Heritage

Grimalkin/Shrike (35) [Maxed] Cat Mother & The All Day Babysitters (7) Empire of Emerald and Jade (1) Old Friends (1) Positions Available, Part 1 (2) The Box of Delights (2) The Luck of the Fae (12) There's Always Room For One More (1) Viva Val Verde (6) You Never Get A Second Change For First Impressions (2) Freedom City Story: The Set List (1) Miracle Girl (11) A Friendly Game (2) Lights, Camera, Action! (2) Once Seen (1) The Young Woman and the Sea (6) NPC Hyperactive? Coffee Helps! (1) All points go to Miracle Girl

For the record, 'unmitigated gall' is one of my favorite phrases in the English language

Sorry, will get that up today!

Cool to see this updated! Poor Rock

Grim spent some of her time offworld in space, so it might be nice to see her and Shrike make a trip out there at some point. Also maybe a chance for Miracle Girl to test out her Life Support?

Well this really stinks! Migraines ran on Casey's mom's side of the family, and she really, really hoped they were going to skip a generation; she had vivid memories of her mom having to leave the dinner table to lie down in a darkened room ever since she was little, and it always pained her that there was really nothing she could do but play quietly, read or do her homework, all the while knowing her mom was suffering. She'd hoped her transformation would make her immune to them, but secretly dreaded that somehow they might bypass her bioenergy field and lay her low. For now, all she could do was lay back on the examining table, her long legs dangling off the edge as the roll of white paper crinkled beneath her with every move, her hand held over her eyes as she waited for the nurse to examine her.

Oh, I forgot what we were doing for Casey's thread; hilarious!

Sorry to be so late on this! Recent events have led me to put my trust in Skill Mastery for now. So I can have her talk to the cops, and what's my final adjusted 'to hit' penalty? Sorry for all the hand-holding on the rules stuff; most days I'm exhausted by school, and can barely focus my eyes, much less do simple gamer math

Lance just stood there blinking there for several seconds, cheeks bright pink but unable to move; taking pity on her employee, Lynn cleared her throat. "Why don't you head back out onto the floor, Lance; Merge and I will finish up back here." "Yes, okay...right." The flustered young man nodded and fled the room as fast as his legs could carry him. "Be easy on the boy," the changeling said as she handed Nicki's ID back to Merge, then returned to her seat behind her desk. "Mere mortals can't always handle the likes of us, the supremely gifted; you'll ruin normal women for him." Her tone was not overly-critical, more of a polite request. Lynn knew that many supers had an unfair advantage in the dating scene, and had herself more than once (with some regret) used her allure either selfishly or in the cause of justice, so she was in no position to preach; she merely hoped to keep the workplace civil.

"No, no, nothing like that," she said, shaking her head. "Im proud of the work I did back then. It's just-" She paused, and took a deep breath. "Y'know the whole 'immortality' thing? Not always the sweetest deal." For quite some time, Lynn said nothing, her eyes closed as she breathed levely. She reached out to her lover with her mind for some strength. -I'm about to tell her.- -About the thing?- -Yeah, about the thing.- -You know I love you. More than anyone else in the world. You are my star.- -I love you, too.- When she opened her eyes, they were wet with tears, though she laughed self-consciously. "God, I hate this part; so much drama!" Then she nodded to herself and soldiered on."I was offworld, for three years. In an alternate dimension, where time moved much faster relative to ours. I had a husband, three kids, several grandkids and even a few great-grandkids, and I had to leave it all behind." She shrugged. "Because my kids asked me to; they said they had to live their own lives and make their own mistakes, and they couldn't do that with me hovering around, fixing things in secret, making the path easier for them. Because that's what a mom does..." At this point, Lynn lost it completely, and collapsed into Moira's arms a weeping mess; seconds later, Gretchen came rushing in, and wrapped her arms around both of them in fierce hug, unconsciously adding a little squeeze from her Ring of Power that held them all in a strong grasp as she murmured to her love. "I've got you...I've got you..."

At first, Lynn was a bit alarmed by Moira's moving to the floor, but once she realized what she was volunteering to do, she mutely accepted, although with a hint of hesitation; couldn't this be like a 'gateway drug'? However, once the foot rub began, all regrets flew out the window, and didn't stop until they reached the sun. -Foot rub!- -Foot rub?- -Spontaneous foot rub! Did not ask for one, but I'll be damned if I'm telling her to stop!- -I'd call you crazy if you did. Just make the goddess aware that in the name of non-matrimonial bliss, I am now owed one.- -Yep! Sure! I'll draw up the papers!- -It helps if you only look at one part of her.- -Why, I oughta...!- It was several seconds before the changeling could speak; as much as she liked to think of herself as a laid-back person, she was still her mother's daughter, which meant she carried a lot of stress and anxiety in her body that she wasn't always aware was there. But Moira's gentle but firm touch and impossibly smooth hands hit that tension like that one thousand degree knife melted s### in those YouTube videos, and Lynn's back actually arched with pleasure. "I, uh...dear God, that feels good! If you ever became a licenced massage therapist, you'd make a killing! Or, like, an interrogator at Gitmo..." After soaking in the warm, loving vibes for a few minutes, Lynn finally cracked; she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's hard, seeing you again, actually." She quickly raised her hand in a calming gesture. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, mind, it's just-" She turned to give her friend a sorrowful gaze, one that spoke of years of pain, far longer than the six lost years that passed between them. "You remind me of the girl I haven't been in a very long time..."

"I'd like that!" He probably said it a bit louder and faster than he intended, which explained why his cheeks went a little pink. "I'm Lance, by the way. Nice to meet you!" His hand shake was firm and rugged, and just a trifle warm to the touch. "Maybe once you start, I can teach you all the coffee bar stuff; steaming milk, pulling shots, all that jazz." Then he blinked, shook his head and smiled. "Hey, you changed outfits! Do you have powers, too?" Just then, Lynn came in with Nicki's ID to make copies for her records; it didn't take genius to read the room, which brought a smile to her lips. "Ah, good, you've met!" She indicated the tall blond with a nod as she placed the ID on the scanner. "Lance is our resident drink master; you could learn a lot from him."

Bluefish poke!

"Nice to meet you, Hyperactive." The barista wiped his hands on a handy towel, then reached over the bar to shake the newcomer's hand. Noticing his interest in the posters, Lance nodded and shrugged. "Well the store has always been associated with magic, both on stage and the real stuff, ever since Ira Silberman opened the place back in the Forties." He indicated a signed promotional still of Al-Kazar mounted on the wall behind him. "There he is there in his stage clothes; he also dabbled, i guess, and supposedly helped the Liberty League a few times back in the day." He continued to speak as he made the two men's drinks. "Back there," he jerked his jaw towards the rear of the store, "Is the section on 'The Occult and Uncanny', as Boss Lady likes to call it; it's the real deal, but it's more like the, uh, 'training wheels' kind of thing." He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. "The 'scary stuff' is kept off the shelves; you need the owner's permission to look at any of that, but Lynn's unfortunately out of town for the week. Cash or credit, gentlemen?"

NPC The store did indeed smell delicious, as the owner Lynn Epstein insisted on using only the finest roasted coffee beans. There was also the smell of homemade chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, adding to the heady mix. The store itself was composed of two store fronts that had been connected years ago by knocking out a shared wall, creating a series of small, linked rooms, each of which was decorated somewhat thematically. Up front there was a table for new arrivals and shelves featuring magazines and newspapers. There were a handful of tables doting about the store, many of which where occupied by readers and coffee drinkers. Several of the walls bore several posters depicting various performers from the 'Golden Age of Stage Magic', such as Houdini, Blackstone, Thurston and the Amazing Al-Kazar. The main counter and espresso bar were just a bit beyond, but Bonfire was slightly disappointed to see neither the familiar face of Lynn nor her girlfriend Gretchen, which was very uncommon. Instead he saw the beefy blonde Midwesterner Lance behind the bar, the vivacious new girl Merge (colorfully dressed as always) at the register, and perennial sales champ Maddy working the floor. At the sight of 'Freedom's HOTTEST newcomer', Lance smiled and gave the super a nod. "What can I get you started on, Bonfire?"

"Oh, a 'royal welcome', huh? Hmm." Lynn frowned slightly and looked down critically at her outfit. After some consideration, she conjured up a pretty little white leather purse, then shifted her shorts into a simple white pleated skirt that reached just past her knees. Smiling with satisfaction, she smoothed the dress a little, then paused as she looked at her partner. -Are you going to...?- -What?- -We're going to meet the president.- -Of a tiny little banana republic. The guy is probably a former drug lord who paid for the island with coke.- -Yes, and he's Samuel's friend, and we're his guests. At the Presidential Palace.- -...Fine. What do you want me to wear.- -You don't have to go crazy, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable- -Too late for that.- -But maybe a skirt and a blouse? And no boots, please.- Sam had learned to recognize their mental conversations by the exchanges of meaningful looks, nods and gestures, and knew not to interrupt the two women until they were done, which was usually pretty obvious. In this case, it was clearly over when Gretchen sighed and twisted her ring, which transformed her ensemble from 'Joey Ramone' to a very pretty blue knee-length dress topped with a lightweight cotton blouse, and a pair of strappy leather sandals. The Ray-Bans very stubbornly stayed put. The barista shrugged an 'is this okay?' to the changeling, which led to a huge, loving smile from Lynn, and some very serious smooching that only ended when the plane came to a full stop.

Definitely sending you good vibrations, dude; good luck!

Yep!

Suddenly someone landed on the roof behind her with a surprisingly soft thump; a young woman rose up from a crouch, her blonde hair twisted into a tight braid that fell between her shoulders. She wore a black racing jacket zipped up to her neck, black driving gloves, black jeans and a pair of black leather motorcycle boots. Her eyes were hidden by a large pair of sunglasses, and she was quietly chewing a wad of gum, green apple from the smell of it. "Call me Hardcase." Her voice was deeper and huskier than Miracle Girl's cheerful tone, and utterly devoid of all warmth; all that remained was professionalism. She rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles. "Ready when you are." It might seem silly, but the only way Casey knew how to play this persona was to go all in; she would not break character tonight.

The game was going great so far for Casey; to be honest, she was really less concerned with winning or losing, and was more excited for the chance to compete in a team sport again. She hadn't realized how much she'd been missing it; hopefully this could become a semi-regular thing? Her level of play overall was excellent, but almost more impressive was her enthusiasm for the game; she whooped, jumped, high-fived and cheered, and always displayed good sportsmanship, including clapping when the other team performed well. When Hammer signaled for the team to huddle up, she eagerly leaned into the circle to hear their captain's plan. "Sure, no problem! I used to play goalie back in high school soccer; my coach always said I had great hands!" Then she put her hand into the middle, looking from face to face with the goofiest grin on her face.

At the mention of rent, Lynn waved her hands and vigorously shook her head. "Nuh-uh, no way; you won't owe me anything. You're just getting back on your feet after six years offworld, so you need to save every penny you have." Then she spread her hands. "Now, if you want to help cook or clean up, that's fine, but I do not charge my guests rent." -Does she do backrubs? I bet she gives amazing backrubs.- -Quiet, you! Although you probably are right...damn!- "Do you have any stuff to bring over? We've got some storage space in the basement if you need it, as well as a washer and dryer, so you can save a ton of money on laundry..." This was all very sweet, but Moira got the sense that maybe Lynn was focusing so much on her problems as a way to avoid talking about her own.

Noting her friend's concern about spillage, Lynn made a little helicopter gesture with a finger, and snug lid with a sipping flap magically appeared on top of her drink. "Uh, hardly," she said in reponse to Moira's question as she peered at the shelves around her. "Maybe a third? Most of these belonged to my Grampa Lou." "Girlfriend," she said with a smile. "And don't worry about it; frankly, she can use the ego boost now and then." It had been a long, long time since the changeling had last seen the goddess made flesh, and that was before she'd come to accept her own, rather complicated sexuality; there were always tingles when she was around her before, but she just assumed everyone felt that way around the child of Aphrodite. But now, seeing her after all these years, leaning back in a chair in her office wearing a pair of jeans that seemed specifically designed to wrap around those improbable curves, it kind of took your breath away. Holy s###, how the hell did I not realize I was bi before? Following her own advice, she focused instead on Moira's lovely face as she told her story. "Yeah, I've had to deal with the Pact myself a few times over the years," she said with a sigh when the lovely redhead finished. "I sort of stand with my feet in two worlds, too; Avalon and the Mortal World. In fact, the first time I met our dear sweet Phantom, she went all border cop on my ass." Lynn leaned over to rest a friendly hand Moira's arm. "Look, you're welcome to stay as long as you need; my guest room is yours. Actually, let me double check and run that past Gretch; don't want to surprise her with something like this." There was a short pause as the store owner's eyes went unfocused, which the former Olympian immediately recognized as a sign of mental communication; she also occasionally mouthed words, shook or nodded her head or shrugged. At last, she took a deep breath, pursued her lips and turned once again to Moira. "So I might have...broken my girlfriend's brain a bit; on the one hand, she's clearly thrilled to pieces, but on the other, she's threatened, which I think is understandable." Lynn reached over and grasped both her friend's hands. "She wants our assurances that there will be absolutely no hanky-panky between any immortals in our apartment...without consulting her first." She shrugged, and looked a little pink in the cheeks.

Darn it darn it darn it DARN IT! This was all going badly; more frightened of the cops hurting themselves by trying into ram them than at the thought of being shot, Casey's mind raced as she tried to come up with a solution, and a rather odd one finally floated to the surface. She turned her gaze upon the officer with the gun, she 'zoomed in' on both his name tag and model of cellphone. This would be tricky, but it was worth a shot. Focusing intently on the smartphone, she sent a high-pitch cry straight at the device, far too high for most living things to hear. She had to shift the frequency up and down a few times, but eventually she saw the phone light up. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, pick up, pick up, pick up! A few seconds later, she heard the officer's voice, tense and impatient. "Hello, who is this?" "Hello, is this Officer Ramirez? This is Miracle Girl." She raised her hand to wave. "Hi, can you see me waving? Listen, I need you to not shoot me and my partner Leviathan, okay? We can take down these jokers in the blue SUV, I swear! Just give us a chance, please?"

"Well, I'm sure that one way or another, we're going to have a great time," said the changeling with confidence, as much to assure Sam as it was to placate her not-entirely-convinced girlfriend. Lynn stretched like a cat in anticipation of landing "Mmmm; a nice big bed after all this flying will be like heaven!" -Just so you know, this place is not entirely stable, either politically or socially. Please allow me just a hint of paranoia on our behalf.- -Of course! I'll set up a perimeter of glamour around the guest suites, give us eyes and ears and a good escape route.- -Thank you. That will go a long way towards helping me relax a bit.- -I gotcha, kiddo.-

Ah, you're right; besides, I can still do the cool thing, it just doesn't work as well as it could have, which makes sense. I'll have a post up tonight.