Test scene: Ultra Boy

[pretty_in_orange]

Monstress stepped into the kitchen, wrapped in a purple silk robe with a floral pattern. Her usually-immaculate hair was slightly mussed; she hadn't yet gone through her usual morning beauty routine.

She yawned, stretched slightly, and moved towards the cooler. They had an autochef, of course, but she was more interested in preparing her own breakfast this morning.

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[superpowered_teen_solo]

Jo stumbled into the kitchen, eyes mostly shut. He cursed under his breath as he misjudged his distance from the door frame and softly banged his shoulder.
Hearing movement in the kitchen, he refused to look around or indeed anywhere not the floor, but deciding to be polite offered a slightly groggy "Hello?" The tone was confused but also hopeful.

[pretty_in_orange]

Candi turned, surprised, and offered a beaming smile.

"Well, hello there," she said. "Good morning! I was just making a frittata for breakfast; did you want some?"

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Careful to keep his eyes mostly closed, Jo turns his head to the friendly sounding voice and smiles.

"I would love some! I would also love the lovely lady's name, should she choose to reveal it to this lowly one."

[pretty_in_orange]

Candi beamed. "Well, aren't you just the sweetest? I'm Candi. Candi Pyponte-Le Parc III, or Monstress." She tossed several vegetables into the chopper, collecting them together. "So, how about your name? And any foods you prefer to avoid?"

[superpowered_teen_solo]

He gave Candi a slight bow and said "I am Jo Nah. And no, I am fine with all foods. Far as I know, at least."

Jo shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable with the question he felt forced to ask due to an incident earlier in the morning. "I don't suppose you could direct me to a place to sit?"

[pretty_in_orange]

"Can't see?" She moved towards him and held out a massive orange hand. "I'll guide you to a seat."

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Taking the offered hand, Jo smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I am afraid at the moment I don't trust my eyes. The last time I opened them, something...strange happened. On a *completely* unrelated matter, the quarters I was given smells of ozone."

[pretty_in_orange]

"Well, we'll need to get the Athramites to take a look at it," she noted, setting him down in a chair. "What happened when you opened your eyes, Jo?"

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Clearing his throat awkwardly Jo answered truthfully. "For obvious reasons, I didn't get a very clear look, but if I had to hazard a guess, some sort of heat blasts emanated from my eyes. I'm not sure how to turn that off or even if I can." Jo frowned thoughtfully "Though closing my eyelids almost completely seems to have stopped it. Perhaps it is related to the other powers I seem to have gained?"

[pretty_in_orange]

"I read the file last night," Candi nodded. "I heard about what happened. Sounds like you did some good work out there... and if you're developing Daxamite-like powers, that'd include heat vision." She began whisking the eggs into a bowl.

[superpowered_teen_solo]

A gentle smile appeared on Jo's face. He wasn't particularly used to freely given praise. It felt nice. "Thank you, Candi. And that makes sense." A faint, wry chuckle escaped him. "I guess I was still in a bit of a daze after everything. Seems I wasn't able to fully process everything."

Being lulled into a sense of comfort by the sounds of the whisking eggs, he started to think, muttering loud enough to be heard faintly under his breath.

[pretty_in_orange]

"So have you had a chance to test your powers yet, then?" she asked, pouring the chopped vegetables into the eggs.

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Jerking himself out of his thoughts, Jo looked up, eyes still closed and responded thoughtfully. "Not yet, no." Thinking aloud, he started drumming his fingers on the table. "To be honest, I'm not sure how to get them to work. Are they random? Seems unlikely considering recent events. Do I just think about what I want them to be? Like 'right now I wa-" CRUNCH!

Jo froze, shock throwing his eyes open as he looked at the huge dent in the table.

[pretty_in_orange]

"Whoops!" Candi clucked sympathetically. "Looks like you're not used to your strength yet." She tilted her head carefully at him, and set the food down to approach him. "You'll get used to it, I promise. I went through so many tables and chairs in my first few weeks."

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Jo chuckled nervously. "Glad to hear that. Also hoping I don't have to pay for it."

Turning to Candi he smiled and spoke "And I am truly delighted to see you properly, as the vision of beauty you are."

Returning his gaze to the table, Jo frowned "Now, I hope this impromptu test works so I don't continue to destroy things..." He focused for a moment and then drummed his fingers on another part of the table. Nothing happened. "It seems to have worked, at least partly." Jo said, smile back on his face.

[pretty_in_orange]

"Aren't you just the sweetest," Candi replied with a wink. "After breakfast, if you like, we can go down to the gym and do some tests. I can take pretty much any punishment a Daxamite can dish out." She returned to making the frittata.

"And don't worry about the table. Accidents with powers happen, especially when they're new. I should show you the bills for replacing just about everything when I was getting adjusted. Clothing, furniture, walls..."

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Jo grinned at Candi. "I would appreciate that, thanks. A controlled environment and a sturdy and beautiful dance partner would be immensely helpful!" Looking around the kitchen Jo asks "Is there anything I can do to help?"

[pretty_in_orange]

"Oh, no, dear, it's just about done. If you need more than what I'm making, I can always make another batch."

She poured the mixture into a dish, and placed the dish in the speed-cooker.

A moment later, and she removed a fruttata about the size of her head from the cooker. She pulled out a plate and served a large helping, then handed the plat to Jo.

"Is that enough, sweetie?"

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Eyes wide with surprise and delight, Jo nods enthusiastically. "This should be plenty, thank you!"

Jo digs into the fruttata joyfully but forces himself to eat slowly to enjoy the flavors and effort put into making a dish properly.

Pausing for a moment, Jo swallows and looks up at Candi "This is wonderful!"

[pretty_in_orange]

"Oh, thank you!" Candi grinned, her own serving a massive helping as she eased into a reinforced chair designed to handle her tremendous bulk. "There's something to be said for being able to make your own breakfast from time to time."

[superpowered_teen_solo]

"I couldn't agree more!"

Finishing up what was on his plate, Jo rose and grabbed another serving, significantly smaller than the last one.

"I guess I was hungrier than I thought."

[pretty_in_orange]

"No problem," Monstress smiled. "There's plenty to go around." She finished off her plate, then tossed her dish into the cleaner.

"I'll go put on a uniform while you finish up, and I'll meet you in the gym. You know where to find it, right?"

[superpowered_teen_solo]

Taking another bite of the frutatta, Jo tries to recall where the gym is. "I think so. The directions didn't seem too complicated. Just in case, is there a way I can contact you directly?"

[pretty_in_orange]

"Legion rings can work as communicators, sweetie," Candi explained. "I'll see you down there in just a few minutes."

[superpowered_teen_solo]

"Good to know! I'll join you when I am finished." Jo sent one last smile to Candi before returning his focus to breakfast. While eating, he idly started thinking about how he might best use his new power.

'It might be best to put off planning how to use this power until after I know what I can do and the extent to which I can use those powers.' Jo shook those thoughts from his head, deciding to just wing it while he had someone willing to help him learn control of his power.