Down Time

Off of Route Nine, between Wesley and Crawford, is Coalwood, and just thirty minutes north of that is Haversbrook and home to Melody’s cabin. Leaving Coalwood felt like waking up from a dream, or bad nightmare, at least to Melody. The air became more crisp and warm the further she got from that town and the horrid lab where the monsters were made. Everything seemed to lighten, the leaves seeming greener and just haze lifting over the area. Her body still felt sore from the encounter, but after a day of rest in a local motel she felt ready to keep moving. She wanted to move on from here. She had fought monsters and taken down shadowy organizations before, but the actions of the other night still lingered in her head, the blood, the beastly things, and all the death. It’d stick with her for some time despite her attempts to shove it down in her head, to suppress the horrors away.

Her convertible zoomed down Route Nine, breaking the speed limit by at least twenty. While she was a hero, she was on vacation and she could break a rule or two, she felt like she earned that. Cops seemed all but vacant from the road which was good because the last thing she wanted was to get pulled over. She just wanted to get away from Coalwood and to her cabin, there she could relax and kick it, problems would be far and not her concern. Someone else could save the world, it was one’s sole responsibility and for the time being Sam was watching New York for her.

The town of Haversbrook was like Coalwood, quiet and by a lake, but there was certainly more of a life to it. Color was present and the fog which had seemed to touch down about Coalwood was absent here. It was noon when she got there and the town was as lively as it would be, a few older folk enjoying the local café, youngsters hung out here and there, and the occasional couple walked arm in arm, heading towards the local park. It was all so much better compared to Coalwood and Melody could feel the tension leaving her, dropping from her shoulders.

She first stopped by the local market and picked up the essentials, which unsurprisingly composed of mainly booze and junk. Of course, she grabbed meat to barbeque and other dishes to go along with it. She was supposed to, or at least hoping to, have company! She wasn’t sure where her empowered friend had to go after the mission, but it’d be nice to have some company, especially one that she had fought alongside with. Sure, she could’ve brought Sam, but it was good to get a break from the people she spent day after day with. Part of her had wanted to see Yang again, something she did in the facility had caught her eye and had given her an idea. It was something she wanted to ask about, get some advice and maybe even try it out with her. Either way, she wanted to be prepared if company did decide to show up.

When she arrived at her cabin it was exactly the way she had left it. It was a quaint little home, two stories and resting on a hill. It rested in front of a large lake, a short pier stretching from the shore and not too far out was a small dock. A tree that sat in the yard had a rope swing which allowed people to just swing into the water. The inside would clean, smoothed over wooden floors. It had a fair sized bedroom, a guestroom, a living room with a nice TV, and a kitchen and dining room. Downstairs was storage and a small gym, though it was a bit outdated from her days as a boxer. There was also a small computer room which didn’t get all that much use. It was small, but she didn’t need a big place to relax by. She wasn’t like other famous heroes who had huge mansions or penthouses (although her apartment in New York was very very nice).

She quickly put away the groceries and planted herself on the couch, just wanting to rest after the long car ride and from the night that had come before. Of course, the nightmares which she knew were coming would soon set in.

A sigh would somehow ring out over the sound of rushing water that poured from a shower head in a rather mundane motel bathroom. Yang hung her head low and allowed the scalding hot water to wash over here. While the heat didn’t cause her any discomfort, it did wonders for her sore muscles. “Been a while since I’ve been hit by something that hard. Perhaps I’m getting to lax” she mumbled to herself as she reminisced about the events of yesterday. It was hard to think that everything that happened was indeed real. Sleuthing through a secret underground lad, ran by a shady organization, and hunted by literal monsters, was not what Yang thought she would end up doing when she decided to follow up on a lead her father had given her.

After soaking for several more minutes, Yang would turn off the shower. She’d wrap a towel that she got from the nearby counter around her body. She’d take a moment to view herself in the mirror over the sink, taking note of how long she had let her hair grow. With a roll of her eyes she’d grab another towel and begin furiously rubbing her hair dry. She’d make her way over to the shabby bed where she’d gather her clothes and get dressed. Her mind was still on the lab and the things she had seen there. It wasn’t odd to her that such a place existed, not with the state of the world and all the oddities in it. Instead she focused more on the strange agent she and Melody had ‘helped’.

While Yang was certain that letting the agent go with the vial wasn’t a good idea, she also couldn’t be bothered with any of the trouble that keeping the strange thing would have brought. Letting gravity do its thing, Yang would fall on the bed with an unceremonious plop. As she rolled over onto her back, her arm would come crashing down on her phone as it did, there was a small crunching noise. The young woman would tilt her head to the side, her phone was fine, it wasn’t what made the noise, it was what was under the phone. The realization that the paper was there, lightened up Yang’s mood a bit. She’d shoot straight up and position herself to sit on the edge of the bed. She’d reach over and tug the paper free from underneath her phone.

Melody had given her this little piece of paper. There really wasn’t much to think about as Yang glanced at the address. A vacation sounded nice, and she had been invited, so it just would have been rude not to go. With a sort of self assured nod. Yang would pack up what little she had unpacked, and would wait till the following morning before heading out. Yang had quite a drive ahead of her. If she hadn’t brought her call all this way she’d consider flying to Melody’s cabin, but if she had, then she would have missed out on a very scenic drive. Yang often found her gaze shifting from the road, a dangerous endeavor, as she took in the beautiful lush forest that lined the highway. The leaves in the trees were every array of fall colors, reds, yellows, oranges, browns, It was all quite beautiful.

The drive would eventually lead Yang into a town that was eerily similar to Coalwood. If it wasn’t for the chipper faces everywhere, Yang would have thought she went through some fog wall or something and ended up back where she started. Luckily that wasn’t the case, and her mind was put at ease when she visited the local grocery store. It just would have been rude of her to show up empty handed. She she entered the store, did some light shopping, and then hopped back in her car. The last leg of the journey was just as smooth and enjoyable as the rest and eventually she’d find herself pulling up to a two story cabin. Yang’s sports car would let out a tired grumble as she turned the ignition off. A slight smile would creep onto her face as the first sound she heard after opening the door, was the crunching of leaves under her foot. After grabbing her two bags from the trunk, along with the groceries she had bought, Yang would take a moment to gaze upon the scenery one last time. No doubt she’d be seeing more of it during her stay, but this was just a really nice change of pace from the somewhat lifeless and cold cityscape she was so used to.

“Note to self, buy a cabin.” she’d say with a slight smirk before finally approaching the door and giving it a light tap. Heyo! Melody, its me Yang! Anybody Home?! Helloooo!”

Melody was not there, not wholly at least. As she opened her eyes she was back in that place, full of monsters and freaks. She was fighting the large canine beast again, but this time as her attacks struck against the pink, pussing flesh they seemed to rebound or bounce off, no damage actually done. The beast tried and tried to bite into her, but each time she hopped back dodging blow after blow. She slammed another fist into its face which...did nothing. She tried again, this time putting all of her energy into it. The beast shuddered, but nothing came of it.

Fear now touched down upon her. Never before had she encountered something she couldn't handle, but the situation was to get much worse. The beast's flesh began to stir and bubble, the beast whined and growled in anger. The sound in itself was enough to send Melody stepping backward, fear trembling in her stomach. The beast's flesh erupted into faces, hands, arms, stretching out all for her. The heads let out terrible moans and groans of agony, writhing in pain and now the dog slowly walked towards her. The voices spoke out, though not together, making it a cacophony of torment that echoed in her ears. They were mocking her? No. Begging her to help. She was a hero and they needed her. What could she do though? This beast was something else...it was a monster. A proper monster, an unstoppable monster.

She fell to her knees, then cradled herself, rocking back and forth. She could hear it all, the snarling, moaning, pleeing for help, it was drawing closer step by step, breath by breath, and she could feel her heart beating against her chest, ready to explode out. She could feel the heat of its breath now, it was close to her, it was feet away from her. She would barely have to reach out to touch it. This was it, this was the end. And then she felt it.

A hand. A hand had reached out and grabbed her shoulder. It wasn't a painful grab or one to pull her in it. It was comforting and warm, pleasant. It was reassuring. As Melody opened her eyes and looked up she saw Yang smiling at her. The beast was gone and they were safe. Slowly Melody stood up letting out a pained breath. She looked around, sure that the monster was still there, but...it was gone. They were outside now, in the woods, safe and sound. She swallowed hard. Was it over?

"Uhhh...Yang, what...? What happ-" As she turned to face Yang, Yang's face had changed drastically. The smile that she bore grew and grew, twisted and now jagged teeth shown. Her skin darkened to a blackish color, her eyes now a sickly yellow color. Melody took a step back, afraid of her...friend? Whatever this thing was. "Y-yan-?" Before the words could even leave her, the Yang looking monster lunged, its wide, gaping jaw open revealing even more jagged teeth than she had imagined, and snapped down onto her neck, blood splurting out.

And the Melody sat forward, panting as she recovered from the nightmare. Her eyes were wide, a strand of hair fell down into her face. Her chest was heaving as she looked around the room, only to find that it was her living room in the cabin. She was far away from the lab any monsters there. She was safe, it was all good. And then she heard the knocking, which caused her to jump slightly, but was quickly calmed to hear Yang's voice. She had arrived. They were safe.

She stood up and composed herself, trying to make it seem as though her panic and anxiety were far away things. She was good at that. She had to do it time and time again during interviews right after an empowered fight with a villain. She looked good and proper, although a bit ruffled from her nap, something that'd be understandable. She quickly made her way over to the door, opening it and smiling at her friend. "Eyyy! There she is! Was wondering if you were gonna show up. Come on in, take a load off. The spare room is over there." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder to the corner room, "Thanks for coming."

As she looked at her friend and briefly recalled the nightmare a thought touched upon her. She thought of those faces on the beast and how they begged her to help and how there was nothing she could do. Looking at Yang it was obvious what had to happen.

She would have to get stronger.

As the door abruptly flung open, Yang took a slight step back, her eyes slightly widening. She would return to her calm and collected self the moment her blue eyes fell upon Melody. Yang would crack a slight smirk as she was invited inside the cozy cabin. It was nice to finally be indoors again. The car ride had been a long one, and now she could finally relax, that is once she was done stretching. After such a drive, Yang dropped her things just beyond the door and began to loosen up. “Man that drive was a killer!” She’d say, twisting her torso and glancing over to her new friend.

It wasn’t until now, that Yang noticed Melody’s sightly disheveled appearance. A quick glance at the room would tell Yang, that Melody had been napping on the couch, but there was more to it. Not wanting to cause a fuss, Yang would just tuck that notion in the back of her mind. Based on their previous interactions, Yang was sure that if there was something bothering the young woman, she’d speak up. For now, the young Overseer would make herself at home. Picking up her bags she’d quickly take her luggage to the room Melody pointed out. It was just as cozy and charming as the rest of the cabin seemed to be. There was a singular window that peered out at the nearby lake, with a small writing desk positioned below it. Placing her belongings on the bed, Yang would return to the living room with the grocery bags she had purchased in the town.

“So, I get the idea is to take a break and chill after what we just went through, but what's the event schedule looking like? Got anything planed?” Yang didn’t mean to sound pestering or over eager to do something, it was just her nature. She liked to be active just as much as she liked being lazy, it was a very strange combination. This would also be a rather unusual change of pace for Yang. Her life had always been parties, training, and running the company. All of which took place in the city, a city far, far away from here. This wasn’t to say that Japan didn’t have any places to camp of its own, let alone any forests, but this would definitely be Yang’s first time officially camping out, so to speak. She was kinda excited, like being a kid again.

Melody chuckled a bit at the woman's small joke, nodding in defeated agreement. "Yeah, you should try and make it from New York, it's even rougher." She shot back. That was her normal drive and while it was long and grueling it wasn't something she hated. The scenery was nice, at least when traffic didn't get in the way of it. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to tidy up slightly and look a little less...groggy, out of it. It was supposed to be a nice trip not a lazy trip, though relaxation was the goal.

Soon enough, she was leaning against the counter and crossing her arms in a laid back fashion. She took in a breath before smiling brightly. It was nice to see that Yang was, at least, semi-excited for this trip. As for a plan? Well, Melody always just sorta winged it. She never really came up here with a plan or goal, just to relax, kick it, and try and put hero work behind her for a little bit. Now, however, she felt a bit embarrassed not having a plan. Her cheeks warmed a bit out of her embarrassment, but decided to solider through it. "Oh! Um...hm..." She tried to scramble some thoughts together. "Well, I got a boat we could take out onto the lake, we can go tubing, fishing, or just out on a ride. Swimming if ya want." She rubbed her chin, thinking a bit. "There's a small island at the center of the lake, nothing big mind ya, but it's some good hiking, could also go camping." She chuckled, but almost seeming a bit sheepish when she did. There was something ironic about the next fact. "They say its haunted. Not that I've ever seen anything in my years of coming here." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder at the fridge, "I got the stuff to through together a nice barbeque, could grill up some food. Ah! Also, plenty of woods and trails to go hiking on, wildlife and whatnot, the town is pretty nice as well."

She continued to think it over, now looking as if the answer would be on the ceiling. "I do got a favor to ask, though I rather we relax a bit before hand." She looked back to Yang, meeting her gaze. "While we were down at the lab watching you fight gave me an idea about my own abilities, my own powers. I would love a chance to put them into practice, and since it was you who inspired it I wouldn't mind your input on how to handle it better." She laughed a bit, "Ah, ha...a good sparring chance could be nice."

She shook her head, "No pressure to! I'll have plenty of time to workshop it on my own, but figured I'd ask! Honestly, I am down for whatever, if any of that sounds up your alley, then let's go. I am down for it."

It was kind of clear to Yang, that Melody in fact didn’t have any plans. Rightfully so, after all, this was supposed to be a vacation of sorts. That being said, Yang couldn’t help but light up little by little as Melody listed of the numerous things the two girls could do. Internally Yang was screaming ‘I want to do all of it!’ but she tried to keep her composure. She felt she had a image to maintain, especially around Melody. She had painted herself as cool and collected. So, that’s how she’d try to act. “That all sounds rather fun. I guess we can play it by ear and just do whatever on a whim.” she’d crack a slight smile.

Melody was not done however, and what she mentioned next, nearly caused Yang to break character. A sparring match sounded like an absolute blast. After all, it was sort of what Yang lived for these days. One could never be strong enough. She herself lived with the mentality that there was always someone out there who would be stronger than her. So naturally she wanted to make sure she was always prepared for an encounter with such a foe. A sparring match was also a good way to pick up on new techniques and fighting styles. There was always something to be learned. “Sparring with you sounds like it could make for a very fun time, Im in!” Yang would say slamming a fist into an open palm.

Her demenor would quickly change as she rubbed the back of her head, her face also turned slightly red from embarrassment as she made her next statement. “That being said, Im not really the teaching type hehe. Never really had the opportunity to spar with anyone other than my mother, and back then I was the one learning.” The mention of her mother caused the smile to fade from her face. She was still bitter about that whole situation, as understandable as it was, Yang couldn’t bring herself to get over it.

Realizing her face had turned somewhat sour, the young woman would try to smile. It was about now that Yang realized she was still holding the bags of junk food she had purchased at the store in town. “I almost forgot, I bought a bunch of random stuff from the store on the way here!” she’d make her way over to the counter Melody was resting against and began emptying the bags. There were several bags of chips, a few six packs of different flavoured sodas, an expensive bottle of wine, an even more expensive bottle of rum, and then several bags of candy. “I uh, Im really bad at this sort of thing. Never really ‘vacationed’ before. Let alone with another person.”

Melody stretched up her arm, gripping it with her free hand as she did so, listening Yang go on. Her shoulders dropped some in relief, a tension leaving her, as Yang seemed all for the random things she had listed off. Nothing was worse than inviting someone along for a trip only to have them disappointed or bored with what activities you had plan. But Yang was a chill person, even if she hadn’t be into the ideas or activities Melody was sure that there was something that they could’ve done to pass the time. Town was decent and had a few nice bars, and it was about an hour or so from a city that certainly had more of a club present. Melody wasn’t one for clubs on vacations, more so on weekend benders.

Melody shook her head, giving a thumbs up. “Oh, nah! You don’t have to teach me too much. Once ya see what I’ve been thinking up…well, I mainly just want to see how it’ll go. And maybe, in general, if ya got any advice I wouldn’t be opposed to listening to it. Honestly, I think the premise would be about the same? I think? Depending on how ya do that aura thing. I think there was an aura of sorts? Or maybe I was just caught up in the moment?” She shrugged, that particular part of the night was a bit…lost on her. What she did remember was…well, the stuff that she didn’t want to remember. It was funny how that kind of thing worked out…

She tapped her foot a bit, thinking a bit further, “Ah! Well, I should probably give ya a quick tour around. Then we can decide what we wanna do. And no worries if ya just wanna lounge and chill for a bit, it was a long drive so I wouldn’t take it personally.” She waved her forward and went from the kitchen to further in the small dining room, pointing to two doors at the back of room. “Guest bedrooms over there, you can take either.” She would then motion her to follow towards the hallway to the right. On the left of the hallway there were two glass sliding doors which lead out to a nice little porch with a small picnic table and to the right there was a staircase leading downstairs. “Downstairs is an equipment room and a small gym. Nothing…you know…” She rubbed her arm, a bit embarrassed, “Nothing heavy weight or that would be a work out to you, it was more so from my boxing days.” She continued forward and into a living room, a large couch and television seemed to be the main features here, but then she pointed past them to a door at the far end. “That’s my room, at night feel free to come knocking whenever if ya need something. All the rooms have a bathroom connected, so don’t worry ‘bout that.”

She realized she was probably going on too long and cleared her throat. “So! Uh…anything ya wanna do first? Plenty of time and activities. I am down for whatever.”

The tour around the cabin was a nice one. The building itself was quaint and homey, something Yang didn’t have much experience with, but could immediately feel. She perked up a bit at the mention of a gym, and also how cute it was that Melody seemed embarrassed that nothing in the gym would offer Yang a proper work out. “A boxer eh? Nice. Win any belts during your run?” She’d ask as they continued on with the tour. A professional sport was always something Yang wanted to get into, but her nature just wouldn’t allow.

They eventually made their way back to the living room. Melody showed where her room was and explained that each of the rooms had a bathroom attached. Something Yang had failed to notice on her initial inspection of the room she placed her belongings in. She also had several things she wanted to say in response to that, but decided it was best she didn’t. Instead she’d just let a cheeky smirk creep onto her face. It was here at the end of the tour that Melody asked if Yang had anything she wanted to do. She’d look about the room, thinking about how to answer that question.

A quick glance outside said it was getting to dark for anything that involved eyesight. “Hmm” She’d press a finger to her lip, taking a small nibble at the inside of lip while she thought. “Umm. I guess we could just relax for tonight and then get up early and do some of that stuff you mentioned.” They technically could have done all that stuff right now, it wasn’t like Yang couldn’t just create a massive ball of light to illuminate the area, but she wanted this experience to be as authentic as possible. “T-that is uh, unless you got something you wanna do.”

Melody nodded over her shoulder, "Oh yeah, featherweight champion of the East Coast, had a chance for American belt, but well..." He tilted her head back and forth a bit, "It was around then my powers developed, first the momentum-based power and then the rabbit stuff. It was weird eating a carrot, only for to have rabbit ears pop out of my head in the next moment." She shrugged, grinning, though there was something somber about her tone. She really did boxing and it was...well, a bit of hit for her to give up on it. "Felt like, well, ya know...weird to continue in the sport after I got the powers. Felt like it was cheating. I could hold back, but in the moment of a fight you can lose sight of that. So, I dropped out. I also managed to save a couple who were being mugged by a meta. I used my powers and the couple said I was a hero. That seemed right to me, like it's what I was meant to do. So...I decided that I'd be a hero." She let out a small laugh, almost sounding defeated. Her goal afterwards was a tough, especially considering the competition. "Decided I'd take on a new goal while I was at it as well. Gonna be the number one hero in the world. The best of the best." She nodded and there was meaning behind the words, a sort of determined flare in her eyes. She really did mean that.

By the time she had finished explaining her whole sort of backstory she was back in the living room, nodding along. "Relaxing for tonight sounds real good. Sit wherever ya want, put your feet, take the shoes off, whatever ya do to relax." And with that she just let herself fall back onto the couch, letting out a heavy ass breath. There was a second couch and a recliner, as well as a large TV in here. "I certainly need to relax after what we went through, I'll tell ya, I was not prepared for all that. Probably saved an entire town while we were down there. I was still in the vacation mindset going in there, was not ready for...oof, those monsters." She shook her head, still grinning happily.

She let herself sink into the couch relaxing some, but soon she sat forward again. She looked at Yang, grinning. "So, I told ya my backstory of why I do what I do, what about you? I ain't seen a meta like you before. Why haven't I seen ya in the news? Some secret hero? Not from around here? And how'd ya fall into it? You seem like a true natural. I personally wouldn't mind having a few of your powers, that's for sure."

Yang nodded along and listened intently to everything Melody had to say. What the young overseer wouldn’t give to have been able to take part in ‘normal’ sports. Despite being in her mid twenties and having lived on this planet her whole life, growing up around super powered people and the like, it was still a foreign concept to her that powers could be gained via other means rather than just birth. And that they could develop later in a persons life as well. The two girls managed to find themselves back in the living room, the nice and cozy atmosphere was starting to weigh down on Yang, in a good way.

Seeing Melody just sort of let go and plop right down on the couch gave Yang the notion to do the same. This was a vacation after all. The main point was to relax. So with that, Yang lowered herself onto the other couch. Her gaze shifted upward as she thought about how to give the best summary of her life and powers. “I aint a meta. I guess you could say I’m an alien, but I was born here on Earth. Its a bit more complicated than that though. Dad’s human, mom aint.” She paused for a moment. Every time she had to think about or mention her mother, it put a sour taste in her mouth. “My family, well family on my mothers side, we’re like…cosmic protectors. Our powers sort of reflect that. We’re this strong because we need to be.” She glanced at Melody for a moment. She wasn’t trying to be vague on purpose, she just didn’t feel like going to deep into detail.

“As far as not seeing me come up in the news? I like to keep a low profile. In and out before anyone knows I was there. There are plenty of heroes out there who deserve more screen time than I do. I’m just fulfilling my duty, so to speak.” Her voice trailed off, again, duty, it was something hammered into her as a kid, by her mother no less. She didn’t mind that bit. Hell she enjoyed having the power she did. She loved helping people whenever possible. What bothered her, were all these unspoken rules that the Overseers had. She wanted nothing to do with them. She had power, she was going to use it. And she’d use it however she damn well felt like. “Most of my time is spent running my father's company, or rather, I should say our company. He thought putting me in charge and giving me all that responsibility would help curb my rebellious streak, but it only did the opposite. I sneak out of the office whenever I can to avoid the work. I spend way to much time and money in clubs. And of course, I throw myself in harms way whenever possible, all in the name of doing good and helping people out. I can’t do any of that sitting behind a desk.”

Mel's ears were the first thing to perk up as Yang said she was alien. Soon enough, though, the rest of her body followed as she sat straight up and listened to this apparent alien speak about her life and somewhat about her...would you call it culture? Life story? It was hard to tell, really. Familial background seemed right, but that was also way too wordy for Melody. She tried not to see too...thrilled about meeting an alien, one to play it cool, two because it seemed like some deep stuff, some of which wasn't...positive, and three she probably got this kind of thing a lot and it felt rude. But still, despite her attempts to "play it cool" her eyes shown with interest and facisination. She had only met two or three aliens her days of heroing, and two of the three were here for violence and the third was just lost and looking for directions. She had heard of other heroes who were aliens, but never rightly got the chance to talk to them. Honestly, when she met Sam she thought he was alien but was soon disappointed by the truth of the matter.

Still, Melody mulled over Yang's words, considering how to follow up on something like that. She let out a small laugh and waved her hand a bit, "Ha, ahhh, well, I know what it's like to have a father who pushes ya into something. My dad was real keen on me being a boxer. He's the reason I got into it and I was right there with ya, rebellious stage when I tried to get out of it. I tried to do all kinds of girly things to avoid boxing. Didn't last long, given that I...uh...well, let's say a girl in ballet class knows better than to make fun of the muscular girls." She snickered a bit, "I still rebel here and there, but in different ways. Oh, the trouble I've gotten into. I am just glad the news hasn't gotten hold of it. Could really mess up my shot at the number one slot."

She had settled back into the couch, now putting her feet up on the coffee table. "I am curious...what's it like being an alien on this world? I kinda feel like...well, not from around here sometimes too given my...well, you've seen what I look like. Can be weird...Oh! Off topic...but also! Might get grilling soon, ya want anything specific?"

Yang rubbed the back of her head and let out a bashful laugh. “Well its like I said, I was born and raised here. My mother to actually. Its more that my ancestors are the ‘aliens’.” She’d say using air quotes. The term alien was probably not the right term? No, her family or rather her ancestors as she called them, did hail originally from another planet. She knew this much and a little more thanks to her mother and a few brief encounters with the matriarch of the family. The original Overseer so to speak. Still, Yang counted herself an inhabitant of Earth, and therefore counted herself as an Earthling.

She just wasn’t a metahuman in the traditional sense. Her powers were hard coded into her very being. There was no such thing as not being an Overseer for the young woman. Yang’s cheeks would fill with color as her stomach let out a low growl at the mention of food. Come to think of it, she hadn’t actually eaten anything for quite some time. “Umm. Anything's fine! Im not a picky eater.” she’d respond with a cheerful smile.

In the interest of learning more about one another, Yang glanced at Melody. “Im curious. When you build up energy, what is that exactly? Kinetic? I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s definitely different to the kind I let off.” She’d say, extending a finger out in front of her and pointing it up. A faint glimmer would appear just a little bit above her finger tip. In the blink of an eye, it would expand to the size of a tennis ball, neon pink in color. “Every cell in my body builds up this energy and I’m able to draw on it at will!” She took a moment to look past the energy ball and at Melody’s reaction. “I can do all sorts of neat stuff with it to!” Slowly rotating her hand so that the ball now hovered over her palm, the small orb would gently descend. The moment it touched her palm, Yang would clench her hand and the orb would change shape to that of a clean looking dagger made of the same neon pink energy. Yang would rotate the blade around a bit before finally opening her hand and letting the energy just dissipate into thin air.

Obviously this was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Yang was capable of, but now was not the time for showing off.

Melody had perked up quite a bit, now that the fact that Yang was an alien was out on the table. She had never met an alien before, although she had her suspicions about Sam and the origin of his power. Still, she was impressed nonetheless and that showed on her face and the broad grin she wore. She slowly rose from the couch, stretching her back as she fully stood, and then started for the door to the small deck. It would still be within sight of Yang and she’d wave her hand, “Don’t have to get up, ya can chill there and we can talk from here.” She started to ignite the grill, turning the knob and pressing the ignitor.

“As for your question…” She started stepping back inside and moving the kitchen, shouting from there, “Not actually sure. I think it works like kinetic energy. The more I move around the more I build up, but I ain’t never seen kinetic energy work like that before. I went to an expert that longer I use it the more control I’ll have over it, but…well, so far not much has changed, but hoping to change that after we spar. Got a real good idea on how I can control it better from what ya pulled the other day.” She moved back to the room and then out the door to the back deck again, carrying a small tray of burger meat, buns, and vegetables, “It don’t always build up from movement, though. Like what I am doing now, if it is, it’s not much. The energy is built through hopping around, big movements, and I can also generate a lot when I thump my foot on the ground, builds it real fast when I do that. I also learned that I can use my blood flow to generate that, but doing so causes me to heat up and if I do it for too long I’ll pass out from, well…overheating. Using energy depletes it from me, so once I run out, if I use more than I build while in a fight, I’ll need to focus on solely building it up instead. Beyond that, the actual origin or function or…what exactly it is…I don’t really know. I had some loon tell me a long time ago it was some ancient ritual that was done to my family, though he belonged in a crazy house. Another person said I must be an alien too, especially with the rabbit ears. Docs say I got the meta gene, though that’s only my rabbit based stuff, the energy…well, they don’t know. They said it could be connected, but it’s not like anything they’ve seen. All I know is that it works and I’ll use it for as long as I can to be a hero.” She was dicing vegetables now, prepping them for the burgers. "Cheese, bacon, veggies?"

From the door, Melody let out an impressed whistle as the dagger was formed, “Now that is neat! The most I can do is punch things harder, propel myself at faster speeds, and take harder hits. Still working on what else I could do with it. If ya got any ideas, I’m all…” She motioned to the rabbit ears, “All ears.” She smirked at her joke, then went back to food prep, "Say, I am wondering...you said ancestors, right? What's their deal? Do you see 'em still? Any still around? Any like...I don't know if the alien race has a specific name, but any of 'em bad? Any that can do the same thing, but for...you know, evil? I don't know much about alien culture, so I am a bit curious on the matter."

Yang was visibly impressed by the explanation given to her of Melody’s power. It was interesting to meet someone else who could also manipulate energy to a small degree, even if it was different to how Yang and her kind could. Rather than remain sitting, Yang chose to leap up off the couch and lean against the back of it, as her and Melody chatted. She had spent enough time sitting down today, it was nice to stretch her legs a bit. Yang pressed a finger to her lips for a moment, “All of the above, please!” she’d say in response to Melody asking what she wanted on her burger.

The conversation would once again shit to Yang and her family. She let out a short sigh, clearly stating her disdain for talking about the subject, but Melody had asked, and it would be rude not to answer in some way. Plus it would be a way to give a giant middle finger to the rules, since their ‘involvement’ and existence was something to keep on the down low. “There uh…There’s definitely a lot of us. Just not here. Im one of two of our kind on this planet. I don’t know the other person, but I can sense them. The rest are out there somewhere, basically doing what I do now. Keeping the peace. Im mean its kinda in our name, Overseers. Couldn’t be any more on the nose, or lame if you ask me.”

Yang would take a moment to think if she had ever heard of any evil Overseers. While the idea wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary, Yang doubted that any one Overseer could use their powers for evil and get away with it. “I’ve never heard of an Overseer going rogue before. I don’t suppose its out of the question for one of us to just up and decide to be a villain one day, but like I said, never heard of an evil Overseer.”

The question did make Yang ponder on the hypothetical though. If an Overseer did turn evil for whatever reason, how would they be dealt with? It wasn’t like they could be killed in the traditional sense. They’d just end up back in their home realm. Would it be possible to seal them away somehow? They did have issues dealing with magic. Perhaps that was one avenue of possibility. If that were the case, then it would benefit Yang to do the impossible, and seek out the study of magic herself.

Melody gave an absent nod at request, but smiled nonetheless. She began to cut the veggies, soon placing them on the grill to give it a bit more of a kick. Bacon followed while the burgers cooked. The air was filled with the scent of a good old fashion barbeque, something that seemed to come easy to the young hero. She handled the cooking without being taken away from the conversation either, her ears occasionally flicking at the sound of popping the burger grease occasionally gave off.

With those ears, however, she did pick up on the sigh and the tone of…well, lack of interest. The notion caused one of the ears to falter a bit, a bit embarrassed she was touching on a topic that maybe she shouldn’t have been digging into. She’d have to change that if she wanted to continue with the good impressions. Still, she listened keenly to what Yang said, keeping that polite and warm grin on her face, honestly quite interested in what she had to say. It was often she met an alien, let alone an alien from Earth. The thought alone made her head hurt a bit, but what was one to expect when dealing with this kind of thing.

She gave a small nod, smirking now. “Well, if I ever see a bad one, I’ll knock ‘em in your direction so you can deal with him or her personally. Though, I will say it’s nice that some folk up above in space are looking after us small folk down here. Though, I suppose that does bring of the question as to…why?” Damn, that was another question about her race, she wanted to change gears from that. Still, there were so many questions that ran through her head, so many things she wanted to know. The idea of fighting an evil Overseer also appealed to her, she always wanted to prove herself against strong folk. Even though she had a good chance of sparring Yang here, an unrestrained, no holds barred fight with one would be quite the event. Perhaps even too much…

She would consider that later though. For now, she gave another shake of her head. “Ah, don’t gotta answer that! I am more curious about you, honestly. What other stuff ya get up to, ya know, besides hero stuff. You’re always welcome to bum around me if you’re in the area and looking for something to do. Same goes if ya ever wanna team up again, it was real nice having someone to go through a whole ordeal we faced.”