Demon and a bird(Astra)

[Ghostrider]

It was close to 6 in the morning. The sun was just beginning to peak over the buildings of a groggy San Francisco. Melody had been out on patrol all night and taken care of a couple muggings and one attempted burglary. Now there was a common site in the bay. People still looked on in wonder as they drank their morning coffee. A fireball flying across the water towards Titan Tower on what was once Alcatraz. The fireball was Ghostrider, also known as Melody. Sure they had boats and subs to get across but this was her preferred way to get across. Especially when she could go close to 100MPH on her horse Shadow. Soon she reached the sheer cliffs and the horse began to run up the side, leaving scorched hoof prints joining hundreds of other similar prints on the cliffside. Soon she reached the top and slowed to a trot, looking around.

"Am I the first one back?"

She asked, her voice deep and raspy yet still feminine sounding due to the transformation.

[Astra]

Astra sat silently on the observation balcony, running a preening comb through her feathers. She smiled softly as she stroked the clean feathers. She looked down at the comb in her hand and stroked the bejeweled surface. The comb set had been given to her by Lilandra for her 10th birthday and were her most precious possession. She set the comb in her feathers, hiding it from view close to her heart. Lifting her head, she watched a familiar fireball race across the water and she smiled, standing and starting downstairs to debrief Melody. She watched Melody come back inside and nodded at her question.

"Yes, the others are still out on patrol or asleep. Did you come across anything interesting?"

She was tempted to scan Melody's mind, but she reminded herself that scanning without permission was no way to lead. It wasn't a common problem for her to have to restrain herself, but she did find she was tempted quite often and had to remind herself: Thoughts aren't naturally broadcast for a very good reason. So she smiled to Melody and waited for her report.

[Ghostrider]

She jumped down and patted Shadow who turned back into a normal horse and trotted off before disappearing into the shadows. She went back to her normal form, shrinking a bit and once again filling out her clothes. She stretched a bit before removing her hat and running her fingers through her hair.

"Eh, not a lot. A couple muggings and attempted burglary, the basics."

She said with a shrug before putting her hat back on her head. She'd always like Astra, but then again it could be because she was one of the few she felt comfortable around. It always took her awhile for that to happen but when it did it was pretty impressive for her. She was making headway and was now even considering Selena a friend. Of course she might think otherwise if she really knew who and what Selena was.

"Have you been up there the whole time?"

She asked nodding her head to the observation deck. It was common knowledge that Astra spent a good deal of time there, probably a bird thing.

[Astra]

Astra smiled and nodded at the very short report. But she knew she needn't press for more. She trusted Melody to take care of everything she came across. She watched Shadow trot off into the shadows and she smiled a little at that thought. Looking over at Melody, she was glad the two of them were getting so close. Astra tried to be as open to the others as she could, make sure they all understood that Astra wanted them to be as comfortable as possible in the team.

"Good. Even the little things help the people trust us. It may not always be exciting, but it's necessary."

She started walking in with Melody and smiled a little at the question about the observation deck, glancing upstairs as though she could see it from there. It was true she did like being close to the stars, but it wasn't for the reason that passed through Melody's mind. She liked being close to the stars because it helped her feel closer to her mother. She shook her head in response and looked over at Melody.

"I did actually go to some other rooms for a while. I spoke to my mother."

She smiled as she mentioned her mother. Communications with her mother were few and far between so every time she talked to her mother, it was a special day for the leader of the Titans.

[Ghostrider]

"Yeah, I know. Although sometimes I'd wish we get something more exciting like we'd heard about back in the day. It seemed like villains were everywhere and always trying to take over something. Now, we don't get much in the way of villains. Well, unless you're Nightwing for some reason."

She said with a shrug. It seemed like JJ was always fighting super villains and what not. However Melody knew it wasn't all cream of the crop stuff. No doubt he did dirty work as well when necessary.

"Oh, cool. How's she doing?"

She asked with a smile. She knew how much Astra liked getting to talk to her mother so she was actually happy for her. Although Melody knew Astra was a princess or something so she would need to have to keep in touch.

[Astra]

She nodded as Melody mentioned more exciting things and bigger villains. She smiled a little and looked over at her fellow Titan.

"I know it may not be exciting these days, but it means we're doing good. All we can do is stay vigilant. You never know when a super villain might try to catch us off guard. We have to continue to make our presence known."

When Melody asked about her mother, she smiled and looked over at her friend.

"She's wonderful. She was mostly calling to check up on my progress on my lessons. But we did have a great talk. It seems she has a new suitor."

She grinned a little as she gossiped about her mother.

"If all goes well, I just might have a second father."

[Ghostrider]

"I don't know Astra. I mean I've been hearing rumors about certain people recruiting. I've been hearing names like Blackfire, Metal Mouth, Pandora and Prince Sha'do all looking to make an army for themselves. So maybe that's why they haven't been around that much."

She said shaking her head. Sure she knew the word of criminals was to be taken with a grain of salt. However when they're staring at Ghostrider trying to not get the Penance Stare they sing like a canary.

"Another father, and you're ok with that?"

She asked with a raised eyebrow. Sure she never knew her father, just of him vaguely. But as far as she was concerned he was her only father, even if he probably was in hell being tortured. But she'd do her damndest to get down there and free him if she ever got the chance.

[Astra]

Astra frowned a little as Melody started talking about rumors, recruiting, and several new enemies that were following in the footsteps of their parents. She had known about several of these people for a while, but there were a couple names she didn't recognize. She filed those names into her memory to research them later.

"We will deal with them when we can. But for now we have to keep our eyes and ears open. Follow up on some of those rumors if you can. We can never have too much information."

As Melody asked about her new father, she grinned a little and nodded.

"I'm very ok with it. Especially if he makes mother happy. She was near depression when I left home and her communications since were the best way to make her happy. But when she called me today, she was already grinning from ear to ear. I haven't seen her like that since I was a child. She couldn't wait to tell me about him."

[Ghostrider]

"I have been. People are scared of Ghostrider. Especially when riding a horse that snorts fire."

She said with a slight laugh. As they walked Melody grabbed a fiddle that had been laying around. All the Titans were aware of Melody's odd mutant ability with instruments and as such she left instruments all over the tower and the grounds. She began to play slowly, but still carry on the conversation.

"Umm, let's see. Blackfire is the only one people won't really talk about. Must have some links. And Sha'do is rather confusing. He seems to disappear a lot only to reappear. Apparently he attacked one of New X the other day."

She said with a shrug before resuming her song. Of course Melody was cautious and kept an eye out for anyone who may have a tie to them. Of course a lot of them used fear and refused to talk.

"Others are calling Metal Mouth the new Joker, however Pandora is allegedly Joker's kid with Harley Quinn. So if they both do come forward we can use that to our advantage and get them to fight each other."

She said, more or less just throwing ideas out there. Of course if she didn't know Astra she wouldn't have said even 2/3 of what she'd just said. She smiled a bit at Astra's mention of her mother and nodded her head.

"Yeah, my mom never tried to settle down, she was always so busy. Although I don't think she knew who my father really was either."

[Astra]

Astra nodded a little at the comment on Ghostrider. She could understand why she was getting so little information, but they had to do anything they could to get information on their enemies.

"Keep trying. You never know when we'll get lucky."

As Melody picked up the fiddle, Astra smiled. She loved it whenever Melody picked up an instrument. The music she made was wonderful. She listened for the music for a little bit before Melody continued about Blackfire and Sha'do. She thought for a few moments as she started ruminating over the idea. Then she mentioned Metal Mouth and Pandora. There were a lot of people popping up these days. She would have to start doing intensive searches on these people. When Melody mentioned her mom, Astra nodded a little.

"I haven't spoken much to my father. I got to know him when I came to Earth. But I just couldn't stay with the Xmen. I'm not suited for life in a school setting. Even if I'm not a student or a teacher. This place is much more comfortable for me."

She looked over at Melody and smiled to her friend. Then as they walked by a guitar stand, Astra picked it up and started strumming lightly with her claws. She had learned an instrument similar to a guitar growing up, so it was easy for her to play the guitar and make a beautiful harmony with Melody's fiddle.

[Ghostrider]

"I know what ya mean. I mean sure I of course went to Xavier's like most mutants did when I was younger. Sure I liked it but it didn't seem right having Ghostrider be a member of New X, no matter how much Headmaster Victor begged and pleaded."

She said with a shrug. She remember the day she told him she was leaving. He wasn't happy but she does still go back from time to time. It does help that Xavier's and Titan Tower are in the same city. She listened to Astra as she played along with Melody.

"I just get the feeling a lot of these villains are going to be teaming up. I mean that's what they did constantly when our parents were still around. It seemed like they teamed up every other week."

She said shaking her head.

[Astra]

She smiled a little as Melody expressed her feelings on the Xmen. She could understand her friend's reason for not staying and completely respected her choice. After all, there was certainly no shortage of mutants in the world. The Xmen would always have more recruits.

"I'm glad you came to the Titans. It's nice having someone as outlandish as I am on the team."

She grinned and nudged Melody a little with her elbow to make sure her friend knew it was a joke. As Melody commented on the villains teaming up, she thought for a few moments and sighed a bit, looking over at her.

"It's something we'll have to stay alert for. That's all we can do for now. We'll approach the situation when it arises."

She looked over at Melody and smiled softly, reaching over and touching her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll be alright."

[Ghostrider]

Melody laughed a bit as she played and shook her head.

"Please. When I transform you're normal in comparison. I mean I'm a flaming skeleton wearing stereotypical cowboy clothes riding what looks like a zombie horse."

A whinny could be heard from a behind them.

"No offense Shadow, now go rest."

She said with a shake of her head. She continued playing the soft and almost haunting song as the two of them walked, passing other instruments Melody left laying around.

"I know, I know. But it's also something we should try and be prepared for if we can. I mean just ignoring it and hoping for the best isn't the wisest decision, in my opinion."

[Astra]

Astra laughed at Melody's comparison and smiled as she looked over at Shadow, smiling to the horse. She was rather fond of Shadow and was glad the Ghost duo were here. She continued walking, strumming on the guitar softly with her claws as she hummed softly, listening to the soft clip clop of Shadow's hooves as the horse returned to the stable Astra had personally built. She was proud of that stable, she had studied stable designs for a few weeks before starting on it, grabbing ideas from architects now and then. Before long, Shadow had a wonderful warm stable that dispensed food every time a rope was pulled and automatically kept the water trough clean.

Then as they walked, Melody made the mistake of accusing Astra of ignoring threats. Her strumming ended in a discordant thwang and she turned on her friend, gripping the neck of the guitar so tightly the wood creaked audibly.

"Don't you dare say I'm ignoring them. I never ignore threats and you know that, Melody."

She tossed the guitar aside and turned, walking down the hall as her feathers bristled angrily. She hated being accused of ignoring anything. She didn't want to be like her mother, ignoring things that were obviously happening around her.

[Ghostrider]

Melody backed up a bit as she obviously, and unintentionally hit a nerve with Astra. But Melody knew she had to stay strong and stick to what she believed. And she believed Astra was just ignoring them.

"Relax Astra."

She said chasing after her.

"And telling us just to keep our eyes open is basically the same thing. We need to go out and gather intel on these new villains at the very least so we're ready. I mean it's pretty obvious they're planning something. What that is I have no idea. But I don't like waiting for them to make a move when you and I both have the means to get the information ourselves."