Heritage

Grimalkin

Grim chuckled and shook her head as Ghost described his previous attempts at partnerships. "Well maybe you haven't partnered with the right people. I mean, if you ever need someone in a pinch or a stakeout buddy, let me know. I make an amazing stakeout buddy; I bring good coffee and homemade donuts."

After a bit of silence, the changeling turned to him. "I'm curious. Does the Aux offer any kind of salary or benefits? Does it include housing?"

Lynn shook her head, recalling a few of the conversations she'd had with the teen about her family.

"Yeah, that is so messed up! So glad she was able to get out of that environment."

For a while, she said nothing, content to enjoy the food and wine. But then she got a little stiff, as though holding back a flood of emotion. 

"Oh, I forgot to mention the one really cool thing that came out of the last s###y year: my mom finally got to meet her grandkids."

Lynn put down her fork and refilled her wine glass.

"It took a lot of planning, and dealing with Taylor's weird kid, but we opened a portal to 'Otherworld', as I call it, and she got to meet them. Me and Bill's kids. Thank God they have some fae blood, or else they would've been long gone."

She drained her entire glass before setting it down and staring off into space, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I really didn't think I would ever see them again."

"Here, let's move into office; I'll let the staff know I'll be off the floor for a minute."

A few minutes later, the three heroes were in Lynn's cozy office, with its big desk, comfortable leather chairs and bookshelves full of intriguing knickknacks, some quite old and others futuristic. Above Lynn's chair were her late husband's rifle and revolver, mounted in a place of honor. The computer and green-shaded lamp on the desk continued the theme of old and new.

"Have a seat and tell us all about it," Lynn offered as she dropped into her oversized chair.

Grimalkin

The changeling nodded in agreement with Ghost's statement. "It's good that you take breaks; I have, too, sometimes for years at a time." She took a deep breath and sighed; when she spoke again, much of that bone weary fatigue had left her voice. "So have you been a solo act all these years? No partners before joining the Auxiliary?"

More about our accommodations.

Lynn rolled her eyes and laughed. "Omigod, Lulu was amazing! Always willing to stay late, always eager to help out."

Suddenly the changeling shifted into Lulu, wearing a pair of coveralls, hair tied up and dirt on her face. "Y'all need any help with that? Ah can pick it up with mah mind, no problem!" And then just as suddenly, she was herself once more; shapeshifters made for interesting friends.

"You should be very proud of her. Cheers!"

Grimalkin

Grim studied Ghost for several moments, then sighed and kipped up to her feet. "Ah, I'm not gonna lie; I haven't done regular patrolling in years, in the Fens or any other neighborhood." She walked over to the edge of the roof and dropped down to a crouch, peering down at the street, her face illuminated from below. "I started to focus more on supernatural threats and left the street level crime to the kids."

It was a little odd to here this kind of talk coming from a girl who barely looked old enough to drink, but there was a world-weariness in her voice which suggested someone much older was behind the mask.

"Do you ever think about giving up? That no matter how hard we work, we're still trying to bail out the rowboat with a sieve?" She leaned foward, resting her chin on top of her hands. "I think about it sometimes."

Grimalkin

It was getting near to the end of the half hour when a voice came out of the air to Ghost's left

"Wow, this really takes me back! I patrolled the Fens a lot when I was just starting out."

Grimalkin was sitting on top of an air conditioning unit, leaning back on her elbows, her dancer's legs stretched out before her on the tarpaper roof. She wore her typical outfit of black and midnight blue leather, complete with black domino mask. Her hair was short, reddish brown and spikey, and her pointed elfin ears were clearly visible.

"Hiya, Ghostie! I was starting to think your phone was busted!"

Her accent was very South Jersey, and her smile was downright dangerous.

Crystal-Gazer (with special guest Grimalkin!)

Pier 13, Freedom City Docks. Monday, October 4th, 2021. 9:08 am

The simple construction trailer served as the field office for Grim Tidings, the non-for-profit organization that ran annual haunted houses benefiting various Freedom City charities. It famously utilized superheroes donating their time for both impressive chills and photo opportunities, both of which guaranteed significantly donations at the end of the season.

The biggest draw was Pier 13 itself, but the nonprofit's founder and namesake Grimalkin also made heroes available for other haunts including those run by churches, youth centers and even families struggling to get by. Its was one of Grim's proudest achievements, and she vetted each heroic volunteer personally.

- - -

Lulu Beaumont shifted uncomfortably in the folding metal chair as the petite heroine in black and midnight blue leather behind the desk read over her resume. Grim looked up and frowned slightly in concern.

"I'm sorry, these chairs suck. Let me get you something's more comfortable" She waved her hand and a well-padded leather chair appeared. "There you go, that should be better."

"Thank you, ma'am. Oh Lord, that's much better, thank you!"

"Not a problem. So what kind of 'spooky experience' do you have? Kind of a weird question, I know."

Lulu waved a hand and crossed her legs.

"Oh, not at all, ma'am! Well, let's see. Ah love scary movies-"

"Good! What's your favorite one?"

"Ah like all the Scream movies....Chucky and Freddy are great, although some of Freddy's movies kinda suck. Oh, and ah love The VVitch, too!"

"Okay, you've got good taste, nice!" The changeling made a few notes. "Any real world brushes with the supernatural?"

"Oh, unfortunately yes, ma'am. Once ah was trapped in a real life haunted house, and a demon possessed a kid at Claremont when ah was there. Not much fun." Lulu shuddered and shook her head.

"Oof, I'll bet! And lastly can you tell me a bit about your powers, if any?"

Lulu beamed, proud not to have to hide her powers for a change. "Why yes, ah'd be happy to, ma'am! Ah am a telepath and psychokinetic. Ah can put illusions in people's minds, but they don't show up on camera, which can be good or bad, really. And ah can do anything from liftin' up a car to writin' mah name with a pen, slick as you please."

"Sweet, let's see some!"

"Alright, well, hold onto your hat, ma'am, 'cause ah'm 'bout to blow your mind!"

And bless her heart, she did.

"Yeah, magic sucks," Grim nodded in agreement. She was happy to see the situation resolved without violence, even though part of her was actually excited at the thought of a tussle. This was in part, she realized, because she wanted to see a bit more of Ghost in action. On that note...

"Hey, if you ever have another supernatural situation, or you, I dunno, just need someone to share a bitch session with, give me a call."

A business card appeared between her fingertips, very clearly by magic; it simply read 'Grimalkin' and had her private HeroHouse number.

"I'd like the chance to work together again." And then her voice dropped an octave, the huskier tones of a mature adult. "And by the way, Grimalkin may be a perpetual teenager, but I mostly certainly am not."

She winked and have him double finger guns before fading from sight.

Lynn chuckled at Davyd's clear excitement "Yeah, it sure it is. Take as many as you want; I already paid Gretch for them. As far as Daphne goes..." She pulled out her cell and fired off a quick text to the excitable Grue.

Quote

Young Master Davyd dropped by the store, has something to tell us.

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How soon can you get here?

Grimalkin

Grim wasn't exactly sure what angle everyone was playing right now, but the one thing everybody seemed to be gunning for was getting under the lady's skin. And that something the changeling was really good at.

"Okay, fine, I'll volunteer," the petite heroine declared with a sigh as she held up her hand. "I mean, let's be honest, if you've seen one Lauren Hammond performance, you've seen them all!"

Suddenly Grim shifted into the form of the actress herself, wearing a particularly cheap looking Shakespearean costume, complete with badly-fitted wig. This was a bargain basement Juliet.

"Romeo, OH Romeo? Wherefore ART thou, Romeo? Blah blah blah!"

The fae was pulling faces right out of an old Looney Tunes short.

After the food arrived and there was a lot of rather awkward adjusting, Lulu finally cleared her throat and spoke up, a little pink in the cheeks.

"Ah don't mean to be rude, but we're a little tight in here right now? Would some of y'all be willin' to head over to the lounge to eat? Ah hate to ask, but the room ain't all that big."

The room was absolutely not designed to hold five people, and the hammocks Pan had conjured up certainly weren't helping.

Lynn Epstein looked up and smiled at the young shapeshifter, then looked like she just remembered something important, signaling Davyd with an enthusiastic but confusing hand gesture before turning back to he customer. "I'm sorry, could you excuse me? I have to help one of our special clients."

Coming out from behind the counter, she gave the recent Claremont grad a big sisterly hug. "Welcome back, kid! How was Europe?"

As they walked and talked, the bookseller led Davyd into the backroom, and towards a set of three white magazine storage boxes, slightly stained with age and bearing the delightful musty scent of someone's basement.

"I have something special for you! I told Gretch to keep an eye out for any movie magazines for you, right? Well today she just sent the motherlode over from the EC store. Check it out!"

Inside the boxes was a treasure troves of back iseues, bagged and boarded, of Cinefex, Cinemafantastique, Fangoria and Video Watchdog. They weren't solid runs, but they were all from the mid-80s to the early 90s, the golden age of practical f/x. Davyd saw grinning Terminators, battle-scarred hockey masks and creepy Cenobites peeking out of the boxes like old friends.

Lynn stood behind him with arms folded, beaming at his visible excitement "Hah? Did Auntie Grim deliver or what?"

"Interesting! So when you were a cat all those years, did you still maintain your human intelligence, or did you think like a cat? And can you take on any others forms?"

As she spoke, she once again reached into the hole in the air and began to bring out a few more items, including some Tupperware and glassware. It soon became clear that she'd brought a little feast for the two of them, including roast turkey, red potatoes cooked in olive oil and dill, and steamed broccoli. It all smelled heavenly!

Lynn took a bite of the salmon, closed her eyes and audibly groaned with pleasure. "Mmmm! S###, that's good! Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm!"

Once she had a little bit of everything and another sip of wine, the changeling leaned back in her chair and smiled at her friend. "So how are things with House Harrow? Robert and the kid good? I'd love to drop by the house and say hi someday soon, if that's okay."

Crystal-Gazer ()

Dakar Rally ()

Eurotrip: The Rhythm Of The Rails ()

Vignette

Grimalkin ()

Calling on the Aunties ()

During Your Lifetime And During Your Days ()

Ghosts and Grimalkins: The Wonders of the English Language ()

More Than One Way To To Skin A Cat ()

Silver Screen Dreams ()

"Hi, yes, hello! I'm Grimalkin; pleased to meet ya!" The petite shapeshifter stood to give the Claremonter a firm handshake in return. "I've heard a lot of good things about you. Here, let me give us a bit more privacy." 

She waved her hand, and the silly little stand dissolved into a cloud of gray vapor. In its place, Grim created a small neatly made wooden cabin around them, complete with glass windows, a door on wooden hinges, a table and two comfortable chairs. The changeling then drew a circle in the air with her finger, reached into it upto her elbow, and pulled out a battery-powered camp lantern, which she turned on and hung from a wooden ceiling hook that appeared moments before she needed it.

"There we go! Pretty cool, huh? Have a seat, Cat-Sith, and tell me a little about yourself." She took a seat and leaned forward, elbows on the table and chin in her hands, and gave him her undivided attention.

More Than One Way To Skin A Cat - Cat-Sith and Grimalkin

Claremont Academy Quad. Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021. 9:00 am

It would probably go down as one of the most colorful days in the history of Claremont Academy. Students, teachers, parents and established heroes walked the campus in unprecedented numbers, creating an air of excitement. Here and there powers were demonstrated by either mentors or mentees, and the many flashes of light and occasional gouts of flame almost made it feel like an autumn carnival.

Out on the quad, a small wooden booth had appeared earlier, with any instantly familiar design. The placard above read 'Heroic Advice 5¢', while the sign below read 'The Grimalkin is IN'. Behind the booth sat a slender young woman in black and midnight blue leather, legs stretched out and twidling her thumbs. Her auburn hair was short and spiky, the eyes behind her black domino mask were dark brown, and her ears were pointed like a Vulcan. She looked barely older than any of the other students wandering the campus.

Grim eagerly awaited the arrival of her mentee; from what she heard from his teachers, they would have a lot to talk about.

Lulu sighed; part of her really wanted Adam to herself right now, but perhaps now was not the right time. There would be lots of other times for privacy on this trip. Right now she was here with friends, and she should enjoy it.

She pressed the call button for the sleeping car attendant, and when he arrived she placed the order for anyone who was hungry (she was eager to try haggis herself), including a bottle of Chardonnay. Anticipating possible remarks, she held up her hand.

"Hey, it's completely legal here; drinkin' age is sixteen. 'Sides, it's not like ah ordered whisky or somethin' really strong!"

Grimalkin

As Horrorshow began to eagerly wave at the spectral movie star, Grim suddenly appeared to his right out of thin air. She'd never faced Hammond herself, but she had done her research into supernatural threats.

"I'd be careful, Horrorshow; this lady's killed before! Think less Ghostbusters and more Dead By Daylight!"

Altering the density of her own body, the shapeshifter floated slowly up in the air and towards the deceased starlet.

"What do you want here, Silver Scream?"

Gather Information: 1d20+15=35

Uh, I think Grim might know her home address 

Is Silver Scream known to be a villain? If so, what check would Grim need to make to recognize her?

"Good Lord," Lulu said as she stared across the sea of sand, shaking her head in disbelief as she sipped from her water bottle. "The next two days are gonna be fun, fun, fun!" She took another sip of water, and the indicated the arrayed trailers and tents with her water bottle. "So where all are we sleepin'?"

As she waited for Veronica's response, she sent her senses up high into the air, looking down upon this tiny gathering of man-made structures in the middle of the vast desert waste. Lulu always found it advantageous to get a look of the land.