"Royal flames will carve a path in chaos, bringing daylight to the night,"
Removing the false bottom of the cabinet drawer revealed a few interesting things. A torn, old journal. A gold chained necklace, unmistakably a match to the one Gunmetal had taken from Caleb. Lastly was a thick, leather pouch, reinforced with chain-link metal.
Inside the pouch is what looked like scales. Large, sharp scales. A single scale was nearly the size of Robin's palm. There weren't many in the pouch, but each was a deep, earthy red in colour. Something about the colour struck a familiar chord with the Boy Wonder, but he struggled to place it.
The journal was no doubt Erik Swan's. The first few entries were ordinary at first glance. A bit awkward, like most who took up journalling for the first time. What caught Robin's eye the most, was when the enteries began to describe 'adventures and missions' Erik Swan had gone on, accompanied by Terrance Black, and an unfamiliar associate, Alec Russes.
"The skeletons in this closet can lead to hell or to home..."
Robin narrowed his eyes behind his mask in thought when seeing that chain, a lot like the one Gunmetal had gotten from Caleb.
Too much like the one Gunmetal had gotten from Caleb.
Setting it back down, the masked teen easily got the pouch open and found... Dragon scales. A good number too, the color looked familiar, but... nothing he could remember at this point. He took pictures of the evidence, just in case.
The journal proved even more interesting. The Boy Wonder documented each page, making sure to make some digital copies. Finally, physical evidence that Erik Swan was working with Terrence Black! But that name, Alec Russes? The teen quickly began searching the name in the usual data bases. If this guy had so much as a parking ticket, he'd know.
"Cause men like you have such an easy soul to steal,"
Robin found the man's record before long. Like Terrance Black, Alec Russes was a Hunter. One that specialized in making weapons and armor from resources harvested off of magickal beings and sold them off.
Judging by the dates, though, it seemed like perhaps he'd walked away from the Hunter business. He was never apprehended, nor had he been active at all in the past decade. Even Swan's journal supported the theory, with mentions of Alec abandoning their little team ten years ago.
"Hey-" Caleb hissed in a hushed voice when he saw Robin pick up the locket to inspect. He crossed the room silently. "What are you doing?" He said when the Boy Wonder put it away again. "Those lockets are- they're too valuable to just leave here."
A Hunter who abandoned his ways it seemed, Robin narrowed his eyes in thought. He read a few reports on the Hunters busted over the years, the kind who let civilians get hurt, the kind who cared little if the creatures they hunted were actually a danger to the public then and there.
And yet this man just vanished.
What could've happened? Robin made a note on his holo-screen to keep an eye out for him. He continued skimming through the journal, even as Caleb walked over. "I'm not. I just set it there for now." He replied simply, soon pausing. "... where did you get yours anyway?" He questioned as he looked up from the journal to face Caleb.
The glare he sent Robin was enough of a tell that he didn't want to talk about it. "We should stay focused." He dodged the question. "And I want it back when we're done this."
"Would you two quiet down?" Ivory hissed quietly from the computer. Caleb grumbled quietly, soon making his way back over to the door.
The Boy Wonder stared at Caleb's retreating form before he sighed quietly and continued leafing through the journal. At least this proved he had some kind of involvement with Terrence Black.
They'd need more evidence though.
"And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah,"
"Alright, I think I've got everything." Ivory spoke up after another few minutes. As she removed the flashdrive and turned off the computer, she rose to her feet.
Caleb looked up again when Ivory finished at the computer. He got up to make his way back over, but stopped when he heard something strange. Something, somewhere else in the manor.
"Caleb?"
The whole manor suddenly shook at the sound of an explosion
Robin stilled when Caleb went still too- what was he-
Then the whole house shook when an explosion rang out. The Boy Wonder grit his teeth, grabbing the necklace, he put everything else back as he found it. "Come on." They couldn't be in here if the explosion forced someone to this room!
"Can't wake up in sweat, 'cause it ain't over yet,"
The explosion made Ivory stumble momentarily, but she quickly regained her balance. "And go where exactly?" She questioned.
"Anywhere but here." Caleb didn't hesitate to hurry back over to the window.
Another explosion rang out, and Robin could hear static in his comms before Gunmetal's voice came through. "-obin! Robin, come in!" The brunet. "Where ever you are, we're gonna need all hands on deck! The Ember Spirit's back from time-out and she's not happy!"
"Royal hearts are meant to break 'cause everybody's got a big debt to pay..."
"Robin to Gunmetal- I'm on my way! Get Aqualad and Miss Martian away! Now!" He replied through the comms, soon opening up the window, once he was certain Ivory and Caleb were out, he leapt out, lowering himself down on the grappling hook.
"Get back to the Bio-Ship- and stay there!" He ordered to the pair before he took off for the entrance of the house.
"Beyond the will to fight, where all that's wrong is right,"
"Wait!! What's happening?!" Caleb demanded.
"Caleb- come on!!" Ivory grabbed her older brother by the front of the shirt, tugging him towards the window.
Growling, Caleb scooped Ivory up and leapt out the window. He gave a grunt when he landed on the ground below, but stood up easy, and headed bitterly for the Bio-Ship.
He had a bad feeling about those explosions...
Robin quickly notified the local fire department, soon hurrying inside- he breathed easier when seeing Miss Martian and Aqualad helping to get the house's staff out of the building. "Fire department's been called in- what's happening?"
"Ghost Rider is the only one who can actually get close enough, everyone else is working to put the flames the Ember Spirit is causing- and keeping Swan safe." Aqualad replied, Robin nodded, "You two better get out of here." He warned before hurrying towards the main fight.
"Come at me and you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye,"
"Where- is he?!" The brunet demanded, grabbing whatever she could get her hands on and throwing it at Robbie in an attempt to keep him away. Her hair was aflame, and her hands and feet blazed with pinkish fire. The cuffs were still on her wrists, but she had broken the chain connecting them, the glowing blue runes flicking occasionally.
Gunmetal stopped to meet up with Robin as he ushered some of Erik's staff outside. "Hey- don't get too close!" Gunmetal called out. "She's looking for big brother!"
The Ghost Rider ducked or smacked away with his flaming hands whatever object was sent his way. Those cuffs wouldn't hold forever-!
"Stop!" Robin called out as he got as close as he could, the other members of the Team keeping close by to the Boy Wonder. "You're brother's safe!" Caleb had to be her brother, why else would he be so insistent that they quit looking for her? "He's here right now- but he's safe!"
"You think that you'll break me, you're gonna find in time,"
She stopped just as she grabbed a tacky table decoration and reeled back with it. "Prove it." She insisted. "You give me my brother back right now, or this place goes down too!"
Her eyes were wet with tears, but the heat she was giving off made them evaporate as they rolled down her chin.
The Rider growled lowly and snatched the piece from her when he got the chance. "You really gonna burn this down and take us with it?" He regarded as he stared her down, "... I get it, your brother's everything. If anything happens you'd keep burning everything until the whole world is ash." He regarded quietly.
"Things will never be the same, feel the fury of my flame,"
The brunette looked started by Ghost Rider's words. Realization dawned on her in an instant, and fear crossed her face as she noticed how badly she was burning. Once the fire in her hands had gone out, she quickly ran them over her hair to put out the flames.
"Lily!!" She looked up in alarm when she heard her name, looking around until she spotted Caleb on the other side of the Team. She shoved Ghost Rider out of her way with a surprising amount pf strength and lauched herself at her older brother.
Caleb caught her, taking a few steps back to keep himself upright. "You're okay!!" Lily sobbed as she crushed him in a hug. "I can't believe you tossed me through that portal!! You're such a shoob!!"
"Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid..."
The Rider grunted and stumbled backwards as the female known as 'Lily' shoved him backwards, with more strength than he thought. His anger dissipated somewhat when seeing just how happy the siblings were when they were reunited.
The flames around him died down, and Robbie breathed a little easier since this whole mission started.
Lily's flames all but vanished now that she knew her brother wasn't in danger, though there was still a great deal of damage to the main entrance where she'd let herself into the manor.
"What are you waiting for, an invitation?! Arrest them!"
Gunmetal held his arm out as Erik Swan came marching over, keeping him back from getting any closer to the siblings. "Whoa, hold on a second-"
"For what?! That girl has burnt down my-" He stopped in his tracks when he got a good look at Caleb and stumbled back. "You- you're-"
"-alive?" Caleb finished his sentence, setting Liliy down next to him. "Are you really that surprised? You've seen me heal from worse than what you did to me."
"You're not the only one, refusing to back down..."
Robbie didn't bother hiding his growl when seeing Erik Swan, his hands curled into tight fists. "Speaking of which, we're gonna need you to come with us." Kestrel spoke up, an overly polite smile on the brunette's face. "The Justice League would just love to talk about your relationship with Terrence Black."
The other members of the Team slowly closed in around him, their expressions hardening.
