Heritage

Grim reached out her hand and summoned a stool into being. "Here, have a seat, Wisp, and chill out for a bit. My brother was totally into all that fantasy stuff growing up; kinda still is, but he hides it well, y'know?" She continued to chat between each signing and posed photo. "So do you have any cool powers, or do you just beat up bad guys?"

As soon as Greg put her down, she scooted off the bed and over to curl up on the rug in front of the fireplace, which indeed had a roaring blaze going inside. "Ah ah ah, not so fast, lover boy! First we snuggle, then we consider our options." Though her tone was mildly chiding, her eyes were clearly smiling. "Oops, forgot the wine!" With but a though, she sent her hair down to fetch it and both their glasses, as well as a fresh bottle and the opener in case that polished the first one off. As she filled up her glass, she realized with a start that she'd never been happier. "Life is good, isn't it?"

Thankfully Lynn was seated next to Mona at the reception, so she had a teammate to talk to; she found herself missing Colt more than ever now. Leaning over to whisper in the gentle giantess' ear, she indicated Dok sitting up at the bridal party table, beaming at his newlywed friends. "I hope to see the two of you up there some day." And me, she thought to herself. And in a few short months, it would be. I am so gonna freak out that day.

Estelle stepped through the remains of the doorway, her many tendrils darting this way and that at the slightest movement in the air. "I actually need something to hit to be very useful at this point; let's see if our not-so-friendly poltergeist will be accomidating."

Grim frowned slightly at the suggested game, but had no problem with the seating arrangements. "Uh, yeah, this looks good; I'll be honest, I've only played Texas hold 'em and I suck at that, so I can't imagine stud will be that much different." She held up her hand and fanned several conjured cheat cards showing all the possible poker hands. "Anybody need one? I know I do. Fuze, if you wanna explain the rules, I'd appreciate it." An open bottle of Corona appeared in her hand and she took a long swig; this was gonna be interesting.

Only because I think it's gonna be hard to strike the right balance of the magic and the mundane, and massive CGI battle scenes can be hard to pull off; the cast and director are all folks I really like, so I am hoping it will be good. And how could I forget Green Lantern? To me, that one actually looks the weakest, because I think RR is somewhat miscast. As was discussed in chat, I think he'd make a better Flash than a Lantern.

Seeing no one else leaping into the fray, Lynn rolled her eyes and set her bizzare clock aside. "Fine, I'll go next!" She crawled under the tree and seemingly disappeared for a few seconds before re-emerging, with a bright red sack slung over one shoulder. "Okay, let's see who was a good boy or girl this year?" The young changeling actually prided herself on her gift-buying skills, though several of her teammates had proven challenging to buy for; she wanted this first Christmas to special, so she’d really racked her brains for new ideas. “Okay, first up, here ya go, Eli. Merry X-Mass!†The package proved to contain several travel guides and books on regional cuisine, including recipes and ‘food tourism’. Lynn smiled and shrugged. “I figure the two things you could always use are places to go and stuff to eat, so…†For Mona, a beautiful silk scarf some eight feet long, hopefully enough to wrap around her neck a few times. For Dok, she’d asked her mom’s help in knitting a long wool scarf to match it, and she’d come up with a very interesting design she assured Lynn he'd like. When she came to Erik, Grim looked a little nervous. “So I went through your DVD and Blu-Ray collection, looking for swashbuckler movies you didn’t have; you have a lot of swashbuckler movies.†Then she brightened when she handed him his neatly-wrapped parcel. “But I think I found a few gaps to fill in.†She hunted Amazon and eBay for weeks, coming up with Scaramouche, The Flame and the Arrow, and on the lighter side The Court Jester. “I couldn't remember if you already had The Black Swan; the one with Tyrone Power, not that creepy ballet movie.†She visibly shuddered at the memory of that particular date night. "If you do, I'm gonna hang on to that one, if that's okay; my grampa always loved Tyronne Power." For Ellie, she’d found a vintage paisley vest she really hoped she liked. “I tried on a bunch of them in this cool shop in Riverside…uh, as you, actually; weird, I know, but this one fit the best.†It had been tough coming up with ideas for Vince, seeing as he was incorporeal and all; his stocking was stuffed with screen wipes and cans of compressed air ("Toiletries", she said with a wink), but after a lot of brainstorming she'd come up with the contents of a small flash drive, which she unwrapped and held up in front of his screen. "This is as many radio shows featuring Jack Benny and Groucho Marx as I could find online; Grampa Lou used to play them for me." She shrugged as she inserted the drive into a handy USB port. "I figure you can always use new material; well, new old material. Whatever." Finally, she came to her beloved Colt; inside the lovingly-wrapped hat box was a gorgeous new black Stetson. Kneeling at her fiancé’s side, she took his hand in both of her own.“I figure this one can go with your tux…y’know, for the wedding.†She took a deep breath and sighed, her stomach all aflutter. “I want to marry you in this hat.†The stockings were filled with chocolate and other candies, silly little toys Grim had found in dollar stores (like a bag full of plastic cowboys and Indians for Colt and a wind-up robot for Dok), as well as socks, pens, soap, tea and shaving cream. Lastly, a bag of chocolate gelt and a tangerine were way down in the bottom of the toe.

The svelte shapeshifter nodded and smiled. "Sure thing!" She took the offered sketchpad, then pointed first at her own domino mask, and then at the young autograph hound. "I like your mask! You in 'the biz', or is it like a cosplay thing? And who should I make it out to?" Noting the pad she was holding, Grim cocked her head to one side. "Ooh, are you like an artist or something? Maybe you can do a quick sketch of me!"

Of the three superheroes coming out this year (that I know of, there must be more!) First Class looks the best, but I also have high hopes for the WWII-era Captain America, even though I've never been that into the character. One of the reaons I loved Iron man so much was a lack of rabid fan expectations, and I hope the same hold true here. As for Thor, this new trailer makes me want to see it again, though I imagine it will be still be the weakest of the lot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e07hmZ2NEjY

Grimalkin and Wisp meet at a West End comic shop.

Millennium Comics’ West End Store. February 9th, 3:45 pm The first Wednesday of the month was always a big day at Millennium; in addition to the exciting new issues on the shelves, each branch typically had a guest signing to help bring in more customers. At the Midtown store, noted comics writer Desmond Faulkner was scheduled to appear, a major coup for owner Jerry Webster; not to be outdone, Hans Baird at the West End store had finally managed to convince Grimalkin of the Interceptors to drop by for a few hours, which drew a decent-sized crowd, despite the appalling weather. It helped that she was a pretty locally-based heroine, and a few folks remembered her celebrated ‘kissing booth’ at the carnival in Liberty Park a few years back. The smell of Tic Tacs and Bianca that hung in the air nearly made the sharp-nosed shapeshifter gag, but with considerable effort she kept a warm smile in place as she once again came face-to-face with her public. Safely behind a conjured table and flanked by two mostly superfluous security guards, a spritely Grim signed anything stuck in front of her, posed for many cellphone pictures and (sigh) kissed a few folks, but only on the cheek. “Okay, there you go, little miss! Next, please! Hi, how are ya?â€

“Mmm, yeah, might want to wait until college, then. Ah screw it.†Grim held her hands in front of herself, and with a sudden snap there was an identical shirt in her hands, which she handed over to the striking-looking young woman. “There we go, should fit you fine.†The shapeshifter chuckled as she unconsciously raised a hand up to her head. “Wow, haven’t felt that since my days on the Knights! Takes a bit of getting used to, but I should be fine. Nice to meet you, Sage! Grab some food and pull up a chair.†“My mouth is uncanny in general.†The petite brunette winked as she began to shuffle the cards, easily flipping them back and forth as she did a few card stunts. “So I think that’s everyone, right? Now since we gotta a few young people here tonight, I’m suggesting no real money changes hands here; say a fifty dollar chip buy-in, or should be go ‘crazy’ and set it higher?†“That would be wrong, I’m thinkin’.†As she continued to creatively shuffled the deck, her hair and eye color slowly began to mimic Wisp’s. “To use an obvious poker reference, we usually don’t have much control of the hand we’re dealt, am I right?â€

So should I just have Grim show up, and mention that she spoke with Eddie?

Estelle leaned her head back against his shoulder, closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "Dear sweet naked man, I don't think it's in the cards tonight; how about we just move upstairs to the fireplace and feed each other pizza until we fall asleep, in a tangle of drowsy satiated limbs?" She opened her eyes once again and smiled, looking at Greg upside down and slightly cross-eyed. "That might be as much as I can handle now." She took another bite of pizza and chewed it with exaggerated relish. "Mmmmmm...."

Initiative for Gossamer: 1d20+7=18

Estelle nodded as she activated a small touchscreen and rapidly tapped in a few commands. "This should only take a moment." Satisfied she'd finally rectified the situation, she once more punched in her floor; and sighed as she leaned against the wall, fingers crossed. The blonde chemist chuckled, crooked her arm enthusiastically and spoke like a 1950s TV announcer. "Well there's no such thing as a normal day at the Lab!" The elevator arrived safely at their destination, and Protectron was none the worse for wear. Dr. de Havilland moved briskly to the door of her personal lab, which opened to another card swipe. “Actually it’s normally not terribly interesting, at least not in my neck of the woods.†Her suite of rooms proved to be an intriguing mixture of modern architecture and vintage furnishings, with a roll-top desk, filing cabinets and a bankers lamp. Estelle called back over her shoulder as she strode into the next room, a well-furnished biochemistry lab. “If it’s all right with you, Sam, we’ll start with a few tissue samples.â€

Grim nodded philosophically. "Okay, I can deal; I mean, if people can handle a freak of nature like me, the least I can do is show the same, y'know, courtesy." Then she leaned forward and arched an eyebrow before rattling off in perfect accentless Spanish, <"And don't forget, I can speak any language, too."> She shrugged. <"Might actually come in handy sometime, right? I mean, for something other than evesdropping."> The shapeshifter beamed at the compliment. "Thanks! Hey, you want one? I could make you one just like it, but you'd have to keep it way from iron or it'll melt, which could be kinda awkward..." There was another knock at the door, and she really didn't want to fly all the way over to the door again; luckily it looked like Fusion was on it. She may be a bit on the freaky side, but her 'mom instincts' are impeccable.

Estelle sighed, and shook her head with a morbid chuckle. "I was afraid your were going to say that. Fair enough, let's get to it." She marched back towards the front door, her hair arrayed into a serious of angry looking tendrils, giving her the appearance of a golden spider rearing back to strike. She watched for even the slightest movement, her blue eyes darting to and fro as she approached the sinister structure.

Grim returned to full size and made an expression of mock dismay as she placed a hand on her innocent bosom. "Moi? I'll have you know I am the very soul of discretion!" She smiled and stuck out her tongue. "I totally gave her a girly hug, but not in front of everyone." Happily trotting down the stairs in front of her teammate, Grim arrived at the bottom wearing an overisized T-shirt over her costume, depicting a warrior and a wizard battling a huge dragon with a caption that boldly proclaimed, 'The Geeks Will Inherit The Earth'. She shot a friendly wink Wisp's way, then started to fill up a plate of snacks she'd purchased herself, just to be on the safe side. "Mmm, no; we're actually supposed to get a telepath." She held up her free hand in anticipation of any complaints. "I know, I know, but I've been assured Sage is above board, and she's got a decent rep, so..." She shrugged as she made it back to her seat, loudly crunching on tortilla chips and veggie bean dip.

"Wait, honey!" Estelle didn't realize poor Greg was so far along; she chased after him, shaking her head. "You know what, I could actually use another shower, a nice hot one..." - - - - - - - Sometime later, the downstairs bathroom door opened and steam poured out into the apartment; Gossamer emerged, her robe now damp with condensation and her hair once again dark with water. "At this rate, we're going to have to wash a whole load of towels..." Finding the DVD still paused on Leslie Nielsen's face, she lassoed the remote off of the couch and powered down the flatscreen before padding into the kitchen for a bottle of cold water and a lukewarm slice of pizza. "Mmm, just as good!"

The small shapeshifter frowned when she overheard the whispered conversation between Fusion and Wisp, but for now she said nothing; her brother Ben was a successful lawyer, and he still played D&D one Saturday a month! Well, now he said he played 'Pathfinder', whatever that was. Hefting the bottle, Grim whistled as she read the label. "Wow, Segal's Cabernet Sauvignon, all the way from Israel; thanks, Fly!" She gave her a quick one-armed hug, then set the kosher wine down behind the bar. Grim's ears literally perked up at the sound of Ellie's voice. "Oh crap, code red, code red! Be right back!" For seemingly the umpteenth time that night, Mighty Mini Grim took wing, flying so fast that the wash of her tiny wings ruffled everyone's hair as she sped topside. Hovering in front of Erik's little sister, she conjured up a large sign that read: Flashing a ridiculous rictus grin, the wee pixie spoke slowly, while jerking her tiny head back towards the basement stairs. "Hi, Jill! How was your day fighting bad guys?"

Depositing her payload on top of the bar, Grim returned to normal size and reclaimed her seat. The shapeshifter nodded in agreement "Yeah, I did a Google search and hit the library before I settled on 'Grimalkin'; I was so happy it wasn't taken!" Grim nodded to Wisp as she began to unwrap the deck of cards. "Glad you could make it, Wisp! I've got family in Chicago; it's a cool town." She pointed at her own hair, then at the teen's. "Your hair is awesome! I hope to find a way to keep it without risking your identity." The Jersey girl shook her head sadly. "I don't think so, Fusion; I let her know about it, but she's usually hanging out with 'dear sweet Victor' at the Mad Science Lab of Love if she's not on a mission." She shrugged hopefully. "You never know, she might stop by." She looked around at the fresh young faces, then back to the tentacled woman. "Uh, younger crowd than you're used to?" Hearing another knock at the back door (yes, even over the conversation, jukebox and the washer and drier - pixies rule!) "Oop, duty calls; boy, I'm really rackin' up the Frequent Flier miles tonight!" Once again, she went itty-bitty and zoomed to the backdoor, this time resuming her proper proportions before opening the door; outside a slender blonde girl with a funky visor stood nervously in the snow. "Oh my God, you must be Dragonfly! It's so good to meet you!" Grim gave her a fierce bearhug that was mercifully brief, then took a step back to take her whole look in. "Wow, you're just adorable, aren't you? You guys must make a helluva cute couple!" Taking the techno-heroine by the hand, she let her back through the laundry room; shortly before reentering the game room proper, Grim quickly leaned in to whisper in Fly's ear. "Okay, I'm not gonna say anything else in front of the others, but seriously, I'm so happy for you guys; Jill probably mentioned I'm a total 'Yenta the Matchmaker', right? And a hugger?" Lynn gave her a quick wink before letting go of her hand and stepping back into the party. "We've got magic, we've got mutants and now we've got science in the house! All we need is robots and aliens for the full set!"

Sorry I missed you in chat, Geez, but feel free to post!

A small voice floated out of the ether. "Yes, ma'am." After a few seconds, Grim slowly faded back into view, vowing not ask anyone else any questions about their food. Thankfully there was soon another knock on the door, and Grim polietly got to her feet like she was leaving the table at her Aunt Deb's house. "Excuse me." Eager to see a friendly new face (or even an unfriendly one, if she got to punch it), Lynn zipped to the back door in pixie form, gossamer wings buzzing as she twisted the knob with both hands. Outside a pretty young girl with white hair and red eyes stood holding a veritable feast of plenty. Grim fluttered around her a few times in delight. "Hi, wow, look at you! Ooh, more sacrifices for the pixie gods!" She floated in front of her guest and bowed deeply at the waist. "I am she known as Grimalkin, righter of wrongs and consumer of foodstuffs! Follow me into the den of inquity, if you dare!" She grabbed a few bags in her tiny-though-surprisingly-powerful arms and started to haul them back to the others, like a minature cargo helicopter. "Come, mortal child! Away!"

Grim blinked at Fusion's frustration, and then her cheeks and the tips of her pointed ears went beet red. "I'm...sorry. Look, I don't even have to eat anymore if I don't want to, so I didn't think I should be picky." She looked to Sil and then back to Fusion, who was somehow more sinister thna she remembered. "I think I'm the only practicing Jew here tonight, so everybody else can dig in..." The shapeshifter's throat seized up with a squeak, and she felt like she did whenever her mom caught her up to something; making her way mutely to a chair, Grim stared down at her hands. You're an idiot, a stupid stupid idiot! How many other folks are gonna show up with treif food tonight? Are you going to piss all of them off, too? Without really meaning to, the changeling faded from view at the poker table, staring at the green felt, unopened pack of cards and stacks of new poker chips.