Materfamilias Extra Dimensionem
Chapter Text“What’s with the modern art?”
Beast Boy stood on his tip toes to tug at one of a multiplex of flexible antennae projecting from a ceramic sphere the size of a beach ball that hung from the den’s ceiling all Martian-death-ray-laser-show like.
Cyborg rolled his organic eye. “You obviously don’t know a broad band energy sink when you see one, Gar. And stop playing with that!”
Garfield stopped twirling the metal tentacle into a corkscrew pattern.
“Is that the scientific name for a disco ball? Awesome!”
“It’s not a disco ball! It’s a….”
Star fire entered the room bearing a enormous bowl of popcorn and a precariously balanced stack of movie discs.
“Friends, I bring snacks and Space Viking Princess Contagion!” She stopped at the sight of the new addition to the den:
“Ooo, pretty! What is it?”
Beast Boy effected the cliched Travolta dance pose: “It’s a disco ball, Star!”
Cyborg grabbed the sides of his head to keep his brains from exploding: “Energy sink, Gar! En-er-gy sink!”
Starfire was far too busy listening to the fun explanation to catch the actual one.
“For dancing? Yay!”
She grabbed Beast Boy and elevated him in a more ballroom than disco maneuver at exactly the moment that Raven, looking miffed at having her mid afternoon quietude disturbed, glid moodily into the chamber. Her reaction to the Mary Poppins dance routine, a single, sharp flint of jet forming an exclamation point above her head suddenly and surprisingly distorted : the roil of envy regarding Star and disdain for Garfield collapsed into shock as she felt her released essential energy yanked tidally away from her body.
Raven’s eponymous spirit bird, its shriek overwhelming Raven’s matching one, exploded into the newly repaired room. The couch and television and other contents exited the window that no longer had any glass left to break. Star yelped as, still airborne, she was separated from Gar, who dropped to the floor, as she was buffeted out with the short-lived room contents. Almost as quickly as it formed, the spirit raven began to distort into a river of black, howling energy that flowed into the now brightly illuminated device. Cyborg ran to the machine, opened a panel; threw a switch: nothing happened.
“It won’t shut off! I don’t understand!”
The current cut abruptly.
Raven collapsed unconscious to the floor.
Garfield shouted her name, ran to her side; touched her.
A brilliant flash of emerald expanded and contracted in an almost subliminal firework ; Beast Boy’s inert body fell across Raven’s supine form.
*******
Beast Boy woke to the murky view of a vast domed ceiling pierced high above him by an oculus. The shaft of mote dancing light that shone down directly upon him pierced the complete darkness that flooded the vast chamber. He bolted upright, shouting Raven’s name. It entered the darkness only to be hurled back at him mockingly by unfeeling architecture. Then there was an answer.
“Garfield Mark Logan, do not fret: Raven is unharmed.” It was a calm, adult, feminine voice that somehow made Gar think of the of resonant roll of combers upon a beach. But then he knew of other people who were capable of speaking in such a controlled and unruffled fashion.
He hopped off of what appeared to be a dais made entirely of black glass surrounded by eight statues in the gloom just beyond the column of light.
“How do you know? Who are you, anyway?”
“A mother always knows.” A spark of white light ignited within the darkness, and formed into a white cape and cowled woman hovering in the air. The outfit, the hovering, the bindi and the statement combined within Beast Boy’s brain to blow his mind.
“But weren’t you… when Azarath was destroyed?”
The woman lowered her head, her face hidden by the shining cowl.
“Azarath was never completely destroyed. Enough was saved : it endures. With your help my daughter will recover it.”
Garfield had a flash of Robin level insight: “You know your daughter’s fine because you arranged this meeting!”
The head raised, and her face came back into view with a contrite, knitted brow.
“ There are strict constraints regarding direct familial magical contact : I am restricted to the ephemera of forgotten dreams and enigmatic clues when it comes to contacting my daughter.”
“What’s the rulebook say about friends of family?”
“Very little.”
Garfield’s eyebrows shot up: “Dude, your magic’s messed up!
The woman’s rueful expression lightened. “It is! Oh, is it ever!”
They shared an odd laugh in the very odd space.
“So, who’d you ‘zap!’ to get me here? Beast Boy?
She nodded. “His invention is really a magical device he acquired while under my…direction.”
“You know, the more you talk the more you sound like the kind of people we fight!”
She looked pained: “Raven did not understand the clues that I left behind for her the last time she visited Azarath : the intact city seal, and the fact that her Azarath incantation was still effective.” She sighed. “That is one of the reasons that I brought you here: to be able to be actually direct.”
“There’re others?”
“One other: A mother is entitled to meet the boy with whom her daughter is,” A playful little curl crept into the smile. “bewitched!”
Beast Boy’s eyes goggled: “Bewitched?!”
Arella raised her hands in appeasement.
“That magic is entirly yours!”
Beast Boy ruffled his left hand through his shock of hair.
“I think you’ve got bewitching mixed up with annoying!”
“There is no difference: her feelings for you cause confusion ; confusion causes her to be prickily with you.”
Both hands pushed back his hair away from his forehead. “You’re telling me that when she bites my head off it’s ‘cause she’s crazy about me?!”
“Precisely!”
“Can we please talk about the other reason why I’m here, please!”
Quote:Dr. D: I have deviated from canon : in my timeline, Azarath is not magically restored following Trigon's defeat (The End Part 3, Season 4)
****************
Chapter Text“What’s with the modern art?”
Beast Boy stood on his tip toes to tug at one of a multiplex of flexible antennae projecting from a ceramic sphere the size of a beach ball that hung from the den’s ceiling all Martian-death-ray-laser-show like.
Cyborg rolled his organic eye. “You obviously don’t know a broad band energy sink when you see one, Gar. And stop playing with that!”
Garfield stopped twirling the metal tentacle into a corkscrew pattern.
“Is that the scientific name for a disco ball? Awesome!”
“It’s not a disco ball! It’s a….”
Star fire entered the room bearing a enormous bowl of popcorn and a precariously balanced stack of movie discs.
“Friends, I bring snacks and Space Viking Princess Contagion!” She stopped at the sight of the new addition to the den:
“Ooo, pretty! What is it?”
Beast Boy effected the cliched Travolta dance pose: “It’s a disco ball, Star!”
Cyborg grabbed the sides of his head to keep his brains from exploding: “Energy sink, Gar! En-er-gy sink!”
Starfire was far too busy listening to the fun explanation to catch the actual one.
“For dancing? Yay!”
She grabbed Beast Boy and elevated him in a more ballroom than disco maneuver at exactly the moment that Raven, looking miffed at having her mid afternoon quietude disturbed, glid moodily into the chamber. Her reaction to the Mary Poppins dance routine, a single, sharp flint of jet forming an exclamation point above her head suddenly and surprisingly distorted : the roil of envy regarding Star and disdain for Garfield collapsed into shock as she felt her released essential energy yanked tidally away from her body.
Raven’s eponymous spirit bird, its shriek overwhelming Raven’s matching one, exploded into the newly repaired room. The couch and television and other contents exited the window that no longer had any glass left to break. Star yelped as, still airborne, she was separated from Gar, who dropped to the floor, as she was buffeted out with the short-lived room contents. Almost as quickly as it formed, the spirit raven began to distort into a river of black, howling energy that flowed into the now brightly illuminated device. Cyborg ran to the machine, opened a panel; threw a switch: nothing happened.
“It won’t shut off! I don’t understand!”
The current cut abruptly.
Raven collapsed unconscious to the floor.
Garfield shouted her name, ran to her side; touched her.
A brilliant flash of emerald expanded and contracted in an almost subliminal firework ; Beast Boy’s inert body fell across Raven’s supine form.
*******
Beast Boy woke to the murky view of a vast domed ceiling pierced high above him by an oculus. The shaft of mote dancing light that shone down directly upon him pierced the complete darkness that flooded the vast chamber. He bolted upright, shouting Raven’s name. It entered the darkness only to be hurled back at him mockingly by unfeeling architecture. Then there was an answer.
“Garfield Mark Logan, do not fret: Raven is unharmed.” It was a calm, adult, feminine voice that somehow made Gar think of the of resonant roll of combers upon a beach. But then he knew of other people who were capable of speaking in such a controlled and unruffled fashion.
He hopped off of what appeared to be a dais made entirely of black glass surrounded by eight statues in the gloom just beyond the column of light.
“How do you know? Who are you, anyway?”
“A mother always knows.” A spark of white light ignited within the darkness, and formed into a white cape and cowled woman hovering in the air. The outfit, the hovering, the bindi and the statement combined within Beast Boy’s brain to blow his mind.
“But weren’t you… when Azarath was destroyed?”
The woman lowered her head, her face hidden by the shining cowl.
“Azarath was never completely destroyed. Enough was saved : it endures. With your help my daughter will recover it.”
Garfield had a flash of Robin level insight: “You know your daughter’s fine because you arranged this meeting!”
The head raised, and her face came back into view with a contrite, knitted brow.
“ There are strict constraints regarding direct familial magical contact : I am restricted to the ephemera of forgotten dreams and enigmatic clues when it comes to contacting my daughter.”
“What’s the rulebook say about friends of family?”
“Very little.”
Garfield’s eyebrows shot up: “Dude, your magic’s messed up!
The woman’s rueful expression lightened. “It is! Oh, is it ever!”
They shared an odd laugh in the very odd space.
“So, who’d you ‘zap!’ to get me here? Beast Boy?
She nodded. “His invention is really a magical device he acquired while under my…direction.”
“You know, the more you talk the more you sound like the kind of people we fight!”
She looked pained: “Raven did not understand the clues that I left behind for her the last time she visited Azarath : the intact city seal, and the fact that her Azarath incantation was still effective.” She sighed. “That is one of the reasons that I brought you here: to be able to be actually direct.”
“There’re others?”
“One other: A mother is entitled to meet the boy with whom her daughter is,” A playful little curl crept into the smile. “bewitched!”
Beast Boy’s eyes goggled: “Bewitched?!”
Arella raised her hands in appeasement.
“That magic is entirly yours!”
Beast Boy ruffled his left hand through his shock of hair.
“I think you’ve got bewitching mixed up with annoying!”
“There is no difference: her feelings for you cause confusion ; confusion causes her to be prickily with you.”
Both hands pushed back his hair away from his forehead. “You’re telling me that when she bites my head off it’s ‘cause she’s crazy about me?!”
“Precisely!”
“Can we please talk about the other reason why I’m here, please!”