Heritage

A single gently upswept eyebrow rose, and Grim's nose twitched for second, while a hint of a smirk played across her lips, even though there was a sadness there as well. Ah, the smell of BS in the morning! The tiny brunette sighed, put down her drink, and took both of Sam's hands in her own; the grip was friendly, but nothing more. "Look buddy, that was a nice kiss, but it didn't exactly knock the Earth off its axis; don't think for a minute that I'm gonna throw away a good thing over one good kiss and a tickle fight." She dropped his hands and stood up, pacing back and forth across the bed. "I don't know what it means, exactly; me, I'm of the firm opinion that people cheat when they don't get what they need at home." Grim stopped and pointed at her fellow shapeshifter. "And for the record, I do not consider one kiss cheating, but it does mean..." She dropped to the bed and held her face. "What it means...is trouble." Suddenly she slammed her fists on the bed and yelled, "Damn it!" before rolling off the edge of the bed and landing on the floor in a crouch. "Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why do we all have to suck so much?!" She stomped back and forth around the room, flailing her arms about in inarticute rage; she was mad at herself for being weak, mad at Atlas for being so new and exciting, and mad at Colt for being so damn dependable. Finally she created a raquetball in her hand, and whipped it as hard as she could at the wall, sending it wildly ricocheting around the room as a stream of curses tumbled off her lips, culminating in a long drawn out, "Aaaaaaaargh!"

So how are we working the scanner thingie? Is it a Notice check, a plot device that leads her right there, or what?

"Annnnd that's our cue to shut the f*** up, so the shutting starts as of now." Lynn raised her glass in respect and took a sip, then her eyes lit up and she raised a finger to declare a point of order, as it were. "Actually, I do have an important question for you; Detective Colby asked a bit about how your powers worked, and I was embarrased to admit I had no idea. Is it like a magic thing, 'cause that's the main concern she had."

A Coast Guard Jayhawk came racing across the water, the wash from the props kicking up spray. The flight crew helped Gossamer into a harness and prepared to lower her to the beleaguered vessel below; she'd offered to lower herself via her hair, but the crew politely pointed out that more than likely the wash would suck her hair into one or both props, killing them all. Adjusting the harness and her headset, she gave the crew a thumbs up. "Thanks for the lift, boys! I'll send it right back up so you can get to work yourselves!" The lovely scientist was rapidly lowered to the deck, her metalic blue and silver jumpsuit glittering with spray; as soon as she was down, she unhooked the harness (while being carefully to keep the life vest) and gave it three quick tugs, the signal she was down safe. The harness rapidly rose back up, and the Coast Guard, their special guest deployed, turned to their own rescue efforts, a welcome sight for the sailors. Gossamer stode across the deck, her hair grasping first one anchorpoint and then another as she made her way to the alien vessel, the reason ASTRO was contacted and her help requested. She saw a few other heroes as well, and called out to them over the noise of the copter and the general bedlam. "Hello there! I'm Dr Estelle de Havilland from ASTRO Labs! I've been sent here to help!" But then she heard the humming, and looked up to see the bombs bearing down on them... "Take cover!" Without even thinking, she sent tentacles lashing across the deck, grabbing several sailors and pulling them clear of the point of impact.

Lynn grabbed her crotch and mimed hawking and spitting. "Oh hell yeah, I'd do 'er!" Then she looked all innocent and pointed first at herself, then the swordsman. "Oh, you meant Jack? I'm sorry, please continue." :P

Even though Gossamer never taught in any IC threads at Claremont, I think I was told she more than likely did teach a few classes there 'offscreen'. Should we assume there is any recognition between Gecks and/or Goss? She wouldn't blow any covers if she did.

I think for this thread to work, I have to be willing to have Grim do things she feels bad about; she'll feel icky, but it will make for a more interesting story.

Somehow this comment bypassed all of Gossamer's layers of uptight, hidebound breeding and professional pride, and hit her square in the funny bone. The heroine started to laugh, just giggles at first, but soon it has full belly laughs, loud and unrestrained. She gently lowered the odd clown to the ground as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Well, that's a relief; I thought I was the only one." She held out her hand again, a straight up 'howdy do' grip, with a big silly grin on her face. "Let's try this again. Hi, I'm Gossamer, and I have a huge bug up my ass. Very nice to meet you." :D

Grim could only shake her head. "I dunno, to be honest. I mean-" She made a little TV tray to rest her drink on, then turned to face Atlas. "All we did was kiss; I kissed you, and you kissed me back. Is it wrong? Yeah, it was wrong and stupid. Is it punishible by being burned at the stake? Not in this state, at least last I checked." She sighed an she pinched her eyes and rubbed her nose. "Look, I think at least ninety percent of that was the powers talking; powers make everything sexy, even just...I dunno, calling directory assitance is sexier with powers. We made some dumb choices, like me getting all touchy with you earlier, and then the powers gave it juice." She picked up her glass and started swirling her finger around the rim. "And I guess we did learn something; you don't have a kiss like...that if there isn't something goin' on underneath." She gave him a quick nervous smile. "Chemistry, y'know? So now we know there's that. And it also makes me think that maybe...me and Colt have gotten too routine, too safe. I dunno..." She took another sip of iced tea and stared into space.

Grim silently took the ice tea, took a long sip, and placed the cold glass against the side of her throat, where her pulse was slowly coming back down to a normal level. She tilted her back and looked up towards the top of the bed, then had another swing of cool tea. After a few moments of silence, she held her hand out to the side, and a short wooden ladder rose up, poking over the edge of the comforter. With great deliberation, she climbed up to the top, glass in hand, and sat down next to Atlas, making sure to keep a good two feet between the two of them. She took another sip of iced tea, sighed deeply, and turned to her fellow shapeshifter. "Hey. How're ya doing up here? You okay?"

For a few seconds, she just lay there panting, a huge grin on her face, and then out of nowhere, she kissed Atlas; her lips, hot from exertion, were like a match thrown on kindling, and she kissed him hard. But then her eyes went wide as a shock ran through her body, and she convulsed and turned to liquid, which ran through the big man's fingers and poured off the edge of the bed. It coalesced back into Grim, sitting on the floor with her back against the bed, breathing heavily. "That was...that was good. Good workout...practice...whatever." She rubbed her face with her hands. "Do you have any, y'know, like Gatorade or something? Something cold?" :oops:

Grim smiled as she passed Colt plate, knife and fork. "Food's done now, pardner; dig into that plate of goodness. Oh wait, almost forgot!" She fished a plastic bottle out of an aluminum pot, half-filled with water, sitting at the edge of the fire. "There ya go, hot syrup! Coffee's in the pot next to it." Humming happily to herself, she started serving herself as well. "Another thing to remember is that breakfast is my strong suit; lunch and dinner, not so much. Man, I could eat breakfast around the clock!" For a while, Grim was quiet as she systematically stuffed her face full of kosher breakfast goodness, though she sometimes made an appreciative murmur. When at last she took a break to come up for air, she gave Colt a sidelong look. "Speaking of questions, she asked knowingly, you still feelin' chatty? I put a lot of truth serum in your eggs." ;)

Any more room in this thread; as a woman of science, Gossamer would like to investigate the crash, on behalf of ASTRO Labs!

The blonde heroine's cheeks got even pinker, though now her embarrassment was colored with a bit of anger, which felt rather odd; it was so rare she broke her cool. Who does this clown think he is? :evil: Without saying a word, Gossamer sends a number of tendrils out to grasp the irritating stranger under the armpits, hoist him off the ground, and thrust him up into the hole to get a better look.

It took her several minutes to place him; after all, it was his room, so his scent was all over everything, along with a lot of faded cat musk. Grim took her time; she didn't want to act until she was sure. This is fun; I need to come over and play more often! At length, she got a whiff of his scent, very fresh, carried on the current from a heating vent; she cocked her head from side to side, trying to sumpliment her nose with her sharp ears. Yep, he's up there. Suddenly, Grim leaped high into the air, landing softly on top of Atlas' bed; she crawled across the comforter, her claws gently kneading the napping as she moved. He's right over there; I'm staring right at him. In a flash she leaped again, only this time she screamed "Tickle Attack!" as she landed on top of a mass of pillows, probing fingers digging into the stuffing.

Lynn chuckled at that. "To be honest, this actually has very little to do with you, and a lot more to do with one of the most powerful forces in the universe: good old-fashioned Jewish guilt." She sighed and put down her drink. "It really bugs me that the three of us live in a house together, and while me and the cowboy are raisin' the roof and making whoopie all night long, our good friend is left polishing his poignard." She held up her hands and shook her head. "I know, that's not a very fair or accurate portrayal of events, but that's how it feels in my gut; remember, Jewish guilt knows no logic but itself. In time, I'll get over it and start worrying about something else, but for right now, it's my thing." She raised her glass to her lips, but right before she took a sip, she said, "Of course, it would be even better if you really did find a girl..." ;)

Notice check: 1d20+15=34 Ooga-booga! :twisted:

Grim stared about the room, still holding the shirt; after a few moments, she began to nod slowly, a big ol' grin on her face. "Oh ho ho! Very nice, very nice! A little hide and go seek it is, then!" Closing her eyes, she began to breathe through her nose, first long slow breaths, then little quick puffs all in a row; she alternated back and forth between these two techniques as she dropped down on all fours, and started to crawl, almost like a komodo dragon as her head swung from side to side. "Little Red Riding Atlas, where is you?" :venom:

After their toast, Lynn wiped her mouth on the back of her hand before taking the conversation in a new direction. "So, this detective lady says she can help us out tomorrow; I'm thinking maybe we should go by her place, to maintain our whole 'aura of mystery' thing. She thinks a day or prep is all she'll need to be able to read you or whatever." Then the changeling leaned a little closer to Erik. "And by the way, she's a real looker, buddy ol' pal. Just keep that in mind, for later. Nudge nudge, wink wink." She gave him a broad wink, then returned to her rum and Coke.

Estelle's cheeks went bright pink, and her hair unfurled itself to partial cover her curves, oddly reminiscent of Botticelli's Venus; while her hair was most expressive, the rest of her was nearly struck dumb. Despite having a Harvard degree and a three digit IQ, the most the well-bred scientist could muster was to point up at the ceiling and stammer out, "Hole...up there..." :shock:

The younger shapeshifter could only laugh and dismiss the ridiculous bike with a wave of her hand. "Well done, comrade! You passed the 'I'm-just-gonna-do-it-because-a-cute-girl-told-me-to' test! Stronger men than you have failed at this most perilous of challenges!" Grim dropped into her seat and crossed her legs. "Seriously, though, how detailed of an object do you think you could do? Obviously the bike was nuts on a lot of levels (though it would have been awesome if you did it), but I am wondering what you could do." She indicated the innocent wooden block, which still rested nearby. "A cube is a nice simple geometric shape, but might not work in every situation for undercover work. Maybe a fireplug or garbage can? Shop window mannequin? Y'know, something not insanely complex, but common enough not to draw attention. Whaddaya think?"

Until she saw the fellow who made it, and was suddenly taken aback. "I, uh..." Her hair retreated into a nervous coil that hung loosely down her back. It took her a few moments to recover her composure, but finally she managed to extend a welcoming hand and a tentative smile. "Hello, I'm Dr. de Havilland, but you can call me Gossamer. And you are...?" :?

The petite brunette turned her head to kiss Colt on the cheek. "Nah, it's no big deal; I prefer camp cooking to working in the kitchen, anyway. Something to do with all the smells, I think." She reached into the small cooler at her side and handed him some bottled water. "Here, start hydrating yourself; show that hangover who's boss." She took a sip from her own water bottle, then started dishing out grub.

Dr Estelle de Havilland, aka Gossamer, stood in the middle of the patient's room, her eyes scanning the scene while fine tendrils of amazing golden hair gently scoured the various surfaces in search of clues. Since her run-in with powersuited thugs a few months back, Goss had upgraded to a newer suit of her own, dark metallic blue and silver which hugged her graceful form like a second skin. A combination computer and com unit covered most of her left forearm, small colored lights blinking on and off. "Hmm...well, this is unusual, even for Freedom City." She stepped back out into the hall to speak with the guard. "Who was the first person into the room, who discovered she was missing?"

Mere seconds ago, Grimalkin had been sitting in bed, reading the February issue of Marie Claire, only to be unceremoniously dumped onto the muddy ground in her underwear and oversize Homsar T-shirt! "Wah! What the hell?" It was really too much to take in at the same time, but at least there were a few familiar faces around...and one total lunatic for good measure. Seeing her boyfriend just shy of starkers, Grim leaped to his aid, conjuring up a baggy pair of sweatpants and a light windbreaker. "Honey, here! Magic pants, and a jacket!" She offered him the glamoured items of clothing, then turned to her own state of near undress, opting for her usual crimefighting outfit. "Get dressed, then catch up with me!" She raced in the direction of the cry for help, following the other heroes.