Heritage

She looks mildly embarrassed as she runs her fingers through her hair. "Uh, I go by 'Gossamer'? It's, it's probably easier to just show you, really." Suddenly her long braid unfurls, and she is surrounded by a golden cloud, millions of fine strands that drift about her like seaweed. A thin tendril of hair forms and hangs patiently in the air in front of her as she digs a dollar bill out of her back pocket. She offers the dollar to the strand, which obediently stretches across the room, slips the bill into the juke box, and even taps in a selection. "Actually I know this jukebox really well, so it's not quite as impressive as it first appears." The bar fills with the opening chords of 'Back in Black', and there are a few ragged cheers from the regulars, who've seen her pull this stunt before. The thin little limb returns to her side, where it coils around her beer and raises it to her lips. "I can also benchpress six tons with it, which really is much cooler, but the management tends to discourage those sort of hijinks." Estelle shook her head, and the effect on her tresses is quite fascinating, like watching water surge back and forth. "Me? Noooo. Who can afford to be picky these days? So what heroes have you run into, prior to today?"

Gossamer All Part Of The Show Brainiac Brunch Champagne Shenanigans Shaggy Dog Whatever Walked There, Walked Alone Grimalkin Earth Victoriana: The Brit Machine The Legacy of Al-Kazar: A World of Pure Imagination Meet the Interceptors! Preventive Measures The Russian Doll Girl Stay on Target... Stopping By For A Nice Little Chat Welcome to The Interceptors, Jill O'Cure Zombie Powder is a Helluva Drug

Grim beamed up at him. "Y'know you've got me spoiled rotten with all the sweet nothing's you come up with, right? I mean by all means, keep 'em coming; I'm just sayin'." She reached out and gently touched the surface of the mirror, and seemed mildly disappointed thaty she didn't step through it like Alice into Wonderland. "Well nertz to you, so-called magic mirror! Oh that's right, I had his wand last time; I did the whole bit." She started to poke around among the boxes and trunks, casually flipping open lids and peeking within; slowly her hair grows long and black, her increasingly-visible skin takes on an olive cast, and her clean-up clothes become much more...Arabesque. Clearly any normal person would be freezing in that get-up! :shock: "I told you about my whole ‘Princess Jasmine’ phase growing up, didn't I? Lasted a few years, mostly fueled by the stuff I found in this room, or at least the stuff Grampa Lou let me handle. Oh man, check this out!" She jumped headlong into a large steamer trunk, so just her legs were sticking up in the air, then she disappeared altogether; seconds later, however, she leapt out, dramatically wielding a large golden-hilted scimitar of exotic design, which she swished through the air this way and that, twirling about so her long, dark glamoured hair spun like a shimmering satin blade itself. "He used tons of these in his act! Swords, scarves, knives and mysterious pots of smoke in all kinds of crazy colors! Wow, can you imagine the magic act I could do? We'd make a hundred billion dollars!"

I actually was thinking of adding a bit to my last post, in which she clarifies it just a wee bit. If you want to wrap this thread up sooner than later, I'm fine with that.

Next Estelle rose with a polite nod and a wave of her hand. "Hello! I'm Dr Estelle de Havilland of ASTRO Labs, though some of you may know me by my more heroic moniker, Gossamer. I have a doctorate in organic chemistry, and currently I'm focused on improving biodegradable plastics made from plant oils, though I have a few other projects in various stages of development. I am honored to be among such distinguished company." She smoothed out her dress as she returned to her seat, offering a friendly look Fraser's way. A masters in biochemistry, eh? Well, we may not be working in the exact same field, but I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about.

Placing the warm plates on the table, the tiny shapeshifter looked around nervously as the image of millions of chittering insect-like robots crawling behind the walls and floors rose unbidden in her mind's eye. "Wow, that's pretty...cool." :? However it was much more comforting to return to the thought of an amazing Indian meal, followed by doing some cool tests! Grim nodded vigorously as she took her seat. "Yeah, alright. I'm actually really interested to see how all my faerie stuff reads on your instruments; I'm not a major science whiz or anything, but I'm fairly sure I break pretty much every natural law on a daily basis." :D

Estelle tried to hide her smile as she took a sip of beer, but her dimples gave her away. She shrugged and tried to look nonchalant as she ran a finger around the mouth of her beer bottle. "For the right guy, I might be. And don't worry, I'm weird all the time." The long-haired lovely cast a glance over her shoulder before she leaned forward conspiratorially. "Actually, in the interest of full disclosure I feel I should warn you: I'm not just a chemist, I'm also a superhero." Setting aside her beer, she rolled up the sleeve of her sweater to reveal some sort of high-tech computer terminal, in the form of an armband that covered most of her left forearm. "See? I have a superhero accessory." She winked broadly, tapped the side of her nose with her finger, then pointed at Gregory and gave him 'the nod'.

Clutching her hands together, Grim drops halfway down to her knees before bouncing back up. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou, Eddie; I really didn't want to have to tackle you in front off all these hipster kids." Taking him by the hand, she leads him back to their table, a big friendly grin on her face. "C'mon, I'll make you a drink; these guys charge an arm and a leg for frickin' juice." Once she gets them settled (and conjures up any non-alcoholic drink Eddie requests), the shapeshifter rubs her hands together. "Okay, I want to run a few things by ya, and we'll see what you like and don't like. First off, can I interest you in a job? I'm opening up a used bookstore, and I'm thinking of expanding into records and CDs. Obviously, it would be after school and weekends at first, but if you want to go full-time after graduation, that would be awesome. Are you still mixing at all?"

Estelle laughed and waved a hand dismissvely. "Ah, human contact is overrated! Who needs friends, family and lovers when you have a good book, a lovable pet and bottle of fine wine?" Then she stopped, stroked a lip thoughtfuly and suddenly opened her eyes wide in mock-revelation. "Wait a minute...I've turned into a Cat Lady! Dear God, when did that happen?" Chuckling at her own silliness, the blonde chemist shook her head, which made her long braid wag from side to side like a happy tail. "Ah Gregory, whatever will become of us? Our personal lives sacrificed on the altar of our careers..." She took a nice long swig and sighed wistfully.

She cocked an elegant eyebrow, then pursed her lips. "Apparently so, or else you'd remember my name's Estelle? From our earlier handshake?" Did she actually have him flustered? Because that would be fun. She tapped her empty beer bottle with a glossy fingernail (all of which where trimmed quite short). "And yes, I'd love another Leinenkugel's; thank you." She waited for him to finish ordering, then raised her fresh bottle to tap it against his drink. "Cheers, Gregory. You know, I often work 'til odd hours of the night myself; do you find it drastically impacts your social life?"

Grim bounced up and down happily on her stool. "Oh cool, that worked out nicely then!" "Sure, no prob." She hoisted a few plates on her arms (as heat wasn't really an issue for her now) and made like a waiter as she followed Dok back into the dining room. "So what, after we nosh, we just head down into your Oh my God, what happened?! Why do you suddenly have a restaurant in your house?" It was only her inhuman reflexes that kept her from dropping every single plate on the floor; as it was, she stood gobsmacked in the doorway, her gaze darting around the drastically-altered space.

Well someone is speaking now; wouldn't want to be rude! :P

Estelle frowned in mild confusion, but the smile never left her lips, while Sunny giddily waved good-bye and paid her tab. After waving back to her departing sister, the lovely blonde returned her focus to the charming vet as she held up a slender finger to make a point. "So...you realize I now know the name of your dog, but not your own actual real given person name. Is this how things are done in veterinary circles?" Judging from her big smile, she was really enjoying this conversation, as well as the young man’s company.

It has been pointed out in the chat that Vivian really is much more of an Amazon than Miss A, so it's all on me, bro! :D

Estelle smiled as she thought of her cat, who loved to chase furtive strands of her hair around the loft. "He's a lynx-point Siamese, and other than being Satan Incarnate, he's a little dear. I think he's...five years old this year? Maybe six, I forget." Suddenly Sunny starts waving her hands as she tips her head backwards. "Ah, ah, my stupid contact lens went up up behind my eyelid! Ahh!" Estelle curses softly, then seems very alarmed. "Oh dear, I'm sorry, can you give us a minute? I'll be right back, I swear! Where's the ladies' room?" Estelle hustles her sister towards the washrooms; once they get through the door, she slaps Sunny on the shoulder, but not too hard. "What are you, sixteen? The 'contact lens' trick? Seriously? I haven't even gotten his name yet!" Still wiping away tears of mirth, her big sister smiles at her. "He's cute, though, isn't he? And a vet, good with animals..." "You're an animal, Sun. But yes, he is nice and cute." The blonde chemist sighed and ran her hand through a portion of her hair. "So, does this mean you're heading back to the hotel?" "Yes, it does; I don't want to cramp your style, Stel." "You're such a good sister, despite the hereditary insanity." :roll: They share a warm hug, and then return to handsome vet at the bar, where Estelle makes a spastic face. "Crisis averted! I keep telling her to get laser surgery, but apparently she's afraid of knives..."

As PixieGrim braved the icy winds high above the city, she could almost feel the cold penetrate her tiny bones, which really made her feel bad for all the other folks who weren't made of glamour. But the sight of the Tower really took her breath away; so much history, drama and bloodshed infused into those venerable stones! I have to come back here some day when I'm not saving a parallel world from frostbite. That voice! So strange the way it tugged at her heart. It reminded her of the ethereal quality everything had when she crossed the veil over in Faerie, which gave her pause. Not every fae creature was fair and good, as she'd discovered; some had hearts as black as frozen blood. Cautiously she flitted closer to the barred window, clutching Miss Wells' odd device like a copper club as she did her best to stay an arm's length away from the foul black metal. "I am fae, true enough. I'm called Grimalkin, the Mistress of Mystery. Who are you, who sings of distant Avalon?" And why do I always end up talking like this? :roll:

Grim's Fortitude check is you guys are all CHUMPS, hahahaha! :twisted:

Oh God, that hurts like a shotgun in the guts. Grim followed after him, her costume smoothly blending into an FC hoodie, jeans and combat boots as she stepped out of the shadows and laid a hand on his arm. Through a trick of glamour, she shifted her voice so only he could hear her. "Eddie, wait. I'm sorry I lied to you, and all the kids at Claremont; I was working undercover, a real sh##y assignment that made me sick to my stomach. But that's the work I have to do sometimes; sometimes being a hero means doing stuff you don't like." She sighed and winced her eyes in pain. "Look, dropping my cover like this could maybe get me kicked off my team, but I did it because I want to help you, Eddie. I want the lies to stop. I want to stop just saying I'm your friend and really be your friend, because I think you can really use one right now. Just give me five minutes, okay?"

Um, I guess I should have been more clear in my last post; Estelle was offering a chair to Miss Americana, since she would have used Vivian's name if she offered the chair to her. My own damn fault for using the term 'blonde Amazon' when there are at least three in the room if you count Estelle herself. So much for making new friends But Vivian and John make for good company, so I'll let it go. ;)

As soon as the guy said 'veterinarian' Estelle's eyes lit up a bit, she inched just a hair closer to him on her stool and her smile became much warmer. His complement seemed sincere and he wasn't scared off by her big ol' brain; she could almost feel her sister's eager smile behind her back "A vet, really? That's very good; I have a cat named May-Ray. So do you work at the emergency clinic? I'm sorry, I'm Estelle, and this is my sister Sunny. How do you do?" She extended her hand in a rather lady-like fashion, bu her grip was nice and strong.

Now for some women the 'come here often' line is a huge red flag of loserdom, but Estelle was not so harsh. A lot of great guys struggle with their opening, because let's be honest it's the hardest part of the job, so she was more than willing to cut the right guy some slack in that department; asking about her line of work, on the other hand, showed much more promise, especially so early in the conversation. And the fact that he apparently didn't recognize her? Huge plus. "Actually I'm a research chemist at ASTRO Labs; I'm working on biodegradable plastics made from plant oils, like corn and soybeans†She smiled sweetly. “How about you, what do you do for a living?â€

Estelle continued chatting with Sunny, who was carefully peeping over her sister's shoulder at Well-Built Guy's approach. Estelle mouthed 'Is he coming over?' to which her older sister responded with the slightest of nods and a tiny smile as she took another sip of her drink. The blonde chemist turned and sat up slightly, a look of polite 'surprise' on her face as she discretly gave the guy a thorough look over. "Oh, hello." She flashed a quick smile, certainly not the most deadly of her smiles, but one of the better ones; she kept the heavy duty stuff in reserve. She raised her Leinenkugel to her lips and took a smallish swig, but not a little girly swig; a decent-sized swig that indicated she liked good beer and was not some dithering lightweight. Sunny grinned and shook her head; it was always fun to watch a true artist at work.

Estelle was hanging out with her sister Sunny at her favorite local pub in Kingston, The Magic Crab; it had been around forever and didn't have that fake 'wee Irish pub' feel, plus one of the best jukeboxes in the known world. Sunny was in town with her husband for a few days, but tonight was a casual girls' night out, just two sister in their early thirties checking out the cute guys and enjoying themselves. Sunny, a few years older with dark brown hair and green eyes and wearing a tweed riding jacket and designer jeans, was laying it on thick with the wise married sister routine as she raised her second rum and coke to her lips. "You know you'll be happier when you settle down, E; you can have a husband and a career." Estelle, her long hair in its usual braid down her back, shrugged inside her dark blue sweater and khaki slacks. "You may be right, but I just...want to get some serious work under my belt before I take that plunge. Plus my dating life has been very sporadic these days." "Mmm, so I've read; so just how serious were you with this Divine girl? Or was it just some kind of superhero hook-up? And since when are you into girls, anyway? Not that I'm judging; I've seen her picture, she's postively stunning." The blonde chemist rolled her eyes. "Can we not talk about this? It wasn't a phase or an act of rebellion like Mother seems to think; we happened to click, we're both human beings, and I don't see why I can't be attracted to a woman every now and again. Why rule out half the world's population because of some antiquated system of beliefs? It happened, it was fun, but it's over; now let's move on, okay?" Sunny held up her hands and turned to sweep the crowd with her gaze. "Fair enough, I'll drop it." Then she paused and placed a hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Speaking of stunning, looked what just stepped in from the cold." Estelle tossed a casual look over her shoulder at the newcomer, a very well-built man. "Interesting..."

Okay, this was more like it! Casa del Archeville was far cooler than she’d hoped; it was like some crazy Escher painting on the inside! She followed her nose (and the robo-gorilla) into the kitchen, where Freedom’s own lovable mad scientist was hard at work on his latest culinary invention. Grim squinted a bit as she hopped up on a stool she conjured for herself; it was sometimes weird to be offered food when she no longer seemed to need it. "Well, yes and no; let's just say I'm eager to eat whatever you put in front of me! Veggie and/or kosher, I hope?†The changeling looked around the wonderful kitchen, marveling at both its size and its owner’s enthusiasm for the culinary arts. “Thanks for having me over, by the way; I was just thinking the other day of asking you to run some tests, or at least help me gauge the limits of my powers. You never know what you can do unless your pushed, right?â€

Okay, finally got back to this one after much delay! After rereading sections of Disco Fever, I found that the storage room was on the other side of the store, so I added a line at the end of this post; feel free if you want to edit your last post, Q.