Heritage

Grim's rocking the Selective Concealment and has Auto 33 on Stealth.

Grim also nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Perfect! I concur." With a wink and a wave to her boyfriend, she stepped out of the vehicle and faded from sight, little more than an occasional smudge in the atmosphere. Yet somehow Grim's voice appeared over the team's comlinks! "Can you guys still hear me? if so, your the only people in the world who can!" The changeling chuckled before continuing. "Okay, I'm gonna move into position at the rear, and wait for Jack to hit the front door." Quieter than a ghost, she slipped around the back, waiting for her more-flamboyant teammate to do what he did best: make an amazing entrance.

Yeah, she is; gonna post a response this very even.

Colt's words had at least some of their intended effect, as Lynn's parents stopped screaming at each other long enough to hear him out. As they listened, Lainey's face was anguished, almost as though she was in physical pain, whereas Butch's features were clouded with shame. When he finished, Lainey stormed over to Colt and jabbed an accusing finger at her daughter. "Do you have any idea what she put me through, what she put us through? She stole from me, ruined my credit rating, and then had the nerve to call me up and-" "Mom, shut up!" At last, Lynn was no longer sobbing; she was far too angry for that now. She carefully disentangled herself from her boyfriend and stood face to face with her mother. who was stunned speechless by her daughter's tone. "Look, I did what I had to do to get out of this house! I didn't do it out of spite, or to hurt your stupid credit rating; I did it so I could live." And suddenly a change swept over her, as every injury on her face blossomed into a fresh wound, a ghastly mask of violence. The changeling took a limping step towards her wide-eyed mother, who covered her mouth with her hand, stricken with horror and guilt. "This is what you did to me, Ma; not all at once, of course, but over the course of, what, three years? Four? This is what I ran away from." Mercifully the injuries faded, until even the scars were gone; Lynn's unmarked face was profoundly sad as she watched the woman she once loved crumple to her knees. "Because if you didn't kill me, I swear I woulda killed you, Ma. And where would that leave Dad, huh? What good would you do anyone in the frickin' ground?" With great difficulty, Butch climbed out of his wheelchair and sat with his wife, his arms around her narrow shoulders; after a moment's hesitation, Lynn joined them, hugging both her parents for the first time in years. For a long time, the family remains in a tight knot, wordlessly rocking back and forth, until Lynn speaks again, her voice chocked with emotion. "Y'know I still love you guys, right? Even though you make it really, really hard sometimes." She turned to look at Colt, smiling though her eyes were wet. "Can you get her a glass of water, hon?"

Can she tell where he his with her Accurate Scent, and if so, do you need any rolls from me? She's got the Skill Mastery for Notice.

As the exhibit hall exploded into genuine chaos, Grim could not help but smile. I hate to admit it, but this is awesome! I just hope we don't destroy the poor museum! She winced in genuine sympathy when she saw the high priest guy slam into the wall; that had to hurt. But then she happened to look into the next room and see a hooded figure, dressed all in black, looting a long golden scepter from another exhibit case! Oh my God! He's using this fight as a distraction! Is he in league with these guys, or just an opportunist? Returning to full visibility, Grim called out to the others as she pointed across the hall. "Hey guys, we got a second perp! I think he's-" But when she looked back, he was gone! A quick sniff told her he could not have gotten far; switching to pixie form, the changeling zoomed into the next room, clicking her tiny claws together. "Come out, come out, wherever you are! I've got candy apples and sweet marmalade for you!" She sniffed the air, stalking her prey.

AA, I'm glad you clarified that issue; I was monitoring this thread at work (bad Heritage!), and that was one of my questions as well. Those are indeed things to be avoided! I must admit I was surprised by the depths of feeling out team inspired, and certainly apologize for my own part in it. I would really like to see our team regain some much needed respectably with both the characters and players on this site. It was always my understanding that the Interceptors were meant to be a proactive team of young heroes who handled the sort of problems that went under the radar of groups like AEGIS or the Freedom League. I do think we got bogged down in social/interteam threads for a number of reasons, but I think this particular thread has acted as a wakeup call as to how we need to rethink our mission and focus. I also think threads like 'The SHADOW Falls' show us trying to be more actively heroic, for lack of a better word. I also think not having chosen or appointed a team leader hurt us; this is not always a popular role to play, but I think a lack of any sort of command structure or division of labor, even at the most basic level, has held us back a bit. And my well-known awkwardness with certain elements of M&M 2nd edition have made me more likely to focus on characterization and the expense of more traditional superhero storylines, something that I've recently been trying to rectify. I am all for any plans and guidelines we can implement to make the Interceptors a truly great team.

Elaine Epstein dropped her glass, and it bounced on the carpeting, the water soaking into the pile; her face showed more expression than it had all night. For his part, Butch nearly chocked on a mouthful of brisket before Lynn quickly got up and expertly gave him the Heimlich maneuver, catching the hunk of meat in a napkin she just happened to be holding. Lynn shook her head as she quickly disposed of the brisket in the garbage can in the kitchenette. "Damn it, I knew we shoulda waited until after dinner! You guys okay? Can you breathe, pop?" Butch feebly nodded as he rolled away from the table, still gasping for air but at least his face was no longer beet red. Elaine was turning her head from side to side, eyes squeezed shut as she tried to process everything. Lynn stood up and started to pace in the small space. "Look, I wanted you guys to know this about me, about my life." She indicated Colt with a wave of her hand. "Our life. We do important work, and we're making a difference!" Now mostly recovered, Bitch pointed repeatedly at the young man his daughter brought home. "I knew it, I knew I recognized you! From the news, when you were defending the hospital from what, those alien things a few months back!" He shook his head in disbelief. "Wow; that was some messed-up sh## right there. Unbelievable." Lynn nodded vigorously,a huge grin on her face. "I know, right? There were tons of them, but I took out a bunch of the flying ones!" "How." "Hmm?" The changeling stopped and turned to her mother, still sitting at the table staring at her plate, as though she was trying to burn a hole through it. "How is this possible? What happened to you?" Those pale eyes swiveled over to glare at her daughter. "Something happened to you, didn't it? There was a chemical spill, or you were stuck by radioactive lighting, right?" Lynn shook her head, confused and concerned. "Mom, that doesn't even make any sense-" "And now you've come back here to show all us little people how much better you are then the rest of us, eh?" Mrs Epstein stood up, and her chair fell backwards as she spread her arms wide, a mocking rictus grin bisecting her face. "The new and improved Sheri Epstein, the talk of Delilah Terrace! Won't the neighbors be thrilled!" "No, ma, it's not like that!" Butch swiftly approached his, an arm outstretched. "Honey, don't be like this; I hate to see you like this!" He gestured towards Lynn, who'd crumpled sobbing on the floor. "Our daughter came back home to share this with us, Lainey! Can't you be happy for her?"

Lynn opened eyes and sat up, rubbing her face with her hand. Fine. If I'm to be its protector for a while, I can deal. I claim no ownership, though; just responsibility, I guess. With Vince's help, she found a secure place in the Underground that could be climate controlled; she trusted him to look after it, just like she trusted him to keep the living residents of their home safe. She wiped her eyes with a glamoured hankie, and conjured up a mirror before she remembered something. "Wait, I don't wear makeup anymore!" Still, she did her best to hide the redness of her eyes and dismissed the mirror and hankie before heading back upstairs. As she passed through the hall on her way back outside, she noticed an unopened package addressed to her on the sideboard. She must have forgot all about it in her preparations for the party. With a shrug, she grabbed it and returned to the party, setting the parcel down by Stesha's flowers. Seeing Elena and Tayla, she smiled and sent a though the mystic's way. All better now, thanks. She eagerly joined Colt by the grill. "Ooh, I smell kosher red hots, gimme gimme! You schmucks have no idea what your missing!"

Butch laughed and nodded as he got the Family Guy reference. "Friggin' sweet!" he replied in his best Peter Griffin as he fetched two beers and an orange from the mini-fridge. "Hey, I'll join you in one of those!" He produced a large pocketknife from the pocket of his sweatpants, and was about to cut open the orange right on top of the small appliance before his wife yelled at him. "Butch, for God's sake, use the cutting board! Honestly!" The wheelchair-bound man snuck Colt a 'Jeez Louise!' look, then deftly scooted past his wife and daughter and began preparing the orange slices for the Blue Moon, reaching up to the counter to use the board. Lynn tucked her head into the crook of Colt's shoulder and made a small groan, then she smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we can use the help." In short order, the small foldout table was set with a fairly impressive traditional Jewish family meal; the brisket and potato pancakes smelled wonderful, and there was a big crusty challah loaf as well. Once every was seated, with Butched rolled up to the end of the table, all the Epsteins bowed their heads as Elaine said a prayer. "Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech ha-olam, sheh-ha-kol nih'yeh bid'varo." "Amen" "Let's eat." The food was even better tasting than it looked, though Butch insisted on slathering his brisket with barbecue sauce. As the meal was consumed, the family seemed to find old rhythms, each member passing food to the other without even having to ask, based on a look, nod or a soft grunt. Lynn's mother spent a good amount of the meal giving Colt a very thought looking over; her gaze was steady, but not malicious, almost clinical. Butch and Lynn seemed to be sharing some secret joke, and were clearly trying to hold back laughter. Around the time folks where enjoying seconds, Elaine raised her water to lips and spoke cooly over the glass. "So, 'Colt', what exactly do you do for a living? I don't suppose there's much call for cowpokes in Freedom City." "Mom!"

It did seem that things were starting to resolve themselves, and the tension was starting to leave the room; in fact, the teen drama might have given them all a bit of charge. Still a bit leery, Estelle was ready to lower her barrier (clearly it wouldn't have stopped the blonde rocker girl anyway), when suddenly she felt gentle fingers on her face and someone breathed in her ear. The mass of Gossamer's golden hair began to ripple, then surge, and finally twisted itself into a writhing sea of curls before it snapped into a thick braid that hung all the way down the chemist's back. Very pink in the cheeks, she turned to Divine. "Ah, yes, it seems that...things have returned to normal, and calm has descended upon my loft. Excellent! I'm just going to have another daiquiri, and then-" As she approached the pitcher in the ice bucket, she saw the young firebrand from moments before pouring herself a large alcoholic beverage. Happy to be able to hide her flustered state beneath a paternal veneer, she put her hands on her hips and scowled. "Miss 'Z', was it? What exactly do you think your doing?"

Grim shot Colt a dismissive look and snorted. "What? No, I don't think Wesley killed anybody; the guy doesn't have a mean bone in his body! Mr Jackvenger, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about...I mean, I honestly don't know what he's capable of anymore..." Still looking off into the distance for any sign of Taylor and Jack, or Wes, the changeling spoke in a very level voice. "See, that's the problem; I don't think Wesley can do anything with dead tissue. That's what has me worried...well that and why the #### Jack gave me the creepy thing in the first place."

Grim has Auto 25 on Notice due to SM.

Lynn cradled the artifact of her people, her eyes suddenly wet with tears; her thoughts were a wild surge of emotions, displaying a depth of passion Elena might not have expected for the changeling. In a way, it's as though she can sense the presence of all Lynn's ancestors, leading all the way back to the time of Abraham. I cannot take this; I'm not worthy of it. It should be in a museum, not in some skinny pixie's keepsake drawer. But it's so beautiful. Elena, please take it back; I want it too much, but I can't have such a precious thing! Blessed are You, Eternal One our God, Universal Presence, Who sanctifies us with paths of holiness and gives us the way of engaging ourselves in words of Torah... The tiny brunette, who had never felt so small, curled up around the box on the floor of the Underground, and wept. Vince, the Interceptor's AI, appeared on a nearby viewscreen in a bright blue blazer; he was about to ask if Lynn was alright, but then he could only watch helplessly, one hand made of dancing pixels reaching out, unable to offer comfort.

Grim hopped down off the statue, and as she started to explain her theory, her hands became more and more animated. "Okay, like I said, I could be wrong, but I used to live in this squat, y'know, in the Fens? The Imperator Hotel. And all the folks who lived there, including me, were major freakshows. There was like a fish lady, and a stretchy guy, and this one guy up on seven was just a giant head with robot spider legs." She visibly shudders at the memory. "Eyugh, creepy Mr. Rivian! So anyways, I figured out that our so-called landlord Mr Pitt, this guy who let us live there, was some sort of shady character. I think he was like a space zombie or brain in a vending machine, I dunno for sure. So I asked Mr Avenger, the hero of the Fens who I never suspected was a frickin' vampire, to help me get rid of this freakjob and help the misfits at the Imperator. He says we need the help of this guy Knight, who it turns out is my future boyfriend Wesley, the superhero who can't think up a decent supername." The changeling began to pace back and forth, stroking her chin; at some point a deerstalker and Meerschaum pipe appeared. "Wesley never said how they took care of Pitt, and neither did Avenger. To be honest, I never gave it a lot of thought after we started dating, although now I'm starting to think this explains a lot..."

From the kitchen area, Elaine Epstein spoke, her voice rather flat. "Technically we didn't invite you; Sheri said she had some important things to discuss, and she wanted us to meet you. We agreed." She turned off the stove and started carrying dishes over to the small foldout table next to the kitchenette. "I hope you like the brisket, Colt; it's my mother's recipe. Sheri, can you help me with the food" "Sure, ma." While Lynn joined her mother in setting out the meal, Butch leaned over to whisper in the cowboy's ear. "Don't mind Lainey; it just takes her a while to get used to people, y'know? Plus with her medication..." He wiggled his hand back and forth and grimaced, then rolled over to a small dorm fridge just outside the kitchen area. "You wanna beer, Colt? We've got Blue Moon, Sam Adams and Corona." Now that she was working with her mother, Colt could see Lynn's body language shifting back to the timid, hesitant behavior he'd seen earlier. Her hands actually shook as she laid out the plates and utensils; at one point she dropped a fork, something Colt had never seen her do before.

In no time at all, Estelle found her loft was full of superhumans...in fact, more superhumans than she had ever seen in one place, and they were all moving about her things, and making wonderful music, and devouring- Dear Lord, that child can eat! :shock: Well, she had been worried about leftovers, after all. It was thrilling and a little scary. She waved at Ace and Jack of All Blades when she saw them (the former in the company of a very attractive blonde with exquisite taste in fashion), but then the girl with the mile-a-minute mouth seemed to be rehashing a bad breakup (and fairly recent, for the sound of it) with Breakdown, and it was all too much... "Enough!" Gossamer's hair shot between Eddie and Zoe, forming a thick golden wall six feet high. She looked sternly in turn at both teens. "Now I take it the two of you have a history? Is this something you can work around, or is this the sort of bloody, life-or-death struggle one sees on Animal Planet?"

Okay, after Tayla is posted in here, this thread is locked, baby!

Just for the sake of my sanity, can folks sound off on instruments they brought as well as can play? If you play pretty much anything, say that, too. Estelle: has her own guitars and a violin, can play both.

Grim chuckled mirthlessly. "Well, I can't say it was what I had in mind; actually, I'm not huge on the whole 'boyfriend encounter' situation. In my experience, they usually don't go so well..." She dropped down to a crouch and stared off into space. "I brought Chinese food, the first time we met here. Avenger was helping me with this problem I had-" Suddenly her eyes went wide, and she stood bolt upright. "Oh my god...I know why he made the head. I mean, not exactly, and I could be wrong, but I think it has something to do with my old landlord..." The changeling shook her head, in disbelief and almost admiration. "That sick, sneaky sonavab*****."

When you do pull of the mind reading, this is the relevant thread.

Lynn suddenly held it at arms length, like it was hot. "Oh, ah, gotcha. I'll put it somewhere safe in just two seconds." She tucked it under her arm as she prepared to shake hands with Elena's date The changeling warmly returned the handshake, with a grip much more powerful than her dainty little hands would indicate. "Well thank you, and welcome! Don't worry about the gift; I'm trying very hard not to be a little brat, which is kinda touch-and-go, to be honest." The petite brunette leaned in just a tad, and lowered her voice as she smiled with great sincerity. "You two make a super-hot couple, and I'm glad you've got your freedom again. No matter what any high society skanks might say, you'll always be welcome in my home. Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech ha-Olam, sheh-kacha lo b'olamo." With a polite little bow on her head, Lynn quickly headed inside with her gift from Elena, to secure it in the Underground; at the bottom of the secret staircase, she could wait no longer, and tore through the wrapping with her claws. :twisted: *Blessed are You, Eternal One our God, Who has such as this in the Universe

After all that talk, the corner of Lynn's mouth started to twitch, and then she was doubled over laughing, so hard that it almost hurt. It was a full minute before she was able to compose herself. "Haha! Oh man, I guess you're right." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "This is just...crazy." She vigorously rubbed her face with both hands and shook her head clear. Jumping up and down in place, she continued. "Okay, you finish getting dressed, we'll all go out to the park and get this resolved once and for all. Worst case scenario, Taylor can just blast us into another dimension of it gets too rowdy." Out at Heroes Knoll, Grim stood perched on the head of Sgt. Shrapnel, just as she had a year ago the first time she'd met Wesley here; she scanned the trees with her nightvision, and her nostrils twitched as she sniffed the air. "C'mon, where are they...?"

Lynn nodded vigorously, hopping back up to her feet. "Okay, awesome. Heroes Knoll, at the Sgt. Shrapnel statue. See you soon." She snapped the phone closed, then a thought hit her. "This is gonna get nuts..." Then she nervously turned to her current boyfriend, the interdimensional cowboy who could shoot a hole through a quarter at fifty yards. "Uh, you should probably leave your guns at home, Colt."

Lynn was visibly relieved to hear Taylor's calm if exasperated voice, and she plopped down on the edge of the bed next to Colt. "You're right, I should have know you could take Jack if you needed to. Listen, I know this was something he cooked up with Wesley, though I have no idea why; I'm going to meet with Wes in Liberty Park, pretty much now-ish." She smiled evilly. "You wanna help me interrogate my ex-boyfriend?" :twisted: