Heritage

Lynn was busy taking notes in her US History from 1870 class when she heard Colt's voice through her comlink, discretely tucked inside her ear; in accordance with classroom etiquette her cell was off, but her Interceptors link was always on. Luckily Dok had been able to rig it so she could set the volume so low that only her extremely sensitive ears could hear it. As quickly and quietly as possible, she swept her textbook, class syllabus and notepad into her book bag and headed for the door; it was the first day of class, so hopefully she wouldn't miss too much. Once outside on the Freedom College campus, she ducked around the back of the building, turned invisible and scampered up to the roof. She gently tapped the link as she safely stowed her book bag in a conjured dummy air vent. "VINCE, I just got a call from Colt about trouble on a bridge; which one?" The normally chatty AI was always quick and to the point when time was of the essence. "It's the Centery, Grim, and they've got hostages!" "On it!" In a flash, the shapeshifter shrunk down to pixie size, her student clothing flowing smoothly into her working outfit as she shot of the roof like a bullet. Having no idea what the exact situation really was, she pushed herself to greater speed, her gossamer wings thrumming like the props on a combat helicopter as she raced to the scene. Once she got there, her stomach dropped as she saw two bodies hurled off the bridge by what looked like a large man whose skin glinted in the bright January sunlight. "No!" Grim darted downward, skimming just above the river's icy surface, a jet of water marking her progress; as she got closer, she breathed a quick sigh of relief as she saw her beloved Colt save one of the imperiled innocents on his Stellar Cycle, which left only one more for her! The tiny pixie's flightpath arced upwards, and with seemingly impossible strength and accuracy she grabbed the terrified man's collar, allowing his weight and velocity to pull her back downwards for his protection. "It's alright, sir, I've got you! Let me get you back up where it's safe!" The poor fellow was too stunned to form a coherent reply as the unlikely pair dropped almost to the water before gracefully swooping up again, banking to bring him back to the bridge’s roadway a good distance away from whomever so casually tossed him to his near-death. "There you go, safe and sound! Better make for the mainland, just in case!" And with that, she started to wing her way back to the mysterious fracas.

Init for Grim! 1d20+12=32 I bet that's the only 20 I roll for the whole thread ;)

Sorry, didn't know this thread had already started; I'll do a post tomorrow (i.e later today) to bring Grim up to speed.

Grim nodded in satisfaction as she surveyed her handiwork. "Thanks. Yeah, twenty some years of Christmas envy means I had a lot of time to think about it; Mom let Dad put some blue lights on the bush outside our place in Ventnor, but it's not the same as having a tree to call your own." The shapeshifter laughed ruefully at the memory of the near-fiasco they survived early Christmas morning at Uncle Sid's annual holiday brunch. "Well you don't grow up an Epstein without knowing how to work a fire extinguisher; I just hope Aunt Clara's eyebrows grow back okay." Lynn squeeled in shock and delight, her curly-toed shoes nearly hitting the ceiling as she kicked her legs wildly. "Ahhh, he's got me, he's got me! Colt, save me from the clutches of the Mad Eli!" Once safely free, she smoothed down her veltet outfit and wiped the gleeful tears from her eyes. "Just like our resident speedster to spread holiday cheer and cop a feel at the same damn time; kudos to you, sir!" She winked and gave him a playful elbow to the ribs. "Seriously though, I love doing decorations and stuff; wait 'til you try the mulled cider, it's super-nummy."

As Etain explained her aversion to dance clubs, Lynn delicately picked up the dress and tucked it back in her parka, or so it appeared since she just dismissed it when it was out of sight. "Wow, you really did grow up in another dimension." She held her arms up in front of her and moved her head warily from side to side. "'Your mortal world frightens and confuses me!'" She dropped the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer bit and shook her head sadly. "That actually kinda sucks; you share, like, no culture with most of the kids you're gonna meet in this world. So what did you do for fun back home? Dance on moonbeams?"

Estelle leaned her head back against Greg's shoulder, laughing at his suggestion. "You always say that, and then we never end up watching the movie! Not that I mind a nice distraction, but I would like to actually see a film from time to time." She kissed him playfully on the nose. "That being said, you are going to love the sleeping loft. Two words: Working. Fireplace." "You can never flirt enough, though you may be right about the wine." Looking over her shoulder, she fetched the bottle and her glass with but a thought, her damp tresses depositing them in her hands. Then she slithered out of his grasped and flopped on the loveseat, indicating the cushion beside her with a nod as a lazy tiger's smile spread across her face. "Come, sit."

"Oh this?" She peered down at herself and brushed invisible dust off her jacket. "Well, US Weekly, I'm embarrased to say; saw some itty-bitty girl wearing it on the red carpet, figured I could pull it off, too." She ran fingers through her spiky hair and shrugged. "You know me, the little fashionista..." The shapeshifter lifted her head and eagerly sniffed the air. "Ooh, smells like Stesha went all out on the floral arrangements; I hope they look as pretty as they smell! She really is an artist with those plants."

The faerie from New Jersey waved a dismissive hand at Etain's concerns. "Mere triffles for folks like you and me. First of all-" She flicked out her fingers, and a perfectly-made New Jersey state driver's license with Etain's face and vitals (all made up, of course) appeared between them. "But of course, that would be highly illegal, and therefore bad." With a snap, the card was gone in a puff of vapor. "Actually I'm surprised you never tried that with your illusions; I'd think it would be a piece of cake for you." Lynn leaned forward and laid a friendly hand on the changeling's boot. "The thing of it is, there are a few all-ages clubs in Freedom City, and one or two of them actually don't suck, so you can't use that as an excuse. But yeah, your Victorian threads would be a problem. Lucky for you-" She reached inside her parka and then pulled out a little black dress on a hanger. "I carry spare outfits in my pockets." She carefully laid the dress across the table and indicated it with a nod. "That should fit you, if you wanna to try it on in the ladies' room, but you'd need other stuff, too; y'know, shoes, stockings, underwear that doesn't buckle up the back..."

At last the strange shower noises and squeaky Robert Plant impression stopped; a few moments later, Gossamer stepped to the railing, wearing a nice full-length terry cloth robe, with what looked like an iceberg balanced on her head, but was in fact her wet hair piled up and wrappedf with several towels. "Did I hear the alarm go off? Did you get the pizza out okay?" Then she got a look at the shirtless Greg standing in the kitchen, and she laughed. "Oh look, the plumber's here! And it's so darn hot in the kitchen, he had to take his shirt off!" She played a little sexy air base to 'set the mood'. "Ba-dum-dum-dum! Ba-dum-dum-dum!" Then she stopped and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I should probably get a camera..." All kidding aside, she finished toweling off her hair and then lowered herself back down to the ground floor, her damp darkened hair wrapped around her shoulders a few times like a silky soggy shawl. Estelle padded over to her lover's side and rested a wet chin on his shouder. "Mmm, it smells delicous! We should probably let it cool a bit more, to avoid scalding the roofs of our mouths."

Finishing off the last of her tasty snadwich, Lynn wiped her mouth with a napkin. "The fact is, most people know as little about science as they do about magic; when you turn the key, the car starts and you can drive to work. What makes the car go? Science!" She smiles. "Science makes sense because it's predicable, unless something goes wrong. Magic is just as predicible as science, if not more so, but people don't undertsand the rules." She sighed deeply as she swept the crumbs off the table and onto her plate. "My mom teaches college physics, and she always told me horror stories of how ignorant some of her studets are, which really frustrates her. To be honest, I think we've just gotten lazy; we live in a push button world where you can get whatever you want, at least in America." At last, she shrugged. "I dunno, I had a point about five minutes ago, but I seem to have lost it somewhere along the way." Her meal complete, the shapeshifter drummed the table with her hands. "I don't know about you, but I'm still a little antsy; we should go to a club or something, or beat up more bad guys."

Here's the thread, folks!

The Brownstone. December 25th, 2010. 7:53 pm A roaring fire blazed in the living room fireplace, over which hung several stockings, one for each Interceptor, as well as Ellie, Dok A and even VINCE, because a certain Jewish pixie didn't have the heart to leave the lovable AI out. A massive Scotch pine, far too large to have grown naturally much less fit through the front door, stood in one corner, ornately decorated and with several gifts tucked underneath. Mistletoe hung over doorways in dangerous profusion. There were fragrant garlands twisted around all the bannisters, and the scent of freshly-baked cookies and mulled cider wafted down the hall from the kitchen, and the Elf soundtrack was playing on the stereo. Lynn stood in the middle the room in Freedom College sweats, arms folded in satisfaction. "Ah, it's the Christmas every little Jewish kid dreams of! I just hope I got the stocking stuffers right." The changeling had conjured the tree and all the decorations, but she'd purchased her gifts, made the food by hand and stuffed the stockings herself (except her own, which she glamoured up for completion's sake). Colt and Grim got back from her Uncle Sid's place around quarter to six, giving her plenty of time to get working on the holiday snacks and put the finishing touches on the tree. "I think that's everything...oh wait!" Her sweats shifted into a silly but still somewhat sexy elf outfit in red and green; the pointed ears, of course, were natural. "Perfect!" Humming along with “Baby It’s Cold Outsideâ€, she continued to make minor tweaks here and there as she waited for the others arrive.

Grim's Guide to Her Crazy Relatives Dad's Side Bernard and Maria Epstein: Grampa Bernie is a sweet old guy who put up with a lot of grief from his very Jewish family when he knocked up Grammie Marie, who was his very Italian/Catholic secretary at the wholesale furniture business his family's run for fifty years (Interesting sidenote: it once belonged to my mom's side of the family, which made her marrying my dad a huge issue back in the day, due to bad blood between the Epsteins and the Silbermans going back to Prohibition). Giving in to pressure from Maria's family, their kids were baptized and raised Catholic, though Bernie insists on observing Passover, which my mom sarcastically refers to as 'magically becoming Jewish for seven days a year.' Though they're getting on in years, they're both still pretty sharp and love their three boys and many grandkids. Sid and Clara Epstein: Uncle Sid is my dad's older brother, and he is pretty much 'the boss' on the Epstein side of things, looking out for his two brothers, his folks and the whole extended Epstein clan. Aunt Clara comes from a nice Italian-American family in Atlantic City, and has several brothers and sisters, which means I have more Italian-blooded cousins than I can count. They have a big house in Atlantic County (Sid owns a chain of car dealerships as well as part of the furniture business), where most of the family get-togethers are held. Uncle Sid looks a bit like Ray Liotta with a receding hairline and piercing blue eyes that scare the crap out of people who don't know him well. I love Sid, though he's a fairly strict parent, so I wouldnt have gotten away with much growing up in his house. Karl Epstein: Uncle Karl is Dad's little brother, and he's been in and out of jail more times than I can remember. He has a really bad stutter, and everyone thought he was 'slow' growing up, so he finally gave up and dropped out of high school (like me); later on they found out he just has really bad dyslexia. He's had trouble keeping a steady job because of his record and his learning challenges, but he sure as hell ain't dumb; back when I was having my horrible freshman year from hell, he taught me how to defend myself and fight back, skills that are still helping me today. Karl is actually super-sweet and I hope he finds a nice girl someday; he looks a bit like the late great Bruno Kirby, the little guy from City Slickers. Mom's Side Jerome and Deborah Plotkin: Uncle Jerry is an Orthodox rabbi; Mom's older sister Deb met him in college, and converted to Orthodox Judaism before she married him. Uncle Jer is surprisingly mellow, though Aunt Deb can be a real harpy; I still love them, though me and Deb go at it from time to time, and she didn't want me to get Grampa Lou's bookstore. They live in Freedom and have four kids who I get along with okay. Joseph and Lucille DiCosta: Uncle Joe married my mom's little sister Iris many years ago, and they both converted to Reform Judaism as a compromise (Joe was a fairly lapsed Catholic); this was sometimes an issue between Iris and Deb, but mostly they got along. Aunt Iris died of cancer in the late 90s, which hit the whole family hard because she was so young and we all loved her so much; contrary to Deb's expectations, Joe did not renounce Judaism, and in fact his second wife even converted! For these and many other reasons, Joe is seen as a real mensch by my family. They live in Chicago, and have kids by both marriages; I love all the DiCostas very much. Abraham and Tanya Silvers: Mom's little brother Abe changed his name from Silberman to Silvers shortly after he moved out west, and converted to a Methodist when he married Aunt Tanya; even though he's a very successful entertainment lawyer, he is not well thought of by my family. Tanya's a former 'model/actress' with bleached-blonde hair and a hideous spray-on stripper tan. Uncle Abe rarely makes it to family functions, though he always sends huge bouquets or super-expensive gifts with a note apologizing for his absence. His family lives in a gated community in Brentwood, and his two kids are spoiled rotten; Uncle Joe's family goes out to visit him fairly often, but they're pretty much the only ones who do. My Own Family Harold and Elaine Epstein - My mom and dad. Dad was in a band called the Defenders, and Mom saw him perform when she and a few friends went out for drinks one Christmas eve; Mom was pretty drunk, it seems, and she was very impressed when Dad lead the rest of the band in a number of Johnny Cash numbers, as she'd been a closet country western fan since her teens. Not known for impulsive behavior as a rule, Mom ended up in Dad's motel room, and well, some folks call it destiny. Mom studied physics at Princeton, Dad drove a forklift at his family's wholesale furniture warehouse; clearly they come from different worlds. But they've stuck together through good times and bad, and somehow they make it work. Dad still likes to party, has a thining salt-and-pepper pontytail and has been wheelchair bound for several years due to a back injury; he's also half-Italian and goes by 'Butch'. Mom is beautiful in a sort of icy way, with pale gray eyes and a gray streak in her shoulder-length dark hair. They share a love of country music and Star Trek. Ben and Sarah Epstein - My older brother and his wife. Ben is the most straight-laced member of the family, who went to law school in New York and married a nice Jewish girl from Queens. He's always been a bit of nerd, into roleplaying games and Harry Potter, but he rarely talks about it in public. Sarah is sweet but pretty conventional, and we don't always have a lot to talk about, but she's a good cook and a good mother (they have three kids - how time flies!) Eddi Epstein - My big sis. Me and Eddi haven't always gotten along; in fact, I hated her as a teenager, but we do okay nowadays. Eddi has fallen in and out of love more than anyone I've ever met; she has two kids by different fathers and is still actively single. She's a CNA who works in a nursing home, a job she loves but she'd got rotten hours; luckily, Mom and Dad are good babysitters. One other thing; Eddi is as curvy as I am flat-chested, which drove me crazy growing up! She can be a bit of a ball-buster, but her heart's usually in the right place.

Lynn took took anther sip of coffee as she pondered that last bit. And I think I know who that is; Erin oh Erin, what are we going to do with you? Wiping her mouth with her hand, the older girl shrugged. "Well I've had a few years to get comfortable with them, and being on a team where I get to use them on a regular basis is also a huge help." She sighed as she considered her sandwich, sizing up her next bite. "But the sad fact is, I was already a weirdo before all this happened to me; maybe that's why all this magic business feels as natural as breathing." (chomp!)

At this, Estelle rolled her eyes and snorted with amusement, but she was still very receptive to Greg's kiss. The blonde heroine chuckled as she affectionately rubbed the vet's rock-hard bicep. "I'll try not to take too long; the new shower system I designed makes it a lot faster while still using less water than a traditional shower, but it still does take a little while to get this much hair lathered." She have him one more quick kiss, then her shimmering locks rose, wrapped themselves around the railing of the sleeping loft and effortlessly hoisted her up and over; once she got there, she raised her arms over her head, and her T-shirt slid off as if by magic, offering Greg a quick peek at her black lace bra as she walked away. "If the timer dings before I'm done, just pull the pizza stone out and rest it on top of the stove to cool!" From just inside the bathroom, she called down, "We can always do a Die Hard marathon some night; that way be both win!" From down below, Estelle's newfangled shower sounded quite odd, more like a series of torrential indoor rainstorms than a steady stream of water; between cloudbursts, she could be heard singing Zeppelin's 'Misty Mountain Hop' in a loud, somewhat off-key voice before being drowned out (almost literally) by the next deluge. "Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see, and baaaaby, baaaaaby, baaaaaby, do you LIKE it?†(sploosh!) “Woo ooh ooooooh!â€

I didn't see an OOC for this thread, so I'll ask a question here. AA, I think Lynn's assessment of the relationship between her own and Mark's various identies is correct, but if not, let me know so I can edit my last post. Unless she didn't meet him as Lenya; I'll do a little digging myself. Edit: Okay, so going back over Back to School, 'Lenya' never met Mark, but she got some intel on him from Dok since he was Mike's roommate. I'll edit the post accordingly.

The pretty brunette shook the young man's hand enthusiastically; her grip was surprisingly strong for a woman so small. "Nice to meet you, Carson, I'm Lynn Epstein; so, are you from the Chicago area or a fellow Freedonian?" When Dok arrived, Lynn felt a slight twinge of guilt; as a former member of the Knights, Grim had gotten an invite, but a quick call to the bride-to-be had revealed that the affair was strictly no weapons. This had led to a rather awkward discussion with Colt, who normally would have been her plus one, and after a short talk it was decided she would fly solo on this one, and use the opportunity to spend some time with her Uncle Joe's family in Chicago. But seeing Dok here with Mona, a fellow Interceptor, as his date made her feel bad about leaving her beloved cowboy at home. Forget it, Lynn; it's not like you're joined at the hip. A healthy couple shouldn't have to do every single thing together. But it was Derrick and Stesha's day, and Lynn swore to herself she wouldn't be all pouty and miserable for the bride and groom. She grinned and gave the German genius a warm hug. "Hey guys; wow, you both look fantastic!" The shapeshifter carefully approached Jack-Jack in a low crouch, keeping her movements slow and within his eyeline; one shouldn't take a chance with little vamp babies. "Hey there, little man! Check this out; nothing up my sleeves...presto!" With a theatrical flourish, she produced a teething toy in the shape of a bunny rabbit. "Ta-daa! Here, let's just give that to Daddy." She handed Jack the conjured gift, since she didn't want a stranger to get a gander at the little guy's impressive chompers. It took Lynn a few moments to realize that while she knew Mark's heroic identity from her infiltration work at Claremont, and Grim knew Edge from a few adventures in the field, her civilian self and young Mister Lucas had never formally met. She hadn't realized that both Derrick and Stesha were teaching at the school for the especially gifted, which was kinda cool. She offered a firm friendly handshake to the affable reality warper. "Hi Mark, I'm Lynn; nice to see some students still like their teachers."

Fair enough! I'll have it up and running tomorrow night, no ifs, ands or buts :D

A Nissan Maxima pulled up in front of the church, and young Lynn Esptein stepped out, sharply dressed in a black jacket and dressy slacks. The driver, a big man in his late forties, rolled down the window and called out to her. "Are you sure you're warm enough, Sher?" "I'm fine, Uncle Joe, thanks! I'll call you when it's all over!" "Okay, well, stay warm!" "I will, no worries!" She waved as the car pulled off. "Love you!" "Love you, too, Sher!" As the Maxima departed, Lynn quickly stepped over towards the main entrance, noting two familiar faces she hadn't expected to see here, even though at least one of them shouldn't have been a shock. The third young man she didn't recognize. "Hi guys! Wow, quite the FC contingent we've got going here!" Then she caught a glimpse of Jack Jr and her eyes went big and soft. "Oh my god, he's so huge! In a good way, I mean!"

Lynn's cheeks went a little pink as she waved a hand dismissively. "It's this dumb thing, the beard bit; you know what, just forget it." Then she looked up happily as her feta cheese pepper and egg sandwich arrived. "Cool, thank you! Well, it's nice to know that Tolkien got some of it right; it would be cool to see dwarven craftsmanship up close." She took a huge bite of her sandwich and munched it with great relish. "Mmm, fis is so goo! I wuf real foo!" She swallowed with great effort (a little magic might have been involved), then chased it with a big swig of pumpkin spice latte, forgetting that it still tasted like scotch; the look of shock on her face was simply priceless. "Whoaaaa, doggie!" The shapeshifter shook her head vigorously. "Bwuh-ha-ha! Um, I'm gonna need my coffee back now, if that's okay with you. Woosh!"

Is there any real interest in this any more, or should we just move on? I wish I'd been on top of this earlier, but I was a bit of a Scrooge in the weeks before Christmas :(

She giggled at the kiss on her nose, then drained her glass and set it aside across the room as she resumed her earlier position, her delicate chin nestled against his sternum. "Hmm, guy movies..." She met his eyes and looked mildy apologetic. "Good guy movies, granted, but guy movies nonetheless..." Her face screwed up in thought as she gently bounced her chin on Greg's chest. "Um um um, let's go with Airplane...and more wine." She lifted her head up and peered over at the timer by the oven. "Actually, how about this; I am in desperate need of a quick shower, so why don't you make yourself at home on the love seat-" She indicated the small sofa opposite her 36" flatscreen with a nod. "Acquaint yourself with the remotes, enjoy the wonderous offerings of satellite TV and such, and then I will join you shortly, wearing nothing but a damp robe and five feet of wet hair." She adjusted his shirt and gave him another kiss. "We can watch a bit of satellite until the pizza's done, then slice it up, set up the TV trays, press play-" Another kiss. "Get plastered on good Italian wine and enjoy ourselves. Sound like a plan?"

The blonde heroine laughed as she fanned herself. "Oh, Mister Wolfcastle, I've seen all your films; McBain is my favorite!" As she continued speaking, she set the timer as her slender extra limbs slid the stone with the pizza into the brick oven. "You do raise a good point about movies, though; I must admit I can get a little pretentious in my tastes. I love documentaries and foreign films, but at least I'm not one of those complete snobs who refuses to watch Hollywood films." Wiping her hands on a towel, she joined Greg in a friendly embrace. "I love period films and films about real people; in general, I find most romantic comedies to be boring and predictable, though I do have a soft spot for Sandra Bullock." A thin tendril snagged her wine and brought it to her as she rested her chin playfully on her new boyfriend's well-muscled chest, her sparkling blue eyes gazing up into his as the fingers of her free hand kneaded the fabric of his shirt. "I love Woody Allen and Mel Brooks, at least their early films, and my favorite film of all time is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which I tend to quote ad nauseum. I cannot abide Adam Sandler, Will Farrell or Jack Black, and I think Jim Carrey is the spawn of Satan and a glob of Silly Putty." She chewed her lip thoughtfully as her eyes wandered. "Annnnd I find Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe and Bruce Willis terribly sexy. So, there you go..." She smiled ruefully. "Sadly Blade Runner puts me to sleep; I blame the Vangelis score and the glacial pacing. What else have you got?" She took a sip of wine and looked hopeful.

Grim had followed Dok with some trepidation, as he seemed to be getting more, oh what was the word, manic. Her mom had some bipolar-like symptoms back in the day, and this sort of jagged excitement bore some very similar earmarks; maybe the German genius was overstimulated or something, and they should take a break? This last bit actually creeped her out big time. "Uh, didn't you say you didn't like to mess with people's minds? The thought of little McCulkey Culkey being beamed straight into my brain sounds like something out of a Cronenberg movie." She laughed nervously and held up her hands. "I mean, not to knock this whole Nutcracker thing; it's sounds kinda fun, and the ballet part sounds interesting and challenging, but I can just, y'know, Netflix it or something instead of the whole...upload scenario."

Lynn chuckled. "Tempting, but I think I'll pass." She extended her hand and made a wiggly motion with her fingers. "When I'm out in public, I usually try to keep it cool, since I don't want to slip up with my powers. Another time, maybe." At this the brunette pixie laughed out loud. "Oh sure, use the Avril Lavigne 'But it's legal in Canada' line, why don't you." She smiled and shook her head. "But yeah, I get it; my folks let me have a bit of wine on the major holidays, and I turned out okay...mostly." At the mention of the makers of exotic liquors, she perked up a bit. "Wow, have you actually met any dwarves? Do the women really have beards, or is that all BS?"