Who's under the mask?

[Shuboni]

Alyssa grumbled and took a sip off of her tea, hiding what she was going to say because it probably wasn't very nice. Setting the glass back down, she picked up a fork and gestured it at Melody while talking. "I ain't nothing but real. Sure, I gotta hide some stuff for obvious reasons, but so do you. After leaving the CIA, I ain't been nothing but real, cuz I could be. Nobody makin' fun of my accent, telling me I needed to wear another mask for some other assignment, had to act like some billionaire's wife or some CEO of an oil industry, no pretending to be a dope seller to infiltrate some cartel or nothin." She set the fork back down, shaking her head and tutting. "I think it's more you showing your true colors of being a tease, now that you don't have to hide it. Sure, it came out every so often before this breakthrough, but you were still pretty darn quiet and reserved compared to me. I always felt like I was trying to have a party while you were just trying to finish the next chapter." She smirked, "Readin and writin, I mean. If you're thinking I'm hiding my bundled energy, it's more like I feel like I'm being annoying." Instantly, she raised her hands, wanting to make sure she got the next piece in before Melody said something, "Not that you've acted like I've been annoying or anything, just that you don't seem to have as much energy as me. But..." She furrowed her brow. She looked around, then leaned forward and whispered, "Is that just cuz you were sick before...?"

[Eliza]

Melody looked at Alyssa over the rim of her glasses and arched a brow, looking doubtful. "I've seen you hesitate, overthink things, and hold yourself back on a nearly daily basis, that doesn't seem very real." Hearing that it was an attempt at matching her pace made her feel an insurmountable amount of guilt. She was about to say something when Alyssa asked about her health. Melody frowned and nodded solemnly, hesitating for a moment as if she didn't really want to talk about it. She hadn't had the energy to be herself, it was everything she could do to not stumble into their apartment sobbing everyday. She had tried to hide her suffering by just saying she was overworked, which wasn't really a lie. "I..." she tiled her head back and ran one of her hands over her face. "I was dying. Like, really dying. My organs were rejecting me and I was on so many meds trying to prevent it that I would sometimes puke from having nothing but a stomach full of pills. I wasn't built for our kind of work and could never handle the constant beatings like my peers could. Even they will eventually die from it, but I was dying faster." She drained the rest of her glass and blinked rapidly to hold back tears. "I was just trying to buy my way out so I could have at least a few weeks of freedom before I died." She choked on her words and shook her head, "This is the first time that I haven't felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside out that I can remember clearly, it feels like so long ago that I was just a regular girl."

[Shuboni]

Alyssa let out a loud sniff before she reached over and grabbed Melody's hands in her own, squeezing them tightly in her own. "Well, it's a good thing I found you, huh?" She smiled softly as her face started getting blotchy from the emotions she was feeling. It was back in the apartment all over again. Alyssa knew she wasn't one of those girls who could look nice and get emotional like you saw on TV. That's why the Association never used her as a spokesperson. Knowing it would be a weird scene for the waiter to come in on, she chose an appropriate time to let go of Melody's hands and try to compose herself. "I hate crying. I look so awful when I'm emotional. But this whole day has just been up and down." Even with her blotchy face, she gave Melody a very genuine smile, "And I wouldn't trade it for anything. Cuz now we can work on making your dreams come true." Alyssa thought of Melody, her backstory, everything leading up to this point, and remembered something. "Hey, did you know the Association ranks villains?" It wasn't something that was really talked about, but a lot of online forums had theories on it.

[Eliza]

Melody was a bit taken aback by Alyssa reaching out for her, as well as her own show of vulnerability when she laid everything out so openly in front of the other girl. "I think... it's a great thing that you found me. I really don't know where I'd be without you." The change in subject was welcome, she was able to collect herself more easily when talking about things that were less personal. "I didn't know for sure if you did or not." She shrugged, she had suspected it, it wasn't as if the villains guild didn't have a ranking for heroes that sorted them by threat level. It did make her curious though. "So... Am I somewhere in the middle? 'She can control people, but she sings, so kinda meh' sort of situation?" That's where she would rank herself at least. She knew villains who were way less useful, so she didn't think she'd be in the bottom, but she also knew villains who were far more powerful so she doubted she would be in the top.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa couldn't help but give Melody a very sly grin. "They rank heroes, too, and I'm more in the middle with a focus on crime fighting, tracking, and disaster recovery. Ain't no way I can go about fighting villains without a team, and I'm next to useless during a natural disaster. But you..." She giggled. It was such a weird feeling telling someone this, especially telling the person themselves about it. "You're like... Omega class, possible apocalypse level. They're sittin in their chairs like, "What if she started broadcasting her voice?" and after that incident, they now know your commands stick for longer than your singin. So they look at it like you could potentially have sleeper agents all over the world just ready to strike in your name. And..." She leaned forward, her giggling starting up again, "You lack a handicap that almost all other villains have. You don't have an ego. That scares the uppity-ups right out of their boots. They have you on this special list, we heroes nickname it the bag'n'tag list."

After saying that, Alyssa furrowed her brow. She was remembering the association's offer from earlier. "That... Hey, that's probably what they were hoping for before, when they offered you amnesty. Oooh, those jerks!" She crossed her arms hard, a look of anger mixed with frustration crossing her face. Then, it faded to resignation. "Guess I'm saving you from the pencil-pushers, too. I wonder if my faction leader might have better advice. Yeah, this can't be the first time somethin like this has happened." Alyssa nodded resolute. "Okay. First thing in the mornin, I'm calling him. He's... uh... Well, just like any job, there's office politics. Well, to make sure heroes had their say in the organization, we demanded something like a union. That's where factions come in, right? For certain types of heroes, we're represented... ah, that's all boring stuff." She waved her hand dismissively. "Just think of it like I'm gonna talk to my union about what they would do in this situation. Now, where's that appetizer?"

[Eliza]

Melody almost spit out her drink when Alyssa told her what they thought of her, instead she coughed briefly before turning wide eyes on Alyssa. "They think I'm what?!" It was oddly terrifying to know they considered her such a threat, like someone was going to be sent to kill her at any moment. "I'm not that good! I mean yeah I could technically create 'sleeper agents' as they call them, but do they have any idea how much of a pain in the ass it would be to have to seek them out, call them, and then get them to do my bidding?? I do not have time for that." She shook her head, still in slight disbelief that they would even come up with something so absurd. "I honestly had never even thought of doing something like that. I probably could do like a radio or TV broadcast, but why would I? That also seems like a lot of work. The closest I've ever gotten was going over the PA system at a bank and making sure everyone stayed calm and didn't alert the authorities while other villain's made away with the contents of the vault and all the safe deposit boxes." The bit about her ego made her almost throw her hands in the air. "Of course I don't! Do you really think I have the time or patience to monologue?? And what would I say?? 'I became a villain because of my childhood trauma?' Yeah, no, I don't need to tell everyone my sob story. And for that I'm on some kill-now-ask-questions-later list??"

Her stomach sank at the confirmation of her earlier fears that their olive branch was really a snake meant to poison her, but she kept it to herself. Alyssa having so much confidence didn't give her much hope, because what if they lied to her and decided to take her down anyway? Her thoughts were interrupted by the waiter bringing in a plate of spinach puff and setting two smaller plates in front of them before disappearing again. "Why don't you just run away with me?" She blurted it out in a much less graceful way than she would have wanted, but she had been thinking about it for the past several hours. "I can buy us a house and we can drop off the face of the earth, become different people and just lead a normal life, maybe even have kids." Where had that come from? Yet the thought of coming home to Alyssa with a child in her arms made her heart ache in an almost carnal way, and God did she want it now that the image was ingrained in her brain.

[Shuboni]

"Yeah, I told 'em that the name didn't mean what they wanted it to mean..." Alyssa grimaced hard, looking away. "But what they really want to do is probably worse, depending on the person. No, they don't want to kill you, they want to capture you and interrogate you, see if you really have placed sleeper agents 'n stuff. Now I know that ain't gonna make you feel better, but at least now you don't have to worry about someone trying to poison your coffee if somehow you got tracked down by the wrong people. Besides, you got me now!" Turning her grimace into the most "hero" smile she could muster was kind of hard, but Alyssa managed it. She was going to say more when the appetizer came. She smiled at the waiter and thanked him before turning back to Melody. Then, again before she could say what she was thinking about, Melody blurted out the idea of running away with her. Then talked about buying a house and having kids? Alyssa couldn't help but blush, speechless. Which, Alyssa normally prided herself on almost always having something to say. She bit her lip, finding the best way to convey herself next. "That's a very... Very tempting offer. I don't know I can disappear so easy though. I got the association and the CIA wanting to keep tabs on me. How in the world could I get away from them? Plus, what would I do for work? I don't have any practical world experience."

[Eliza]

Melody gave Alyssa a rather pointed look, eyebrows raised. "No, strangely the thought of being captured and tortured doesn't appeal to me. I have an easy out though. One of my earrings is what I like to call, 'a kill pill' I just have to chew and swallow and I'll be dead soon enough." She pointed to her left ear where what looked like a small pearl stud could be seen peeking behind her hair. She didn't have the heart to tell Alyssa that, even though she had faith in her, she didn't think she had the power to stop anyone above her from coming for her head, so to speak. Her concerns about running away shifted her focus anyway. The fact that she didn't say 'no' gave her some hope. "We could start over as new people, we could stage the whole thing and make them think I killed you so they didn't come looking. You wouldn't have to work, I could work and you could do whatever you wanted. Or we could live off of interest, I have several foreign accounts that earn good money, I'd make sure you never wanted for anything." The expression on her face was dead serious as she looked at the other woman across the table, trying to gauge her reaction. She knew there was potential issues with her plan, but she was willing to risk it for Alyssa.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa gave Melody a sad look before glancing away. "Mel... You're gonna have to give me time to think about something like that. It sounds like you're willing to break any ties you had to your old life, but I can't so easily do that. I have friends in the Hero's Association, I have debts I need to repay, favors that I owe... I also have my family to think about. Sure, it was kind of a scummy thing to let me be taken away by the CIA without my say in it, but they were good Southern folk who thought they were just being patriotic. Plus, they were promised things about my care that were outright lies, so I can't really fault 'em." She took one of the spinach puffs, but was more in the mood to pick at it than to eat it. She was hoping that she wasn't hurting Melody by saying this. Though, from their time together, Alyssa knew Melody was a very understanding and compassionate person. Even if she was hurt, she wasn't the kind of person who would let it show. "You don't... think you'd ever need that kill pill with me, would you?" Alyssa didn't like the idea of Melody offing herself like that. She felt like blowing it up right then and there, making some kind of cheesy declaration that, with her, there wouldn't be a need. But, with the kinds of things she had just revealed about the Hero's Association, it might actually give the wrong message.

[Eliza]

Melody couldn't say that she wasn't at least a little disappointed, but she understood. It was easy to forget that other people had obligations and familial attachments when you didn't. "It's okay Lys, I understand. I guess I'm lucky in a way because I don't have anyone that I couldn't leave behind with no regrets." She paused and squeezed Alyssa's hand. "No one except you." She was just as interested in the puffs as Alyssa was, leaving it untouched and ignored. "I... Don't think I would need it to escape from you, but I don't know if I'll need it if I'm caught. As amazing as you are, I have no way of knowing that your boss won't lie to you and send people after me."

[Shuboni]

Alyssa smiled softly but didn't say anything yet. Melody didn't call her Lys a whole lot, but she liked the nickname. Nobody else seemed to use it, everyone preferred calling her Ally. So, she decided she was going to mention it. "I really like that you use that particular nickname. It makes you stand out from everyone else I know. You could... use it more, you know." She looked up at Melody, a bittersweet expression painted on her face. "Look, I know you're real worried about what might happen, so I'll do the anonymous tip thing through my faction. It's supposed to be used for things like hero-on-hero abuse and stuff, but I think this still qualifies for it being used. Basically it's a form you fill out on an intranet website. I'll even make a new email and use a VPN with a TOR browser to hide who I am, and I'll ask it real vague so they have no clue who it is. I won't ask for no amnesty, just what they'd do in this situation as a faction and not as heroes." She rubbed her face before remembering the makeup and yanking her hands away. Inspecting her digits, she then pulled out a pocket mirror and inspected for damage, sighing inwardly when discovering she hadn't hurt the work Melody had done. "You break my heart when you say things like that, you know that? I never pegged you for a hopeless romantic." Finally feeling like she had a bit more appetite, she bit into the Spinach puff. It was a very nice, subtle flavor. "Daaang, I never thought I'd like these. I mean, just the idea of spinach puff was weird, but it's real good."

[Eliza]

Melody was surprised to hear that Alyssa liked the nickname, she hadn't used it that often because she worried she might not like it that much. "I'm glad you told me. I'd always hear your coworkers calling you 'Ally' so I didn't know if you liked that better, and was a bit nervous to ask." She smiled softly and sighed. "I trust you, so I'll put my faith and my life in your hands." If there was one person worth dying for, it would be Alyssa. She would still rather not, but if she had to she wouldn't fight it if it made things easier for the woman sitting across the table from her. She shook her head and laughed at the comment on the appetizer, thinking it was so like Alyssa, in the best most adorable way. "I'm glad you like them." She picked one up and popped it into her mouth, letting the flaky pastry almost melt in her mouth as she savored the combination of salty feta paired with earthy spinach. She saw the waiter and waved him over, having decided that she needed something stronger than club soda. She placed her order for an old fashioned and sent him on his way. She didn't drink, even when she was working and needed to for her cover, she had always just quietly disposed of it and avoided it. She recalled that her mother liked an old fashioned in the evening and they seemed to relax her, so maybe it would help? "What do you think they're going to do?"

[Shuboni]

"Yeah, but I get a lot of Back Ally jokes, if you catch what I mean. "Turn around so I can see your Backside, Ally." or, "How about you meet me in the Back, Ally?" stupid crap like that." Alyssa made a face then grabbed another puff and ate it, still super happy with the flavor. She didn't know if she had eaten Feta before, but she decided that she liked it. It definitely had its place. She smiled back when Melody said she trusted her. It was such a warm fuzzy feeling to hear that. Then Melody asked what she thought her faction would do. Alyssa tilted her head back and forth while pondering, taking a sip off of her drink. She split her attention for a slight second to remember what, exactly, an Old Fashioned was, but couldn't remember the details. So she cleared her throat before speaking up. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I never had to do that kind of risk assessment kinda stuff. I'm more the kind of hero that they point in the right direction and tell me what needs to be done. Going off of how my faction has done things in the past though... I've heard rumors that they've done exactly what you're talking about, and helped other heroes fake their deaths as a way to get out. They do have a type of in-house witness protection, where the only ties they cut are with the Association. Or, they might try recruiting." She waggled a brow then giggled. "Don't worry, I wouldn't trust joining any part of the Association either if I were you. I do think we'd make a pretty cool team, if we were... well, y'know." She blushed a little. "Anyways... If it were you making that kind of decision, what would you tell me?"

[Eliza]

"I can see where that would get pretty annoying. I don't have to deal with anything like that. Granted, in my day job I dress like crap so I'm not nearly as attractive as you are. And I'm not just saying that, I've legit had people see me in things like this after only seeing me at work, and have to a double take because, hey, I actually do have some curves." In the middle of her tirade the waiter returned with her drink, and their entrees, setting them in front of them and again leaving after refilling Alyssa's lemonade. "Anyway, if they keep doing things like that, I could always meet them in an actual alley and give them reason to fear them." She stabbed a piece of shrimp on her plate and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly while she considered the rest of what Alyssa had said. "I would have joined if they hadn't decided that killing the teenager who came to them begging for help was the best course of action. I'm afraid they've burned their bridges." She had to think about what she would do in Alyssa's situation, it took her a few minutes because she had to push aside a lot of things, knowing they wouldn't have happened if she had of been on the other side. "I think... I would hear them out, see what options they give. If they gave me any reason to think I couldn't trust them, I would cut ties and run. If I had the option to leave on amicable terms I would though, it's best to not step on toes and have people coming after you in the future."

[Shuboni]

Alyssa couldn't help but giggle as Melody did her possessive death threats to the people who were calling her names. "Other people might not really like hearing that kind of talk, but I'm either too jaded or too in love to really care that you're threatening people you've never met just because of some stupid things they said to me." She leaned forward and, with the most sultry look she could muster, she stared at Melody. "I gotta say, I'm pretty familiar with your curves. Got an eyeful the other night, and felt pretty damn lucky that I did." In their time together, Alyssa was the prudish one while Melody was... not exactly lewd, but definitely didn't care quite as much for those kinds of things. Alyssa could remember a few times where Melody would opt for a t-shirt that was so stretched or so big, it was basically falling off of her. It was another look she was rather fond of for whatever reason. Pursing her lips, she thought she might as well say it, lest it never got said. "I mean... I do gotta say I like you in super casual stuff. Just... I dunno, there's just a part of me that really wants to grab you, pull you close, and snuggle up near a fire or somethin. Like, super homey normal stuff, y'know?"

Now feeling embarrassed, Alyssa looked down at the entree that was brought out to her. She was super unsure of how this super highly graded meat was going to compare to what she was used to, she didn't really see a difference. She shrugged and started cutting it up. "Heh, I mean, I'm plannin' on doing that, but I was more curious about what you would do if you were them. Like, if you were my faction who got this anonymous message about a hero and a villain wanting to elope." She raised a fork to gesture at Melody, a piece of steak on the end, "Keeping in mind, the faction's job is to be on the individual hero's side. I'm mostly curious cuz I know you're pretty darn good at figuring risk and stuff. I'm more the go in, guns blazing type, so I'd probably do the wrong thing and try to find out who this duo was." Not thinking too much about it, Alyssa popped the piece of steak in her mouth and, after a couple of chews, stopped, frozen as she processed the subtle flavors blending, her body deciding she wanted to savor this instead of just get it in and get it down. After longer than she would liked to have admitted, she finally swallowed and looked up at Melody. "Damn..." Not wanting to admit total defeat when it came to the criticism of this cut of steak, she continued on with, "How much do they sell this grade of beef for?"