Heritage
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Thankfully when the Helm of Truth manifested for Gretchen, it only covered the upper half of her face, or else things would have gotten messy when she threw up. And did she ever! She dropped to her knees and noisily emptied her guts when the 'Ferals' went into their blood frenzy, and the savage takedown the two African-American teens inflicted on them didn't help either, though of course she was relieved to see the f###ers out of commission. "I think that's the last of it," she mumbled in embarrassment as she wiped her mouth with a gloved hand; the hallway now reeked to high heaven, and she wanted to get out if it now. She kept hoping this was a nightmare, the kind you have if you pass out after you've up all night playing video games. But she stubbornly refused to wake up, so it must be real; time to get with the program and work like a team. The Shrike got to her feet, shaking bits of gore off her cloak as she spoke. "Which way to the wormhole generator, and how do we take it out?"
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Woo-hoo!
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Tibet Lynn nodded to herself. "Okay, so basically like Nightmare on Elm Street 3, and we're the Dream Warriors; probably a bad idea if we die in there, too. End up in a brain dead coma or something. I can handle it." It occured to the changeling that people who worked for her were put at risk; her assistant demanding hazard pay before she even knew about Grimalkin appeared to be justified. "So are there any rituals we need to do to cross over? Incantations to speak or herbs to ingest?" Through the Loooking Glass Gretchen pondered the two doors, head cocked to one side and arms tightly crossed over her chest. "Waiting to be rescued is not my style. 'Tellus'. Why does that sound so familiar?" Then she marched over to the left hand door. "Let's see if we can force one of these doors open. I'll pull one door, you pull the other."
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Casey shrugged; she'd heard these and similar arguments before. "I know it's just a drop in the bucket, but I can't do nothing; besides, I can do more now than I ever could. I can could clean up an entire city park in minutes. Do needed repairs at a shelter in the time it takes to make a pot of coffee. And I think knowing that someone gives a damn, that not everyone is just going to ignore you and move on has value, too." Despite her optimism, the blonde heroine wasn't naive; she knew even on the increased scale she could operate on now, it was ultimately still just a bigger band-aid. Her real value would probably be more symbolic than anything else, but symbols are important, too. And not judging was important as well; as she stood next to Robin and looked over the Fens, something occurred to her, and she turned to the other girl. "Have you ever broken the law to help someone? I wouldn't say anything if you did."
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Gretchen saw exactly what was going to happen; she pulled the edge of her cloak up to cover her face, and seconds later bits of blood, flesh and bone spattered all over her. She'd never forget the sound of those wet slaps striking leather for the rest of her life. Dropping the cloak, she prepared to fire again, but the sight of all that the gore covering...well, everything made her stomach roil and eyes water, throwing off her shot just as she fired. She closed her eyes so tightly it hurt, and it took all her will to keep her lunch down, though her whole mouth burned with bile. Oh Christ. Oh Jesus Christ. That smell!
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Shrike aims and fires! 1d20+8=9 And now we're back to suckitude.
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1d20+2=17
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Gretchen smiled, though it was cool as ice. "I never said you don't deserve a second chance. If Boss Lady is going out on limb for you, I'm not going to go against her. I will always back her play. I just meant to explain that we are different people. She has faith in people, I do not." She shrugged. "Life has taught us different lessons. So if you're really serious about making the world a better place, I'm the one you have to convince." Suddeny a hole opened up in the side of the burrow, and the grinning masked face of Grimalkin appeared. "Alright, we're here! Everybody suit up!" Noticing the hint of tension in the air, her brow furrowed slightly. "Everything okay in here?" Gretchen pursed her lips and shook her head as she accepted a hand outside from her boss. "We are golden." Then she twisted her ring and dramatically transformed into the Shrike once more. Outside proved to be a small clearing in a lightly-wooded area, apparently reached by a dirt road; the woods were bare and quiet, with slush and snow underfoot, and the air had a definite bite. A well-loved black Ford Econoline van, its license plates covered, was parked nearby; it's body seemed to be composed of more Bondo than steel. Before the group stood a gate in a high chain link fence, topped with barbed wire and security cameras; 'Keep Out' and 'Private Property' signs were very much in evidence, and a small squawk box was attached next to the gate. The two lovely ladies turned to Samuel in anticipation. "You ready?"
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Casey grinned at Leviathan's suggestion. "Ah, the 'Kool-Aid Man' approach!" She shifted her voice into an eerie approximation of the mascot's gravelly intonations. "'Oh yeah!'" However her smile quickly vanished after Terrifica gave her a look. "I'll just, you know..." She motioned upwards with her hands and made a meek 'woosh' sound. The blonde powerhouse dutifully took to the air as she'd been instructed, ever the team player; she took the opportunity to not only monitor radio frequencies, but also scan the property with both her telescopic and infrared vision, looking for anything that raised any red flags.
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Gretchen flashed a quick 'blink and you'll miss it' smile at Echo's patter; she appreciated good wordplay. At the mention of the getaway van, her head tilted to one side as she studied it, as it was wont to do when she considered a problem; finally a smirk reached her lips. "Well, then. Let's see if we can ruin their day." She held up her left hand, the ruby on her silver ring glowing like an angry star as she concentrated intensely. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but then she smirked again. "Wait for it..." Suddenly the van began to tip to one side as it became clear that Shrike was somehow deflating one of the tires! She deflated a second one, this time quite a bit faster as she improved her technique; once she was finished, she turned to the others and shrugged. "Just a little insurance in case anyone gets past us." She indicated the probable entry point with a tilt of her head. "Shall we?"
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"Oh, we're running? I've got better shoes for that." Casey blurred for a second, and was suddenly wearing a pair of Nike trail running shoes, and her hemp bag was traded for a daypack. "Okay, let's go!" Casey was visibly delighted to have a running partner, even more so once they hit the rooftops. It was easy for her to hold back and keep pace, because group runs were one of her favorite Scouting activities, and being so tall she'd usually been one of the faster girls. She easily matched Robin's jumps without even having to resort to flying, and likewise barely seemed to be even winded. If nothing else came out of the day's activities, getting a potential roof-running buddy alone would be worth it. The blonde heroine shrugged as the other girl's question. "Well so far, I've pretty much just done touristy stuff in the city. But back home, I was always working on some sort of project; Habitat for Humanity, food drives, volunteering at homeless shelters. Now that I'm here and am getting a little more comfortable, I want to do more then just take classes and punch bad guys in the face; I want to make a difference."
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Gretchen was a pretty sharp cookie; she noted the quick downward glance, and her eyes narrowed. "I'm old enough to recognize a 'Gollum wants his precious' look when I see one." She clambered up into a kneeling position, and leveled her surprisingly intense gaze at Sam. "Let me take this opportunity to be perfectly straight with you. After you left, I did a little research on your career, both professional and criminal, and as I did so, a thought occurred to me. Some people turn to a life of crime out of desperation or weakness, but you did it to get attention and have the nicest toys. And you'd probably still be doing it if you hadn't been caught." She scootched a bit closer. "So now you want to join the good guys, which is great. But just to be clear, it is not a hobby...or a game, or a fad or a fashion. It's people counting on you with their lives. And once you take up that mantle, you don't walk away because you're bored or it's too hard. You stick it through until the work is done." Then she got within two inches of his face, and held up her left hand in a fist, the red ruby on her ring staring at Sam like a baleful eye. The tattooed slogan 'The Future is Unwritten' was clearly visible on her knuckles "And if you ever hurt that woman or betray her trust, I will take this ring you want so badly, and shove it so far up your a## you could use it as a tongue piercing. Are we crystal clear?"
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Okay, Gretchen's plan is to disable the van by flattening one or more of the tires, by using her Precise Move Object and Improvised Tools feat in conjunction. Depending on how close the van is, she might even be able to do it from here! Let me know if Disable Device or any other rolls would be required. She wants to do it quietly by popping the valves, not loudly puncturing them. If you feel this is beyond her abilities, let me know and I will do something else.
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The barista laid back, her head resting on her folded arms, and peered up at the 'roof'. "Yeah, it really is. I once fell asleep and spent the night...when Boss Lady forgot I was in here." "Hey, that hapened exactly one time; you don't have to keep bringing it up. Plus we were both exhausted, remember?" "Yeah, yeah. Keep on making up excuses." Once her two passengers were settled in, the changeling grabbed the edges of the portal and pulled it halfway closed, leaving her head poking through. "Okay, no GPS once we're over there, okay? The Mistress of Mystery likes to have at least a few secrets." She gave them a smile and a thumbs up before sealing the portal, leaving Gretchen and Samuel alone in her Vault. Her assistant pulled out her phone and switched it to Airplane Mode; it was weird to see her face lit by the LCD screen in this little hobbit hole. "If it makes you feel any better," she said with a sigh, "She hasn't trusted me with the location yet, either."
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"Yeah, sure. Right," Lynn responded lightly, though that took some effort. Despite her friendship with Taylor, Lynn would never be entirely comfortable with the reality of what Jack truly was; the very nature of vampirism disurbed her on a visceral level that was hard to ignore. But she understood that things were never black and white, and if you had to have vampire politicians, you wanted people like Jack filling those shoes; he was a loving husband and family man, which counted for a lot in her book. "So, when do I get the chance to see the little guy? You and Jack set the parameters, the where and the when; whatever's the best for everyone." She knew Jack was very protective of his family, but she hoped something could be worked out.
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Gretchen threw up her hands in frustration. "Thank you! Finally someone who understands logic." Lynn started to speak in her own defense, but couldn't find the words. "I...let's head back inside." She opened the door and led the group back into the store, and waited for everyone to join her before she locked it again. "The place we are going...is something of an 'undisclosed location'; kind of a Dick Cheney kinda thing." She lead everyone towards the middle of the store, then dismissed several chairs back to vapor with a wave of her hand. "At least until we get to know you a little better, Sam." Gretchen gave him a look and shook her head. "She also really likes to show off." "Also true! Okay, this just takes a second." She held out a finger and traced a large circle in the air; once it was closed, the space within shimmered as a portal opened into another space! Beyond was what looked like an animal's den of some sort; dimly lit, roofed with a mass of gnarled roots and floored with soft pine needles. On closer inspection, the light looked to be the stray rays of sunlight that leaked in between the roots; one could imagine a family of wolves dwelling within, or even a large bear, as there was room for a handful of people. The space did not, apparently, have any natural exits outside of the portal Lynn had created. "Hop on in," she said nonchalantly, as though she'd just pulled up in a car. Gretchen stooped her head, climbed in, and patted the pine needles in an inviting manner as she stretched out comfortably; though her expression was a bit flat as usual, her eyes twinkled with amusement.
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Is there anyone waiting in the van? I have an idea, but it might work better without witnesses.
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Casey was starting to think Robin was going to blow her off, that is until she appeared outside her dorm room clearly ready to hit the road. "Uhh..." She looked down at herself, wearing an oversize Denver Broncos jersey, sleepy pants and her favorite bumming-around Tevas; clearly she'd been planning to spend the night in. But then her eyes lit up and her smile became huge. "Give me two seconds." There was was a whoosh of air as the blonde powerhouse vanished back into her room, practically leaving a Casey-shaped cloud in her wake. Sounds of furious activity lasted for all of four seconds before she returned dressed in a well-worn pair of light hiking boots, a paint-stained pair of jeans, and a denim jacket over an Air Force hoodie; pretty much her standard wear for any sort of volunteer work. Her hair was pulled through the back of a Broncos cap, and her big hemp bag was over her shoulder, holding her costume and a tool belt. She grinned as she adjusted her glasses; she was ready for anything! "Sorry, that took longer than I thought; forgot I had to do my homework. Let's go!"
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Outside Silberman's Books. January 15th, 2016. 10:05 pm Two young women waited on the stoop In front of the West End's most unusual bookstore, one effortlessly balanced on one foot and juggling five tennis balls, the other pacing up and down to keep warm. The juggler was Lynn Epstein, also known as Grimalkin, currently wearing jeans, a suede jacket and a black Stenson. The colder of the two was Gretchen McDaniels, who sometimes went by Shrike, and clearly her jeans, FreeSA hoodie and black leather jacket were not cutting it. Finally Gretchen stopped in front of her boss and scowled. "I demand coffee." The changeling smiled and shook her head, her eyes never leaving the task at hand. "Sorry, I'm all out; besides, it's not even that cold out." "You always have coffee." Gretch began poking around in Lynn's jacket pockets like a puppy looking for a treat. "It's just a matter of finding...where you hid it on your person." "Hey, knock it off, I can't-" She didn't actually fall over; Lynn was too freakishly graceful for that. But she did lose control of her tennis balls, which went bouncing down the steps and rolling down the sidewalk. "Great; thanks a lot, Gretch." "Cof-feee." The fae threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine!" After making sure no other pedestrians were nearby, she reached into her jacket, traced a small circle with her finger, and drew forth a large Thermos that was clearly too big to have fit inside. Gretchen eagerly took the Thermos, poured herself a cup of rich black coffee, and smiled like the little brat she was currently being. "Thanks, boss. Lynn merely shook her head and grunted, keeping her eyes peeled for the newest member of the Silberman's family.
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Lynn was quiet for a while, which was rare for her; at length, she nodded. "Yeah, talking needs to happen." Then she smiled and indicated the path with a jerk of her head. "Shall we move on?" She continued to be thoughtful for a time, then changed topics again. "So, what does the future hold for the Faretti clan? Any long term plans, or do you take it day by day?"
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A silvery light flared out of the corner of Gretchen's eye, the Helm's way of alerting her that someone had just used magic; now officially intrigued, she quietly floated down to see what was up, which turned out to be a corpse. As in 'up and about and wearing a tux', which didn't seem to be right. At first, she thought something might have happened to Presto, the ex-con magician she'd only recent met at work, but all you had to do was listen to the stiff talk to know he was both dead and English. He was chatting to a cute girl crimefighter, who also had suspicions of wrong-doing; maybe they could use some assistance? Should I do the 'pop in' again? I probably shouldn't, but I enjoy it far too much. The Shrike lowered her hood and was just there, like a frame of film was missing. "You can never be too paranoid, I say. Which I say a lot, actually." She smiled a crooked half smile and offered just a hint of a courtly bow. "The Shrike, here to help."
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http://orokos.com/roll/369932 1d20+10=22; so close! I take it her Impervious 6 does not come into play?
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Casey breathed a sigh of relief; for once, a bad guy was willing to come along quietly! Unfortunately, she doubted any of the heroes present routinely carried handcuffs, so she decided to improvise. She grabbed the railing of the gurney and yanked it off. "Um, I guess AEGIS will pay for this..." Looking a little embarrassed, she then attempted to use her super strength and speed to twist the aluminum tubing into a French bowline knot around his wrists.
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http://orokos.com/roll/369890 Untrained Sense Motive check: 1d20=10 Yeeeep, Casey's still a trusting soul
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Saturday, February 6th, 2016 An email appeared in Robin's school inbox earlier that week.
