Good to be back? We'll see... [open]

Meld was not having a particularly good day. Those had been occurring more often, it seemed, since the loss of her memory. The odd voice or face or image would trigger some vague recognition but whenever she tried to latch onto the intangible memory, her head would split into pain and she would lose it. She still didn't have any more idea regarding what had happened to her than when she started, although at least a few memories were starting to become more clear. The assistance of Lori, Lenna and Aura had been invaluable in even recovering the small amount that she had been able to.

To make matters even worse, she had been having nightmares almost every night. When she awoke, often drenched in a cold sweat, she could never remember what their content had been, only that it had been bad and she couldn't shake the feeling that her unconscious mind was trying to tell her something through the dreams. If only she could recall them then she might have some clue about her lost memories. Something vitally important had been lost that went beyond everyday events but there was no way to pin down what that was. She had the unshakable feeling that someone wasn't telling her something, she just had no idea who or what that something might be.

Meld's unhappy thoughts were what drove her outside the walls of Sanctuary. Walking helped her think, though she normally chose to walk the city streets at night when dealing with those who were less tolerant of visible mutants were less likely to be around. It was just one of those days in which she couldn't afford to wait the 5 or 6 hours until the sun set and she would have the opportunity to walk in peace. Hopefully, if the humans were smart, they would see the expression on her face and leave them alone, but humans were rarely known for their intelligence. Still, one could hope.

There were many things that Meld expected to see in the city, including other mutants of a more visible nature. One thing she did not expect to see, however, was what looked like a human transformer, straight out of the movies. She never would have seen the transformation occur at all except for a blink of her red tinged tail eye, aimed down an alley. At the first blink she wasn't sure what she had seen, but the second confirmed it. Someone was changing from a car to a shiny metal humanoid with eerily car-like features. Two things occurred to her in that moment. First, had the movies seen this mutant and used him as inspiration? And second, the fact that he was the only other mutant she had ever met with metallic parts. She needed to talk to him so she stood there, waiting for him to notice her.

Meld had never been one for much subtly and, in typical fashion, she didn't even attempt to hide the fact that the strange transforming mutant was interesting to her. Judging by the mutant's reaction to her, once he noticed her eyes upon him, she didn't think it was too much of a stretch to think that he might feel similarly. Although she had no idea where life may have taken him and she assumed it could be potentially far given that he could change into a car, she knew that metallic mutants weren't exactly common. For all she knew, she might be the first he had yet encountered also.

"You, my friend, are fascinating," Meld replied, taking up his own casually familiar tone of voice. Although always passively prepared for trouble, she took no offensive action against the strange mutant before her. Not only did she have no interest in actually starting a fight today and rarely had interest in starting a fight with any mutant, but it seemed rather counterproductive to attack someone who was the current target of her curiosity as well. She pointedly ignored the rude stares and mutterings from the humans around them that the two mutants were beginning to generate, while still keeping a casual eye on things with repeated blinkings of her tail eye. Humans, while often stupid and irritating, were also prone to sometimes being unpredictable so it didn't hurt to remain diligent.

"I hope you didn't mind my observing you too much. I have to admit, this is the first time I've ever seen anyone quite like you and I couldn't help but watch." She knew her staring was probably a bit on the rude side and could only hope that he would forgive her the slight social mishap.

Meld was in a bit of a weird position, having someone who admitted to finding her fascinating, or at the very least in an unusual position. Frightened or horrified were two words that often came to mind in describing the reactions people had to her, but rarely fascinated.

"Pleasure to meet you Gears. The name's Meld." Meld extended a clawed metal hand for the shaking. For once she didn't feel like she had to concentrate on making sure claws did not accidentally penetrate delicate human flesh because this mutant didn't appear to have any. Because of her lack of a sense of touch and the enhanced strength of her flesh melds, she often had to concern herself with accidtnally cutting things and people with her claws.

"I've been in the city almost a year and a half now." Meld noticed the hesitation in Gears giving his name but didn't choose to comment on it. Whatever his past, that was his business and she was certainly no one to judge another for their past actions.

Meld was relieved to not that most of the humans around the two of them had gotten bored and were beginning to return to their day to day business. The few that remained were, thankfully, of a mind not to bring up any sort of issue directly with them. While she was more than capable of dealing with any human stupid enough to attack her without provocation and had a feeling Gears could likewise take care of himself, she had no great desire, right at that moment, to have to maim kill anyone. "Would you be interested in continuing our conversation somewhere without so many curious eyes and ears?" she suggested. Just because no one had done anything stupid yet didn't mean that they would never do anything stupid.

"I suppose its about where you make your home," Meld answered. Knowing what her parents were like, she had no particular desire to return to the place she used to call home. "If you're referring to my power, I create titanium modifications or flesh melds, attach them to myself and they meld to me." She didn't go into the specific details behind the process since most tended to find it more than a little disturbing. "I guess you could say I'm an artist. So how about you? Aside from transforming, of course."

"You mean playing the radio is a part of your mutation?" For some reason that struck Meld as odd, more so then being made out of metal and being able to transform into a car. What advantage would radio playing be to someone anyway? Of course, with her own stolen mutant hand she could touch a radio (or ipod or whatever) and make it play but she didn't really like to bring up her hand, still being uncomfortable about the manner in which she had acquired it. Or rather, apparently acquired it since she didn't actually remember much of the incident except for a few brief flashes.

"You know, I've always wondered how mechanical flesh melds would work. Personally, I'm all thumbs when it comes to such things, but it does have some intriguing potential." Probably just intriguing to herself, of course, so Meld didn't elaborate too much. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are you made of? It doesn't look quite like titanium, the metal I usually work with, or any other metal I've seen for that matter." Hopefully the question wasn't seen as rude. Sometimes her curiosity just got the better of her.

"I know a coffee shop not to far from here. They're mutant friendly and the coffee is excellent." A thought suddenly occurred to Meld. Did Gears even drink coffee? Or for that matter, anything else that a human would drink?

In an odd sort of way Meld supposed that it made sense that Gears might have a radio for a voice. Or maybe not so much made sense, as didn't seem too unusual. After all, he was a metal robot man that could transform into a car, so why not have a radio for a voice? She wasn't too sure about the hip hopper part, however. It wasn't exactly her kind of music.

"I guess many mutants have parts about them that can't really be properly explained or understood," Meld stated thoughtfully. She began walking in the direction of the coffee shop, expecting Gears to follow. "For example, I don't have the slightest idea how my body animates my melds. They aren't really mechanical in any way, despite looking like that. Something inside me just brings them to life." She shrugged. While it was something she had thought about in the past, it wasn't something she dwelled on.

"Do you consume human food and drink?" So what if it was rude, Meld had always been one to speak her mind and it was a curious question that she just couldn't get out of her head.

"I think almost all mutations have their uses," Meld agreed. Of course, like most she'd met, her own mutation had its disadvantages as well. For example, as much of a bonus as it sometimes was to not be able to feel pain, it was, in the long run, more of a hassle to not feel anything at all. She did not, however, mention this fact. She had just met Gears and wasn't in the habit of sharing personal information with people she barely knew, even rather interesting people.

"So you really are more like a machine than a human." Meld nodded her head thoughtfully, wondering idly if her own fate would one day be something similar. What would happen, for example, if she were to try to replace something more vital than a limb with a metal flesh meld? Was it even possible to do? Some experiments one simply didn't try unless forced to do so.

Meld walked into Beans Express and stood in the short line up, waiting to order. Most of the patronage inside were what one would expect in any coffee shop, however the two of them weren't the only ones to stand out. In the far corner there was a man with black leathery wings and red eyes sharing a drink with a woman who had a remarkable resemblance to a fox. "Do you want anything?" Meld asked when it was their turn to order. Just because he didn't drink anymore was no reason not be be polite in offering.