and don’t believe me and I’m sorry!” He had also said that she should avoid meeting the team or telling too much about the future, but that was the part of his advice that Mar'i preferred to pretend not to have heard. “We are not angry with you, Nightstar,” Starfire stepped forth, and started to remove the wires from Mar’i. “We are merely surprised, and very confused. Your claims are not making sense!” “But you told me of Warp! You did it too!” Now the team exchanged looks again. “Warp? You mean… you’re from the future?” “Mhm!” Mar’i nodded eagerly. “Oh! I should start with that! I forgot!” “If you’re from the future, that means that Robin and Star…” The two blushed again to Beast Boy’s words, and Cyborg nodded. “Of course B, did you expect anything else? We all know that already, don’t we?” “But why did you come to us, Nightstar?” Mar’i looked up to Raven, and thought about it for a moment. “Uh… I… all of you were gone, and uncle Vic said that I can be a hero, and safe.” “Why were we gone? What happened?” “I don’t know!” That was only half the truth - Mar’i didn’t know the details of what the trouble was that was going on, but she knew that they all were gone to never return. They were all gone forever. She didn’t want to talk about that, though, so she preferred to not know. “Okay. So we’re getting a time-travel visit from a child from the future, where apparently we’re all ‘gone’. Well, all except Cy. Doesn’t sound so different from a typical day, right?”

The team left Mar’i for a few moments, surely to discuss what to do. Soon enough, they returned again, and Starfire continued to remove the gadgets for the scans from Mar’i. Once “free”, Mar’i hugged Starfire, who in return smiled, bowed down and placed her hands around Mar’i too, to lift her up. “It is all… very confusing, and much to comprehend. But… we welcome you to our home, and to our time, Nightstar. … Nihkor?” Mar’i looked confused at her for a moment. “Oh!” Before then shaking her head. “No, Nightstar isn’t from my tamaranean name! I’m Mar’i - Mar'i'andr!”

[starsmuserainbow]

"Ooh!" She exclaimed again as he demonstrated how he could use an ice-powered punch. "It's so cool how you can do all these things!" In comparison, her powers almost felt boring - she could never use them that creatively, or at least she couldn't think of any way to do so!

"Hmm, flight... you can lift the water. If you had a tube like belt or something like that around you filled with water, couldn't you lift yourself along with it?" Though, then she gasped as she continued that thought, and quickly corrected the idea. "Oh, but no, better don't try that! If it doesn't hold you, you'd fall!" Which would be fine in a training situation, where she could always stick close to him and catch him, but if they were actually doing something alike a fight, it could be that she couldn't be there to catch him in time. And that wasn't a nice thought, very much the contrary.

"And I developed another trick." He pulled the water up around his arm, freezing it into a very dense ice. "I'm no where near as strong as you buuuuuuuttt. With the force of the ice as well. I can probably pack a pretty good punch." He smiled at her as he let the water melt, proceeding to rub the arm to warm it back up. "It's just a matter of getting it quickly enough...haven't figured out how to replicate your flying yet. Dunno if I can do that one with water." He admitted as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Whatcha think Mari?"

[starsmusedeposit]

Mar’i came out of her room radiating pride, she was floating and showing off an outfit that pretty much completely resembled Starfire’s - except for the red hair, of course. “How do I look? I wanna go as Mommy!” Of course, Starfire had helped her with the outfit, and it was typical tamaranean attire so it wasn’t difficult to get, but Mar’i couldn’t be happier.

[starsmuserainbow]

[[ @beast-boy-official liked my Starter Call!]]

It felt... unreal. A few moments ago, she had been in the barred dimly lit home that Uncle Cyborg called his home, seated in some form of machine because he had no more time to keep working on it. A necklace around her neck with... something important, she wasn't quite sure, some form of data or something to prevent 'something'everything'?, access to her treehouse as a bracelet around her wrist, and dressed in her 'Nightstar'-uniform which she had proudly worn whenever she could, Mar'i did not feel as confident about it anymore when Cyborg told her that it was time. He gave her some instructions too, but she was more focused on the noises growing louder and clearly damaging the doors of his place already. And now, suddenly, after a few moments of everything being blurry and spinning, she was in an open area. Sitting on a street, she covered her eyes with one arm as she looked up to the sun. Everything was so bright here. So pretty. So colorful, and clean. Was this how everything should be?

Looking around, for a moment Mar'i's focus stayed on an advertising panel nearby, before an explosion not too far away distracted her. Now she looked over to that direction, and openly gasped to seeing what was going on. There they were! These blasts of green energy were too familiar, and yes, there she was flying around the robotical dinosaur they were fighting. Mar'i's focus stayed on Starfire for a little while, long enough that she didn't even notice that a part of the fight moved her way. Enough so that one of them, thrown away from the fight, landed like almost directly in front of her, and as he changed back from the green animal to his usual self and got back up, their eyes met.

Blinking in surprise for a moment, Mar'i then beamed at him. "You need to go back to the fight! They need you!" she just said, too interested in seeing all of them fight together to even consider if she should admit to anything right away.

[starsmuserainbow]

(Suddenly, Thanos snaps his fingers and wipes out half the universe.)

Thank you for the ask!

Huh. I could swear I had 14 muses.

--

"Yes! She's gone! Finally!" "Where -- where is Starfire?" Oh no. "Is Galfore ok?" "We must find her! What happened?"

"Things are suddenly so... quiet." "This can't be good. Something bad happened."

"Calm down everyone. There's still enough heroes left, whatever happened, I'm sure we can fix it." "I wanna help too!" "Whatever it is, we will fight it."

[starsmuserainbow]

Mar'i, why are you so adorable?

[[Thank you for the ask!]]

Giggling at the compliment, she smiled widely at the stranger. "I don't know! But thanks for saying that I am!"

[starsmuserainbow]

"What're you doing?" (Rae for Mar'i)

Random Sentence Starters

[[Thank you! :D]]

Noticing she had been watched, Mar'i beamed at Raven to her question, and held out what mostly looked like multiple pieces of (green) furry fabric together with some strings. "I'm making a costume for Silkie!" She announced proudly, and turned the fabric-creation around a little to display the only very vaguely dog, or perhaps cat, or some other similar-ish animal, shaped thing. "Is he joining everyone on Halloween here already? I remember that he got dressed up too!" Not wanting to delve deeper into how he only did that when she was little and that he - in her time(line) - couldn't anymore, Mar'i quickly continued about the costume-in-progress. "I want to make him a Beast Boy costume! Does it look good? It's not done yet - do you wanna help me, Raven?" She could certainly use the help, especially if the costume should actually look good; though Mar'i wouldn't directly want to admit to not being able to create something great herself.

[starsmusedeposit]

[[Starter for @merveiilles (Aqualad)!]]

“But I wanna come with you!” “Mar’i, please, we have already talked about this!” Mar’i pouted. Yes of course they had talked about it, and Starfire was very insisting on it being the best for her to be somewhere else while the Titans head to that big mission - but a big mission also meant a big risk, and, and, and -- “I don’t wanna lose you again!”

Before Starfire could start an answer on that, the door of the Titans East Tower opened, and Starfire switched her focus to smile (and faintly blush) at Aqualad. “I thank you again that you agreed to taking Mar’i in while we are gone.” ‘You’ meaning the whole team of Titans East of course, since they had explained it (at least the rough details about Mar’i) to them as a whole. “Mar’i, this is-” “Aqualad! I know! I’m Mar’i, or Nightstar, and I’m the daughter of Starfire and Robin!” Which, of course, Mar’i felt the need to immediately add since she did notice the signs of the connection between Aqualad and Starfire. In the earlier talkings, and right now too. Unsure of what to say to that - the earlier explanation likely did enough and she didn’t need to add that Mar’i indeed was that, but from some form of future and perhaps another universe or timeline altogether - Starfire simply gently nudged Mar’i to go over, who was still clinging to Starfire’s leg. “I promise you that we will return safely, Mar’i. Please, do as we have agreed.” “But next time I’ll come with you!” To Starfire nodding, Mar’i moved over, and waved her mother from another timeline goodbye as she returned back to the T-Ship, and the team took off. “I totally could have joined them!” She now said towards Aqualad, feeling the need to make clear who she was - or rather, what she wasn’t. “Mommy and Daddy taught me a lot about fighting! I don’t need a babysitter!” But that’s exactly what was happening here, and then by someone who Starfire had these apparent feelings for, and, it was all just frustrating.

[starsmusedeposit]

Well. Obi didn't seem to know the date either, and... while that meant there still was a risk that it was going to end very badly - the idea of meeting the Flying Graysons was just too cool. Plus Obi was excited too, so both of that quickly brought Mar'i out of her worries again. It would be fine!

"Yes, okay!" She followed along happily, still rather amazed at how Obi navigated the paths so confidently despite not seeing. "Whoa...", Mar'i exclaimed when they - well, she - could see the whole place in the distance. The circus. It was really here. She really must have ended up too far in the past. "It, it looks so amazing!" For just a fraction of a moment, hesitation came through again and she almost halted the approach of the circus, but Mar'i pushed these thoughts aside. Now that they were on the circus-area, all hesitation was gone, and she 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed as a few things they passed by. "You think after the show, we might be able to sneak to the acts too? I'd love to, -- to uh..." She shouldn't, should she? But the chance was so good! She had never been able to talk to any actual grandparent of hers before! She never had any that were actually related to her! There were those that had been like parents to her parents, sure, but not the actual parents! This was different, and perhaps her only chance, ever! "I'd love to meet them up close!"

"Yeah, they usually take the summer off. So we still have some time to go there if we wanted to." Obi listened to her rush outside and then return seemingly defeated by something. His head would tilt in confusion at her, giving a moment to what day it was. As he thought hard.

"I...dunno what the date is but I think I heard them setting up for it tonight. We could go!" He said, not grasping why she was so concerned with it But it sounded like an adventure to be had, why not go ahead and just go to the event. Obi gently gripped her rather warm hand and smiled. "Cmon I know the way!"

Starting on towards where it would be, Mari would soon see the setup in the distance. "Just stay close and we can sneak in no problem. We're small, there's big things we can hide behind and get in." he assured.

[starsmusedeposit]

"Why is Lightning getting all that attention?"

"It's not like I'm asking for it!"

"No, but you still get it! What's with the rest of us? There's even canons here and still it's Lightning here Lightning there Lightning everywhere!"

"Mia, please, surely the focus will change eventually..."

"Easy for you to say, Cat, you're probably more than happy to not be the center of attention anyway! Not me though! I like being noticed! I want action!" "I wanna do things too!" "See? The little princess gets me!"

[starsmusedeposit]

🎶 Now it's time for a question from Zombie George Washington!🎶 "WAAAAAAAAH!! Hey, girls. This is the month people walk awound in costumes to get candy, wight? What is evewyone's favowite candy? ZGW's favowite is CHOCOWATE BWAINS!!!"

[[Thank you for the ask!]]

"It is! It's called Halloween, and it's really fun!" Mar'i grinned, and didn't even take a moment before answering the question. "I loooooove mommy's Ronel! They're so amazing, so crunchy and I love how they taste!" "I prefer simple chocolate. Or the white one, that's really nice!" "I like anything! Especially these things where flavours mix, like sour and sweet or something with a sudden spice in it or the likes. It's so cool what people - or companies - can come up with!" "Sweets are great in general. Honestly, the more sugar in it, the better for me."

[starsmusedeposit]

🎶 Now it's time for a question from Zombie George Washington! 🎶 "WAAAAAAH!! Hi girls. This isn't weally a question, but ZGW wanted to say that Maw'i is a lovable cinnamon bun who has such a nice smile and makes people happy. That's why if anyone makes her cwy, ZGW PWOMISES TO EAT THEIR BWAINS!!!"

[[Thank you for the ask! Somewhat connected to this one I guess!]]

"Awwwwwwhh! Thank you ZGW! You are very nice as well!" "No he isn't! Well, uh, yes, okay, he is, but Mar'i! You can't just go befriend zombies!" "Why not?" "Because... uh. Well, because, because zombies aren't... because..." "You sound like you have... like you are... you think bad of a group of people! That's not nice!" "I'm not! I would never! I,... I... huh."

[starsmusedeposit]

❝ help is on the way. ❞ (Raven for Mar'i)

‘ help ‘ starters!

[[Thank you!]]

No no no, this wasn't allowed to happen! Mar'i had wanted to surprise her mommy(-from-the-past) by following her on this mission. She wanted to jump out at a good moment, be helpful in capturing the criminal, and prove that she was a strong hero already! Instead, she made some noises and fell onto the scene in perhaps the worst moment possible. Starfire got distracted, turned around to Mar'i - and was shot by some form of heavy blaster weapon instantly. Her cry of pain, how she was crashing into the ground, and worst of all how she was now just lying there... it was like a horrible horrible nightmare becoming real all of a sudden. Mar'i tried to wake her, she shook her and called her a good bunch of times before realizing there was nothing she could do. She didn't dare to lift her up, and so Mar'i just fumbled the communicator out of Starfire's pocket.

She called through it (perhaps more like cried) desperately, and Raven was quick to respond. "Please hurry! Mommy isn't waking up!" She couldn't lose her! Not here - to avoid losing them was why she travelled back in time! This couldn't happen!

[starsmusedeposit]

🎶 Now it's time for a question from Zombie George Washington!🎶 "WAAAAAAAAAH!!! Hi girls. I'm Zombie George Washington, like the song says, but you can just call me ZGW. What is evewyone's favorite food? ZGW's favorite food is BWAINS!!! But don't worry. I won't eat your bwains. Just the bad guys'.

[[Thank you for the ask!]]

Instinctively, Mia immediately placed herself between the stranger - ZGW - and Mar'i. "Stay away zombie; I'm warning you, I know all the movies!" And moves too, and powers. Especially when hanging around all of the ability-people here. "I really like Glorg, especially mommy's! And pizza!" Looking over to the small tamaranean for a moment, Mia shrugged. Might as well answer the question, she was right on that. Although it was still confusing and shocking her how the little girl accepted all these strange things like nothing. "My favourite would be cake. Especially with a lot of buttercream or frosting or however you wanna call it!" "You eat brains of bad guys? If that's the case, I know where to find--" "You don't know anything, Quickie. Remember, you'll regret crossing me, even only thinking about it." "That wasn't even what I was -- WHAT did you just call me?" "Aw. Having trouble hearing from all that running you do?" Lightning shouted angrily, rushing over to Liquor who was just turning behind a corner - and then was gone too sudden even for someone with Lightning's abilities.

[starsmusedeposit]

I made chocolate cake. Who wants some?

[[Thanks for sending!]]

"I want some! I want some!" Mar'i immediately rushed over to the stranger. "Me too." Lightning casually suddenly stood beside her, as well. "I think a good bunch of our others here are worried about the possible danger of taking food from a stranger."

[starsmuserainbow]

He wanted to talk? Well, that was even better! Mar'i was more than happy to be able to talk to them again! "Yes! Yes, I am!" To both of these questions. "I mean, uh... I'm just half tamaranean. But I'm not less because of that!" At least her mother had always assured her of that despite of what the tamaraneans she before met said!

Somewhere further in her mind, there were rules that Uncle Cyborg told her, but honestly, the amazing sight of her (extended) family, so young and well and fighting and doing great, was way more enticing than remembering what she had been told. "The sky is so blue! And the buildings, all these lights! I didn't think home was so pretty!" she more or less blurted out, still amazed by how Earth looked here and now.

A giant robotic dinosaur! These bad guys were always ripping off the animal kingdom with their big ol’ robots. And they never stand up to the original!

Or so Beast Boy thought. The mechanical tyrannosaurus opened its jaws wide and crunched the side of a building between its teeth. Beast Boy kept forward and transformed into a T-Rex to match, but the robot was built unnaturally large. He pushed his head against the belly of the metal beast, trying to knock it over. Whoever was driving the robot had other plans, though. It turned and thrashed him with its powerful tail, sending Beast Boy flying across the city block.

He transformed into a tortoise in the air, pulling back into his shell to protect all his softer parts. His shell landed on the pavement and skidded to the stop. Dust cleared, and he shifted back into his human form. Climbing to his feet, he looked up and locked eyes with….

For a split second he thought it was Blackfire. The armor was almost right, and her hair was dark, but her eyes—her age—she was far too young. It was impossible! And she was smiling at him.

“You need to go back to the fight! They need you!”

What the…? Was she trying to distract him? He didn’t take his eyes off of her.

“Huh…? Are you a Tameranean?” he asked. “Are you looking for Starfire?” The fight crashed loudly behind him, but he was unfazed. There was something oddly familiar about this girl.

—

[[@starsmuserainbow - thanks for starting!]]