Who's under the mask?

[Eliza]

Melody laughed softly and shook her head at Alyssa's zeal. It was refreshing, even if she knew it was futile. Between the meds she was on, and the actual fighting, there was no fixing her. If she managed her five year plan and reached retirement by the end of it, in three years, she would probably only live another ten past that, but it was something. She wanted a chance, even if she had to die trying. In the meantime, the least she could do was try to put the mind of her friend at ease. She would just use some of her powers to get the doctor to tell Alyssa she would be fine in a few days, and not to worry. Everyone would be happy, no one would have gotten hurt, and she would make sure something nice and untraceable showed up at the doctors office as a gift from a grateful patient.

Once Alyssa returned, she had been planning to get up, but then the other girl was kneeling beside her and she couldn't resist the urge to lean into her and sigh, closing her eyes. "I might just fall in love with you..." She was almost entirely certain she said that in her head, so she just wanted to enjoy the moment a little bit longer before what remained of her brain completely fried and she started hearing more than just her own voice talking to her.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa was pretty happy that Melody had accepted her offer with little fuss. When Melody leaned against her and murmured her gratitude in such a way, it made her stiffen a little. A small voice in the back of Alyssa's head said it would be a perfect time to just hug her tight and tell her that she'd be happy with that. Instead, she jerkily moved a hand over to cover the other girl's adjacent hand. "I-I'm glad you're so grateful, haha." Face looking like a misshapen beet, she carefully stood up. "Let's, uh, move from this dinky bathroom, huh?" She helped Melody stand up. "Maybe we could try a more tame bakin' show? Could turn on a movie. Or I could bust out a puzzle that we haven't done yet. Or..." What else could they do? "If you're not feelin' up to much, I could tuck you in for a nap until my doc gets back to me on when she'll be available." Knowing Beth, there would be a text message in the next twenty minutes saying she'd be available in a few hours. Probably taking a lunch to do this for her, which was normal for Beth. "Whadya think?" They were still standing in the bathroom, mainly because Alyssa didn't know if Melody needed it for other reasons or not. Instead of assume, she thought she'd just awkwardly wait until Melody either told her to get out or said she wanted to do something.

[Eliza]

Melody hummed her acknowledgement and yawned. She didn't protest when she was helped to her feet, and she slowly shuffled out of the bathroom. Napping sounded like the best option she was given and she gazed up at Alyssa with a sort of sleepy, dazed expression. "I think a nap would be nice... You can wake me if you need anything, though." She could curl up in the little nest of her bed, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by pillows, it would be soft and comfortable. Her aching body yearned for that. "I'll even accept being tucked in." She gave her a goofy little smile, hoping it would make Alyssa feel a little more at ease. She was a little concerned about what she would do if Alyssa wanted to stay with her during the appointment. It seemed wrong to use her powers on her friend like that, but at the same time it would be nicer than hitting her with the bombshell that she was basically Frankenstein's monster.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa couldn't help but giggle at the remark about being tucked in. But she decided to oblige. She grabbed Melody's hand and walked with her to her room. "I'll make sure you're nice and comfy." Alyssa eyed the weird 'bed' that Melody slept in, yanked the covers out of the way and gestured for Melody to get in. She tucked Melody in and made sure the covers were nice and snug. "So, I'll clean up around the house a little and get you up when it's time to get ready, kay? I'll pick up the cab tab, too. Even if the clinic ain't too far away, I don't want to make you walk too much." She smiled at Melody, the warmest smile she could muster, then shut off the lights for Melody to sleep. If she needed something, Alyssa would keep an ear out. She still decided to listen to some music while cleaning. She also looked up a recipe for clam chowder so she could start on it for that night's dinner. Looked like it would need a few ingredients they didn't have, but not much.

After a quick call for grocery delivery, she picked up some spare clothes that had been strewn in the living room. Embarrassed about the fact that most were hers, she quickly stuffed them into her own hamper. Melody was much better at picking up after herself, so all Alyssa picked up was a stray coat and, somehow, a pair of pants that she deposited just outside of Melody's door. It was taking a while, or what seemed like a while, for Beth to get back to her about that appointment. In fact, the grocery delivery got there before she finally got a text message. "Two hours, clinic on the corner of 5th and MLK." That was about fifteen minutes away, so she ordered a cab to pick them up with enough time to spare. Everything was in the slow cooker for dinner, and the mess was... well, it could wait. She slowly, carefully, sneaked back into Melody's room. Carefully shaking her shoulder, she whispered, "Hey Mel, it's time to get up and start gettin' ready. Got about an hour and a half."

[Eliza]

Melody had a rather restless nap, she tossed and turned as she dreamed about things best forgotten, but then it got better. Amidst all of the darkness and fear someone popped into view with a warm smile and a friendly, if calloused hand. It was calming and helped her relax and actually get some rest, for at least part of her nap. When she was finally woken up she felt a little bit better, both mentally and physically.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up with a yawn, offering Alyssa a sleepy smile. "You really are the best, you know that?" Melody slipped out of her futon and stretched as much as her aching joints would allow. "I guess I should shower and try to not be a mess. What's the weather like outside?" It would determine how heavy of a sweater she wore, since that seemed to be the only item of clothing she owned aside from a massive collection of leggings, a couple of pleated skirts, and some knee high socks.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa smiled but still dug her toe into the ground in an abashed fashion. "I just try my best... no need t' embarrass me like that." She thought about the temperature outside. "Uh, lemme check." Her phone was still in her pocket, so she whipped it out. Loading up Weatherbug, she saw it was pretty chilly. "Holy heck, I thought Winter was over already. Sayin' it feels like 52 degrees out there. Y'know, I don't know how long you've been livin' here, but this is basically criminal." Alyssa stamped her foot in indignation. Not hard enough to cause a racket, because neighbors, but hard enough to drive her point. She also had a pout going, which she tried to soften before any comments were made. "If you're gonna shower, might want to put your hair up and keep it dry. I got a shower cap if you don't have one." She was close to the door, about to go grab the shower cap along with getting her coat out of the closet. "Unless you got other plans?"

[Eliza]

Melody hummed and gave her another smile, thinking it was cute when she did things like that. "I still appreciate what you've done for me." She made a face at the temperature and sighed before giving a nod and pulling an oversized sweater out of her closet. It was soft with a pink llama on the front that never failed to make her happy. "Don't worry, I'l put it up. I don't feel like blow drying it." She waved her hand dismissively and dug around in the dresser until she procured the leggings she wanted along with a new set of underclothes. "Alright, I'm going to shower, but I'll make it quick." She didn't want them to end up being late but she thought it was an important step in not feeling like complete trash.

Once she was safely in the bathroom with the door closed and the tap on to get the water warm, she stripped of her clothes and took some time to examine herself in front of the mirror. She was a mess, wasn't she? Alyssa had done a good job with the bandages, they had been strategically placed with great care to the point that it almost pained her to peel them off. Well, more than the pull of adhesive against her skin. The hot water stung against the cuts when she first stepped in and she winced but knew it was necessary, it would subside soon.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa smiled up until Melody had left for her shower. She decided to use the time to work on cleaning up the kitchen some. There were some dishes that needed a good scrubbing. One thing she never thought she would be happy about when she was given this apartment was the fact that she was also gifted a state-of-the-art dishwasher. At first, she was skeptical. But, now that she was more adultish, she thought it was the best invention in the world. All she had to do was rinse the dishes then pop them in the dishwasher, which she did. Humming some random tune, she put away everything, found any loose dishes and put them in with the other dishes that were already in the dishwasher, then started it. She hoped this would take enough time that Melody would be ready by the time she was done.

[Eliza]

Melody always enjoyed her showers, they were a time for self reflection and singing with the hope that no one else was listening. "I can't escape myself, so many times I've lied... but there's still rage inside! Somebody get me through this nightmare, I can't control myself!" She was a monster, wasn't she? That was a bit of a depressing thought, wasn't it? She didn't want to keep Alyssa too long so she was careful to keep her shower as brief as possible while still giving her body a good scrub. Once she felt sufficiently clean and strawberry scented, she got out of the shower and wasted no time in dressing so she could meet Alyssa out in the kitchen. "Alright, I'm ready whenever we need to go." She had settled on a simple hairstyle with her hair just twisted up and held in place with a large claw clip, a few strands of hair rather stubbornly escaping and hanging around her face.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa was idly reading something on her phone when Melody approached. She does smell real nice... Alyssa closed her eyes and tamped down those weird thoughts. Focus. She gave Melody her most winning hero smile before nodding. "Seems the shower did a good job! You're lookin' like ya feel much better." She checked on their Uber, who was waiting downstairs for them. "C'mon, We got a..." She read the text message, "Ooooh, fancy! Looks like a black Escalade was what was available to pick us up!" Of course, she had specifically requested a low profile vehicle. Escalades were nice, but people didn't pay them much mind because of the normal kind of people who drove them. She didn't want to draw a whole lot of attention to Allright. After locking the doors behind them, Alyssa looked at Melody. "You thinkin' you'll be fine with the stairs? If memory serves, they put up a fight with you last night..."

[Eliza]

Melody could agree that the shower helped, she felt clean and pretty refreshed after it, despite her back feeling like some sort of Saran wrapped tray. "I do feel a bit better, and I gave myself a good scrub pretty much everywhere except my back. I couldn't figure out how to remove whatever you put back there without it feeling like I was ripping off my skin." Rationally, she figured that was for the best that it stayed. When she had looked at it, she couldn't get a good idea of what it looked like underneath because of the mixture of blood and fluids that had formed a layer between the film and her back. It reminded her of when she got her tattoo with the hope it would force them to give her a more full coverage costume. It hadn't, all they had done was provide her with things to cover it up that had withstood everything she had thrown at it so far. She was still a little annoyed about that when she thought of it, but decided it wasn't worth getting too upset over at the moment, instead, she followed Alyssa as she left.

"I'll be just fine. The steps were a challenge because I was exhausted, but I still made it upstairs without any help. I'm considerably more well rested than I was, so it should be fine." She was a bit slower than usual as she followed Alyssa down to the waiting SUV, but it didn't cause much of a delay either and soon they were on their way. "So who's this doctor that I'm going to see? Is it just your doctor? Are they a friend? Both?" It might make her feel worse to mess with the mind of someone she was friends with, since they tended to have some issues after the fact for a day or two, and it would determine how she proceeded.

[Shuboni]

After helping Melody into the Uber, Alyssa exchanged a few pleasantries with the driver, explaining the situation. The driver was very cordial and said he would hurry over to the clinic. Alyssa turned her attention back to Melody. "The doc? I-uh..." Alyssa scratched her cheek, feeling a little chagrined. "Well, y-see... We-We used to work together. Long long time ago." As if Alyssa was that old, she was just a plethora of experience. "Well, I say a long time ago like that, but it's relatively not so long ago. Anyways, I did a hu-a bit of a favor. Not anythin' too serious, just a bit of somethin' here and somethin' there, but she owed me a favor for it. So, I got you an appointment ASAP as well as free consultation and everythin'. Any tests, anythin' that needs to be done, she'll make sure it's done. It's her practice, so she doesn't even need to tell the insurance if you don't want her to." Alyssa hadn't even thought about the fact that Melody might not have insurance. Being a reporter, working strictly commission, regular benefits were probably hard to get. "I haven't had a bug that she wasn't able to squash, so I'm pretty confident she'll be able to help you!"

[Eliza]

Melody's instincts told her that there was a lot more to the story than Alyssa was letting on, and she had that journalists itch that made her want to pry. She knew better, though, there were places you didn't go digging and things you didn't stick your nose in. The personal affairs of people you wanted to stay friends with were strictly off limits in the interest of preserving any kind of peace and to prevent from finding out things you would rather not know. "Sounds like you guys are pretty good friends. I'm glad you've got someone in your corner." She thought the concern about insurance was a nice gesture, and oddly enough she was still covered under her adoptive mother's health insurance, should she need it. It also wasn't as if she didn't have money, she lived as cheaply as possible because she wanted to pay her dues and get out as soon as possible. The funds were still available if she needed them for something else first. "I'm still on my mom's health insurance plan, so I'm not too worried about it. I'm glad you're always looking out for me, though." She offered her a smile and squeezed her hand.

[Shuboni]

Alyssa nodded and smiled. "Well, she's prolly not gonna report it either way, just to avoid billing issues and such." Melody was young enough to still be on her parent's health plan? Alyssa reminisced about worries like that. She had to thank her luck that Melody had never had to take her to a doctor, or offer to accompany her to a doctor, or anything like that. The cards she'd end up pulling out may get some questions. The driver got them to the clinic pretty quickly. In fact, Allright was waiting outside the clinic for them. Alyssa let out a nervous chuckle. "Looks like she's ready for us..." When the car stopped, Alyssa hopped out. Allright looked at her then looked at Melody. "My patient, I presume?" Alyssa nodded then gestured to Melody. "Yup, this is Melody." "Good. Melody, my name is Doctor Beth Strands. Let's get you inside and out of this cold, you can tell me your symptoms on the way." Allright was eyeing Melody up and down with suspicion. "All of your symptoms, please."

[Eliza]

Melody hadn't spent a lot of time considering it, but she would need to start looking into private insurance soon, since she would be falling off after her next birthday. She looked out the window as they pulled to a stop, surprised to see someone waiting for them rather than having to go in and speak with a receptionist or something of the like. Then again, since she was an impromptu patient that was being squeezed in, she supposed it made sense. She extended her hand to the doctor and nodded, thinking to herself that she looked like she was in need of a nap or three, and feeling guilty for possibly taking away from time she might have been able to spend resting between patients. "Thank you for agreeing to see me, I apologize for any inconvenience that I may be causing you." Melody didn't know how to feel about the fact that she was already being judged as the kind of person who would hide things, sure it was true, but still. "Ah... Well... I guess I'm pretty sore, and my throat is a bit on the dry and scratchy side. I'm also tired, but I'm not sure what's illness related and what's just a side effect of long hours at work." She gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her neck as she followed a little behind the doctor, glancing over at Alyssa from the corner of her eye.