Happy (super late) 4th birthday PoaH! Maybe this year I can upload with some regularity… maybe… probably not
Purpose of a Hero
November 22, 2317
'Breathe. Find your center. Focus.' Melody let out a breath and opened her eyes, fixating on the small rose held firmly in her hand. A now familiar chill went down her back, and she saw the first signs of black fog wafting off her body. The feeling was still alien, despite her progress over the past ten days. At least she wasn't fainting anymore, which Frank seemed reluctantly pleased about. The cold sensation quickly spread from her chest and enveloped her face, which nearly caused her to lose her concentration. Even just the thought of her skin seemingly melting away was still frightening. 'Focus on the life remaining in the rose; stop thinking about it so much. You're only distracting yourself.'
Finally, with the risen platform of the treehouse now covered in a dense, flowing black mist, the chill settled and became less oppressive. Melody allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction – she still despised the feeling of the Veil settling over her – before the weight of exhaustion settled on her shoulders, and she slumped back against the supporting tree trunk. The flower in her hand now wilted, its colors a dull, lifeless brown. Despite how tired she felt, Melody grinned widely, and she let out a 'whoop' as she tossed the rose onto the pile with a dozen other similarly dead flowers.
"Took you long enough, but you've finally managed to dispose of a whole bouquet without passing out," Frank said, his tone unimpressed. Melody stuck her tongue out at him, determined not to let him rain on her parade, then carefully got to her feet. She sighed in relief as she stretched, trying to alleviate some of the stiffness in her joints from sitting on the wooden surface for multiple hours. Her grandfather rolled his eyes and shook his head at her childish behavior. "Don't get too pleased with yourself; this still took you nearly four hours. Training with flowers should give you better control, but trying to drain anything larger than a small cat will probably still make you pass out. Not to mention, you can't even hold the Veil for more than ten seconds at a time. You've got a long way to go."
"But I'm already doing better than I was yesterday. Any progress is great progress when it comes to this," Melody shot back enthusiastically, earning a scowl in response. Although, his sour attitude did little to dampen her spirits. Compared to her first few weeks at the Kristenson house, she was making progress in leaps and bounds with both her Quirk and, shockingly, her grandfather.
Granted, she couldn't go as far as to say the old man liked her, but ever since his identity as the Reaper had come out, he hadn't been nearly as antagonistic towards her. He'd actually gone out of his way to find a training method that worked for her. Whether out of loyalty to his family or just to get her and her dad out of his house sooner, Frank's rationale was just as big a mystery as it always seemed to be.
Speaking of the old man, Melody watched curiously as he pulled out his cell phone and grimaced. "What is it?"
"Getting late. I'm going back to the house. We've made enough progress today, and your grandmother wanted you back early," he replied before turning and stalking out of the clearing without another word. Melody huffed and, despite the exhaustion starting to seep into her bones, she leapt off the treehouse and ran to catch up with him.
"Why's Grammy want me back early?" Frank shot her an exasperated look – as he had every time she'd called her grandmother 'Grammy' since she'd first decided on the nickname – and let out a sigh.
"Wants your help with cooking. She's decided to go all out this year. There'll be enough leftovers to feed all the homeless in Portland." Melody frowned bemusedly for a moment before the date struck her and her jaw dropped.
"It's Thanksgiving! I didn't even realize," she said, just loud enough to make Frank flinch. 'Usually, it's just Dad and me on Thanksgiving. Stupid Nathan and his family always go to Sweden on break, so they're never around.' A small smile graced her lips, and she stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, a new pep in her step. 'My first holiday with family,' the thought sent a rush of emotions through her. Her smile widened and she had to restrain herself from cheering aloud. 'At least this year I don't have to think too hard about what I'm thankful for.'
"Oh yeah, I suppose the dates do align this year," Frank said offhandedly, which put a momentary halt on her jubilation.
"Wait, what are you talking about? What else could she be going all out for?" She inquired, her brow furrowed. Frank's face twitched before he wiped any expression from it, and when he spoke, he kept his eyes forward, pointedly not looking back at her.
"November twenty-second is your mother's birthday." As soon as the words left his mouth, Melody froze in her tracks and stared at her grandfather in shock. Hearing the abrupt stop to her footsteps, Frank paused and glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes widening slightly before glazing over with irritation. "He never told you? Even that?" She knew the question was purely rhetorical, but Melody still felt the need to nod, more to herself than her grandfather. He let out a sharp guffaw and turned back around to continue his trek. "I'm beginning to wonder if that idiot even knows what honesty is."
"So am I," Melody whispered, her teeth digging against the inside of her cheek.
Purpose of a Hero
The moment she walked into the house, Melody was assaulted by a myriad of scents that made her mouth water. Once she recovered, her eyes widened at the chaotic scene playing out before her. Miles and Kate stood at the far counter, both brandishing knives as they flung potato skins at one another. Sawyer, sitting at the breakfast nook, laughed at their antics and occasionally joined in, throwing a cracker or square of cheese from a tray that had been set out. Linda stood at the oven, preparing two large turkeys while occasionally sending weary glares at daughter and son-in-law. Seemingly disturbed by the sight, Frank scowled and walked straight towards the living room, shaking his head as he went. "Fucking madhouse."
"Ah! There you two are. Frank, watch your mouth!" Linda said, though, by his grumbling, her husband didn't seem to pay her any heed. The elderly woman frowned at his back as he strode away, but quickly turned on Melody with a bright smile. "You look exhausted, pumpkin. I'm guessing the new training is still wearing you out?"
"Yeah, much more tiring than any training I ever did for my Wraith. But I managed to get through the full dozen today, so we're getting there," Melody said, accepting a side hug from the older woman. Linda nodded and pushed her gently towards the cheese tray.
"You must be starving. Dinner will be ready soon, have a snack in the meantime," she said, her tone leaving Melody no room to argue. Melody picked up a square of cheddar and smiled at the warmth of her newfound sense of belonging spreading throughout her body. Miles set down his paring knife and ducked another scrap of potato skin from his wife, then strolled over and grabbed a cracker from the tray.
"You seem to be dealing with it well enough," he began, his red eyes looking her over appraisingly. "I usually hear a lot more complaining from the new recruits as they go through Sergeant Harris' boot camp," he said, casually leaning against the counter where Sawyer sat. He saluted her with the cracker before popping it into his mouth.
"It's not easy, but it's a lot better than what Frank was trying to have me do," she replied, lowering her voice and glancing at the doorway to the living room.
Miles chuckled. "I don't doubt it. He's much more intimidating than most of the drill instructors I've seen. Kate's stories of training with him as a kid are enough to scare the pants off half my men."
"Was he more, or less cranky back then," Melody quips. Across the kitchen, Kate snorts and looks over her shoulder at the pair of them.
"Moose, you don't know the half of it. I still have nightmares of the old man in his prime," she said, shivering despite the warmth in the room. Melody barked out a laugh while Miles smiled at her antics. Once Kate turned back around, her uncle turned back to her.
"You're picking up Linda's training very quickly, too. By the time you head back to school, your poor classmates won't know what hit them. Hell, you might even be able to give me a run for my money."
"I doubt that," Melody replied. Though, there was some truth to his words; She had been picking up her new training fairly quickly. So far the training had been focused almost entirely on fighting people larger than her. She'd learned common weak spots (though Kate made sure to stress that they weren't always a guarantee thanks to mutation-type Quirks), takedowns, grapples, and all sorts of ways to use her Wraith as well as Partial Phasing forms to incapacitate anyone she came up against.
They'd taken her already existing skill set learned from her dad, Nathan, Narruk, and her teachers and built upon it. It had been an exhaustive process and she still had so much to do and learn before she was confident she was ready enough to go back to school.
'Not to mention that if all else fails, you could always just suck the life out of them until they drop.' She quickly shook away that particular thought. Even with all the progress she'd made with her control over it, Life Drain's powers scared her more than she'd like to admit. She must not have been keeping up her facade as well as she'd thought, because Miles patted her on the shoulder reassuringly and gave her a nod before returning to the cutting board to throw a piece of cheese at his wife. Meanwhile, Linda had gone back to the turkey, seemingly trying to ignore her 'adult' children's antics.
Intent on waiting for her grandmother's marching orders as well as needing a rest after a taxing day, Melody hopped up to sit on the counter. With the weight finally off her feet, she relaxed and grinned at Sawyer, who had begun waving frantically when he noticed her presence. "Hey, little man. Having fun making trouble?"
"No!" He said so convincingly that Melody may have believed him… if it weren't for the cheese and crackers that scattered the kitchen floor between his chair and his parents. 'God, he's like a little Nathan. A truly terrifying thought.' Sawyer laughed as she grabbed a square of cheese that had somehow landed on the counter behind him, winked, and popped it into her mouth. "So tell me, how did Crusader fare against Oddball?" She asked.
Just like that Sawyer launched into an animated babbling story about his action figures' battles, the cheese and cracker tray completely forgotten about. While he didn't turn around, Melody saw Miles give her a thumbs up, making her grin. 'About as easy to distract as Nathan too.
"Melly! Take me out to the 'tramp'?" Melody had to hold back from instinctively correcting his language. She'd learned over the past week that 'tramp' was Sawyer-speak for the large trampoline that sat around the back of the house. It had become very commonplace for her cousin to beg her to take him jumping.
"Sorry, Soy Sauce. Grammy wanted me to help her make dinner," she said apologetically, smiling as Sawyer's face scrunched up in disgust at the nickname (she'd decided on it after Kate told her a story about her little cousin getting a hold of a bottle, thinking it was soda). Before Sawyer could protest, Linda reached over and squeezed his cheek, much to his chagrin.
"Oh, go ahead. It's just the turkey and mashing the potatoes left. That is, if your very mature aunt and uncle can keep from making a mess of my kitchen for the next few minutes." Kate, seemingly unconcerned with the older woman's admonishing tone, just turned and stuck her tongue out childishly. Linda shot Melody a commiserating look then waved her hand toward the back door. "Go have fun. I'll call you when supper is ready."
"Looks like she talked me into it. I'm just watching though, too tired for jumping. Come on, little dude," Melody said, smiling at her cousin and hopping off the counter. Sawyer let out a victory cry, jumped down from his own seat, and proceeded to sprint right through the back door, earning a half-hearted 'hey!' from his mother. Melody laughed and waved at the kitchen's occupants before following him, making sure to use the door normally (though there wasn't much of an alternative; her Wraith had become a bit challenging to summon after long periods of using Life Drain).
She isn't sure who was more surprised as she stepped out onto the deck, her or Carlyle. However, she quickly schooled her expression and moved to sit on the porch swing (conveniently as far away as she can get from her father's spot, standing at the railing), waving at an already jumping Sawyer. No words were said, but Melody could tell by how much her old man had stiffened that he still was wary of being in her presence.
Ever since her revelation the previous week, Melody had noticed her father avoiding her, almost always making sure they were never left alone in the same room. If she were being honest, that hadn't bothered her as much as she thought it would. Even if she was under the influence of Frank's Quirk at that moment (which she genuinely doubted she was), every day, she learned something new that made her more and more furious with Carlyle. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she was this angry with her old man.
It was infuriating to think that she'd learned more about her mother in this short a time than she ever had (or would have, she presumed) if her Quirk had never awakened. Not only had Carlyle kept her family from her, but she was starting to suspect he'd been keeping Harmony from her as well. Never once in fourteen years had she stumbled across even a clip of her mother when she was younger, yet Linda had nearly three dozen tapes with interviews, press conferences, and even live footage of some of her fights. Only once had she managed to get in touch with her friends from school before her phone 'mysteriously' went on the fritz.
Since her blow-up, and for the first time in her life, Melody found herself no longer trusting her father.
"Your training seems to be going well," Carlyle said suddenly. Melody's head whipped over towards him, her eyes wide in shock. His tone was careful, conversational, but nevertheless, it made her blood boil. It took every bit of her self-control to not scream in his face. Instead, she took a page out of Frank's book and wiped her face clean of any emotion.
"It is. Frank thinks I'll be well enough to go back to school soon if my progress keeps up," she said nonchalantly. Carlyle nodded and fell silent, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Melody bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. 'Really? That's all you had to say? We haven't spoken in a week and all you can do is talk about my training?' She felt a now familiar anger building in her chest and turned around to glare through the window at her grandfather, though he paid her no mind, his eyes focused on the living room television.
Oblivious to the tension on the porch, Sawyer called out Melody's name and waved merrily at her while he jumped. A fake smile slid over her expression and she waved back, her sudden movement making Carlyle glance back at her with dull eyes. Though he looked away quickly, Melody was struck by how little she recognized the man before her. Seemingly gone was her jovial, effervescent father and Melody felt a sense of distaste for the meek, almost broken looking man that had replaced him. A large part of her wondered which version of her father was the real one, but she pushed the thought away.
It was when his eyes darted towards her and away again that her temper finally broke and she took in a deep breath. "Should I even bother asking when you were going to tell me today was mom's birthday?" She snapped. Melody had expected at least some reaction from her father, so when he barely flinched at the venom in her voice, she began to see red. "Let me guess, eleven more years?"
"Melody… I swear I was only doing what's best for you," he replied, his voice low. Melody scoffed and stood from the porch swing, walking towards the other end of the porch to put as much distance between them as possible.
"You're really still using that as an excuse?" She shot back. Carlyle flinched at her glare, before averting his gaze. That, in turn, only further fueled Melody's seething temper. "I gotta say, it's a really crappy one. There are zero situations where keeping my family from me is for my own good."
"Melody you don't underst–"
"And who's fault is that?" Melody hissed, trying to keep her voice low so that Sawyer didn't hear. Still appearing shaken, Carlyle set his jaw and persisted.
"It's what your mother would have wanted." Melody's eyes widened, and she took a step back as if struck. For a moment, a flicker of regret flashed across Carlyle's face, but it disappeared just as quickly, replaced by the resigned expression of acceptance he'd worn the past week whenever she saw him. Undeterred, Melody straightened to look as big as she could (though she still barely reached his bicep, even while he was hunched over the porch railing) and sucked in a labored breath before responding.
"Bullcrap. The woman I've learned about, the one I remember would never keep something this important from me. Mom wouldn't have kept my Quirk from me, knowing how dangerous it was," she said, her voice rising above a whisper. The careful control she'd kept on her temper disappeared in a heartbeat, and she grabbed her father's shoulder, using all her might to turn him to face her. She poked him hard in the chest and glared up at him. "She never would have kept my family from me."
"You don't understand, Melody," her father insisted, his voice a bit more forceful than before. While he kept his distance, he leaned down slightly and looked her directly in the eye. "You have no idea what she went through to keep us – to keep you safe. As shocking as your grandfather's identity is to you, many in the underworld know his past. That alone would have made you a target. Harmony herself had many enemies from her career, people who would love nothing more than to exact revenge on you simply for your bloodline. Axel and I agreed after her death to keep you isolated so that you could live a normal childhood."
"Normal kids don't almost kill their friends," Melody muttered, but then her brow creased, and she frowned. "Nathan's dad? He was a part of this?"
"He felt a responsibility to help us," Carlyle answered vaguely, which only further annoyed Melody. However, all her annoyance and anger receded slightly as a horrifying thought sprang to the front of her mind.
"So even Nathan and I being friends… was just you manipulating my life? Does he know about this?" She asked, her voice hesitant. 'That's stupid and impossible. Nathan's too big of an idiot to keep a secret like that for this long,' she assured herself, though just the thought sent a chill down her spine.
"No. Nathan is just as unaware as you. The two of you were friends long before your mother's death." Melody could barely hold in her sign of relief. Nathan had been her one and only friend – she was beginning to think at least that was intentional – as far back as she could remember. The thought of him being just another of her father's lies made her chest ache. Seeing the turmoil clear on her face, Carlyle reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, and was surprised when she stiffened under his touch. "Melody… you've lived such a sheltered life; you have been deceived and hurt, all because of me. For that, I'm sorry. But I will not apologize for keeping you safe. That has always been my, and your mother's, single goal."
For a long while, Melody was silent, her eyes fixed on the bare trees separating the yard from the road. Finally, she scowled and shrugged off her father's hand before smacking the porch railing several times with her palm out of frustration. Her voice came out frantically when she spoke as if struggling to form the words fast enough. "You've lied to me… my entire life. Every earth-shattering discovery I've made about myself over the past few weeks, all the stress and sleepless nights could have been so easily avoided if you had just told me the truth! You keep saying it's for my own good or it's to keep me safe, but I just… can't believe that. You're still keeping stuff from me, don't think I can't tell. I don't know how I can believe a single word you say anymore. All you've shown me since the festival is that I can't trust you! I–"
"You're exactly right. There is so much I haven't told you and nothing I will right now. You're still just a child, Melody. The time isn't right for you to know," Carlyle interrupted, his expression stony. Melody looked at him in bewilderment and shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Sawyer looking at the two of them worriedly from the trampoline. When she glanced back at her father, he stood watching her intently, waiting for her reaction. In the back of her mind she noticed the acceptance written across his face and realized he already knew.
"I hope the lies are worth it." There was no disguising the venom in her voice as she fled into the house, not even bothering to open the door this time, and up the stairs to her mother's room. As she threw herself onto the bed, she failed to notice the sound of her father's beat-up SUV starting as well as the sound of tires on the gravel driveway. Though no tears came, Melody couldn't remember a time she'd been this miserable.
Purpose of a Hero
Dinner was a quiet affair. Frank took his place at the head of the table and didn't say a word as he carved into the massive turkey Linda had prepared. Kate's expression was guarded; gone were the devious smirk and twinkle of mischief in her eye. Miles sat at his wife's side, his hand sat atop hers, his fingers moving in small, soothing circles. Even little Sawyer seemed to sense the gravity of the affair, considering he had yet to throw even a single piece of his dinner. Melody smiled as she accepted the large bowl of mashed potatoes from her grandmother and ladled herself a large serving (ever since she'd begun working on Life Drain, her appetite had increased exponentially) before passing it across the table to her uncle.
It was unlike any family event she'd had growing up. Even when it was only ever her and Carlyle on Thanksgiving, they usually sat in the kitchen of the pizzeria, gorging themselves on whatever her father felt like cooking that day. He'd wheel in the large flatscreen on a cart that he set up for private parties and turn on a football game. Melody had no love for the sport but had never had the heart to change it when her father got so into the games.
Speaking of her father, Melody was glad that, while his absence was no doubt noticed, it wasn't brought up – not even a snarky remark from Frank, who, as a whole, seemed relatively subdued. She'd noticed his car was gone and that feeling of betrayal had come back, though she quickly squashed it down.
After she'd eaten her fill, Melody sank back into her chair and sighed contently, eliciting a chuckle from Linda beside her. "You better have saved some room, pumpkin. We still have cake and pudding."
"Harmony's favorite part of the whole day," Kate said with a half-hearted roll of her eyes. It was the first thing she'd said all meal, and there was a twinge of sadness in her voice. Melody watched, enchanted, as her grandmother retrieved a small, blue and red cake from the refrigerator and set it in the center of the table. While Melody read the "happy birthday" message scrawled in white icing, Linda placed a wine glass next to her empty plate. She raised an eyebrow before noticing the substance inside wasn't a liquid. The glass was filled with what appeared to be yellow-colored pudding.
"Your mother and aunt always used my good china to be 'fancy', so eventually, I just let them use my old wine glasses when they made pudding," Linda explained, having caught her quizzical look. Melody stared at the glass skeptically before taking a small scoop onto her spoon. She took a bite, and her eyes widened at the sweet taste, all while Kate gave her a knowing look.
"Banana cream pudding. Harmony's biggest weakness turns out to be genetic. You're screwed if anyone finds out, Moose." Melody rolled her eyes but couldn't help taking a generous second bite. Linda patted her shoulder before sinking back into her seat.
"I can show you how to make it next time you come up," she said kindly. Melody's heart soared at the thought, which also confused her. 'Why am I so giddy about this? It was stupid to think this visit would be a one-time thing. Heck, Kate and Miles live in Queens; I can visit them whenever I want! Have I really been that starved for familial connections?'
Her train of thought was derailed – which she certainly wouldn't complain about in this instance – when Sawyer launched into an endearing, but horribly off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday", which was quickly picked up by his parents and Linda. Although Frank didn't seem interested in adding his voice to the mix, his expression was surprisingly content as he watched. Melody hesitated slightly, but with an encouraging pat on the back from her grandmother, she quickly joined in. By the end of the song – Kate had taken to singing a much longer version than the rest of them, filled with expletives that Melody forced herself not to correct –, Melody's cheeks hurt from smiling.
Purpose of a Hero
The rest of the evening was spent in the living room playing board games while various movies played out on the television in the background. Pushing away her fatigue, from both her training earlier that day and the argument with her father, Melody spent the next few hours laughing and smiling more than she had in years, so much so that by the time Sawyer (and by extension Kate and Miles) went up to bed, her euphoria outweighed her exhaustion.
Frank was the next to go, silently rising from his recliner and stalking up the stairs without saying so much as a word, and Linda followed not long after, kissing Melody on her forehead and disappearing as well. Finally alone, Melody got up from her seat on the ground and pulled out the now-familiar cardboard box, holding a collection of DVD cases. As she had done every night over the past two weeks, she grabbed one she hadn't yet watched and put it into the disc player. She flopped down onto the leather couch and stretched out, then pressed the play button on the remote.
As always, the sight of her mother on the screen took her breath away. Clad in her Hero costume, sans the cowl and goggles, Harmony sat in a posh red chair across from another woman, who Melody didn't recognize. Based on the unfamiliar woman's opening speech, it seemed to be some sort of talk show. Melody smiles as she drank in the sight of her mother, noticing that she looked a fair bit older than she had in previous recordings. In the quiet of the house, Melody could hear her own heartbeat. Then, her mother was introduced and began to speak, making Melody grin.
"Tonight we have a very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, the Crying Hero: Teardrop!" Melody chuckled as her mother very obviously preened at the ovation she received. She'd been surprised by just how natural her mother seemed in front of a camera or audience; she would never have expected that based on what little she knew. She relaxed and listened as her mother and the host bantered back and forth for several minutes.
They spoke about other heroes (her mother brought the audience to hysterics with a story about Oddball's Quirk capturing not only the Villain he'd been chasing, but everyone else on the street as well in bright orange nylon ropes), recent arrests, as well as the upcoming Popularity Index Update, in which her mother was almost guaranteed to move up to the third spot. It wasn't until five minutes into the segment that the host leaned forward and took on a more serious inflection. "Now Teardrop… recently you've been embroiled in a wee bit of controversy in the Hero world."
"That's fairly normal at this point, wouldn't you say?" Harmony replied slyly, getting a laugh out of the audience. The host chuckled as well, but Melody could tell it was fake, and from the slight twitch in her brow, Harmony could too. "I'll admit I have faced some rather severe pushback from some corners of the community for the Villain Conversion Act. However, their alternatives are rarely coherent."
"You must admit, it seems a bit odd, no? I mean, as a Hero, you go from fighting against Villains on the streets to fighting for them in court. Quite a paradox, wouldn't you say?" The host's voice was feigned neutral, but Melody could hear the undertone of distaste.
"Not at all. A Hero's purpose isn't just to fight bad guys. Our true purpose is helping people, and that includes those society deems to be Villains. Further, our jobs should not end when a 'Villain' is locked in handcuffs. We should be doing more to help rehabilitate these people instead of just locking them up and throwing away the key," Harmony rebutted. The host's faux-smile, which had faltered slightly when Harmony used air quotes around the term 'Villain', looked almost threatening as she glared at her guest.
"Well, I know quite a few people who would sleep soundly at night if we had fewer super-powered criminals running around free. What you and your colleagues are proposing seems… reckless." Harmony's expression hardened, and she leaned forward in her chair. Melody didn't even realize she'd gotten up from the couch until she had to take a step back as she'd gotten too close to the television. 'I've never seen mom so mad in one of these. She's about to go nuclear on this woman.'
"And I'm sure I know even more people who are disgusted that we throw away human lives so easily. There are very few cases where a person can be considered irredeemable. If they are willing to work and change for their second chance, then why shouldn't we empower that choice instead of kicking them back into the dirt?" Her mother said, her voice was spellbinding, and it was clearly affecting the audience, which had gone completely silent. 'I know that voice. That's her "Melody, you better get your butt to bed before I have to come in there" voice,' Melody thought with a smile. Even the host seemed lost for words, probably not expecting her guest to come at her so aggressively. Harmony clearly recognized this and pounced on her hesitation.
"It's not like we're talking about hardened serial killers. Most people in the United States that are charged as 'Villains' are nothing more than pre-Quick petty thieves, or at the high end, muggers. Our laws regarding crimes committed using Quirks are archaic at best. Maybe in the dawn of the Quirk Age, they would have had a justification, but in modern times there is no excuse. Our infrastructure, economy, and culture has shifted with the times, so why is our judicial system still frozen three hundred years in the past? This act is designed to save lives, give people a second chance."
The host's smile was gone now, replaced by pursed lips and a red face. With the audience still stunned into silence, she snapped her neck towards someone off-camera, appeared to mouth the word "commercial", and the screen went dark for a brief second. When it came back, the host was still noticeably upset, but appeared determined to go on with the show. Harmony, on the other hand, sat with a light smile and one leg crossed over the other, as if she hadn't just been ripping into the host.
When the host first opened her mouth to speak, she was cut off by a coughing fit from Harmony, wherein one of the coughs sounded suspiciously like 'coward'. The host faltered before plastering their fake smile back on. "And we are back. Thank you as always, to our generous commercial sponsors. Now.. Teardrop. On a more personal note, the entire country has been dying to know about your recent comeback from a year-long hiatus from Hero work. How does it feel to be back?"
"Just because I haven't been on active duty, doesn't mean I haven't been fighting the good fight. For example, the past few months, I have been hard at work helping a few friends of mine draft the Villain Conversion Act–"
"A Hero's work is never done," the host interrupted, though judging by Harmony's smug smile, she wasn't too miffed by it. The host shot her a not-so-subtle glare before grabbing a small folder from the desk in front of her. As she watched her open and begin skimming it, Melody's jaw clenched as she saw the woman's expression change from annoyed to something akin to gleeful. "Now, speaking of your absence, a very good friend of mine, let me in on a little secret. Would you like to hear?" Harmony's smile disappeared and was replaced by a completely neutral look – one so similar to Frank's signature that it unnerved Melody. "How have the first few months of motherhood gone?"
"We're done here," Harmony replied simply, standing from her seat and moving swiftly off stage. The recording ended quickly after that, sending the living room into complete darkness. For a while, Melody just stared at the screen in bemusement. 'Well… that explains why the world knew she had a kid. It's weird; the rest of these were recorded so long before I was a thing. I guess it's good to know I didn't change her too much. Even while raising an infant, she still fought for other people.' Melody smiled as she, in the dim light, ejected the disc and put it back into its case. She'd begun picking through the others when she was caught off guard by a yawn.
"Ugh, why do I do this to myself?" She groaned, glancing at the clock. It had already rolled over to the next day. 'Man, I've gotta get up at five too. This training is so annoying!' She trudged up the stairs as quietly as she could and winced when her mother's door creaked as it opened. She didn't bother turning on the light, instead stumbling in the dark until her knee hit the bed, which she promptly collapsed into. After taking a moment to get herself situated, she turned over and smiled at the picture of her mother and her group of friends. She'd moved it to her bedside as soon as she replaced the frame and had served as a grounding mechanism when she inevitably woke up from her night terrors. Even when she closed her eyes, the feeling of euphoria that had been building since dinner still wouldn't fade.
She drifted off, thinking of her mother's passionate words from the interview, and, for the first time since the Yonkers clean-up, she slept through the night without a single nightmare.
Purpose of a Hero
Hello there. It is I, the author. I have finally authored this chapter after much struggle.
I hope y'all enjoyed the ending of Melody's solo-arc, this chapter evolved far past my original plans for it. I won't lie and say it was a huge factor in why this chapter took so long because in reality… Pokemon Scarlet and Violet came out… and I got promoted at work so more responsibilities.
We've got two in-between chapters before the next arc (The Child of Sound Arc) will officially begin. However, this is probably the last we'll see of Melody for about 10 chapters, so I hope this arc focusing on her wasn't too awful.
This is easily one of the longest chapters I've personally written for PoaH (Thalio's chapters don't count) and it could have easily been 500-600 words more if I kept certain scenes near the beginning. However, I didn't think they were necessary, so they got cut.
Anyway, that's all from me. Hope y'all enjoyed!
NEXT TIME ON THE PURPOSE OF A HERO:
Chapter 58: Lyon's Plan