Heritage

She wrinkles her nose and smiles. "Yeah, I get that a lot." Sometime later... Grim's pointed ears actually twitch at the whispered words, and she shifts a little on Colt's chest. "Hurmighle? Mablehuh..." Her hand reaches up and gently pushes at his face in the general mouth area, but then drops listlessly as she sinks back into sleep. Later still... The smell of cooking wafts into the tent, and the young shapeshifter's nostrills begin to flex almost imperceptibly. A few seconds later they flare noticibly, and she cracks a gummy eyelid. "Cowboy cooking..." Grim rises up from her sleeping bag and does a quick feline stretch before poking her head outside the tent; the sky is dark, and a tidy campfire has been built. She can see the back of her crouching boyfriend, silhouetted by the fire. "Hey, you. So is this supper or breakfast? I have no idea how long I slept."

Grim frowns and flicks a spoonful of ice cream at Jack. "Dude, I was not knocked out; I passed out on my own recognizance. There's a difference, y'know." The shapeshifter adopts of look of mock-outrage. "Oh no he din-it! That no-good Rooskie is beating up our women and stealing our jobs!" Throwing off her robe, she leaps off Colt's lap (still a little wobbly, but otherwise a nice dismount) and lands outside the ring, wearing sneakers, cut-off shorts and a garish USA T-shirt. Thrusting up her hands, she creates a large placard that reads 'KICK HIS ATLAS!', and procedes to march back and forth in front of the seats, hollering and working up the crowd. Ah, this takes me back. :D

Grim checked her cards, and saw the five and trey of Spades; a long shot, but there could be a straight in her future, or a flush or even (gasp!) a straight flush, though that was probably a bit far-fetched. For a moment, she imaginged herself in the Old West, using her feminine wiles and conjured cards to make a small fortune travelling from saloon to saloon. Yeah, and probably end up shot full of holes. :roll: A ghost of a smile flickered across her face, only to be filed away behind her blank but pleasant mask. Crap. Well, maybe I can use that little slip for something. She kept her bet conservative, for now.

To better simuate a somewhat random hand, I used a tarot deck minus the Major Arcana and the Princesses (it was a Crowley deck, so no Kings, just Knights that I used as Kings) took out one ace and one queen (at random) and dealt me and Geezer two cards each. I got the 3 and 5 of Swords, which according to this chart equals Spades. I know it's not an 100% accuarte, but it was fun. P.s. Geez, if you want 'em, I dealt you Q8, both Hearts; Quote, I randomly drew out Ace of Clubs and Queen of Spades. Up to you guys if you want to use 'em I will not shuffle the rest of the deck, in case we want to use the same cut.

A pained expression crosses the Jewish heroine's face. "Look, I didn't mean to make it sound like-" She sighs and gently strokes his face with her small warm hand. "What you believe, or don't believe, doesn't matter, alright? I know you're a good man, and whatever makes you that way is a good thing, whatever you call it." She rests her head in the crook of his shoulder. "I dunno, I get kinda weird this time of year, y'know? All self-conscious. It's all 'Jesus this' and 'Santa that', and people assume stuff and ask me dumb questions about the Dreidel song." She shakes her head and dismisses the issue with a wave of her hand. This news does indeed excite Grim, and she eagerly snatches the box and opens it, plucking out one of the strange white sticks and slowly running it under her nose. "Interesting!" Quickly putting the strange 'cigarette' back in its box, she throws her arms around Colt's neck and begins kissing his face with great enthusiasm. "Mmm (smeck!) mmm (smeck!) mmm! You are the most (smeck!) wonderful man (smeck!) I have ever (smeck!), ever known! Do you hear me? Are you listening?" This last leads to a quick ear nibble, and the sudden realization that Grim's parka and jeans have gone missing; the tent seems very warm and cozy all of a sudden :love:

Lenya laughs uncontrollably under Chris' icy barrage, ineffectually blocking her face with her gloved hands. God, I miss this! Exactly how long ago did I stop being a kid? She flips over backwards to hang from her knees, as she shakes the snow of her hat and out of her hair. "You are good with climbing, my friend, but you will regret fighting this day! Dosvedanya!" She sticks out her tongue, then drops like a stone, landing softly on the blanket of snow in a low crouch. "Who will battle Rusalka, she-ghost of the cold and deep!" :D

Colt didn't talk about his family too much, but she was happy to hear anything about them; she did her best not to push, but she greedily lapped up any details he offered. Maybe someday I'll meet them. There's a slight intake of breath, and Grim's shoulders bunch up a bit before she rolls over to face her boyfriend; she gives him an apologetic smile. "Uh, bascially it means a cute and dangerous non-Jewish boy, the kind that our moms warned us about." She sighs and looks down at her hands. "Listen, I don't want you to think that my religion and heritage are somehow..." Lynn struggles to find the right words. "My being Jewish is a big part of who I am, but it's not all I am; it's my faith and my people, and it's being just a little out of step with most of my friends in this country, but it's not me." She sits up on one elbow and rests a hand on his arm. "I don't want to change you, or make you feel guilty or force you not to eat stuff you like. I don't expect you to adopt my faith or my lifestyle; if you ever chose to, sure I'd be happy, but I don't want you to ever think it's something you need to do." Her eyes flick downward for a second, and she chuckles. "Hey, at least you don't havce to worry about the worst part, right?" Then Grim stops for a second and looks a bit guilty. "Okay, so I'm not crazy about the smoking, but that's more...I've lost family to cancer, and I'm not a big fan of the smell. I know you've cut back a bit, and I really appreciate it, but-" She throws up her hands and falls back onto her sleeping bag. "God, why do we always do this? We say we don't want you to change, but obviosuly we do want you to! How do you guys even put up with us?"

Like the other heroes present, Grim was fascinated by the contest, letting out little sypathetic yelps when either fighter actually connected. "See, I'm conficted here; on the one hand, it would be nice to see a girl actually win tonight, but on the other, Atlas is my bud. Argh!" Setting aside her snacks, Grim wriggles upright and calls forth a wooden nickel, only this one has Atlas' grinning face on one side and Fulcrum flexing a bicep on the other; flipping it high in the air, the changeling slaps it on the back of her hand, takes a peek and shrugs. "C'mon, girl, show that Russkie who's boss! Woo-hoo!"

"Ahhh!" The Russian girl squeels in terror and delight; just before Mike's throw hits her, she collapses into a puddle of goo, which then shoots up a psuedopod into the branches of a nearby tree, only to reform back into Lenya, boots playfully dangling into space. "Here I am safe from the American hooligans!" From her perch, she starts raining down hastily-packed snowballs onto the heads of her earthbound prey.

After several more minutes of silence, Grim began to sing softly, possibly to herself, possibly for Colt's enjoyment; as always, her untrained voice was not strong and she didn't hit every note perfectly, but the sound was nonetheless pleasant. The tune had an ageless quality to it, suggesting it was written a long time ago; she gently taps her foot along to the rhythm as she sings. "The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see, For the moon refused to shine. There's a couple sitting 'neath the willow tree, With love in mind. Little maid was afraid of the darkness So she said, "I think I better go." Boy began to sigh, looked up at the sky, And told the moon his little tale of woe" "Oh, Shine on, shine on, harvest moon Up in the sky; I ain't had no lovin' Since January, February, June or July. Snow time ain't no time to stay Outside and spoon; So shine on, shine on, harvest moon, For me and my gal." She turned to look at Colt and smiled. "Or 'my guy', as the case may be. My Grampa Lou used to play that on an old phonograph; you would have liked him." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Annnnd I know he woulda liked you...even if you are a shegetz." This last word was said with considerable affection. She then rolled on her side, her back to Colt, and wriggled a bit closer to him; a soft cool breeze at the foot of the tent suggested her boots might have vaporized as well.

Grim shakes her head and holds her hands up between the two 'gentlemen'. "Boys, boys! For your information, the 'little lady' was being a shameless hussy and a little tease; normally I can resist the temptation to abuse what God gave me, but if I get a little lit, all bets are off." She takes a sip of her rum and Coke and sighs with satisfaction. "Ahh! Sorry I'm not as wasted as you'd like me to be, Atlas. Now, deal those cards, my good man!"

The tiny brunette's cheeks go a little pink, and she starts twisting her napkin into funny animal shapes. "Well, at first I told him we had to go slow; I mean, I'd just broken up with Wesley, which was a whole thing, plus I've had some...issues in the past. I normally go way too slow for most guys, which, y'know, I'm not trying to be a tease or anything, but I've been hurt in the past. Physically, too, one time; the sick &*#@." She drops the poor napkin and rubs her face. "So anyway- ooh, drinks!" She snags her drink, gives Kim a quick wink, and then continues. "So like I was sayin', taking it slow kinda went out the window, especially after the horror show at Ace's place." She shudders, but then leans in conspiratorally. "Have you guys ever smelled Colt? Like, really smelled him? The guy's like catnip! I have three of his shirts hidden in my room right now!" ;)

Happily devouring her Rocky Road between swigs of Gatorade (what a combo!), Grim pauses to cock an eyebrow and wag her spoon at the avuncular swordsman. "Hey, I threw two punches at your gut, buddy boy, they just didn't connect; I only started going for your face when you wouldn't shut the &*$% up!" For a second she gets a tad flushed in the face and a bit of edge creeps into her voice, but then she shakes her head apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, I'm alright, it's just...you have no idea how annoying that was! I'm guessing you don't have older brothers or sisters? Anywho, if 'annoying' could be measured somehow, like on the 'kiloputz' scale? You were way off the charts, bro!" She gives Colt a chocolatey kiss and then turns back to look at the last two competitors. "So, you guys; should we start digging foxholes or something? Building forts out of bleacher seats? I'm kinda expecting the heavens to shake."

'Lenya' recognized Mike and Alex from their files; in particular, the psychic's powers were clearly evident. However, they otherwise appeared to be two normal teenagers, devoid of sinister intent. Aw man, they're just a couple of nice kids! My job sucks. Still, snowball fight! Laughing, the young Russian eagerly joins in the fray, dropping her backpack and performing a few fairly impressive tumbling moves across the snow before dropping into a fighting crouch; while not up to the standards of some of the other teens present, her throws are fairly powerful and deadly accurate. "Which is my side? I am just throwing at people!" Among her targets are Mike, the strange acrobatic boy she doesn't know and, sad to admit, Eddie from time to time, just because Alex is fairly safe behind cover, and rarely presents a target.

The unconscious shapeshifter looks impossibly tiny cradled in Colt's arms; at the sound of his voice, her eyes slowly open, and a big sleepy smile blooms across her face. "Did I hit 'im? I think I hit 'im right before I blacked out." She adjusts herself a little, allowing a soft robe to spread over her small frame. "There, that's better! Oh hey, cheering!" She giggles and waves at the crowd. "Yay, us! Fight's over and we're not dead! Yay! Oh man, I need a Gatorade, stat!"

For a moment, Grim would later swear her heart stopped completely; the sight of the humanoid freight train bearing down on her, using her blood-spattered friend as a battering ram, was too much for her. She could feel the icy chill of iron inside her, twisting her guts and freezing the blood in her veins. But then she was in a strong pair of strange arms, floating through space, away to safety. Thank you, Atlas; I owe you my life.

Grim finishes off the last of her rum and Coke and signals the barkeep for a refill. "Y'know, duets are great and all, but when do we see you open presents? I say you and Jack should do something classy, y'know, like 'I Got You, Babe', and then we do presents. Ah, thank you!" She has a sip of her new drink, and then continues. "Mmm, nummers! Look, we have the rest of the night to sing; I just wanna see if you like what I bought."

".........." Inside her head, there was no more pain, no more fear, no more struggle; for a little while at least, Grim was at peace. The ringside medics sprang into action, leaping up onto the canvas to quickly check the fallen competitor's vitals (thankfully, everything was normal), and splash some water on her face, but the poor girl was out.

Our long national nightmare of Jack and Grim's charity match has finally come to an end! :clap: :clap: :clap: Awesome fight, Giz!

Just so you know, that BOOM in my last post can just as well be the sound of Grim hitting the mat :P

Grim laughs wearily as she vaguely indicates her chest with a wave of her gloves as she sucks down a breath. "Dude, have you seen my 'cups'? They ain't...they ain't all that deep, buddy! Well, y'know...most of the time they ain't." :twisted: This is it, her last chance; she can feel herself going in and out, like a car radio going under a bridge. With phenomenal effort, she goes into her dance once more; it ain't all that pretty, but it still kinda works. Her body is made of lead; lead bones, lead muscles, lead brain. Her tongue, however, is still pure silver. "Whatcha goin' to do about the crazy feet, huh? I'm a blur, buddy boy! I'm lightning! My lightning's all blurred! I am the finest lightnin' you ain't never gonna taste, boy-ee!" Fist. Face. BOOM

Okay, so he missed and his Feint didn't work, right? Too bad Grim's about to pass out right now. other wise she would take you down, boy! Okay, this is it; she's about to go down, one way or another. I don't see Grim lasting much longer, so we're gonna go for the gusto, pray to the almighty Yaweh, and look forward to a bunch of strong drinks after the fight. Grim will surge for her final time, which means best case scanrio she's gonna pass out maybe after laying one glove on Jack; at this point, that's all she wants, to hit him exactly one frickin' time. She doesnt even have to be awake when it happens, as long as someone tells her about after wards. Jack will be I believe at +5 to resist versus Grim's 33. She choses an Aggresive Stance, which puts her at -1 on her attack roll to hit. DC will be 15, assuming she hits anything. Final swing at Jack: 1d20+9=29 A natural 20! Hallelujah! I've been told this bumps the DC up to 20, yes?

The Russian beauty arches an eyebrow and laughs. "Well, I am glad you are able to 'squeeze me in', as you say." The door opens and Eddie is ushered in, recieving a friendly wave from Lenya as he heads into the headmaster's office. - - - - About an hour later, Lenya is strolling the Quad with Eddie, her backpack over her shoulder. She smiles as she sees a particularly intense snowball fight in progress, involving several students, and possibly one or two staff members. "My goodness! They are really going for it!" :D

Sounds about right; drop that beeyotch!

He's not having fun anymore. I can here it in his voice. This very simple revelation is a splash of cold water on the furnace of Grim's anger, and at long last a glimpse of sanity peeks through the stormclouds. Jack is a teammate; of course he doesn't want to beat up a fellow teammate, a friend, a co-conspirator of malicious mischief. This whole thing was like a huge cosmic joke, and somehow she'd been missing the punchline. Why do I even care who wins this damn thing? Those little orphans are all that matters. Oh well, at least we gave 'em one hell of a show. A crazy grin spreads across the shapeshifter's face for the first time in what seems like ages, and she actually stops to bow to her oppenent. "A merry dance we've had, good Sir Knight, but I fear I tire of the steps! What say we end this contest of arms, the sooner we may be deep in our cups?" Yeah, she's still a little punchy And now, the fury is gone; she no longer cares who wins. Though there's still a touch of heaviness to her limbs, her moves once again have a simple grace to them. Not that she's letting Jack of easy, though! Soon she's coming at him, heedless of her own well-being, leaping forward to assault him with a whirling wall of blows, and for the first time during this match, a whirling wall of words. "Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!" And with that last exclamation, she launches a right straight at his kisser.