ILLUSION || Jason Todd

FIFTY-SIX

❝GOT A HEART TATTOO ON YOUR CHEST

BUT THERE'S NOTHING INSIDE❞

FRAWLEY, HARD BOY

If Lorelei knew threatening her father would make him slightly nicer she would have done it before now. She had to admit, it was so fucking weird to see him cower. Even if just for a moment.

Her schedule had, once again, been adjusted. With her magic blockage leaving and her abilities all available to use, it was apparently necessary to reblock her daily life. Which brought along the perfect knowing of when she was free to visit her friends. Her threat really had made its mark on her father's mind; a thing she was more than smug about.

She had yet to use this new, updated, schedule to her advantage. Lorelei found herself fluttering in anxiety and nerves whenever the thought of astral projection to her friends pinged within her mind. The young royal was scared of whatever faced her.

It was a fear that was growing as the days of her freedom drew closer. Life with the Titans wouldn't be the same as before. There would be no movie nights with Jason, there would be no Hank and Jason arguments in the background at dinner time. Jason not being there left a gaping hole within her. They were to be partners, fighting crime together, and now... Now Lorelei was alone. Again.

Those uncomfortable realisations brought her to anxiously avoid astral projecting anywhere. Even Jason's grave was left unaware of Lorelei's existence. It wasn't like she was free anyway, she would still need to say those temporary goodbyes. And who knew how many of them would turn into forever goodbyes.

"Focus, Lorelei." Her father's voice beamed, the loud noise pulling the young mage from her thoughts with the violent intrusion from the only moments she had with Jason.

How would he feel? Seeing her use her artificial abilities with barely a second thought?

"Apologies, my mind is elsewhere today." Lorelei said, her voice with her mind as it fought to resurface from the hole she went into. It couldn't be helped, she was tired. Of life, of Jason being dead, and simply just exhausted.

Now that her mind was aware of the luxury a long night's sleep - which was six hours, Lorelei didn't want to oversleep and grow accustomed to long sleeping hours and then readjust to lower hours -, Lorelei found herself tired on the days her nightmares swirled her slumber.

Using her artificial abilities and 'embracing' them was working, to a degree. They were there, loosened to only every few nights, but there. And when they came, they were awful beyond belief. As it turns out, when you get a break from something, the pain only continues to double with its return.

Missing Jason never ceased to exist, though. The knowing she'll never get to hug him or hear his stupidly cheesy pick up lines or simply see his smile ever again was enough to add a new crack to her shattered heart. Every day. Every hour.

A small sigh escapes her lips as she blinks her way to reality, a place where Jason was no more, with a stare towards the long haired criminal standing a few steps in front of her. The criminals were endless during these moments. It was repetitive, similar to her time with Scarecrow, and mainly men that came through the doors. That much wasn't surprising.

"Take him away, he has had enough." She told the royal guards who awaited to return the criminal back to prison. Her mind wasn't in it. Not today. No satisfaction from getting revenge for whatever victims the criminal held. Nothing.