Heritage

Crystal-Gazer, Outside Lulu laughed and wiped her eyes again, but at least now there were some happy tears mixed in as well. - Telepathy's weird; by bypassing the spoken word, you get this sort of 'instant connection' that I'm not always sure is a good thing. But I try to at least honor it, and save it for the people I know I'll like.- She took out a compact and quickly checked her make-up; as she suspected, ruined by her tears. Rather than take the time to fix it, she just said 'fuggit' and hid it with an illusion. - Well, I'll let you go; don't want your new roomie to think you're a weirdo who stares off into space all day! Take care, Nick! I'll see you around. - Picking up her clipboard, Lulu got up and head back toward the dorm entrance to resume her position as greeter. Noticing a big young man in an football jacket approaching, she called out to him and waved. "Hi there, welcome to Claremont!"

After getting a firm talking to from Headmistress Summers (in retrospect, maybe it had been a bit much), Lulu had opted to hang around for a bit after Aquaria's presentation. Adam had some homework to do, but agreed to 'talk' to her later, so he kissed her goodnight and headed back to his dorm. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to say, but Lulu felt compelled to seek the aquatic heroine out and say... something. So she filled up a plastic cup with punch and made her way to the Deep One's side. "Um, hi. Thank you so much for comin' so our school. Ah'm guessin' it didn't go quite the way you hoped." Then she held out her hand. "Ah'm Lulu, if you don't remember."

Understood! Will do a minor edit.

"A necromancer." Torque blurted out in response to Persephone's question. "They're called a necromancer." She accepted one of Betsy's cards with the psychiatrist's number on it, then simply went back to work, the card disappearing into the whirring mass of machinery, but was then visible on the dashboard of the black SUV she'd become. The transforming heroine worked tirelessly throughout the rest of the night, assuming whatever form was needed. When asked to take a photograph, she politely demured in human form, but was willing to do so in a vehicle form, and was even willing to take requests; this lead to a lot of unusual pictures of exhausted yet smiling people leaning on an expensive sports car with TORQUE 1 plates. This kept her identity protected (for now), and still gave them the keepsake they desired. At the end of the night, she accepted Persephone's offered hug and gave her a slight smile. "Yes, I will be there."

To hear it spoken of so reverently, the Deep One's day of reckoning sounded pretty darn scary, and Lulu could sense the unease in the room; was this amphibious woman somehow a threat to the surface world? And then she thought back to all her childhood Sundays sitting in a pew, listening to Reverend Pritchard sing out 'that old time religion', and she stood up and once again loudly projected her voice, as well as dramatic visuals to accompany it. "And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over to he fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." "Sounds pretty scary, huh? Anyone who followed a religion like that would have to be dangerous right? Oh wait, that's Revelations 6:7-8, one of the Bible passages that gave me nightmares as a kid. So why is okay if our religions have scary beliefs, but not okay if somebody else's does?" She remained standing, looking over the whole room, including the Atlanteans, with her arms crossed across the chest, righteous and defiant.

My gut says that Lulu would probably have fun behind the scenes than on stage (especially since I read the plot summary ?); her illusions and telekinesis could be very useful!

I think I got them all.

So are we jumping to the next morning, and are we going to do the meeting with the mayor?

Grim waved off Set's offer of libation with a shake of her head. "What, and miss the floor show? No way!" She eagerly followed the lioness outside, watchful for any funny business King might try to pull; just because he appeared weak didn't mean he was weak. Plus he may have allies nearby. The changeling maintained her current appearance, but did conjure up her savage talons for intimidation purposes. "Well, well, well, Mr. King! Read any good books lately?" And with a single swipe of her claws, she sheared off one of his lapels without drawing a drop of blood.

Dooo eeet!

Lulu snorted at Ben's inner monologue; she had no interest in spending any time in his personal PornHub, but she spared him a quick snarky thought. -Son, I grew up in the Bible Belt; you don't know the meaning of the word 'filth'. - But now things were getting a little political, and the redhead was sensing a hint of discomfort in the air. Where were all the school's brainiacs with their weird science questions? Clearly Aquaria, as odd as she seemed, was more than willing to discuss the sorts of things most aliens wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole; this was a golden, nerdy opportunity! Glancing over at Nick, she noticed he was a ball of frustration; surely the boy had all kinds of questions about, what did he call it, 'bioacoustics'? But then she noticed him digging into his bag and clearly not finding his tablet, and the situation became clear. A quick skim of his surface thoughts yield the info she was looking for, and once again she stood and 'spoke' her question. "Pardon me, ma'am, but I have a two part question on behalf of Nick Brown? He wanted to know how you modulate your voice to speak a Surfacer language, and could you give us a demonstration of your native tongue? Thank you!" The telepath returned to her seat and gave Nick a quick thumbs up.

No one seemed to want ask the first question, so Lulu decided to go ahead and get things started. She hadn't done much reading about Deep Ones, and she suspected most of the other students hadn't either, so she decided to make it fairly general. The redhead stood up and cleared her throat, but then instead opted to use her illusion powers to project bit better; this had the unusual effect of allowing Ben to 'hear' her question mentally. Her voice sounded amplified, but without the usual characteristics of electronic transmission, and seemed to just hag in the air without source, though Lulu's lips were clearly moving. "Hi, mah name is Lulu Beaumont, and welcome to Claremont, Ms. Innsmouth. Can you please tell us a little bit about the history of your people? Thank you, ma'am." As she returned to her seat, Lulu winced slightly. She hoped her Alabama accent wasn't too thick for Aquaria to understand; maybe she should have modified it?

"Dr. Chawla's freakin' out; he's on the phone with Summers, so ah don't blame him. He knows ah'm here, and he's saying Salvo should suit up, and the rest of us stay put. Leroy's got some sort of trackin' device on him, which should let us find him a bit easier." Lulu she closed her eyes and shook her head, bringing herself back, only to find her fellow students and the ambassadors already at work on the problem. "Welp, looks like ah'm late to the party." Noticing Davyd' hands on her own, she smiled sweetly at the boy. "Aww! Thanks for groundin' me, Davyd!" She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the check before standing up, oblivious to the affect this simple action had on the smitten lad. "So, what's our next move?"

Torque was kept busy ferrying people around, mostly in the form of a massive pickup with an oversized cab and dual rear wheels to better handle Cheval's load. Seeing the devastation the great beast had wrought, she was actually glad she was no longer saddled with human emotions, though from time to time she felt a sharp twinge where her heart should be; even a machine could not remain unaffected by such horrors. Sometimes she became a small school bus van to carry the healthier survivors to a nearby shelter. Sometimes she became an ambulance or a medivac copter to rush a critical patient to the hospital. And sometimes she merely drove to the morgue. When the various heroes met back together, and encountered the murdered man who may or may not have responsible for the nights horrors, the techshifter was exhausted, which was puzzling to her; she no longer had to eat or sleep, so where did this fatigue come from? And then she heard a voice in her head that sounded a lot like her mother. Your soul is tired, baby girl. Persephone's words touched her like a balm, and the strange young woman tipped her head back to let the rain pour down her face before she looked towards the others. "I no longer have flesh and bones to feel weary. I have no stomach to rumble with hunger. I have no brain to be clouded by sleep. You shall have my service as long as it is needed."

Lulu - Outside Lulu rolled her eyes and shook her head as she adjusted herself on the bench. - My parents...most of my family...are pretty awful. They made me use my powers to rob people and pull scams. I was just a kid, you know? I thought it was a game. But once I realized I was actually hurting people, I wanted to stop; then they forced me to do it. - The teenaged telepath dabbed at tears in the corners of her eyes - Its taken a lot of time with a therapist, my social worker and my foster family to stop blaming myself for the terrible things I did; hell, I still beat myself up from time to time! But it does get better, if you let it. -

A few moments later, Lulu Beaumont entered the classroom; she'd paused for a few moments to allow Ben to make his impressive entrance. She waa dressed fairly casually, thinking of this whole affair as more of a school lecture than a diplomatic event, but judging from the outfits of the Atlantean contingent, perhaps she'd underdressed? She was just wearing a pink Atlanta Braves t-shirt, black sweatpants, and sandals. Her red hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head, and she had a notebook and pen with her. Finding a seat next to Adam, whom she gave a quick kiss, she looked over her shoulder at their showman-like classmate. "Good Lord! He sure is extra extra, ain't he?" Then she noticed Nick cleaning up his fallen nibbles, and she sighed sympathetically. - Do you want me to make a distraction, Nick? I can make it look like the stage is on fire! - Her mental 'tone' was friendly and playfully conspiratorial.

Here is the rebuild for Lulu, after much consultation with Grumble.

Name: Crystal-Gazer Power Level: 13 (built as PL 10; 202/220PP) Tradeoffs: None Unspent PP: 18PP In Brief: Psionic teen trying to escape her criminal family. Alternate Identity: Louise 'Lulu' Beaumont Identity: Secret Birthplace: Columbia, AL Occupation: Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: Charlene Beaumont (mother), Darryl Beaumont (father), Kyle Beaumont (older brother), Caleb Beaumont (older brother), Bobby Beaumont (older brother), Megan Howell-Harrow and Robert Harrow (foster parents), Lawrence Harrow (foster brother) Description: DOB: February 23, 2002 Gender: Female Height: 5' 6" Weight: 125 lbs. Eyes: Brown Hair: Red Lulu is a pretty girl from Alabama with pale skin, long red hair and dark brown eyes. She wears a lot of denim, mostly cutoffs in her favorite colors (pink and black), and she favors denim purses trimmed with studs or sequins. In terms of shoes, she has a large collection of pink sneakers and gym shoes, and she often wears girly baseball caps. She doesn't wear a lot of makeup, mostly just enhancing her lips and eyes. Since moving in with the Harrows, her style has become a bit more sophisticated, especially at formal events. She hasn't figured out a costume yet, but is leaning towards a mixture of black, pink and rhinestones. History: The Beaumont family has a somewhat checkered past back in Columbia, Alabama, with a history full of moonshine stills, reckless driving, and the occasional assault or petty theft. But those exploits are largely associated with the men of the family; the Beaumont women are known for something entirely different. Some call it ‘the gift’ and others ‘the sight’, but the red-headed women of this family all seem to have an eeriness to them. Harriet Beaumont predicted the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, and Imogene Beaumont before her saw the Blocton Mine cave-in of 1895 clear as day. The fact of the matter is, very few of the Beaumonts have demonstrated the ‘true gift’, but that hasn't kept them from running a lucrative fortune-telling business for over forty years out of a rundown house just outside of town. On the night Lulu was born, a bolt of lightning struck a tree in their backyard, splitting it right down the middle, though there hadn't been a storm. Her father Darryl, an assistant manager at the local Piggly Wiggly who’d recently been fired for stealing steaks, declared nothing good would ever come of the girl, and seemed determined to prove his point. Darryl hounded her incessantly throughout her childhood, while showering undeserved praise on his delinquent sons Kyle and Caleb, both of whom were notorious in the Columbia area for drunken fights and making their own explosives. Only the Beaumont’s youngest son Bobby ever showed her any kindness, and they had always been close. However, once she began to show signs of the true sight at age ten, everything changed; suddenly Lulu was 'daddy's little girl’ as Darryl finally saw a way to use her to make money. With Lulu's unseen help, the fortune-telling business became very profitable, but her daddy didn't stop there. He forced his young daughter to extract credit card and banking information from their clients’ minds, threatening her or Bobby with physical harm if she didn't comply. They even pulled her out of school when she turned thirteen, supposedly to ‘homeschool’ her, but really it was to have her around the house so she could do more 'sneakin’ and peekin'’, and her studies suffered. One day when she was a fifteen, it finally came to a head; Darryl wanted her to enter the thoughts of woman who'd just lost her husband, and was looking to talk to his ‘spirit’, a scam they'd pulled before. But the woman had three children to feed, and her daddy wanted to rob her blind. When Lulu refused to steal her thoughts, Darryl moved to strike her, but then he suddenly stopped; Lulu had just discovered her mind control ability. To her father's horror, she forced him to drive them both to the local police station to confess to his crimes. However she couldn't maintain control forever, and a confession under coercion is not legally admissible. The revelations were enough for DCFS to step in, and when word of her story reached the headmaster of Claremont Academy, an offer was made to place her with a foster family in Freedom and enroll her in the academy, where she could obtain a proper education and learn to use her powers for good. She chose the heroic name 'Crystal-Gazer’ after the derogatory term her dad used to describe the family fortune-telling business. Personality & Motivation: Lulu is friendly and outgoing, though prone to long, thoughtful gazes, which usually means she's using one of her powers. She loves to find out other people's stories, but is fairly reluctant to share her own, as she is deeply ashamed of her family. Though she learned a lot of tricks and scams from her brothers, she detests swindlers of any kind, and will only use these skills for harmless pranks or to punish wrongdoing. Lulu is very powerful psionic, the sort that only comes around once or twice a generation, and she feels awful about how her family used her powers for criminal gain. She is particularly interested in exposing con artists and loan sharks, and any who would harm mothers or children. Powers & Tactics: Lulu can read minds, project her senses miles away, send thoughts to others and create impressive psychic illusions, including the ability to make herself invisible, though this does not fool devices like cameras or other surveillance equipment. She can also control minds, though she finds this power a little unsettling. Lulu recently discovered an aptitude for telekinesis, which she's still learning to master. Up until recently, she mostly relied on her illusions to confuse or frighten bad guys, and her ESP is excellent for recon. If things get really desperate, she will take over a thug's body, and shift the balance of power that way. She's still figuring out the best ways to use her telekinesis, but is becoming more skilled with it every day. Complications: "Ah’m sorry, ah didn't mean to pry.” Sometimes it's hard for Lulu to resist the urge to poke around other people's heads, even though she knows it's wrong. “Ah can't let them find me!” Lulu lives in terror of her family tracking her down in Freedom and trying to take her back home. “There's too many voices in mah head!” As a small town psychic in a big city, sometimes Lulu can get overwhelmed by all the telepathic ‘noise’ in the area. “Oh, ah didn't mean nothin’ by it!” Sometimes Lulu likes to play pranks on her friends with her powers; it isn't always well-received. “Ah dunno; it just gets really hard sometimes.” Lulu's been through a lot and is a long way from home, and misses her brother Bobby. Sometimes this can lead to depression and loneliness. ABILITIES: 0 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 10 + 10 = 30PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 20 (+5) COMBAT: 8 + 10 = 18PP Initiative: +5 Attack: +4, +8 Throwing with Telekinesis Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +4, +20 w/ Telekinesis Knockback: -7, -5 flat-footed w/ Force Field; -3, -1 flat-footed w/out Force Field SAVES: 4 + 5 + 5 = 14PP Toughness: +10 (+2 Con, +4 Defensive Roll, +4 Force Field [Imp 4]), +6 flat-footed; +6 w/out FF, +2 flat-footed Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con, +4) Reflex: +6, (+1 Dex, +5) Will: +10 (+5 Wis, +5), Ultimate Save SKILLS: 92R=23PP Bluff 15 (+20) Concentration 15 (+20) Second Chance Diplomacy 15 (+20) Disable Device 3 (+5) Drive 4 (+5) Gather Information 5 (+10) Intimidate 5 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 3 (+5) Knowledge (Streetwise) 3 (+5) Notice 10 (+15) Sense Motive 10 (+15) Survival 4 (+9) FEATS: 5PP Luck Second Chance (Concentration) Trance Taunt Ultimate Save (Will) Enhanced Feats Beginner's Luck Defensive Roll 2 Dodge Focus 5 Improved Initiative Uncanny Dodge (Mental) POWERS: 10 + 8 + 9 + 53 + 10 + 22 = 112PP (Descriptors: all psionic) Enhanced Feats 10 (Beginner's Luck, Defensive Roll 2, Dodge Focus 5, Improved Initiative, Uncanny Dodge) [10PP] (Telepathic) Flight 3 (50 mph / 500 feet per round; Feats: Subtle 2) [8PP] (Telekinetic) Force Field 4 (Extras: Impervious 4; PF: Subtle) [9PP] (Telekinetic) Psionics 23 (46PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 7) [53PP] Base Power: [46PP] ESP 7 (Sense Types: Auditory + Visual, Range: 200 miles, Extras: Action [Free], Duration [Sustained], Simultaneous, Feats: Rapid 3 [x1,000, 18 seconds / 3 rounds to Search a 5 mile diameter area, 6 minutes if Taking 20], Subtle [DC25 Notice]) {46/46} (Telepathic) Alternate Power: [37PP] Create Object 10 (10 25-ft. cubes, STR 50; Extras: Impervious 10; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Progression [Size] 2 [25-ft cubes], Selective, Subtle 2) {37/46} (Telekinetic) Alternate Power: [40PP] Damage 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Range 2 [Perception]) {40/46} (Telepathic) Alternate Power: [46PP] Illusion 10 (Sense Types: All; Extras: Selective; Flaws: Phantasm; Feats: Progression [Size] 6 [500ft radius]) {46/46} (Telepathic) Alternate Power: [43PP] Mind Control 10 (Extras: Conscious, Duration [Sustained, Lasting], Instant Command [Mental], Sensory Link; Flaws: Action [Full], Feedback; Feats: Mental Link, Subtle 2) {43/46} (Telepathic) Alternate Power: [44PP] Move Object 10 (Lifting Strength: 50, Heavy Load: 12 tons; Extras: Damaging, Range [Perception]; Feats: Accurate 2 [+4 Attack], Precise, Subtle) {44/46} (Telekinetic) Alternate Power: [44PP] Stun 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Mental, Range 2 [Perception]; Feats: Reversible, Sedation, Subtle, Variable Descriptor [Pain or Sleep]) {44/46} (Telepathic) Alternate Power: [32PP] Transform 10 (Memory Alteration; Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Mental, Range [Perception]; Flaws: Action [Full]; Feats: Affects Insubstantial, Subtle) {32/46} (Telepathic) Super-Senses 14 (Danger Sense [Mental], Postcognition [Flaw: Uncontrolled], Precognition [Flaw: Uncontrolled], Psionic Awareness [Descriptor Frequency: Common, Sense Type: Mental {Default Extras: None}; Extras: Radius, Ranged], Uncanny Dodge [Mental]) [10PP] (Telepathic) Telepathy 10 (20PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [22PP] (Telepathic) Base Power: [20PP] Communication 10 (Mental, 200,000 miles; Extra: Linked [Comprehend]; Feats: Rapid 3 [x1000], Subtle) [14PP] + Comprehend 3 (Speak and Understand Any Language; Extra: Linked [Communication]) [6PP] (Telepathic) {20/20} Alternate Power: [11PP] Concealment 10 (All Senses, Flaw: Phantasm, Feat: Selective) (Telepathic) {11/20} Alternate Power: [12PP] Mind Reading 10 (Extras: Effortless, Mental; Flaw: Duration [Instant/Lasting]; Feat: Subtle 2) (Telepathic) {12/20} DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 16 Toughness Damage [Physical] Illusion Perception Check vs. Will Deceived Mental Blast Perception DC 20 Will Save Damage [Mental] Mental Transform Perception DC 20 Will Save Transformed Mind Control Perception DC 20 Will Save Controlled Mind Reading Perception DC 20 Will Save Read (Not an attack) Move Object Perception DC 25 Toughness Damage [Physical] Stun Perception DC 20 Will Save Dazed/Stunned or Asleep TOTALS: Abilities (30) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (23) + Feats (5) + Powers (112) - Drawbacks (0) = 202/220 Power Points

This is a fairly significant upgrade on Lulu, mostly adding telekinesis to her power set. There's still a lot of unspent PP in some of her APs, which could probably be better maximized.

Name: Crystal-Gazer Power Level: 10/10 (170/170PP) Tradeoffs: None Unspent PP: 0 In Brief: Psionic teen trying to escape her criminal family. Alternate Identity: Louise 'Lulu' Beaumont Identity: Secret Birthplace: Columbia, AL Occupation: Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: Charlene Beaumont (mother), Darryl Beaumont (father), Kyle Beaumont (older brother), Caleb Beaumont (older brother), Bobby Beaumont (older brother), Megan Howell-Harrow and Robert Harrow (foster parents) Description: DOB: February 23, 2002 Gender: Female Height: 5' 6" Weight: 125 lbs. Eyes: Brown Hair: Red Lulu is a pretty girl from Alabama with pale skin, long red hair and dark brown eyes. She wears a lot of denim, mostly cutoffs in her favorite colors (pink and black), and she favors denim purses trimmed with studs or sequins. In terms of shoes, she has a large collection of pink sneakers and gym shoes, and she often wears girly baseball caps. She doesn't wear a lot of makeup, mostly just enhancing her lips and eyes. Since moving in with the Harrows, her style has become a bit more sophisticated, especially at formal events. History: The Beaumont family has a somewhat checkered past back in Columbia, Alabama, with a history full of moonshine stills, reckless driving, and the occasional assault or petty theft. But those exploits are largely associated with the men of the family; the Beaumont women are known for something entirely different. Some call it ‘the gift’ and others ‘the sight’, but the red-headed women of this family all seem to have an eeriness to them. Harriet Beaumont predicted the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, and Imogene Beaumont before her saw the Blocton Mine cave-in of 1895 clear as day. The fact of the matter is, very few of the Beaumonts have demonstrated the ‘true gift’, but that hasn't kept them from running a lucrative fortune-telling business for over forty years out of a rundown house just outside of town. On the night Lulu was born, a bolt of lightning struck a tree in their backyard, splitting it right down the middle, though there hadn't been a storm. Her father Darryl, an assistant manager at the local Piggly Wiggly who’d recently been fired for stealing steaks, declared nothing good would ever come of the girl, and seemed determined to prove his point. Darryl hounded her incessantly throughout her childhood, while showering undeserved praise on his delinquent sons Kyle and Caleb, both of whom were notorious in the Columbia area for drunken fights and making their own explosives. Only the Beaumont’s youngest son Bobby ever showed her any kindness, and they had always been close. However, once she began to show signs of the true sight at age ten, everything changed; suddenly Lulu was 'daddy's little girl’ as Darryl finally saw a way to use her to make money. With Lulu's unseen help, the fortune-telling business became very profitable, but her daddy didn't stop there. He forced his young daughter to extract credit card and banking information from their clients’ minds, threatening her or Bobby with physical harm if she didn't comply. They even pulled her out of school when she turned thirteen, supposedly to ‘homeschool’ her, but really it was to have her around the house so she could do more 'sneakin’ and peekin'’, and her studies suffered. One day when she was a fifteen, it finally came to a head; Darryl wanted her to enter the thoughts of woman who'd just lost her husband, and was looking to talk to his ‘spirit’, a scam they'd pulled before. But the woman had three children to feed, and her daddy wanted to rob her blind. When Lulu refused to steal her thoughts, Darryl moved to strike her, but then he suddenly stopped; Lulu had just discovered her mind control ability. To her father's horror, she forced him to drive them both to the local police station to confess to his crimes. However she couldn't maintain control forever, and a confession under coercion is not legally admissible. The revelations were enough for DCFS to step in, and when word of her story reached the headmaster of Claremont Academy, an offer was made to place her with a foster family in Freedom and enroll her in the academy, where she could obtain a proper education and learn to use her powers for good. She chose the heroic name 'Crystal-Gazer’ after the derogatory term her dad used to describe the family fortune-telling business. Personality & Motivation: Lulu is friendly and outgoing, though prone to long, thoughtful gazes, which usually means she's using one of her powers. She loves to find out other people's stories, but is fairly reluctant to share her own, as she is deeply ashamed of her family. Though she learned a lot of tricks and scams from her brothers, she detests swindlers of any kind, and will only use these skills for harmless pranks or to punish wrongdoing. Lulu is very powerful psionic, the sort that only comes around once or twice a generation, and she feels awful about how her family used her powers for criminal gain. She is particularly interested in exposing con artists and loan sharks, and any who would harm mothers or children. Powers & Tactics: Lulu can read minds, project her senses miles away, send thoughts to others and create impressive psychic illusions, including the ability to make herself invisible, though this does not fool devices like cameras or other surveillance equipment. She can also control minds, though she finds this power a little unsettling. Lulu recently discovered an aptitude for telekinesis, which she's still learning to master. Up until recently, she mostly relied on her illusions to confuse or frighten bad guys, and her ESP is excellent for recon. If things get really desperate, she will take over a thug's body, and shift the balance of power that way. She's still figuring out the best ways to use her telekinesis, mostly using it to grapple foes for now. Complications: "Ah’m sorry, ah didn't mean to pry.” Sometimes it's hard for Lulu to resist the urge to poke around other people's heads, even though she knows it's wrong. “Ah can't let them find me!” Lulu lives in terror of her family tracking her down in Freedom and trying to take her back home. “There's too many voices in mah head!” As a small town psychic in a big city, sometimes Lulu can get overwhelmed by all the telepathic ‘noise’ in the area. “Oh, ah didn't mean nothin’ by it!” Sometimes Lulu likes to play pranks on her friends with her powers; it isn't always well-received. “Ah dunno; it just gets really hard sometimes.” Lulu's been through a lot and is a long way from home, and misses her brother Bobby. Sometimes this can lead to depression and loneliness. Abilities: 0 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 10 + 10 = 30PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 20 (+5) Combat: 8 + 10 = 18PP Initiative: +1 Attack: +4, +8 Throwing with Move Object Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +4/+20 (Perception Move Object 10) Knockback Resistance: 5/1, 3/1 Flat-Footed Saves: 3 + 4 + 5 = 12PP Toughness: +10 (+2 Con, +4 Defensive Roll, +4 Protection), +6/+2 Flat-Footed Fortitude: +5 (+2 Con, +3) Reflex: +5, (+1 Dex, +4) Will: +10 (+5 Wis, +5) Skills: 92R=23PP Bluff 15 (+20) Skill Mastery Concentration 15 (+20) Second Chance Diplomacy 15 (+20) Skill Mastery Disable Device 3 (+5) Drive 4 (+5) Gather Information 1 (+6) Intimidate 5 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 3 (+5) Knowledge (Behavioral Science) 1 (+3) Knowledge (Civics) 1 (+3) Knowledge (Current Events) 1 (+3) Knowledge (Earth Science) 1 (+3) Knowledge (History) 1 (+3) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 1 (+3) Knowledge (Streetwise) 3 (+5) Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy) 1 (+3) Language 1 (English [Native], Spanish) Notice 10 (+15) Skill Mastery Sense Motive 10 (+15) Skill Mastery Feats: 7PP Fascinate (Bluff) Luck Second Chance (Concentration) Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Notice, Sense Motive) Trance Taunt Ultimate Save (Will) Powers: 7 + 40 + 5 + 10 + 18 = 80PP (Descriptors: all psionic) Enhanced Feats 7 (Defensive Roll 2 and Dodge Focus 5) [7PP] (Telepathic) Psionics 17 (34PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 6) [40PP] Base Power: [34PP] ESP 5 (Sense Types: Auditory + Visual, Range: 5 miles, Extras: Action [Free], Duration [Sustained], Simultaneous, Feats: Rapid 3 [x1,000, 18 seconds / 3 rounds to Search a 5 mile diameter area, 6 minutes if Taking 20], Subtle [DC25 Notice]) [34PP] Alternate Power: [34PP] Illusion 10 (Sense Types: All, Extras: Selective, Flaws: Action [Full], Phantasm, Feats: Progression [Size] 4 [100ft radius]) [34PP] Alternate Power: [32PP] Damage 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Mental, Range 2 [Perception], Flaws: Action [Full], Feats: Precise, Subtle) [32PP] Alternate Power: [32PP] Mind Control 10 (Extras: Conscious, Duration [Sustained, Lasting], Instant Command, Mental, Flaws: Action [Full], Feedback, Feats: Mental Link, Subtle) [32PP] Alternate Power: [34PP] Move Object 10 (Lifting Strength: 50, Heavy Load: 12 tons, Extras: Range [Perception], Feats: Accurate 2 [+4 Attack], Precise, Subtle) [34PP] Alternate Power: [34PP] Stun 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Mental, Range 2 [Perception], Flaws: Action [Full], Feats: Reversible, Sedation, Subtle, Variable Descriptor [Pain or Sleep]) [34PP] Alternate Power: [31PP] Transform 10 (Memory Alteration, Extras: Alternate Save [Will], Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Mental, Range [Perception], Flaws: Action [Full], Feats: Subtle) [31PP] Protection 4 (Extras: Force Field, Subtle) [5PP] (Telekinetic) Super-Senses 14 (Danger Sense [Mental], Mental Awareness [Extras: Radius, Ranged], Postcognition [Flaw: Uncontrolled], Precognition [Flaw: Uncontrolled], Uncanny Dodge [Mental]) [10PP] Telepathy 8 (16PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [18PP] (Telepathic) Base Power: [16PP] Communication 6 (Mental, 20 miles; Extra: Linked [Comprehend]; Feats: Rapid 3 [x1000], Subtle) [10PP] + Comprehend 3 (Speak and Understand Any Language; Extra: Linked [Communication]) [6PP] Alternate Power: [11PP] Concealment 10 (All Senses, Flaw: Phantasm, Feat: Selective) Alternate Power: [11PP] Mind Reading 10 (Extras: Effortless, Mental, Flaw: Duration [Instant/Lasting]; Feat: Subtle) Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP Totals: Abilities (30) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (12) + Skills (23) + Feats (7) + Powers (80) - Drawbacks (0) = 170/170 Power Points DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 16 Toughness Damage [Physical] Illusion Perception Check vs. Will Deceived Mental Blast Perception DC 20 Will Save Damage [Mental] Mental Transform Perception DC 20 Will Save Transformed Mind Control Perception DC 20 Will Save Controlled Mind Reading Perception DC 20 Will Save Read (Not an attack) Stun Perception DC 20 Will Save Dazed/Stunned or Asleep

"Yeah, okay," Lulu said absently as her boyfriend departed, as she was largely focused on her telepathic conversation with the new boy. The redheaded junior found a shady spot on a bench to continue her talk; there were tears in her eyes, as she'd been lost in painful memories before Adam inadvertently shook her out of her reverie. - Sorry about that; I went to a dark place for a minute there. - Then she shook her head at Nick's line of reasoning. - I think you'd be surprised at what your capable of, Nick. But you'll need to be patient, and you'll need to forgive yourself for making mistakes, because we all make them. - After a slight pause, Lulu continued. - Would you be interested in trying meditation? I'm thinking of starting a sort of club here at school. I use it to calm myself down when I get rattled, and to help drive out extraneous thoughts when the city gets too 'noisy'. How does that sound to you? -

As she'd mentioned, any sort of magic was beyond Torque's comprehension. But she understood things like logistics and transport, and these were areas where she could help. "So we have some idea of where the creature came from and where it was going. Which location is more time sensitive? Would it be best to divide ourselves or remain together? And I we do divide, who goes to each objective?"