Heritage
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Lynn rolled her eyes at Holly's joke, then stuck out her tongue at her; it was bright purple, about a foot long, and had a weird fleshy tassel at the end of it. It waggled in the air for a few seconds before it snapped back into the changeling's head, after which she playfully waggled her eyebrows God, I miss having kids. In response to Serena's story, the Fae shook her head as she scooped up a maraschino cherry. "Mm-mm, never heard of ya. My sorta, kinda ex might have; she's the smart one. If it doesn't involve magic, I'm usually clueless. And thanks for not destroying my store." Lynn put her hand in her chin and frowned, indicted the ex-villainess with her spoon. "How are you doing financially? Are you just working the one job, or are you working several? And most importantly, do you have health insurance?"
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Lynn sunk deep into her chair, which made her look like a little kid pretending to be a CEO. Her big brown eyes flicked from Serena, to Richard and then Holly, the sight of whom made her smile. Then she sat up a little straighter and cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry, I didn't really have a plan here, I was just getting tired of all the verbal gymnastics." She jerked a thumb in the deliverywoman's direction. "You were straining so hard, I thought you were going to pull something." And then, with a casual wave of her hand, Lynn summoned a mouthwatering banana split into existence, covered in whipped cream, cherries and peanuts. It filled a long glass bowl, and four thin wooden spoons stuck out of it in different directions "Anyone want in on this? This is way too much for just me." Lynn was entirely nonchalant as she indicated Serena with a wave of her spoon. "So Serena, you were talking about how hard it is to raise a teenager as both a single mother and an ex-supervillain, I think? Seriously, guys, dig in."
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Lynn's eyes narrowed as she pondered Murk's words for several seconds before she spoke, and she once again chose her words carefully. "So really, it's about mutual protection, at it's most basic level. 'We will protect you from a fate worse than death.' And beyond that, it's pretty much a list of names. 'We know you're immortal, and now you know we're immortal.' There's not much in the way of accountability, beyond the vague promise that if you're really bad, we're going to sit down and have a talk about it so fast your head will spin." The changeling sighed and looked around her office. "I'll be honest with you, it's a little toothless for my taste. It trusts everyone to be civil, whereas in my experience, people who have fewer consequences to worry about feel more and more entitled and detached from society, and their sense of accountability goes pfft!" Lynn chuckled and shook her head. "I'm being very Talmudic here; my rabbi would be proud." And then she had a moment of clarity, and she understood the fundamental difference between herself and Murk. "It's about allegiance, isn't it? At it's core. You would choose the immortals first, while I would choose the mortals. And that might be an irreconcilable difference."
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Lulu looked over the cheap laminated menu; she'd eaten at places like this before. The cups and utensils might not all match, but the food would be damn good. After consulting with the waitress, she ordered the conch soup with a side of fungi, and a homemade ginger beer. After she placed her order, she eagerly turned to Veronica. "So what can you tell us 'bout the wreck? Is a pirate ship? And what kind of problems are the salvage crews havin' where they need help?"
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BVI cuisine
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There was a pause, then Serena heard footsteps approaching the door. When it opened, she was face to face with...a perfectly composed Lynn. Her makeup was flawless, no redness or puffy eyes, and the healthy glow was back. "I'm sorry about that; your question just caught me off-guard, is all." She sighed deeply, then motioned for the Clines to join her in the office. Then she called out towards the back room. "Lance, can you cover the counter for a few?" "I hear and I obey, O mistress," a male voice called back. Lynn sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, ha ha; I'll be quick, I promise." A big beefy blonde man came up from the back, wiping off his hands on a towel. He was dressed like a college athlete, but with the addition of a bandana covered with little teddy bears on his head. "Nah, it's cool," he said with an affable wave. "Dishes are almost done anyway." Now relieved of her counter duties, she motioned for her three guests to come in and have a seat. The room was cozy, with bookcases on all the walls. A massive desk dominated the center of the room, behind which was an old high-backed leather chair. On the desk itself was a green and brass banker's light, a somewhat older-looking tower PC with a flat screen monitor, and a bowl of candy. Two leather chairs that matched the one behind the desk were provided for guests. Wherever there wasn't a book, there was a magic poster or odd knickknack, and a pair of exotic-looking firearms, a rifle and a revolver, were mounted on the wall above Lynn's head. "Please, sit. Help yourselves to the candy."
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Casey paused in the doorway, then looked between Terrifica and the others; what they were saying made a lot of sense. "It couldn't hurt to take a look over a few of the crime scenes; we all know that despite their best intentions, cops miss things all the time. And assuming the victims are stable, the crime scenes are more likely to be compromised the longer we wait." Then she turned back to Professor Xiu and spread her hands. "Also, is there anyway we could look at their academic records? Both Terrifica and myself have high speed brains; we might be able to see patterns that the police didn't have time to find."
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MG waved at the crowd and nodded, an affable but practiced grin on her face; however, once they were outside, she was all business. She led the Grue into a quiet corner, and after looking around to make sure no one was in earshot, she crossed her arms across her chest, looking stern. Even just standing there quietly, her furrowed brow and disapproving glare were hard to look at without flinching "Okay, now that we have a little privacy, please explain yourself. First off, where do you come from, and what name do you prefer go by?"
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"Thank you very much, ma'am. Would you mind spelling your name for me? And I do I have permission to quote you?" Once the preliminaries were out of the way, Casey went into journalist mode. "Ms. Joshi, you and your friends have come out on a very special day. Can your tell us what the Centurion means to you? And are those feelings exclusive to him, or do they extend to other so-called heroes who are active today?" Obviously this interested her on at least two levels, as both a regular citizen and as a heroine herself; she was looking forward to getting this group's perspective.
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Rather unexpectedly, Casey had the afternoon free; the instructor for her 1pm class had sent out an email early that morning to say that her three year old was very sick, so she wouldn't be able to make it to class. Now with a little time on her hands, the young journalism major decided to get in a little casual patrolling, flying around the harbor. As she scanned the boats bobbing in the bay, her sharp eyes picked out a group of people waving at her from the deck of one of the harbor tour boats. Feeling a little spontaneous and frisky (probably because it felt like she was playing hooky), Miracle Girl decided to drop out of the sky for an impromptu selfie and autograph session, which needless to say went over very well with the tourists. After taking an opportunity to greet everyone (including a chance to practice her ASL with a simply adorable deaf girl), the smiling blonde heroine waved goodbye to the nice folks as she rose into the air. Her heart now feeling full and warm, Casey was about to bank out over the ocean for a little 'boom burst' (she often wanted to fly the fastest when she was very happy), when her eye caught something else: two flying heroines (one of whom she quickly recognized) meeting on top of the Centurion statue, one of her favorite hangouts, although she usually visited at night, when it offered simply the best view of the harbor. Her interest piqued, MG floated over to see what was up. Her red, white and blue jumpsuit, lack of a cape and golden glow instantly marked her as Miracle Girl to those in the know. "Hi! is there room for one more?"
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Up until this point, Lynn had been following the conversation with bemuses interest. She liked Serena; to be honest, she reminded her a lot of Gretchen, which probably meant the two of them would absolutely hate each other. She was just imagining how such an awkward meeting might go when the deliverywoman innocently asked her about kids, and the blood drained out of her face. In fact, Lynn's eyes, skin and hair almost seemed to take on a duller tone. "Uh, th-three kids," she stammered as she began wringing her hands. "Ruthie, Zach and Jon-Jon. Ruth and Zach were, uh, twins, and Jon-Jon was born...uh, seven years later." She squeezed her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to hold back tears. "I don't...I can't see them anymore." She swallowed and grimaced. "They asked me to leave." Then something rather shocking happened; Lynn stammered out a muffled 'excuse me', then vaulted over the counter in a graceful arc worthy of an Olympic gymnast, rushed to the door of the manager's office and slammed it shut, making all the customers in the store jump. They looked to one another, shrugged, and returned to their reading.
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Gretchen nodded as she took it all in. "Nice work, Justice." Yep, she recognized her. "Did you design everything yourself, or are you adapting preexisting technology?" Gretchen stepped into the living room, calling out over her shoulder as she opened her portal. "Most of my gear is off the rack. Except the magic stuff. That stuff...was a gift." There was a quiet for a few minutes as the barista armored up, though she offered the occasional grunt in response to Robin. When she finally returned, she seemed a few inches taller, probably due to her thick-soled boots. Her armored jumpsuit was mostly black, but with a few silver accents. She also wore a long, hooded cloak, and a silver bird-like mask over the upper half of her face. A sort of tactical harness supported a wide variety of pouches, and what looked like several grenades. There was a silver ring with a red ruby on the left index finger of her gloved hand, and another ruby centered in the forehead of the mask. Robin may have recognized the Shrike as the former partner of Grimalkin back in Freedom, or perhaps she didn't. Looking down at herself, Shrike sighed. "I am way too 90s."
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Lynn had resisted the reflex temptation to shift into a cheerleader, because really, that would be just plain inappropriate. Still, it had been a long time since she played 'Mad Madam Mim' with another shifter, and the Fae in her just wanted to keep on going. But her mortal self told that part where to stuff it, and she focused on the issue at hand: meeting an intelligent alien bioship <Hi Mother Unit. I'm Lynn Epstein, a friend of your...uh, Daphne.> Smooth.
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"Oh Lord, now we're just bein' silly," said Lulu with a sigh. She indicated the room with a sweep of her hand "There's no sign of struggle, Ashley the most paranoid big sister in the world was in the next room, and we have a giant Danica-colored shell smack dab in the middle of the room both she and Judy were just in." She shrugged. "More than likely, Dani used a power we don't know about because we didn't ask, and took her on a little trip." The redhead looked over to Watchdog with a flat expression. "Ah can't imagine any reason she might want to sneak out and stretch her legs." And with that, Lulu abruptly dropped into a crouch and scuttled inside the shell.
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So my gut instinct is for Casey to just viciously headbutt this guy on the bridge of the nose; would that be a surprise attack, or would we need to roll for Initiative first?
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Lynn shrugged. "Whatever you say." Then she gracefully slid behind the counter, adding a little spin to it; she must have had serious dance training once upon a time. "Dark roast okay? You look like you take it black." Once she had the drink order ready, she slid it on over. "Here ya go." The shapeshifter was starting to figure some of all this out; more than likely, this Serena was a baddie back in the day, and she and Cline had a history, a bit like running into your ex at the grocery store. Whatever was going down, it was definitely interesting, so she did her best to remain a part of the conversation.
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The restaurant
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Casey took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. You're right." She closed her eyes and thought of Steph, with her dry wit and hilarious observations, and she drove her fist into her palm; there was a flash of golden light and the room shook. THOOM She thought of the tearful phone call she'd had to make to Steph's parents back in Philly, explaining to them how their only daughter had been attacked, her brilliant mind reduced to mush. Her fist drove home again like a jack hammer. THOOM! Then she thought about finding whomever was responsible, and what she was going to do to them once she found them, and her fist slammed into her palm like an artillery shell. THOOM! Sufficiently motivated and focused, Miracle Girl turned to sweep her gaze over the others, her green eyes practically cracking with firey inspiration. The quiet girl had been replaced by a ramrod straight paragon, filled with righteous fury. "Let's go." Pity the fools once she found them.
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"In NOM-in-e," Lynn quietly sang in a sort of Duddley Do-Right voice as she signed for the books. "Hey, do you wanna coffee or something for the road? My treat." But then she noticed the driver stiffen, and looked between her and known crimefighter-turned-celebrity Richard Cline. "Oh. Oh! Do you know him from-" She discretely made two 'okay' signs and put one over each eye. "'The life'?" The changeling was trying to be all cool and on the DL, but then Fast-Forward and his daughter (had to be) started heading over, and now they were all having a moment. "Nice to meet you, Holly, and yes, I know your dad." She looked over to Holly's father and inclined her head. "Richard." Well, this sure is all kinda awkward.
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Stephanie Kowalski was one of the smartest people Casey had ever met; the affable PoliSci major came from a well-to-do Philadelphia family, and attended the best schools money could buy. She was smart and funny, and she loved to play chess and Civilization VI. And most importantly, she was a Scout, a Pi, and one of Casey's best friends. And now she could barely talk; to say this case 'personal' for Miracle Girl was an almost criminal understatement. The beautiful blonde girl with the slight golden glow entered the room quietly after Sandman; she didn't say a word, merely moved to sit next to her mentor and do something unexpected: she rested her head on the older woman's shoulder. It was quite apparent that her eyes were red from crying. "How can we help," she asked in a small, hollow voice.
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"Works for me!" It was the best kiss Lulu ever had, because it meant something. Adam had trusted her enough to let her in, and now everything was different. And better. They could be honest with each other, and unafraid, which was so rare for a high school romance. Who knew how long it would last? But while it did, it would be special, and entirely their own.
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Lulu yelped and giggled, and kissed him back; the old people sitting nearby smiled at the usual signs of young love. There was a movie. They saw it. But mostly they stole glances at each other, sent silly mental messages back and forth, and ate lots of popcorn. Lulu had Red Vines and a cherry Icee, and could care less about the plot. The man with the mustache seemed angry. There was revenge. A car blew up from five different angles. Adam loved her, and she loved Adam. She didn't feel the need to shop anymore. On the bus ride back to Claremont, they sat side by side, fingers entwined, with Lulu's head on his shoulder.
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"Ah've always known what you look like, Adam," he felt rather than heard her say. "You worry about it so much, it's like your mind is always shoutin' it from the rooftops. But you've always been beautiful to me." There was a strange shimmering in the void, a vague outline of someone rippling like water; flashes of red hair and fair skin told him it was Lulu, and when he heard the voice in his ear, the form rippled in time with her words. "Yours is the deepest beauty, inside and out. The beauty of goodness and heart." There was a deep sigh, and the image fluttered. "We fit. And it might not be forever; it might just be young hearts doin' what young hearts do. But in this moment, in this life, we have each other." The image flickered like a cloud of butterflies, and somehow Adam knew she was smiling. "And that's pretty f###in' cool..." There was a mild tearing sensation, then the muffled sounds of the mall began to reach them, like swimming back to the surface. And then they were back, disoriented to return to the physical world, the cacophonous food court all around them. "Oof!" Lulu shook her head, then dabbed her eyes with a napkin before looking at her phone. "Oh my Lord." She turned the phone to face him with a smirk; no time had past. All of the shared experinces of their minds had taken less than a minute.
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Lulu shook her head and stuck out her tongue at Pan. "Ah'm just joshin'; 'sides, if ah really wanted to get drunk, it'd be as easy as shootin' fish in a barrel." She held up what looked like a completely legitimate-looking Alabama driver's license, featuring her beaming face, that claimed she was twenty-two. Then she snapped her fingers, and it was gone. When Adam mused about his height (and hopes that he'd stopped growing), Lulu swung her hand in his and smiled a dreamy yet playful smile. "Well, if you do keep on growin', ah could climb you like a beanstalk, up above the clouds..." As the group walked the colorful streets of Road Town, the young telepath was uncharacteristically quiet, blissfully overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds and smells. Once they reached their destination, she noticibly perked up as she sniffed the air. "Oh my Lord, that smells so goooooooood!"
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This was so amazing! Lulu couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she and her fellow students were light years away from home, witnessing an historic event most folks back home would probably never even hear about. Could her life get anymore surreal? Under her foster mom's guidance, the young telepath was starting to evolve her own sense of style, and she'd put a lot of thought into what she would wear to the ceremony. After much deliberation, she decided to try something a little daring: a fashionable denim jumpsuit. It just struck her that a gown would just feel out of place in space, at least to her, though she had some regrets when she saw what the other girls in the Claremont contingent while wearing. Still, she felt confident that it would be very hard to offend alien sensibilities, and that she looked damn good in the jumpsuit. Feeling the need to share her excitement with someone, she sent a mental message Davyd's way. -Pretty cool, huh? Who needs Star Wars when you've actually been to space!- But then a thought occured to her, and she cleared her throat to speak. "Uh, hello, Mr. Ambassador, sir? Ah'm Lulu Beaumont, from Earth. Ah just wanted to let you know that ah'm a telepath, and if there's any rules or regulations ah'm supposed to follow, or like a rulebook, ah'd be happy to read up on 'em."
