Place Your Bets, Ladies! (IC)

[Heritage]

The Basement of the Brownstone. February 11th, 2011. 6:58 pm

As she finished setting everything up for tonight's game, Grimalkin thought back on the number of times she'd done this over the past two years.

Am I a compulsive hostess? Should I consider a future as a crime-busting party planner?

She shook her head and smiled at her own idiosyncrasies as she conjured up the last of the chairs; instead of setting everyone up in the more-familiar upstairs, she'd instead opted to use the downstairs game room, which was sadly underused. It also had the benefit of being accessible from the snow-covered garden, safely hidden from the street; a short flight of steps led down to a storage room full of odds and ends, and then a quick walk through the laundry room brought visitors right into the game room. Grim had even made sure to run a few loads of Colt’s wash to add to the hominess of the scene.

Ah how I love the smell of fabric softener sheets!

There weren't a lot of furnishings downstairs; simple brown carpeting, a CD jukebox, well-stocked bar and a few neon beer signs, in addition to the requisite foosball, air hockey and billiards tables, not too different the what Lynn saw every day at the FC student union. It was fairly cozy as is, but as usual the petite shapeshifter couldn't help but spruce it up a bit, adding a nice big poker table, folding wooden chairs and some vintage movie-style posters of her and her teammates, conjured up just for fun.

Jack of All Blades is The Street Hawk

No Man is Safe from Grimalkin, Queen Of The Night

A Man, Two Guns and a Flying Motorcycle! A Fistful of E-Cigarettes

Dynamo, as You’ve Never Seen Him Before! Kiss Me At The Speed Of Light

The Fabulous Fulcrum, in her Greatest Adventure! Heart In The Balance

A Young Woman, in the Fight of Her Life! Dial J For Jill O’ Cure

The lurid posters shared the walls with several strings of white Christmas lights, which Grim had actually purchased (gasp!) just for the event. She’d also made sure to clean the microwave out in the hall by the vending machines, and dusted and vacuumed as well. Lastly she laid out snacks both sweet and salty in bowls on top of the bar, and conjured up enough napkins and plates for everyone.

Wiping her hands in satisfaction, she punched a few selections into the jukebox, switched from her sweats into her working uniform (minus her mask) and waited to hear the rear doorbell chime.

[Aoiroo]

Wasn't very hard finding Brownstone. She passed it in her car once or twice to get a scope of the building before finally finding a parking garage and getting changed. She was a little surprised when she got the invite, but it was good to know that Grim had some foresight and sent it to her through Wesley instead of trying to 'find her' again. Behind her mask she rolled her eyes slightly at the thought as she sculked in the shadows before appearing at the front entrance of Brownstone. There didn't seem to be anyone around so she walked up to the house in costume and rang the doorbell. To be honest, it was a little strange, and she felt like she should of been holding a plastic pumpkin while totting around two four year olds at her side but she kept a relaxed posture as she awaited the arrival of the hostess of this gather of eccentrics.

[Heritage]

Was that someone at the front door? Grr, she should have been more specific in her invite! Shrinking down to pixie size, Grim shot upstairs to the front hall, where she resumed her normal proportions and shifted into FC sweats. She opened the door, and seeing Silhouette standing there she quickly waved her in.

“Hey, hi, c’mon in! Sorry, I thought I said in the invite to use the back door from the garden. No worries, though, you’re like a ninja and all.â€

Leading her towards the basement steps, the tiny brunette vaguely waved a hand towards their surroundings.

“So, this is the Brownstone, our home and command center for our little war on crime and stupidity. We’re actually set up downstairs.â€

[Avenger Assembled]

Joan Collier wasn't much for female bonding. Between one thing and another, despite her deep commitment to uplifting her sisterhood, she'd never related well to the majority of women, even women in the same profession she was. It wasn't that she was a misogynist herself; truthfully she hadn't had a lot of close emotional relationships with men, either. But when news had gotten around the community of some 'female bonding' among the Interceptors, a team she'd heard nothing but good things about, she'd decided to give it a try.

Fusion dropped into the garden and faded into view, her tentacles waving in the air as she retracted them downward to wrap around her waist like a fleshy skirt. Following the directions she'd gotten, she walked up to the backdoor and knocked smartly, cooling hot dish curled under one arm. Contrary to rumor, Fusion did know how to party, or at least what to bring to them. Hmm, I've heard they're a dynamic team with a eye to the future. I wonder if they're media-savvy. It'd be nice to write a positive article about somebody besides those Young Freedom kids...

[Aoiroo]

She looked at Grim for a second and shrugged her shoulders,

"I think I heard something to that effect, but I wanted to be sure. Anyway, I won't deny I resemble what's considered a ninja by modern media but I don't use weapons or actively try to kill people so it's not really an appropriate comparison."

Going down the stairs she smiled slightly as they moved through the hall and passed the vending machines before heading over to the game room. Looking over the posters she stopped at Fulcrum,

"Aren't you missing someon.."

She was interupted by a knocking over by what she presumed was the back door,

"Looks like someone else is here. Who all did you invite anyway?"

[Heritage]

Aoiroo said:

"I think I heard something to that effect, but I wanted to be sure. Anyway, I won't deny I resemble what's considered a ninja by modern media but I don't use weapons or actively try to kill people so it's not really an appropriate comparison."

 

The shapeshifter grimaced as she led the way down to the game room.

"Oh sorry; guess it's a sad comment on me that I don't think of being compared to a ninja as a bad thing, huh? But I guess you're right, they did kill lots of people." She drummed her hands along the bar as she passed it. "Help yourself to munchies and drinks!"

 

Aoiroo said:

"Looks like someone else is here. Who all did you invite anyway?"

 

Grim's head cocked to one side and her pointed ears perked up. "Back door this time. Oh, a few people; Jill O'Cure, who said she was bringing some girl she knows, obviously you, Fusion the tentacle lady...uh, I forget who else." Apparently secret identities and headquarters were not her biggest concern. She headed for the back door, taking a big whiff of dryer fumes as she passed.

"Coming!"

She opened the back door in costume sans domino, and smiled warmly; she wasn't important enough for most people to recognize, and she felt silly greeting people in mask. "Hi, Fusion! Glad you could make it." She sniffed the vapors wafting out of the casserole dish. "Mmm, smells good! Is it kosher? If not, more for everyone else, I guess. C'mon inside!"

She led the way back to the game room, and indicated the dimensional shifter with a wave of her hand. "Silhouette, this is Fusion; Fusion, Silhouette. Make yourselves at home, guys!"

Edited January 10, 2022 by Heritage

[Avenger Assembled]

Joan blinked behind her mask, sorting back in her mind over the invitation she'd gotten. No, no one mentioned anything special. "No one mentioned any restricted diets," the black-clad titan hissed from behind her mask, her voice unwordly as her tentacles flexed tight around her body. "I made lobster nachos," she said, a little brusquely, still gingerly carrying the hot-pad wrapped crockpot. Geez, look how young these kids are. Neither of these kids look older than twenty-five. Joan herself had turned 30 that year, an age she felt with special keeness these days.

Still in her full face-mask and body-concealing costume, Fusion showed no particular willingness to admit her appearance: up close as she stepped inside, it also became clear immediately that the octopoid wonder was over half a foot taller than either of the other two women: still, she wasn't as giant as Fulcrum! "Charmed," she said, shaking Silhouette's hand with her real hand, setting the crockpot down at the same time with two carefully curling suckered tentacles. "I heard about your work in the Fens. Good to know someone's working for the poor people in this city."

[Heritage]

"No one mentioned any restricted diets," the black-clad titan hissed from behind her mask, her voice unwordly as her tentacles flexed tight around her body. "I made lobster nachos," she said, a little brusquely, still gingerly carrying the hot-pad wrapped crockpot.

Grim blinked at Fusion's frustration, and then her cheeks and the tips of her pointed ears went beet red.

"I'm...sorry. Look, I don't even have to eat anymore if I don't want to, so I didn't think I should be picky." She looked to Sil and then back to Fusion, who was somehow more sinister thna she remembered. "I think I'm the only practicing Jew here tonight, so everybody else can dig in..."

The shapeshifter's throat seized up with a squeak, and she felt like she did whenever her mom caught her up to something; making her way mutely to a chair, Grim stared down at her hands.

You're an idiot, a stupid stupid idiot! How many other folks are gonna show up with treif food tonight? Are you going to piss all of them off, too?

Without really meaning to, the changeling faded from view at the poker table, staring at the green felt, unopened pack of cards and stacks of new poker chips.

[Aoiroo]

Sil had taken some more time to look at the movie posters and turned just in time to see the octopus woman whom she had seen not two weeks tossing around circus preformers like they were frisbees. Still she took her hand and smiled, though no one could readily see it through her expressionless mask as the woman addressed the area she covered.

"You've heard of me, that's rare. Though I sort of strive to stay out of the public eye, the more recognizable someone becomes the harder it becomes to maintain a private life. I almost didn't come here because of that, but I was a bit afraid of what Grim might do if I didn't show up."

She kept that last part in the lightest voice she could manage as she turned towards Grim and got a wiff as to what Fusion had brought with her.

"Ohh, that smells excellant."

Looking over she had already grabbed a plate and turned to see that Grim had disappeared,

"Hey, that's my trick."

Letting out a snort she reached out to the pot before saying,

"May I?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Feel free," said Fusion as she slid into a seat herself, heavy tentacles moving with an eerie, mobile grace. "It's an old recipe of mine." She repressed a wince when Grimalkin faded from view, only able to track the girl's movements by the way the air currents rippled around her and the way the floor moved under her feet. She remembered being as young as the shapeshifting pixie looked. "People are very accommodating in a city like Freedom," she said, "but they can't reach out if you don't communicate your issues first." She hmmed at that, and went on, "And believe me, I know something about having unique issues."

[Azuth65]

Victoria looked at the backdoor of the building, still not sure if she was comfortable with this. Don't be dense, she told herself, This is no different from joining a new D&D group, only with less dice. She held in her left hand grocery bags with several large bags of potato chips of various flavors, several two-liters of soda in a veritable rainbow of sugar-watery goodness while in her right, she carried three large pizzas and four dozen buffalo wings. Not a particularly heavy load of snacks but enough she could share.

Juggling the cargo around she gave the door several knocks and waited.

[Heritage]

"People are very accommodating in a city like Freedom," she said, "but they can't reach out if you don't communicate your issues first." She hmmed at that, and went on, "And believe me, I know something about having unique issues."

A small voice floated out of the ether.

"Yes, ma'am."

After a few seconds, Grim slowly faded back into view, vowing not ask anyone else any questions about their food. Thankfully there was soon another knock on the door, and Grim polietly got to her feet like she was leaving the table at her Aunt Deb's house.

"Excuse me."

Eager to see a friendly new face (or even an unfriendly one, if she got to punch it), Lynn zipped to the back door in pixie form, gossamer wings buzzing as she twisted the knob with both hands. Outside a pretty young girl with white hair and red eyes stood holding a veritable feast of plenty. Grim fluttered around her a few times in delight.

"Hi, wow, look at you! Ooh, more sacrifices for the pixie gods!"

She floated in front of her guest and bowed deeply at the waist.

"I am she known as Grimalkin, righter of wrongs and consumer of foodstuffs! Follow me into the den of inquity, if you dare!"

She grabbed a few bags in her tiny-though-surprisingly-powerful arms and started to haul them back to the others, like a minature cargo helicopter.

"Come, mortal child! Away!"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Oh, jeez!" For just a second, Fusion dropped the ethereal whisper she'd been speaking in, a little shocked by the sheer amount of cargo the teenager in the doorway was carrying. "Here, let me help!" she hissed a moment later, rising to her feet and reaching out with lashing black tentacles, scooping up the excess layers of groceries and freeing the girl's hands. To her surprise, though, the new arrival didn't look particularly unbalanced by the load she'd been carrying. Super-strength? Hmm, and athletic too. Joan was relieved to not be the only jock there, even if the girl was still quite a bit smaller than she. "Welcome to the party," she said, once the girl was divested of her burden.

[Azuth65]

Victoria just blinked at the little Fae, buzzing like a firefly on meth, and the girl who head the tentacles of one of those movies one of the guys in her old D&D group used to watch. I sure as hell ain't in Kansas anymore... Aloud she smiled and said, "Thanks. I could have handled it but thank you anyway."

Vicky followed the duo back to the card table, shrugging out of her brown jacket as she did. With it gone you could see the black hoodie she wore said 'Screw the Rules, I have money!' across the front with a stylized picture of a stack of greenbacks. She eyed the rest of the girls as she reached for a chair to sit.

[Aoiroo]

Silhouette didn't move towards the door as she was already seated with nachos in hand. For eating she had removed her gloves revealing pale hands with short clean nails. They were set in a pile along with her mask which she had removed to eat as well. It would of been troublesome except that under her first mask, was another mask. This one had a small hole cut along the mouth but was otherwise idenical to the first everything but the thin lips that were now chomping onto a tortia chip with a generious amount of lobster dip on it.

When they had walked in she turned to meet them, getting up almost instantly as she saw the load and moving to grab some.

"Wow, you've brought quite the haul didn't you."

She took a few steps back to let them through because it was clear there was nothing left for her to carry.

"Hey is there any coke?"

[Azuth65]

Vicky, thinking better of sitting down, moved to help set up the food "Yep. One sec," Vicky said over her shoulder as she opened the lids on the pizza boxes revealing an extra cheese; a pepperoni, sausage, & green pepper; and garlic pizza. From the plastic grocery bags she pulled a bottle of Coke, one of cherry Pepsi, and one each of the blue and white Mountain Dew flavors. Grabbing the other bag she pulled out original, sour cream & onion, and BBQ flavored chips as well as plastic cups and plates.

She poured a cup of Coke out for Silhouette and passed it over. She then took a slice from every pizza, half a dozen wings and brought the sour cream & onion chips and set the collection by her seat to grab a soda. She was a little conscious taking so much food at once but she was used to eating huge meals since her powers emerged, teleporting took a huge toll on her calories per day.

[Aoiroo]

"Thanks,"

Taking the drink she headed back over to her spot at the table with her nachos. She didn't grab any pizza, one because there were still other people coming, two because she had a fridge full of frozen pizzas back at her place that she will probably clear over the course of a week. Loading up another nacho she glanced over at the newcomer and said,

"Hey, I don't believe I've ever seen you before. I'm almost certian I'd remember it, you've got a pretty striking appearance, well at least with present company excluded."

Though not visibly, her eyes moved over towards Fusion before taking a bite of the nacho which freed her hand up so she could wipe it off with a napkin before presenting it to the new girl.

"I go by Silhouette, partially because of my powers, partially because I'm quite certian no one in the Freedom League had previously claimed it."

[Azuth65]

"A pleasure to meet you Solhouette. I go by Wisp. Mainly because of my powers and the wisps of smoke it leaves," Vicky said trading grips with the woman. "I'm pretty new in town. Just moved in from Chicago a few weeks back." Pulling her braided hair over her shoulder she eyed it. "As for my appearance, I've been thinking of dying it. Not sure yet, maybe after I pick my first real costume."

[Avenger Assembled]

Lacking the overwhelming hunger of the teens, Fusion was content to sit back and watch as yet another new arrival settled in. Another five, six years, and Lois'll be that big. Jeez, where does the time go? She'd been about as old as Grimalkin or Silhouette on her daughter's birth, and now she felt even older still. Hmm, the white-haired kid has an accent. Russian, maybe? Joan had done most of her traveling and living abroad in East Asia, but she had met people from all over the world. Wonder if her family's from one of the old super-soldier programs. "So Grimalkin," she sibilanted, "Are we going to see the other lady Interceptor tonight?"

[Fox]

Dragonfly took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the Brownstone's back door, hoping she'd gotten the address right - a young woman in full costume knocking on a stranger's door would be awfully awkward. She still wasn't entirely sure about spending the night being social with strangers...but meeting Jill's friends was important to her, and if nothing else she could certainly use the practice reading people. Catching herself rocking back and forth a bit, she told her legs to stay still. try not to look too nervous - first impressions - mmh - plenty of time to look strange and unsocialized later

[Heritage]

Depositing her payload on top of the bar, Grim returned to normal size and reclaimed her seat.

"I go by Silhouette, partially because of my powers, partially because I'm quite certian no one in the Freedom League had previously claimed it."

The shapeshifter nodded in agreement "Yeah, I did a Google search and hit the library before I settled on 'Grimalkin'; I was so happy it wasn't taken!"

"A pleasure to meet you Silhouette. I go by Wisp. Mainly because of my powers and the wisps of smoke it leaves," Vicky said trading grips with the woman. "I'm pretty new in town. Just moved in from Chicago a few weeks back." Pulling her braided hair over her shoulder she eyed it. "As for my appearance, I've been thinking of dying it. Not sure yet, maybe after I pick my first real costume."

Grim nodded to Wisp as she began to unwrap the deck of cards. "Glad you could make it, Wisp! I've got family in Chicago; it's a cool town." She pointed at her own hair, then at the teen's. "Your hair is awesome! I hope to find a way to keep it without risking your identity."

"So Grimalkin," she sibilanted, "Are we going to see the other lady Interceptor tonight?"

The Jersey girl shook her head sadly. "I don't think so, Fusion; I let her know about it, but she's usually hanging out with 'dear sweet Victor' at the Mad Science Lab of Love if she's not on a mission." She shrugged hopefully. "You never know, she might stop by." She looked around at the fresh young faces, then back to the tentacled woman. "Uh, younger crowd than you're used to?"

Hearing another knock at the back door (yes, even over the conversation, jukebox and the washer and drier - pixies rule!)

"Oop, duty calls; boy, I'm really rackin' up the Frequent Flier miles tonight!"

Once again, she went itty-bitty and zoomed to the backdoor, this time resuming her proper proportions before opening the door; outside a slender blonde girl with a funky visor stood nervously in the snow.

"Oh my God, you must be Dragonfly! It's so good to meet you!" Grim gave her a fierce bearhug that was mercifully brief, then took a step back to take her whole look in. "Wow, you're just adorable, aren't you? You guys must make a helluva cute couple!"

Taking the techno-heroine by the hand, she let her back through the laundry room; shortly before reentering the game room proper, Grim quickly leaned in to whisper in Fly's ear.

"Okay, I'm not gonna say anything else in front of the others, but seriously, I'm so happy for you guys; Jill probably mentioned I'm a total 'Yenta the Matchmaker', right? And a hugger?"

Lynn gave her a quick wink before letting go of her hand and stepping back into the party. "We've got magic, we've got mutants and now we've got science in the house! All we need is robots and aliens for the full set!"

[Azuth65]

Grim nodded to Wisp as she began to unwrap the deck of cards. "Glad you could make it, Wisp! I've got family in Chicago; it's a cool town." She pointed at her own hair, then at the teen's. "Your hair is awesome! I hope to find a way to keep it without risking your identity."

"Yeah, I was a little surprised when it turned. I used to be a brunette."

stepping back into the party. "We've got magic, we've got mutants and now we've got science in the house! All we need is robots and aliens for the full set!"

"Sounds like a Shadowrun or Rifts game," Vicky said before she could think through her comment to avoid looking like a total geek.

[Avenger Assembled]

Joan winced inwardly at the teenager's words, wondering if she'd hear that kind of talk from Lois when she got older. But, she reminded herself, she wasn't Wisp's mother, it wasn't her place to tell her how to live. Still, she couldn't help but whisper at the white-haired girl, "You know, there are real places full of magic too. You should visit Ditko Street here in the City sometime, and you can see some amazing things much better than anything in a game." She's just a high school kid. It's not her fault she hasn't learned how to live her life.

"Ah, the science hero!" Despite limbs long enough to reach across the room, Fusion actually got up to shake the girl's hand. She didn't hug in costume. People could misinterpret it. Besides, her tentacles were for getting around and for hurting bad guys. "Viktor Archeville has said some good things about your work. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ameratsu on a cracker, she's what, eighteen, nineteen? Did I wander into high school kid night or what?

[Fox]

Dragonfly kicked some snow off her boots before stepping inside - force of habit, since puddles stay on indoor cement floors forever - and taking a look around, following Grimalkin into the game room and ducking her head down a little at the whispered comments. at least she keeps it quiet - awkward - mmh "All houses need science," she noted, trying to keep her nerves out of her voice. "The more the better. Mmh - almost forgot."

She held out a hand, a quite nice bottle of kosher wine unfolding into normal space. "Seemed...polite to bring something. Probably not for poker, but...gift for the host?"

"Viktor Archeville has said some good things about your work. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She blinked, retreating backward for half a second before catching herself and shaking the offered hand. "T...thank you." reputation? "Interesting to be heard of. Didn't know I'd made that large an impression."

[Azuth65]

"You know, there are real places full of magic too. You should visit Ditko Street here in the City sometime, and you can see some amazing things much better than anything in a game."

Whispering back Vicky leaned over, "Oh, I believe in magic. I've met Seven and all. I had an interest in it but I haven't had much of a chance to delve into the art. And sadly, those Dresden Files novels Mr. Butcher writes are not based on real life. It does sound like an interesting place though," she reaches into her pocket and pulls out an iPod touch, "Mind pointing out some 'newbies must sees'?"