Flash Fiction Month 2016

Day 5: Mystery (TT)

"Starfire did you eat the ice-cream again?" Robin called from the kitchen. Starfire paused on her way past.
Robin practically had his head in the freezer, searching for the tub of chocolate ice-cream they had bought just yesterday.
"I did not, Robin," Starfire told him, floating over and landing beside him to peer into the freezer too. "Did you?"
"No."
He stepped back and closed the freezer door.
"Hey Beast Boy," he called. The greenest member of their team was on his way to a video game rematch with Cyborg.
"Yo," he said by way of acknowledgement.
"Did you eat that chocolate ice-cream we bought yesterday?"
"Nah, I'm saving it for my victory feast!" He pulled a ninja pose. "I'm totally gonna kick Cy's butt this time! He reckons he'll beat me and get the ice-cream but no way man, I got this."
"Neither of you will be having victory ice-cream if we don't find out where it is," Robin pointed out. A reminder beeped on his watch, and he sighed. "It'll have to wait I suppose. I've got research to get back to."
He left the other Titans to their business, vanishing to his study to continue his search for Slade.
Beast Boy continued on his way to the games room, but Starfire remained in the kitchen, floating and pondering.
Ice-cream, she knew, did not simply get up and walk off by itself. And even if it could, it would not have been able to open the freezer from the inside; the seal on the door was far too strong for a small tub of ice-cream to force open.
Starfire chuckled to herself, picturing ice-cream trying to escape the freezer.
But in all seriousness, they had a mystery on their hands. And since their resident detective was otherwise occupied, the task of solving the mystery fell to Starfire.
She swooped off to her room to do some research and planning of her own.
*
Midnight.
Beast Boy and Cyborg had finally retired to their rooms after a lengthy video game tournament. Everyone was either asleep or in their rooms.
Everyone except Starfire.
The Tamaranean had hatched a plot she thought worthy of Sherlock Holmes. She had gone out and bought a new tub of chocolate ice-cream, making sure that each of her teammates had seen her bring it back and put it in the freezer. The trap was set.
Now all she had to do was wait.
She had been waiting for hours, and was starting to wonder if her plan would work, when a shadowy figure entered the room. The short, slim shadow made its way silently to the kitchen.
Starfire watched as the freezer door seemed to open of its own accord, the light inside spilling out to illuminate the person as they reached in and drew out the tub of ice-cream.
"Aha!"
Starfire leapt out of hiding with a triumphant yell, pointing an accusatory finger at the thief.
Said thief nearly went through the ceiling, so startled they were by Starfire's sudden appearance. They whipped around to face her.
Starfire's face slackened in surprise.
"Raven?!"
Raven could not have been more guilty, but somehow she made it look innocent, despite the ice-cream tub clutched in her pale hands.
"Starfire! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
She suddenly realised something.
"Star, what are you wearing?"
Starfire blinked, then remembered her newest accessory.
"It is a detective hat!" she explained excitedly. "I have seen many Earth detectives wear such head-dresses in the television shows."
"Riiiight," Raven drawled, still sending judgemental glances at the tweed deerstalker cap perched on Starfire's head.
"I am solving the mystery of the missing ice-cream," Starfire continued. "But I never thought it would be you who is the culprit! Why would you do such a thing, Raven?"
Raven wanted to roll her eyes, but guilt brought a blush to her cheeks instead.
"It's just ice-cream," she mumbled. Starfire still looked desperate for an answer. Raven sighed.
"We only ever get ice-cream in summer, and Beast Boy always eats it all before we get any."
"I must confess I have occassionally been at fault of that," Starfire admitted sheepishly.
"Yeah. Well, anyway, I never get any, and chocolate is my favourite, so..."
She trailed off.
"You need only ask, Raven," Starfire informed her. "I am sure that the others would be willing to share. It is just that you never say anything; we assume you would ask if you wanted some."
"...You're not mad?"
Raven looked up at her taller friend, eyes wide. Starfire had never seen her so genuinely remorseful.
"Of course not!" Starfire crowed cheerfully. "I could not be mad at you over ice-cream, Raven! That would be silly!"
Starfire laughed, and after a second Raven started chuckling too.
Starfire opened the freezer and Raven replaced the tub amongst the frozen vegetables.
With Starfire lighting the way, they headed back to their rooms.
*
"Yes! I am the best!"
Beast Boy was doing a victory dance, to the displeasure of a very grumpy Cyborg.
"You win this time, zoo boy," he grumbled, tossing down his controller.
"Yeah, you bet I do!" Beast Boy jumped up and ran for the kitchen. "This calls for victory ice-cream!"
"Perhaps we could all share in the victory ice-cream?" Starfire suggested, looking up from the game of cards she was playing with Raven.
"Sounds like a sweet idea, Star," Beast Boy agreed. Starfire got up and flew over to help him.
She pulled a stack of bowls from the cupboard while Beast Boy got the ice-cream.
"Friend Raven, would you like to partake in the eating of the chocolate ice-cream?" she asked, smiling across the room at her cowled friend.
Raven pushed back her hood and smiled.
"I'd love to, Star."