Fan Fiction ❯ Salamander ❯ The First Night ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: The First Night

"So this is your place," Sal stated. "Very nice. I like it so far."

"This is just the entrance hall," Robin explained. "You haven’t seen the lounge yet." Sal was led into the lounge finally, and his eyes were immediately glued to the enormous plasma screen TV hanging on the far wall.

"And you call this home," Sal set his small shoulder pack down by the couch.

"Yeah, it works well enough for us,’ Beast Boy replied.

"Looks like you pack light," Cyborg commented pertaining to the shoulder pack.

"Pretty much everything I need, bare essentials, clothes, food, all fits conveniently," Sal answered. "The only other thing I carry is my guitar." Sal slung a guitar off his shoulder and set it down beside his pack.

"While you are resting, can we get you anything?" Starfire asked eagerly waiting to help the traveling teen.

"Water," Sal answered justly. "It’s a downside to my Pyrokinesis. Every time I use it, I dehydrate a little more. I was lucky enough to make it this far without water." Without listening to Sal’s explanation, Starfire had thrust a glass of water into his face. "Wow, talk about service," he averred. And immediately, he took a long draught from the glass. Asking for another glass, Starfire was quick to comply. Sal heaved a relaxed sigh as he felt his body cooling down.

"Anything else we can do?" Robin offered to help.

"It’s been a while since I’ve had a steam bath," Sal answered.

"We don’t have a sauna," Cyborg answered, not really crushing Sal’s request.

"It’s alright," Sal gestured. "My body heat intensifies to the point of boiling water." This was very hard for Sal to explain, as he had to take ten minutes to explain he was born with an extremely high body heat, which he could will to intense temperatures. Starfire had retrieved a third glass of water, and he demonstrated his unique body heat by pouring a small drop of water onto his exposed forearm, the drop sizzling and rising in a wisp of steam.

"Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed aghast. "No need for turning on the oven! He can cook things with his bare hands!"

"Downside to that is I have to keep myself hydrated long enough to keep standing," Sal pointed out. "So I have to maintain balance with my temperature in order to live comfortably."

"Sounds kind of hard," Robin remarked with less than any kind of interest.

"Not really," Sal sat back in his seat. He checked a small pocket watch, which he deposited back into his pocket.

"Well, best not to keep that steam bath waiting," he stood, looking about. "Err, anyone care to point me in the direction of the bathroom?"

"He wasn’t kidding was he," Cyborg looked into the now steaming bathroom. Indeed, watching from the cracked door ajar, Beast Boy and Cyborg watched Sal as he sat in the tub, the water he was sitting turning just to steam in a matter of seconds.

"Wow, he must be a hit at parties," Beast Boy watched Sal sit in relaxation.

Sal was apparently hungry during his travels, as he was eating a variety of things, a few of which happened to be of Starfire’s cooking. He accepted it graciously, not letting a morsel escape.

"Would you like to sample my Graktarian fireweed cake?" Starfire offered, presenting an ugly shade of orange colored cake, topped with hideously green wet leaves. Salamander’s doubts didn’t fail him as he took a slice and realized it was far spicier than he usually liked to eat. After dousing the spices in his mouth with milk, he needed some down time. He found this when he saw Cyborg’s Gamestation and exclaimed,

"You’ve got Dungeon Dangers III?!"

"Better believe it," Cyborg proudly presented the game. Sal pulled the game from the human mech’s hand and slapped it into the system. Slamming himself into a seat, Sal took up controller and immediately Cyborg and Robin accompanied him into the game.

"I’ve been looking for this game for ages," Sal explained as he played. "Would believe I have the original Dungeon Dangers Collectible Gold Edition?"

"No way!" Cyborg answered as his character dodged an Orc’s arrow. "Those things are so damn rare nowadays! How did you get a hold of one!?"

"It was the first game I ever owned," Sal replied as his Half-Elf just vanquished a troll.

Sal and Robin sat atop the tower roof, sharing a couple of sodas.

"You’ve got a nice place here, Robin I envy you," Salamander noted. "Not every day I stay in the same place to freshen up."

"Well I figure you could stay for a while, before hitting the road again," Robin replied, shaking to hear the remaining soda in his can slosh around. "In fact, would it be alright with you if you join us in the morning for some training?"

"I would like that, actually," Salamander nodded. "I would like the training now that you mention it."

"So what brings you to Jump City?" Robin asked.

"My feet, I guess," Sal rest his chin on his knee. "To know why Slade killed my father."

"Slade killed your father?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"That and I heard an old friend of mine was in town and I wanted to pay her a visit. What was her name…? Tara, Tanya, Tammy, Tasha…"

"Terra?" Robin tried to help. Salamander snapped his fingers as Robin landed the name.

"That’s her!" Salamander affirmed. "Terra! Damn she was cute. Not much of a Conversationalist, but nice just the same." Robin paused a moment as his memory of Terra resurfaced. He remembered everything that that happened. Terra was working for Slade all along and sacrificed herself to atone for her mistakes and to redeem herself.

"Terra was working for Slade," Robin began. "And yet she sacrificed herself in hopes to atone for her actions. She’s…she’s been petrified in magma." Salamander looked over to glance at Robin’s expression. His face was masked in shock and grief as the news of Terra’s demise struck him off guard. He gasped at first, shaking his head in doubt.

"No," Salamander," Salamander breathed. "No way…Dead? Are…are you certain?" Robin nodded his sorrowfully, verifying the news.

"She was a good Titan," Robin added. "And a good friend. What she had done was noble. She saved our lives." Salamander had forgotten his soda, and let it drop the five stories from the roof of the Tower.

"I guess that’s generosa gloriosa, ya know?" Sal chuckled. Robin gave him a questioning look. His mentor taught him a small amount of Latin, yet not enough to speak it fluently.

"Noble glory," Sal explained upon reading Robin’s expression. "Its kind of my philosophy that if you do good for other, you do good for yourself, as long as there isn’t any bad in your life. Then if you do bad for others, you do bad for yourself."

"Listen," Robin advised. "After Terra betrayed us, we’re not going to let anyone with some special powers join freely. If we can trust you, then we welcome you as a Titan. Understood Sal?"

"Transparent Robin," Sal nodded. "It seems logical to do that, take security measures, make sure they’re trustworthy enough before letting them into the club house. After all, I wasn’t really thinking of joining anyway. So that’s one ease off your mind." Silence passed between the Titan and traveler, before Robin, crunching his soda can, looked over to the Pyrokinetic.

"Hey, Sal, what do you know about,’ Robin paused as he tried to find the correct word, "Relationships?" Sal broke his gaze from the night sky to the outline of Robin’s sitting figure against the silver of the moon glowing down upon the sleeping world.

"Actually, to be honest, I don’t know too, too much," Sal replied as he popped a new soda from the six-pack brought up. "I only know so much as body language and how to watch for flirting." He turned again to face Robin. "Why? You been trying to read Starfire’s posture?" Robin nodded. Sal smirked.

"I’ll teach you what I know," Sal advised. "Trust me, Robin, Starfire is a girl you want to like. When she leans with an arm dangling at her side, it means something like, ‘I’m want to flirt with you, so come get some.’" He chuckled. He then added upon noticing Robin’s unchanged expression, "Now, when a girl is screwing up her face, I believe it means, ‘I like you, but I can’t say the right words! Please stay at my side until I can say it.’"

"You seem to know girls pretty well," Robin stated.

"It comes from experience," Sal shrugged. "You charm girls every so often. In honesty, I’m not one to get into relationships. They don’t seem to work for me. I may not look it, but I was quite the romantic in my time." Robin glanced over to Sal. It was suspicious. For someone of his nature, he stayed unattached from girls he may have swept off their feet.

"How did you dad die?" Robin asked, wondering if prying would somehow help in understanding him a little more.

"It was ten years ago," Sal began hesitantly. "My dad was a researcher for the science and technology for Wayne Enterprises. He sometimes tested some hi-tech equipment and gave me a chance to have a go at it to see if it was simple enough to use. I was but seven then. "Sal sighed as he dug deep into his scarred past. "My dad was Beta-testing a prototype suit that enhanced agility, strength and mobility when Slade busted in. Wanting the suit, my dad fought him to the death before my very eyes. And I couldn’t do anything about it." Sal clenched his eyes shut as he fought his urge to cry. His soda can had begun to overflow still full as he tightened his fists. "The bastard took everything away from me! I hate him for everything he made me a witness to! I ran away from it all, disappearing off the face of the earth, learning to control my Pyrokinesis. So when I could my powers, I would be ready for him! I came back to Jump City not just to fight him, but get my revenge! And I have been waiting ten years to fight him to the death!"

"You’ve been searching for Slade for ten years?" Robin asked, wide-eyed. The story didn’t seem convincing, but seeing Sal’s emotion, his efforts to hide his pain, backed up his sadness. There was a pause between both, and Sal’s tears evaporated off his cheeks.

"You have any idea what it’s like to watch your father die before your very eyes?" Sal asked almost angrily.

"My father, my mother and my brothers," Robin answered. "They died before my very eyes attempting a near impossible circus maneuver. The trapeze snapped, my brother fell, followed by my parents and then my second brother. They fell fifty feet out of the and to their deaths. I had grieved for them. And now I stand as a Titan." Sal was stunned, his face lit by the moon now rising high in the night’s darkness. His eyes were wide, shocked and dismayed. He reached over and pulled Robin into a hug, holding him in his strong and thick arms. Robin wasn’t sure of what to make of this, but had let Sal embrace him, returning the hug. Sal immediately drew away, sighing.

"OK if I crash on your couch in Ops?" Sal asked, standing.

"It was where Terra slept her first night, so I don’t see why not," Robin shrugged, apparently feeling better after Sal’s hug. For a moment, Robin thought the other Titans were right about him. He was a nice guy after all.