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[Heritage]

Lynn sat up and put her hands on her hips. "Well I'm not gonna lie; it helps that I'm over a hundred years old. But! I had mastered most of my powers by the time I was twenty." The shapeshifter sat there on the floor for several seconds and scratched her nose, thinking about the best way to express herself. Then she abruptly did a backwards somersault and leaped to her feet.

 

"It's kind of like...juggling."

 

And suddenly she was holding three juggling pins, and wearing a black and white pierrot costume. With practiced ease, the pins began to rise and fall. As they flew, her eyes never left them.

 

"A good juggler, once they've had some experience under their belt, can juggle and talk to the audience at the same time, like I'm doing now."

 

A fourth pin was added to the mix, then a fifth.

 

"Once you get really good, you can start taking your eyes off the pins for a few seconds."

 

And now, Lynn took the time to give Mia a wink.

 

"Like that. And then when you get really, really good, you can start adding new stuff to the act."

 

The dull grey mist swirled around her, the pins still moving, flying out of the mist and back. When the mist parted, the changeling was identical to Mia, voice, posture, clothes and everything.

 

"And that's what it takes: practice, concentration, and the courage to fail."

 

'Mia' thrust out her hand, and a top hat appeared; one by one, the juggling pins fell into it and vanished. The awkward teen put the hat on her head, then shrunk back down Lynn's size and shape, now wearing a magician's tux, tails and stockings to match her hat. She snapped out a cane and leaned on it.

 

"And that's it, basically. Start using your powers while your doing small things, like watching TV or eating breakfast. Get comfortable doing that, and then go from there."

 

She kicked her cane up onto her shoulder and nodded.

 

"I fell on my ass all the time when I was just starting out, and I hated it."

 

Lynn shrugged, and her magician's outfit floated away like stardust, leaving her original outfit behind.

 

"But, that's how you learn, kid."

Edited August 9, 2019 by Heritage

[Shofet]

Mia watched with rapt attention, watching the pins in Lynn's hands as she juggled, obviously impressed. She was even more impressed when Lynn mimicked her, her eyes lighting up like Times Square. At the end of the demonstration, she was positively beaming.

 

"Wow, Ms. Epstein, that's... You're really cool," she said, wearing a dorky grin.

 

Serena watched the whole display as well, but her eyes had been largely on her daughter. Watching how she reacted to Lynn's advice. By the end, Serena was smiling too. Her daughter had been a bit moody lately, not to mention having that odd mix of narcissism and self-loathing that a lot of teenage girls had, but seeing her marvel at something like this made Serena feel like... Well, she wasn't sure, but she knew it was good for her little girl.

 

"That's pretty good, Ly--"

 

"Hey!" Mia interjected. "Mom works for you. You know her well enough to do an impression with those powers of yours?"

 

Serena snorted. "Please, I'm the one and only."

[Heritage]

Lynn snorted and shook her head. "Hey, I'd love to humiliate your mother in front of you, but right now, I think we'd better head to the beach."

 

She indicated the portal back to the parking lot in Riverside with a nod of her head

 

"Pretty soon, that hole in the universe is going to start drawing some unwanted attention."

 

She went back out first, then helped the others climb out with a firm but gentle hand. Once everyone was back on Prime, she closed the portal with a snap of her fingers.

 

"Alright, let's go! Mia rides shotgun, on account of her freakishly long legs." 

 

From someone else, the words might have hurt, but Lynn somehow managed to fill them with great affection.

[Shofet]

Mia rolled her eyes. "I am mostly legs, it's true," she deadpanned. "And hey, maybe we can get a booster seat for mom."

 

Serena scoffed. "I am not that short."

 

Mia smirked as they walked towards the vehicle. "Suuuurrre."

 

"Hey, it's not my fault they started putted hormones in everything and made a generation of giants. I used to be pretty average. Heck, lookit your grandfather, he's only 5'07""

 

"That's because he grew up in Yugoslavia, I am pretty sure he got to eat like, once a week as a kid," Mia retorted.

 

Serena blew a raspberry. "You're full of it, he ate fine as a kid. He'll tell you himself. He's just naturally short, like me, thanks to not having eaten those hormones I mentioned," said Serena.

[Heritage]

"Hey, someday she might be able to save someone with them long legs; reach ain't nothin' to sneeze at," Lynn said in Mia's defense as she buckled into the backseat. "And once she learns how to work 'em? The boys and girls are going to notice; I have this on good authority from educational videos of ZZ Top."

 

Now strapped in and feeling a bit like a toddler, the changeling sighed. "Y'know what, I think might add a few inches at the beach; Mia and I can be height buddies." They she conjured herself another gelato and dug in.

[Shofet]

Serena sighed. "Sure, abandon me in my shortness," she said. "No, but she's right, kiddo. You've got your mom's looks and your dad's height, you'll do fine."

 

Mia blew a raspberry. "I'm flat as a board and have the same amount of curves. If I didn't have long hair, most people would think I'm just a really tall twelve year old boy."

 

"Hey now, I didn't get mine until I was like 20. Give it time," Serena chided. "Now buckle up."

 

Mia rolled her eyes, and strapped in, as her mom did the same. She chewed her lip for a moment. "You really didn't get yours until you were twenty?"

 

"Second puberty is real, honey."

[Heritage]

"Yeah, I didn't get my really good boobs 'til I had my first kids," Lynn said absentmindedly as she gazed out the window. But then she shook her head and waved a hand dismissively.

 

"But I mean, that's not exactly fair or whatever; I could give myself amazing boobs whenever I wanted to."

 

She sighed deeply and shook her head.

 

"Oh, this reminds me of some of my conversations with Ruthie; it's hard to talk to a teen about acne when you have ludicrously perfect skin. She absolutely hated me for a few years there; 'You're perfect, you're always perfect!' Wham!"

 

She flung her hand, as if slamming an invisible door.

 

"Of course, once her powers kicked in, that was a whole 'nother battlefield..."

 

The changeling chuckled wistfully at the thought of her daughter's passionate rebellion.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Heritage