Heritage

"I have no idea! She just...fell!" Lynn quickly checked her partner's pulse, pupils and breathing, then she laid her down flat and raised her feet, propping them up with a low conjured ottoman. She was so glad she finally took those first aid classes! "Her vitals are all good, so I don't really know-" The changeling stopped suddenly as she became aware of the shadows being cast on the wall by whatever was glowing up in the trunk, and her eyes narrowed as she spoke very carefully. "Sam, could you see what the f### is glowing up there? Don't touch it, though; it could be dangerous."

As she watched the girl crumble into ashes, part of Gretchen genuinely felt sad for her; she thought she was going to be pretty and live for ever, just like many kids hoped to do. But then she remembered that hungry look in her eye, and the way she called her 'it', like a piece of meat; whatever had been good and decent about her died a long time ago. So it was with renewed purpose that the young heroine turned her focus back on Mister Alec Card, the last vamp standing...sort of. She cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders before raising her left fist, the ruby on her ring glowing like an baleful eye. "Technically I don't believe in Hell. But I kind of hope this sends you somewhere close to it." kra-KOW!

Sorry, forgot I was up here. 1d20+8=26 I believe that's another hit, with a DC23 Toughness save!

"I was in a POW camp on Mars for eight months," began Lynn, who was suddenly leaning against one of the bookcases near the door; as quiet as she moved, there was no telling how long she'd been there. "And Martian months are long; fifty-five, fifty-six days." She was staring off into space, clearly a thousand miles away. "They used old copper mines, miles beneath the surface. They tried to clean all the dust out, but it still got everywhere, mostly people's lungs; lots of former POWs got lung cancer, including my husband, though it took twenty-five years to kill him." The changeling pushed herself away from the wall and sauntered over to her two employees, the fatigue of many years weighing heavy on her limbs, and she rested a hand on Sam's shoulder. "It marks you, doesn't it? It's like...scar tissue or a patch of dead grass; those months of despair and isolation that you can never get back. Nothing grows there anymore" Then she took a deep breath and shuddered, then looked sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." She lifted her hair, uncovering her pointed ears. "These things are hard to turn off, and they've got really good range." Gretchen crossed her arms and looked somewhat annoyed as she returned to folding garments. "Have you considered earplugs? Or maybe, I don't know, not hovering about like a giant-" Suddenly the young barista went limp and crumpled to the floor, like a marionette whose strings were just cut; in an instant, Lynn was upon her, cradling her head just before it smacked the floorboards. "Omigod, Gretch! What happened?!" Meanwhile, Sam could clearly see a small object glowing inside the trunk...

Gretchen stared blankly at Sam like he was wearing underwear on his head for several seconds before pointing at Samantha. "She works downstairs. You both work for Lynn in the same store. If you ever left the Temple of Al-Kazar, you might actually run into each other from time to time." She sighed, and then turned her attention to Samantha's querry. "Megan is another old school hero, like Boss Lady. I don't know how 'out' she is, so I'll leave it up to her as far as the secret identity stuff goes." Then she scowled slightly and looked toward the doorway where the unpleasant little creature would soon appear. "The kid is news to me, though..."

Lynn looked slightly uncomfortable at all the praise she was getting; there was a visible flush in her cheeks and the pointed tips of her ears. "Jeez, enough already; I feel like I'm at my own funeral!" Though she was trying to hide it, a hint of a smile danced in her eyes. Gretchen finally returned with a wooden serving tray, on which stood two bottles of Woodchuck hard cider, a carafe of ice water and two tall glasses. Behind her floated a pitcher full of what looked like homemade lemonade, clearly supported by her telekinesis. "That took longer than I planned. I wanted to give the grill time to get hot, so I lit the charcoal." "See, this is why everyone should have their own Gretchen," said Lynn warmly as she accepted one of the ciders. "Always thinking two steps ahead." "Somebody has to. You just make it up as you go along." The changeling shrugged. "Hey, it works for me and Jack Sparrow; you go with what works for you." Then she got that faraway look in her eyes again. "Yay, Megan finally made it! And she brought the kid!" In one fluid movement, she flipped backwards over the couch, did a handspring towards the front of the apartment, and then hauled open the sash and stuck her head out. "Hi guys," she called down. "C'mon up!" Gretchen looked from Sam to Samantha, clearly disturbed. "'Kid'?..."

The edges of her vision went red, telling Gretch the threat was coming from behind, so she ducked and twisted out of the girl's way, ending up facing her. She clucked her tongue and shook her head as she brought her ring up and aimed it right at the vamp's snarling face. "And to think you have to die wearing that hideous outfit." kra-KOW!

1d20+8=20 Is an unnatural 20 a hit?

Gretchen smirked, but with a bit more warmth than usual. "I didn't say you'd take it. I expected you to stroke it lovingly and get sort of gooey around the edges." She began to carefully lift the costume pieces out and lay them on top of an adjacent trunk in a methodical fashion, all the better to catalogue them. "Earlier you said I could ask you anything. I'm going to take you up on that offer." She folded a somewhat rumpled silk dress shirt expertly, like the retail veteran she was, then set it aside and turned to face him, one tattoed arm propped up on the trunk, her head cocked to one side. "What was prison like, and what did you learn there." If this had been the first day they met, there might have been more judgement in her tone, but instead there was mostly curiousity, with maybe even a hint of sympathy.

Here we go! Grim's roll: 1d20+10=23 She is resolute! Shrike's roll: 1d20+6=23 Wow, they really are in sync!

That actually sounds good to me; assuming she hits next time, we'll just say 'the Helm did it'.

Lynn chuckled self-consciously as she indicated a poster of the Amazing Al-Kazer prominently displayed on one wall. "Well, it helps when you inherit the place; Great-Grandad took good care of it. Grampa Lou, too." A few of the old movie posters thst used to hang around the apartment had been replaced by vintage rock and punk posters since Gretch moved in, but the great conjurer would always have a place here. She motioned for the others to have a seat as the younger woman started backing towards the kitchen, her gaze meeting Samantha's as she did so. "Anything for you, Sam? Other Sam? Female Sam? This is going to be awkward." "Hey, can you grab me a cider, kid?" asked the changeling as she brought a meat, cheese and veggie tray over to the low black coffee table and took a seat on the leather sectional sofa. "Thanks."

Gonna do something different here, though I'm not sure how it will work rules-wise; Gretchen is basically allowing her visual Danger Sense to tell her where to aim!

Gretch spun around to take a shot at Poodle Girl, but she was long gone; damn, these vamps were fast! All her blast did was leave a nasty scorch mark on the wall. It looked like Sam had things under control at her end, at least for the moment, so the young barista did her best to track her quarry. Wait a second. The Helm alerts you to threats. Let it tell you where to shoot, then shoot. Staring straight ahead with her arms at her sides, Gretchen did something really really didn't like to do; she put her faith in magic.

I vote Green Bay, too.

Alright, let's drop this lil' vampie. 1d20+8=9 D'oh! No HP means no reroll; the chick survives another round. Now I have to think of an IC reason for such a crappy shot Can we just say the girl is super-fast? She is a vampire, after all; kinda their thing.

Gretch looked up at Sam, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Uh, Sam? I hate to break it to you, but-" She took a step back, then floated about a foot in the air as she turned the Ring of Power and transformed into the Shrike. Still floating, she held up one side of her cloak. "This is Al-Kazar's cape. Its real name is the Cloak of Mystery." Then she reached up to tap the temple of her silver bird mask. "This is Al-Kazar's turban. Its called the Helm of Truth." She turned the ring again, and became her old self once more. "The Three Gifts are like a matched set. You don't get one without the others." She shrugged. "The Gifts adopt a form appropriate to their bearer. Al-Kazar, already wore a costume on stage, so they adopted to what he already wore." Then she frowned. "I'm still not quite sure why the Gifts made me the Shrike. Though I have to say, I love the look." She tried her best attempt at an encouraging smile. "But I'm sure there's plenty of other magic stuff around, and Lynn's pretty generous. I'm sure we'll find something cool for you, too."

"Sounds like it's time to suit up, Gretch." Strange mists swirled around Lynn, leaving her thinner and younger looking, with short, spiky auburn hair and a black and midnight blue leather bodysuit, all of it topped with a black domino mask. Meanwhile, her partner floated in the air as she twisted the ring on her left hand, which called forth a flickering silver light that transformed her into the Shrike. "Let me know where to go, and I'll fork that heart for you." The ruby on the Ring of Power flashed with an angry intensity as her cloak billowed around her.

As was often the case, about two-thirds of her friend's side of the conversation sailed well over Casey's head, but the last parts she got. "We all pick up enemies one way or another; my dad has tons of 'acquaintances' who want him dead, and sooner or later, they'll probably figure out I'm his daughter." She shrugged. "It's all good; Dad already had the talk with me." But then she got a little pink in the cheeks. "But not, you know, that talk. Though Mom...well, she's a doctor, so-" She did her best to hide her embarrassment behind a huge swig of Coke. "So, FTL, huh? Wow; we'll be out of the Solar System before we know it!" Soooooo much easier talking about superhero stuff!

"Oh, nuts," Casey murmured to herself; well, it was worth a shot. Rather than just charging up them and duking it out, the blonde powerhouse decided to try something a little different; scanning her immediate surroundings with her infrared vision, she spotted a nice length of cold, steel pipe, which had some nice heft to it. Holding like a harpoon, she quickly stood up and hurled it right at one of the smaller drones, neatly impaling it with a cloud of sparks! "Yes!" she cried out with a pump of her fist, which was quickly followed by an "Oh, darn!" when she realized she'd completely exposed herself.

In the kitchen, Lynn suddenly stood up straight and turned towards the front of the apartment, her eyes going unfocused. "Sam is here...actually both of them. Ohh, they both look so spiffy!" "How is it that the speedster is always last," Gretch chuckled. "It's traditional. I'll get the door." Her body crumpled away to nothing and reappeared in front of the door, which she swung open to welcome their guests with a warm smile. "Hi guys! I'm so glad you could make it! You both look amazing. Oh, watch for the ferrets, watch for the ferrets; they're new and they're fast as lightning! C'mon in!" She quickly ushered them into the living room, which very different than when Samantha was last here; the place somehow looked more homey and lived in, and actually smelled of furniture polish and the slight musky smell of the new critters, who were indeed scampering around with excitement. "Ooh, prezzies," the changeling said with big greedy eyes as she offered to unburden her guests. "Here, I'll just put those on this sideboard thing. Gretch, come say hi!" The young barista came sauntering out of the kitchen, hands twisted behind her back, and stopped next to Lynn, who gently placed a hand at the small of her back. Gretch nodded and smirked, and offered a simple "Hey." "You guys wanna chill here, or come out on the deck? We've got sangria and a bunch of other stuff. Also, snacks!"

That's fine. Wanted to try something new, having her pick them off at range. Though if they're minons...actually, she doesn't have Takedown Attack yet, so might stick with this strategy for now.

Okay, Casey's gonna grab a steel pipe and throw it like a harpoon; I believe this 1d20+6 to hit, DC 25 Toughness damage. 1d20+6=10 Well that was highly disappointing! I think i will use her newly-aquired HP to fuel a reroll. 1d20+6=24 Much better! Let me know if that works.

Gretchen was extremely satisfied with how things were going so far; bringing Lynn in to help coordinate had really paid off. And the sight of Sam blowing through the window and turning these bastards to ash was something she would cherish for the rest of her life. The battle was far from won; one of the vampire skanks was still alive and kicking (sort of), and Alec the Annoying was clearly one tough mother. Moving too fast to follow, he now had Sam in his clutches; this would not stand! Wrapping her right hand around her left wrist, Gretch drew a bead on his hate-filled, twisted face. "Shut the #### up, you evil, tacky ####head!" The crimson blast hit him right between the eyes.

1d20+8=22 Gretch has Precise Shot, so I don't think shooting into a Grapple is a problem. DC 23 Toughness Save again. Not sure even her ring is strong enough to overcome that Grapple. Unfortunately her Sidekick status means no HP to spend, so she has to be careful about Extra Effort