Heritage

Grim goes white as a sheet when the hideous creature impales Ace, its crudely-assembled face utterly devoid of expression. "Oh my God, no!" The shapeshifter brings her weapon up to bear and fires a bolt at the foul thing!

Lenya smiled as she shook his hand; her grip was surprisingly strong. "Very nice to meet you as well, Eddie; I am Lenya Sokolov, new student to Claremont Academy from Russia." She looks around at the pictures on the walls, some of them showing previous graduates, and shivers a little. "It is makes me a little nervous, to be coming here; so many sypergyeroi together, in one city." The Russian beauty flashes Eddie a shy smile as she shakes her head and starts digging through her backpack. "Nothing like this back at home in Tambov; that is certain!"

Grim does a last little bit of sweeping, then poofs the broom away; however her jeans are now coated with a fine layer of snow. Dusting herself, she nods. "Yeah, a few more things, some of the more useful for you than me. Like I already told you about the 'loose layering' thing before we left, since if you dress all bundled up tight you might think you're gonna be warmer, but you actually limit blood flow, which is a great way to lose toes." She starts rummaging through the bag, and pulls out the bendy poles and the metal stakes. As she unfolds the elastic-linked poles, she points up at the nearby trees. "This spot is also good because there's no branches overhead; heat from a campfire or camp stove makes the snow melt, and it all comes down on us. I think Jack London did a story about that, read it back when I was in middle school; really freaked me out." She stops her preparations and looks up at the cowboy, her cowboy, and for a moment just marvels at him. "I don't think you know just how lucky I feel sometimes; you are hands down the coolest guy I've ever dated. I mean, they were great, but there's just-" Her fingers try to grasp the words out of the air. "I dunno, a connection, a special connection, that I feel when I'm with you." She sighs contentedly and returns to her task, still talking as she fusses with the poles. "And hey, next weekend let's do something you want to do; I don't wanna be pushy and dominate our extracurricular activities all the time."

This can still work, since Grim still has two established personas established in the city's underworld, plus now she can speak Russian, Italian, Chinese, etc. Hmm, this might be a good way to introduce Grim's (potential) Sidekick, Lt Colby the mystical detective! Yes he did; let's go beat him up!

So many congratz, you guys! :clap: :clap: :clap:

The striking young woman sits quietly for a moment, backpack resting on her lap; the hood of her light blue parka is trimmed with fur, and her boots look fairly pricey. Wow, I meet BD on the first day! Pretty sweet. 'Lenya' turns to the boy beside her, and waves a hand to get his attention. "Pardon me, hello! Sorry to be bothersome, but it is my first day. Is the waiting long?"

Grim smiles and nods, chin still on her arms. "Everything's better with airline vodka." Sitting up, she quickly downs her drink (which leads to a rather hilarious set of facial expressions), and then holds out her glass of ice. "Hit me!" Once the Russian is done pouring, she looks wth rather exaggerated melancholy from Atlas' pile of chips to Colt's, and then finally to the great bare expanse of table where her chips used to be; still working her 'Big Eyes' mojo, she does her best to look like a wet puppy, though to be fair she's showing her hand a bit for comedic effect. "Uh, can one of you guys spot me five dollars? I don't have a lot of cash, and my cat needs her cancer shot..." :roll:

Lynn takes a few steps around the site, giving it a good once over. "Well, I did a lot of Googling, and all the websites say you want the highest point in the site, that you should not clear way all the snow but try to make it level, and that you need to lay out a tarp underneath the tent. It's all about insulation versus evaporation, apparently." She points toward the middle of the clearing. "This looks good." The changeling peers about to make sure no one's watching, then conjures up an old-fashioned broom to sweep the site a bit; she gives Colt a guilty look, and shrugs. "I'm sorry, I'll try to keep the wacky Bewitched hijinx to a minimum. You were right about the tent, though, that would have been a bad idea."

Lynn unbuttons her tweed riding jacket and carefully reveals a T-shirt to her tablemates that reads, "IT'S LYNN, DAMN IT, LYNN!" in big block letters, but she still winks cheerfully at the newlywed as she closes the jacket once more. "Well, Taylor, things are good; work is fun and challenging, and Billy is awesome - wow, it sounds so weird to call him that! I'm thinking of taking ballroom dancing lessons, but I don't know if he'll be up for it; if not, screw 'im, I'll just dance with strange men. He seemed fine with that at the reception, right?" She grins evilly as she takes a sip of water, then turns to the mistress of green things. "How's Derrick?"

Damn it, I hate writing long posts that still add up to 'Grim misses completely' - grr! :evil: Edit: Wait a sec, Acrobatic Feint is not resisted by Bluff, Gizmo; only Sense Motive or Acrobtaics, per page 56 of corebook. Punch is +3 from Power Attack, in case that wasn't clear.

Despite her best efforts at self-control, Jack's cheerful barrage of quips got under Grim's skin, and she started to have flashbacks to the half hour bus ride from hell she endured twice a day back in high school, when they called her 'Scary Sherry' and much worse; her older sister rarely did anything about it, and actually joined in once or twice. She could feel the blood rushing into her head as she started to visibly shake. Okay, no time for another pity party, Lynn; c'mon! Let's focus on taking Jack's head clean off! Suddenly there's no sound of the annoyingly agile swordsman, but the crowd starts laughing at something that's just plain hi-larious. Great, he's gone all sneaky on me and/or is making jerky faces; my own damn fault for letting him dictate the terms of the fight. :evil: It's not easy for her to slow her breathing, and she's not entirely successful, but soon she has him placed on the canvas; he was right over there. Once again Grimalkin starts moving, her lithe body shifting and sliding, at bit more aggressively this time. She throws a few punches, some that are fairly wild, but others get very close. Finally it looks like she loses her balance, practically falling to one knee, but then she shoots a left straight at Jack's gut.

Good call on the -2 reduction, no idea on the second question.

Okay, here we go! Bluff vs Taunt = 30. So close! Not gonna waste the HP, especially since it's totally in character for her to be super-pissed at this point. Acrobatic Bluff to power Feint via Skill Mastery: 33. We'll see if that one is also ignored (Edit: should actually be a 31) Notice check to hear the sneakiy lil' SOB: 1d20+12=27 "I have you now." Power Attack to paste Jack in the beezer (-3 for PA, -2 for Taunt: 1d20+5=10 Fie, I say, fie! Blows HP, filled with shame: 1d20+5=16. A grand total of 16, mind you :roll:

I concur on the by-laws listed above; I too really want this team to work, and will do whatever I can to keep it going.

For Grim Initiative 1d20+12=19

1. History: A young runaway from Atlantic City, Lynn Epstein turned to a life of panhandling and petty crime to survive; three years ago it became too much, and she crawled into a dark alley on a chill winter night to die, but instead awoke the next day transformed! For many months she used her powers selfishly, living the high life and swindling ‘suckers’, until one night she saw a young streetwalker attacked; the FCPD’s profound indifference to the crime appalled her, and she swore that night to use her powers to help those the Powers That Be would not help. Like a trickster goddess with a vengeful streak, her personal brand of justice might seem somewhat capricious, but she would never willfully take a human life. - The only change is updating the line from 'a year ago' to 'three years ago', since obviously time has past. 2. Alternate Power: Elongation 5 (100 ft) + Insubstantial 1 (Liquid) + Super-Movement 2 (Slithering, Water-Walking)" - The feet for Elongation were never adjusted after she added 4 ranks. 3. Alternate Power: Create Object 3 (Feats: Precise, Subtle, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Range [Touch], Power Loss [Contact with iron]) [6PP] - This allows Grim's chairs to have held Colt's weight; I somehow never caught that Shaen's build dropped her CO from 3 to 2. This actually makes perfect sense with her faerie nature, as using iron to detect glamours and repel the fey is part of folklore. Done by Angrydurf

Lynn is happy her boyfriend was able to get in on the garter action; of course, things were still in the early stages, but she felt really good about this guy, and she wouldn't be a girl if she didn't think about- Oh no, poor Taylor! This was supposed to be her day, and now these @##@ing bloodsuckers have turned her dream into a nightmare. At least Stesha was able to get almost everyone clear, God bless her. The changeling quickly shifts into her 'working clothes' and scans their foes, looking to get a handle on any possible weaknesses; her stomach does a sickening flip-flop when she sees the 'golem'. :shock: Grimalkin grips Colt's arm like a vice, and the very tips of her claws prick his skin through his coat; there is palpable fear in her voice as she whispers to him. "Honey, that's an iron golem; it can kill me with a touch." Realizing that she's on the verge of damaging both her lover and teammate, she releases her death grip and conjures a freakin' crossbow out of thin air; she pulls back the string and loads a wooden bolt, unsure if the damn thing will actually work. Hey, is that Arrowhawk? Wow, he really is Scottish! We just might have a chance here.

I agree!

Clearly Jack was trying to bewilder Grim with BS and backflips, a solid technique that played to his strengths; strip away their different powers, and Jack and her had a lot in common, truth be told. Wow, I wonder if I'm this annoying in combat; yeah, probably. Now with a newfound sympathy for her foes, the tiny shapeshifter does her best to tune out the jibes and focus on Jack's movements, visualizing his various changes in directions in her head while making herself a challenging target. Rather than joining him in playful banter, Grim goes into Quiet Killer Badass mode, and weaves her assault into a dance, ducking, twirling and rolling, throwing an arm out first this way, then that, before suddenly spinning right in front of Jack, then dishing out a mean and graceless upper cut.

Roll to counter Feint = 19 Ok, not so hot; better blow an HP Reroll to counter Feint = 23+10=33 Now Grim Feints Jack = 36 And lastly, Grim takes a swing at Jack = 17 :(

Combining Enhanced Charisma and her 2 ranks of Morph.

Still Undisclosed Grim's eyes go wide for a second, but then she chuckles at herself for falling for the joke. She nods as the German scientist describes how the device worsk, as well as its limitations. "Well, good thing it's winter, huh?" A pair of fuzzy earmuffs appear on her head. "Don't worry, I'll keep 'em warm, and thanks." She continues reading the files, somewhat troubled by all the mysterious black marks. "So Doc, if I go in undercover, do we clear all this with the school first, or is that a stupid question? I'll still go in either way, I'm more just curious." As she reads, subtle changes begin to take place; first her hair shifts into a bright red buzzcut, then a black bob, and finally lengthening into a simple blonde ponytail halfway down her back. Similarly her clothes are first preppy, then punk, and finally drab and vaguely military, a black sweater, cargo pants and clunky black boots. Her voice and accent is all over the map "I'm thinking...maybe someone...from overseas, like an exchange student...a bit like Blink, yes? It could work for us." The blonde haired girl has dark brown eyes, and radiates a steely resolve, both intimidating and attractive. Her Russian accent is excellent. "Yes, I think this is best. She has powers from early age, and now has come to America, avoiding life of crime back home. St. Petersburg or Moscow." She looks up at Doc, and for a moment it's quite clear Grim is still behind those eyes. "Whaddya think, too much?"

The yong shapeshifter looks at Atlas, peeks at her cards again, and then starts shaking her head and laughing. "See, I just totally screwed myself; this is what happens when you use your powers for evil." She flips over her pocket cards, two sevens, and rubs her face. "A pair of hockey sticks, and I have learned my lesson; I think my face might be as red as yours, Atlas." :oops: Her head drops into her crossed arms, and she waves goodbye to the last of her chips. "Bye kids, have fun with Uncle Atlas! Be sure to write!" She sighs deeply, then rests her chin on her arms.

Lynn happily accepts the kiss, and returns it warmly, but Colt's statement does make her rub her chin. "Yeah, you're right; heck, I mostly did it in the first place for fun." Then she shrugs and reaches for the door. "Y'know what, screw it. We made out at a wedding; happens all the time." She opens the door, has a little peek around, and then leads Colt out, fully visible to any who might see, which includes an amused member of the waitstaff. Soon the pair are back mingling with the rest of the crowd; Lynn indicates the other bachelors with a nod of her head, then winks and smiles as she mouths 'Up to you, cowboy'.

Lynn suddenly broke contact, whch allowed Colt to reappear; seconds later, the shapeshifter herself made an appearance, crouched like a cat with head cocked to one side. "Hey, they're doing the garter now." She smiles and pokes him in the belly. "Up to you, dude, though it does make me think maybe we should head back out, just for a little bit. Y'know, for Taylor's sake." She hops up to her feet, and reaches down to give her lover a hand. "Shall we? I'll fade us out right before I open the door." Thankfully her morphing abilites meant no telltale lipstick on Colt's face or collar, though she assumed someone would probably figure out what they'd been up to. :roll: