More Meteor Showers Bring Even Stranger Powers. (O/A)

[Nova Blancke]

"Babe...you're a dragon. Not a monster. This is just...a lesson learned" She said as she sniffed the air a bit. Yeah that was definitely a burned smell.

"Wanna read some comments bout the latest little OF post from before? That might get your spirit back."

Liam was putting on some proper clothes as before it was a towel and then an apron when butchering the boar. After checking the clock he figured it was time to get started on preparing dinner. After all, it will take a few hours to cook.  

[PixelMuse]

Rikki Tikki Travi

Freya grumbled and groaned as lifted her head up with a napkin stuck to her forehead. She let out a puff of air and blew off the offending piece of paper. "When did you get so damn grown up? Making all kinds of sense and s**t. Feels like just yesterday you wandered into my brother's room and woke me up from a nap. Ain't time a mother ******** class="clear">

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Heather sniffed and whined, "Okay."

Heather's spirits were indeed lifted. It was nice to see that so many people thought that she was a good addition to the pics. And whenever there was another explosive outburst due to her ailment, it did not take long for her to smile again in spite of herself.

After a few minutes, the doctor came back in and gave Heather a dose of anti-nausea medication. He mentioned that it might make her sleepy. Sure enough, a few minutes later and she was out like a light. Her massive torso rose and fell steadily with each breath, accompanied by a subjectively gentle snore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya stayed there for a moment and just took it all in. She had almost deprived Trinity of a much needed friend and mentor. The thought of how Trinity must have felt when she found out what happened made her heart ache. Even if her intentions had been selfless, they were still thoughtless. Maybe it was the alcohol that made her more sentimental then, but she felt like she had to say something.

She got out of the hug and started with, "Hey, Trinity. Y'know..."

Freya trailed off. She still could not admit it to Trinity. The student had a mother before, and Freya knew that Trinity did not need another one. Plus, it was just more fuel to throw onto the emotional bonfire the kid was going through.

She shook her head and mumbled, "It's nothin'. Just the booze a gettin' to me. Go on, now. Paint the town red, or whatever it is you kids do nowadays."  

[PixelMuse]

Rikki Tikki Travi

Freya stayed there for a moment and just took it all in. She had almost deprived Trinity of a much needed friend and mentor. The thought of how Trinity must have felt when she found out what happened made her heart ache. Even if her intentions had been selfless, they were still thoughtless. Maybe it was the alcohol that made her more sentimental then, but she felt like she had to say something.

She got out of the hug and started with, "Hey, Trinity. Y'know..."

Freya trailed off. She still could not admit it to Trinity. The student had a mother before, and Freya knew that Trinity did not need another one. Plus, it was just more fuel to throw onto the emotional bonfire the kid was going through.

She shook her head and mumbled, "It's nothin'. Just the booze a gettin' to me. Go on, now. Paint the town red, or whatever it is you kids do nowadays."

Trinity looked back to her deep in her eyes as she parted from the hug. She could tell there was something important she wanted to share with her but couldn’t bring herself to say it. What could it be? she wondered for a brief moment before she dismissed and blamed the alcohol.

There were times she’d see Freya as a second mother. Coming to her when her powers weren’t working as expected or girl stuff. Since her mother passed away she was hesitant to think of her like that thinking it would sully the memory of her so she thought of her as an older sister or a close aunt. Yet there were moments like this that it was difficult not to think of her that way. Her parents had adopted her senseis as part of the family including them for family gatherings such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthdays and such. They saw how much they cared about her and ensuring that she’d come home in one piece. They never knew of the circumstances of their families. That they were banished from a floating island where they resided.

Though Freya and her met when she was 15 she did witness her growing up to become who she is today. Trinity kept hoping that she didn’t disappoint her nor Teshomaru and that they were proud of her accomplishments.

“Right and you do the same, after your hangover of course.” She said with a wink then looked to Legio’s apartment. “Smells like he’s cooking up a storm.”  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Alec hunched his shoulders nervously and waved his free hand in greeting. If Kerana had not been holding his hand, he did not think he would be able to get a word out."Hello, Mister Carter. It's nice to meet you."

Leander looked from Kerana to Alec and back again. Then he turned to Raina, who gave him a reassuring smile and nod. Leander then looked at their clasped hands, and then finally he noticed the way they looked at each other. It was genuine, and he was surprised to feel nothing of the animosity he thought he would feel the first time Kerana introduced a boy to him. There was something comforting and familiar about Alec, and it allowed him to feel more at ease about his little girl being with him.

Leander took a deep breath and said, "Alec, that's not how you greet your girlfriend's father for the first time." He then held out his open hand and cleared his throat.

Alec reached his own hand out and shook Leander's hand with a firm grip.

Leander's eyes widened with a bit of surprise. He chuckled with a small, but approving, smile, "Oi, that's quite a grip you've got."

Alec, obviously pleased with himself, smiled awkwardly and looked to Kerana, He was about to say something when a gun shot rang out. People began to scream and run. There was only one voice that could be heard over the screaming. It was Rydia, and she was screaming for Kerana.

~Five Minutes Earlier~

Rydia had taken a seat across from a burly man who was taking challengers in an arm wresting competition. She had ignored him, at first, until his taunting got the better of her pride.

Doera shook her head and muttered, "Rydia, this is stupid. You don't have anything to prove. Ravan and I both know how strong you are."

Ravan was floating nearby with several carnival snacks floating around her in an orbit. The crowd that had gather was too much for her small self to see over, so she decided to get a better view.

Rydia smirked confidently and flexed to display her hidden musculature. She reveled in the admiration of the crowd and the ire of her adversary. "It's not about validation, Deora. It's the principal. I'm going to show this brute that sheer volume is nothing compared to the might of dedication."

"You think a build like this doesn't come from dedication, kid?" the large man scoffed with a similarly confident smirk.

"Your work ethic is not in doubt, sir. It's just that my muscles have been fine tuned since I could walk. You might be strong, but you lack power."

The man scoffed again and placed his elbow on the pad. Rydia did the same, and their hands were bound together. The referee laid out the rules: no metahuman powers, and the bout is not over until the back of a hand reaches a pad.

When it started, the two of them were at a stalemate. They did not budge for almost a solid minute. The man was struggling, and Rydia had just started to break into a sweat. They smiled the whole time, however, basking in their mututal love for competition. After two minutes they both started to dig deep, but Rydia began to gain the upper hand. The man griped his off hand's post and put everything he had into it. Rydia did not need her eyes to know what was about to happen next. She had practiced breaking bones enough to know when it was about to happen. She began to relent.

"What're you doing? Don't stop!" he insisted with a grunt.

Rydia also grunted and said through grit teeth, "But, your arm. I can feel it-"

"If it happens it happens. Don't let me win."

Rydia nodded with respect and put the pressure back on. Sure enough, within ten seconds, the two long bones in his forearm snapped. Rydia stopped soon enough to keep them from bursting through his skin.

The man yelled once, but he was not mad. He acknowledged his opponent's strength. His arm, though, hurt like Hell. There was a series of mixed reactions from the crowd. Booing, cheering, audible cringing, and gasps stacked one on top of the other.

The strap was undone, and Rydia was declared the winner by default. Deora could not help but also clap in appreciation for the sportsmanship she witnessed. Even while his arm was put into a sling, the man motioned to Rydia with respect.

However, one person in the crowd (in his twisted worldview) had taken exception to the fact that an obvious metahuman had bested a normal human. He wore the torch logo of the Prometheus Watch, and he had violence on his mind. He pulled a 9mm from his waistband and took aim at Ryda,

Rydia could feel the bloodlust from within the crowd. She instinctively raised her hand and manifested her spirit claw. It all seemed to happen in slow motion for the Princes. The bullet struck the spectral hand, ricocheted, and tore through Deora's chest.

Everything happened quickly after that. Rydia swooped down to catch Deora as she fell and cradled her wounded friend. Just as the gunman was about to fire another shot Ravan reacted with extreme prejudice. Before he was even aware of what had happened, he had been wadded up like a piece of paper into a quivering ball of flesh and bones.

Rydia removed her eye cover to get the best possible view of the injury. She cursed as soon as she realized it was beyond her capability to heal and that Deora's right lung had collapsed. There was not much time.

She threw her head back and called for Kerana at the top of her lungs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freya gave a dismissive shrug and scoffed, "Psht, whaat? I didn't even notice the savory aroma of baked sweet meats."

Her eyes darted from left to right guiltily. Freya then turned Trinity around and playfully guided her to the door. "Oh, get out of here and quit teasing me before I rap your knuckles, you little turd."

Once Trinity had left Freya flopped onto bed and tried to go to sleep, but the scent of the cooking next door would not leave her be. After fifteen minutes of struggling, she finally gave up and got out of bed. Grumbling the whole way, she exited her room and walked the ten or so steps necessary to reach Liam's. With another self deprecating grunt, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.


Silhouette had remained mostly silent through the reunion. Once Trinity was good and clear of Freya's doorway, she decided to zpeak up.

"She made a good point, you know. It was addled by her inebriation, but she stumbled into it."  

[Nova Blancke]

Liv gave the sleeping dragon a kiss on the snout before staying a little longer just sitting against her. After a while she pat the sleeping dragon a bit before leaving, asking the doc to contact her when there is any change. Teleporting back to her room, she plopped onto the bed. That new anti-meta terrorist group was becoming a real problem.

Liam was wearing a simple tight fitting shirt, normal jeans and an apron. His hair was up in a ponytail. The ham was already in the oven but it had to stay there for a while. It was a good moment to start working on the Honey Glaze and that was something he was doing at the moment. The mashed potatoes were already prepped and just needed to be cooked. Then there was a knock on his door. Wiping his hands on his apron he opened to the door to....Freya. He was not expecting her to come to him. Nevertheless, it was a very welcome surprise.

"Oh hello Freya. You are a bit early. But please, come in. I could actually use your opinion on the glaze I am making." he said and invited her in.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

The aroma hit Freya's senses like a sack of bricks. She immediately recognized the smell of cooking pork. No, not just pork. Her sense of smell was keen enough to recognize the subtle differences between domestic pig meat and boar meat. Her mouth had already begun to salivate before Liam had made any mention of glaze.

"Glaze? Like, a honey glaze? Yeah. Sure. I can absolutely help with that." she replied while trying her best to maintain some sense of composure.

She entered and rushed past him with a barely contain smile on her face and big eyes. She felt like a kid at a toy store again. She silently oh'd and ah'd as her gaze settled on each thing that was cooking. If she still had a tail, it would be wagging furiously. However, Freya still maintained a sense of muscle memory for her absent appendage. She unconsciously wiggled her rear, just a little, to a tail that wasn't there.  

[Nova Blancke]

Liam let her pass and watched her 'explore'. Her demeanor truly was that of a curious cat at the moment. Exploring, smelling, barely refraining from touching. Her...wiggle did not escape him. His was definitely on there for a second before he snapped back to reality. Seeing as she was already drooling or barely hanging on for that matter, this was the perfect opportunity to taste the glaze and feed her a little.

Making his way over to the kitchen where he had been reducing the honey glaze, he took it off the heat and added some a few chicken thigh bites. Fully coating them in the honey glaze. With a fork he lifted up a piece, turning it a few times so nothing would drip off. Holding it out for Freya to take a bite out of, he held on hand underneath it so the glaze wouldn't fall onto the counter.

"Here, try this. I've been told some people like it spicy. This one isn't but I could add a few things to make it spicier if that is more your preference."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Freya went wide eyed as she saw him add meat to the glaze. She did not even know that was a thing.

When he offered to directly feed her the sample, her usual self snapped back in control. "Hey! I'm a grown a** woman! I can feed my own damn self!"

She snatched the fork from his hand and swooped it into her mouth quickly enough that no mess was made. Her eyes went wide, and she gasped sharply through her nostrils. She put a hand to her cheek and turned away from Liam.

What's this?! It's like a unicorn shot a rainbow of pure joy into my mouth! Every ingredient perfectly compliments the others! Every other honey glaze I've ever had pales in comparison.! Yet, there's a sense of familiarity! Did he figure out the recipe from home? Did Okami gove it to him?! Does she even know it?! It actually tastes better! He improved upon what I already considered perfect! Holy ******** s**t, and he's going to put it over boar!!! It's so tasty I could-

She straightened up and cleared her throat. She then turned back around, straight faces, and handed the fork back to Liam. "Yeah, it's pretty good. No need to make it spicey."  

[Nova Blancke]

Liam let the fork slide out of his hand. Her reaction was all that he needed as confirmation but he couldn't help but smile softly at it. It was...adorable. The smile grew as she turned away from him and went back to normal when she turned to face him again.

Taking back the fork and used to to pick a different piece of chicken thigh meat before eating that. Chewing slowly and methodically. A benefit from being a shapeshifter was that his knowledge of his own body was perfect. His taste receptors were perfect. Making sure that every millimeter of his tongue tasted the glaze before swallowing. Fork still stuck between his lips, he crossed his arms, lost in thought.

"Hmmmm"

A few seconds passed before he took the fork out of his mouth and started rummaging through the spices drawer. Sprinkling some garlic powder over it and using his power over liquids to stir and mix it while he put it away again. Two drops of Lemon juice went in last. With one final stir, he reached for the fork again and offered her another bite.

"Should be better."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Freya gulped as she watched Liam add the additional ingredients. After how good the last mouthful was she did not know if she could keep a straight face. It may be delicious, but she was determined not to let him know to what extent she thought so.

She took the fork from him and looked down at the little bit of honey coated chicken. It glisted in front of her, begging to be devoured. She took a deep breath to steel herself, and then she put the morsel into her mouth.

It was immediate. The difference was subtle, but there was a marked improvement from what she had sampled earlier. Her mouth twisted as she fought the desire to smile. She shut her eyes tight and let out a little hum of appreciation. She let out a sharp breath and sighed. Her eyes opened, and she handed the fork back to him.

"That's definitely better. When's the meat gonna be done, and what're you doing with those potatoes?"  

[Nova Blancke]

Like before Liam smiled. Why she was trying to not show how much she liked it was beyond him at the moment. A matter of pride perhaps.

"Glad you like so much." He took the fork back and put it down.

"Should be done in an hour or so. I will be making some mashed potatoes to go with the meat along with some green beans. I will be steaming those. That is the better way." Liam explained as he opened the oven, grabbed the pan and a cooking brush to baste the boar meat with the honey glaze. This was something he was going to repeat for every 10 to 15 minutes.

"So how was your day?"  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Freya, leaned against a wall, shrugged, and then replied, "Meh, it was a good first day of being back alive. I did get an opportunity to indulge in some shenan-"

Freya suddenly popped off the wall when she realized that she had just slid into casual conversation and small talk as though she had just come home from work and started sharing details of her day. Like they were a...a...couple?

She held her arms out and exclaimed, "Wha whoa whoa whoa!!! Back the ******** up! What the Hell just happened?! Did you put something in that honey glaze?!"  

[Nova Blancke]

Liam wiped his hands on his apron as he listened to the short description of her day followed by her outburst. Raising an eyebrow he cocked his head a little.

"You were telling me about your day. But other than that, I added Sprinkle of Garlic powder and a few drops of Lemon Juice." He answered.