Not Part of the Job [REVISION]

13. Coincidental

"Jump City is getting a little crowded with these guys."

Damian turned his head at the comment from Dick, who was sitting on the couch and watching the news on the television with Koriand'r lying against his shoulder. Damian, Jaime, Raven and Garfield all sat at the bar, eating breakfast.

"Assassins on the loose? That isn't common here," Koriand'r said. "Perhaps we should patrol at night."

Damian's eyes widened the slightest at the topic. He glanced over at Raven, who was sharing a glare with Garfield.

"I'll look into it," Dick decided before standing up from the couch and stretching. "I'll be in the evidence room. Maybe I can find something of value."

"I'll help," Koriand'r offered before following her significant other down the hallway.

Damian watched quietly as Garfield left the room with an annoyed expression.

—

From above, Damian gripped the katana in his hand as he tailed behind Raven. To his surprise, she had been hanging out with a small group of girls her age, and was starting on her way back to the tower. Between her two fingers was a lit cigarette that one of her friends had offered her, which surprised him. This was the first time he'd ever seen her smoke.

When she suddenly stopped, he came to a nervous halt. Either she sensed him, or someone else.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop stalking me."

Damian tensed at the words. Unsure of what to say, he remained silent. Maybe she would keep walking.

"Or don't answer me," Raven retorted before continuing to walk down the empty sidewalk. She took one last drag from the cigarette before discarding it away in the nearest trash can.

Damian watched her take each step with a surprised look as he closely studied her loose body gestures. She was unbothered. Did she want to live or not?

"Too easy," he muttered to himself as he stealthily inched further, his heart pounding in his chest as he got closer to his target.

As he hovered over her figure and anticipated his next move, a sudden ache filled his heart. His feet were frozen to the ledge of the roof.

Before he could react, another figure stepped from the shadows and grabbed her from behind, pressing a blade to her neck.

"Any last words, demon?"

Damian's eyes went wide under the mask when he snapped back to reality. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he completely missed his competition.

"I don't think so," Raven retorted before using her powers to free herself from his grasp. The sight of glowing red eyes startled both Damian and the other assassin. "If I were you, I'd leave me alone. That is, unless you want to see a real demon."

"I-I'm not scared of you," the assassin stammered, the blade in his hand trembling as he spoke. "Unlike you, I'm not alone."

"Suit yourself," Raven replied, an unsettling grin on her lips. Despite her threatening tone and appearance, Damian could tell she was quickly losing her energy.

When the sight of two more men caught his eye, Damian decided to interject by leaping from the ledge and onto the ground, resulting in a sharp pain shooting through his still-partially-injured leg.

Raven's eyes returned to their normal color when she heard the shout of pain, a skeptical look on her face as she studied the disguised boy grabbing at his leg in agony.