Heritage

Lenny smiles as well, and inside Grim does, too. Lucky girl, all the nicest lowlifes wanna hang out with her tonight; Letta certainly has her pick of the sleazoids. "I hope this doesn't change your interest in my client, sweetheart; Whisper does excellent work and she, well-" And here Lenny gestures vaguely towards the enthusiastic newcomer. "She works well with others; she's a new girl in town and she wants to play nice." The young punk waves his cellphone and looks around the joint. "Unfortunately I can't use the phone in here; security blocks the signal to make it hard for scam artists to coordinate their activities. But I can step outside and call my girl, she can be here in half an hour; less, even. So what'll it be?"

Grim has created two interlinked personas, slimy Lenny the Lifter, a sort of ageent to villains, and Whisper, his one and only client who specializes in breaking and entering. This tag team is part of her attempt to infiltrate the Freedom City Mob and get intel on the inside. 'Lenny' has recently encountered Violetta (aka Caprica Chill) and Sammy (aka the Ghost), and is attempting to sell them on the talents of his 'girl'. Grim is determined to go in pretty deep, which might involve commiting a few unsavory acts; just how far is she willing to go in helping her mentor Nightrival get the bad guys? :?

Grim nods as she gets down on her knees. "Yeah, okay, but first I'm gonna tell you what I see." She extends her claws, gets a firm grip on the floor of the room they're in, and then tips herself forward until her upper half is upside down inside the darkened chamber, her legs gracefully pointing straight up in the air like a gymnast. "Okay, what we've got is a box, maybe twenty feet on a side; looks like a perfect square, or cube I guess. Hatches on all six sides, including this one. There are ladders leading to each hatch, attached to the floor, walls and ceiling." The agile heroine tips back out of the room, returning to a kneeling position as she dusts her hands off on her legs; she frowns slightly as she shakes her head. "I don't like it, the way the walls and floors are all the same? I have a feeling that room will not be stayin' put for very long; floor becomes the ceiling, and we go splat." Grim shrugs as she stands beside Nightrival once again, hands on her hips as she looks down into the hatch. "Or I could be wrong, maybe that's too obvious for Mister Sicko; maybe one of the doors has lotsa water behind it, or killer bees or something." She screws up her face in thought. "Could you maybe lower me down with one of your rope things?"

Ah, the controversial side-sidecar. Make sure to check for sharp edges, and see if you can get some kind of padding in there, even if it's just some McDonald's napkins from your glove compartment ;)

Pick me, pick me! (ala Donkey from Shrek) Gossamer would be more than happy to do this; even though she is no longer wealthy, she is an experienced fundraiser and really needs to get more comfortable in her superhero role.

Hey, there is no shame in being a sidekick; you get to ride in the sidecar and everything! :D

And you might find Grim in the Fens or Southside; if it's the Fens, she will most likely be solo, but in the Southside she would most likely be with with Nightrival.

I'm very happy with the description of both my characters; Grim certainly is a 'tricky one'! :D

Sorry, I was hoping to get in a post tonight, but now it's getting late (close to midnight), so I will have to post here tomorrow :(

Estelle dimples at the comparison to Sif; she's no expert on Norse mythology, but she knows enough to appreciate being compared to a goddess! She steps closer to have a look at the piece and whistles in appreciation. "Wow, that's so beautiful!" She shades her eyes and peers up and down the street. "Well whoever your friend was, he was at least partly right; a pawn shop would give you money for that, but nowhere near it's actual worth. Unfortunately anyone who would pay would most likely not give you cash; they'd want to write you a check or do a wire transfer, which I doubt would help you." She turns back to scrutinize Ullgir, and the intensity of her clear blue gaze is a bit off-putting. "So you're the genuine article, a Viking in our era; if you don't mind, I'd like to help you, if for no other reason so that the police, the local lawmen, don't harass you." Estelle pulls her cellphone out of her 'utility belt' (groan!) and starts scanning through phone numbers. "But first we need to get some food into you; I'm guessing you're a meat and potatoes man, but none of the good steak joints around here would ever seat you. I'm going to phone ahead so we can get it to go, maybe eat out in the park or something. How do you like your steak cooked?"

Lynn makes sure to pedal her bike a steady pace, gradually increasing in speed but never actually going very fast as she follows the gentle curves of the bike path, heading towards the closest Sully's pushcart. For safety's sake, she remains facing forward as she answers Kizzy's question. "I dunno; if I had super-speed, I'd probably travel a lot. Venice, Rome, London, Paris; I'd even visit Jerusalem, which would've made my grampa happy." The sheer normality of this moment is almost intoxicating; Lynn closes her eyes for a few seconds, but in those seconds she is transported back to innocent high school summers that feel like decades ago. The sounds of the park rush into her head, and she has a perfect mental picture of where everyone is in relation to herself; she can practically see the wheels on Kizzy's board as they roll unsteadily over the pavement. And the summer smells of sweat, cut grass and a hint of sea salt on the breeze... Her eyes snap open almost instantly, the brief reverie rudely cast aside before she gets them both killed. "Okay, here we go." Lynn gently decelerates, the brakes squealing as they coast to halt beside a line of hungry patrons waiting for their 'Freedom dogs', all-beef Kosher franks topped with mustard, chopped onions and sauerkraut on a soft roll. The young biker smiles as she dismounts. "Whaddya want, I'm buyin'. And no arguments; just, ya know, no lobster or anything."

For me personally, whatever shade you're using for your character in the 'Back to the Present' thread is best, I have to highlight your text to read it otherwise. By the way, I see that I was an idiot; I was assuming this was a weekday, since Lynn is at work, but both Megan and Kizzy are students, so of course this would be the weekend for them, since they wouldn't blow off school. Rather than have you guys make any adjustments, I will assume Lynn is working a few hours on a Saturday for some extra cash ;)

Thanks for the heads up; I try to remember to save before posting, but I don't always do so. Also, I think this may be the 2000th post in the campaign discussion section! :o

Estelle isn't sure which is more disturbing: the fact that ASTRO Labs has a highly-experimental protective suit they want her to try out, or the fact that it fit her perfectly. It was even in her favorite color! The techno-nerds from down in Force Applications & Robotics were practically drooling when they mysteriously turned up just in time for her to step out of the fitting room; it's a good thing Estelle works out, because the thing leaves nothing to the imagination. But as it turns out, the thin material is tough yet surprisingly comfortable; a blend of Lycra, Dynakevlon and flexible carbon nanotubes, it doesn't bind or pinch and let's her body breathe. It also, according to an excitable young tech named Rudy, should stop most bullets. "Most of them, yeah; some of big ones, or maybe like a railgun, might get though it. Railguns are totally awesome, dude; I built one my senior year at HIT, but they made me destroy it after I nearly shot down a plane..." And now Estelle is swinging down the street, using streetlights and flagpoles as anchors as she zips over both pedestrians and traffic, making pretty darn good time actually. The bulk of her hair, that which is not involved in her current mode of transport, billows behind her like a shimmering golden cloud; needless to say, she makes quite an impression as she passes overhead. In time, she finally spots the Viking standing in the middle of sidewalk about half a block away, and he’s big all right; Estelle comes to a stop suspended between two streetlights, and just sort of hangs there in shock. “Wow. He is…a whopper.†However, she’s been experimenting a lot with her miraculous tresses, and she feels pretty good about the situation; just to be sure, she decides to check in with the boys back at the lab. She raises the internal radio link on her right wrist up to her lips and whispers, like she’s a hunter eying a bear. “Okay, I have a visual on him; he’s very large, approximately three hundred kilos, and he looks…confused. Any suggestions?†There is a lot of clamoring at the other end of the link, with several young men whispering loudly in a heated exchange, until one finally raises his voice. “Quit it! Ow! Okay, hi Dr. de Havilland, this is Barry Irving. Can you see if the target has a central power source, like a glowing symbol on his chest, or maybe like a ring?†The blond scientist squints as she tries to make out any details from this distance. “I see a horned helmet…some sort of armor…and also a great deal of white fur trim, most likely polar bear. I do not see a visible power source.†It sounds like there’s a bit of a disagreement back at ASTRO. “Why would he wear his power source where anyone could see it? They could just grab it!†“Well maybe it’s powered by our yellow sun.†“Maybe you’re powered by a yellow idiot crystal lodged in your skull!†“Ow!†“Wait, I want to talk to her!†“Shut up!†Estelle sighs and shakes her head, which causes her to sway from side to side; she does not have time for this nonsense. "Alright, forget it, I’ll just go in without backup. De Havilland out.†"Wait! You don’t-" She clicks off the radio, squares her shoulders, and then closes the distance between herself and the Viking, eventually lowering herself down to the sidewalk beside him. Her hair hovers about her like a beautiful glittering cloud as she smiles and gives him a friendly nod; a few curious onlookers stop to observe the proceedings. “Good morning! I don’t know if you speak English, but allow me to introduce myself; I’m Dr. Estelle de Havilland of ASTRO Labs. You appear to be lost; can I help you, sir?†She had surprised the techs by refusing to put on the domino mask they’d made for her. “Look, what’s the point? The story was in the paper, there’s an ongoing court case, and it’s not like this stuff is easy to hide. It’ll just be me, okay?†And now she waits, hoping for a peaceful response...

For several seconds, Lynn just stares at Ren, mouth agape as he describes the possible living arrangements; finally she shakes her head, her eyes glittering with just a hint of tears. "I can't. I'm sorry, this is just way too fast; I wanted to be closer to you, so I could spend, y'know, spend the night maybe once in a while, like on the couch! At least, y'know, for now." She sits down on the bed and looks up at her boyfriend, her loving gaze tinged with both joy and sadness. "It means a lot that you asked me, it really does; I've never been asked to move in with anyone before, and in some ways it sounds wonderful, but-" Lynn struggles to find the words and pull them out of the air with her anxious hands. "We don't even know each other yet; we know we have this thing, these feelings for each other, but it's...it's fragile, y'know? Like a, like a newborn baby." She holds her hands in front of her, palms upturned as she gazes down at this small invisible little thing. "We know we love the baby, it's new and wonderful and different, but we have to protect it, right? We have to give it a chance to grow. We can't just, y'know, put the baby on a tricycle before it can walk; that's crazy!" She pats the bed beside her. "C'mere, sit; let's talk about this."

For like a millisecond, Lynn looks rather sad, but then she smiles and nods. "Yeah, sure, okay. I'll, uh, I'll shout your name if I'm in peril, alright?" She tries for a goofy grin, but doesn't quite make it. "I'll see you around, okay?" Then she pushes off with her bike and catches up to Kizzy, shouting out to the dark-haired girl as she approaches. "Hey Kizzy, wait up!" The spritely biker stops on a dime in front of the skateboarder and grins as she indicates the back of the bike with a nod. "Here, grab onto the rack, I'll tow ya." I wonder if me and Velocity could ever be friends, not just teammates but real girlfriends? It's like we're from totally different worlds. :(

I agree on this, I think it's great; maybe this should go into the News section? And maybe it should just be alphabetical as opposed to listing by Hero or Villain, since we have a few gray folks here.

The lab was certainly nice; Dr. de Havilland had a marvelous view of the river, lots of natural light when she wanted it, and with the flick of a switch the glass completely polarized if she needed darkness. The equipment was much better than what she worked with back at Harvard or her old lab, she had excellent, capable assistants and a very deep research budget. And yet... And yet she couldn't help but wonder if this was a PR thing, a way to bring in more clients; unfortunately her new-found superpowers didn't make her any better at her work, so she was definitely still out of Dr. Archeville or Daedalus' league, but they made her interesting and somewhat 'sexy' from an investor's point of few. Estelle knew very well that a 'hot' lab thrived while a 'cool' one slowly died. Am I just something exciting to put in a glossy prospectus, or do they really need me here? Today's work is not particularly exciting, a new heteropolymer with a few interesting features, and in fact Estelle has to stifle a yawn with the back of a gloved hand. "Are you that bored here, Doctor?" Estelle turns to see Dr. Brian Thomas leaning in the door frame, slowly shaking his head; a handsome man in his early forties, he's the head of the Organic Chemistry Group and her immediate superior. The young researcher can only sigh. "I'm sorry, Brian, I didn't sleep all that great last night; still getting used to-" She jerks her thumb over her shoulder, where a glimmering golden ponytail as thick as a man's arm hangs down the back of her lab coat; the very tip occasionally twitches like the tail of a sleeping cat. She shakes her head in frustration. "The fibers are so sensitive, I can feel the thread count of my sheets. I hope to God I don't have to resort to chemistry to get some sleep; I hate bringing my work home with me." Dr Thomas laughs as he strides into the room. "Well, your sudden metamorphosis has certainly had a lot of consequences. Have you had much chance to work out in the gym?" She nods vigorously. "Mmm, yeah; it's pretty amazing, the things it can do." The thick braid loosens itself slightly, allowing a long slender tendril of gold work itself free and drape over her shoulder; she offhandedly strokes it as it writhes under her touch. "I still can't get over it; it may take years, I expect." Dr. Thomas looks a bit unnerved as he watches her, but quickly changes the subject. "Actually, there's a reason I came by to see you; we got a call from the FCPD, and they want our help on something, and I was hoping you could handle it." The hair tendril zips out of Estelle's hands and worms itself back into place as the young chemist becomes all business. "Do they need something analyzed? It will take me a bit to clean up in here, but I could be ready to handle any samples in a about an hour, less if you can spare somebody to help." Her boss chuckles and shakes his head. "No, no, no, nothing like that." He points at the ponytail. "I was actually hoping we could use that amazing head of hair of yours; there's a situation not far from here that could really use some sort of containment, stronger than anything we could whip up on short notice." The blond chemist looks rather appalled. "Wait, you want me to do what now? Form my hair into a golden lasso and 'round up the bad guys?" She shakes her head and steps right up to Dr. Thomas. "I told you when I came on board that I was not interested in so-called 'hero work'; I didn't go to Harvard grad school so I could beat up people with my hair!" She throws her hands up in frustration. "I refuse to be pigeonholed because of some stupid lab accident!" Dr. Thomas shrugs. "Look, I remember what you said, but the fact of the matter is an eight-foot tall Viking is wandering the streets of North End and we're the closest available people; it's that simple. Now can you help or not?" Estelle finally hangs her head in defeat. "Alright, fine, I'll do it, but this is the one time." She starts to take off her lab coat, then stops and gives Dr. Thomas a quizical look. "An eight-foot what?"

This is a thread featuring Gossamer and the Norseman.

Edited to make Gos just a smidge taller :D

With Gossamer now being activated, I officially throw my hat into the ring. I just have get her in a few actual threads to get her established ;)

To: Daniel Mitchell, marketing director for Herbal Dreams hair care products From: Dr. Estelle de Havilland, ASTRO Labs Dear Mr. Mitchell, once again I am flattered by your offer, but I do not feel in all good conscience that I can become the spokeswoman for your new line of shampoos and conditioners; though I did briefly use Herbal Dreams Moisturizing Shampoo while I was attending school, in all honesty I was not happy with the product. This isn't to say I think your line is without merit, merely that it did not work for me personally. That being said, I have been developing a few products of my own; as you know, hair care is now, bizarrely, a much larger part of my life than ever before, so I take all of this very seriously. If I came up with some successful new formulations, would your firm be interested in developing and marketing them? As you can guess, since my rather remarkable transformation it seems the entire beauty and hair care industry is parked outside my home day and night, despite my firm refusals to see them. However your company has been very thoughtful and has respected my privacy, which means a great deal to me, hence my counter-offer to you. Please respond at your earliest convenience. With warmest regards, Estelle de Havilland, PhD

Lt Colby is standing next to Ginny, her eyes dark with concern. "You went in pretty deep there, kid. Here-" The detective produces a hip flask and offers it with a smile. "Yeah, I actually carry a little rum with me with, for just this sort of occasion."

Lenny just smiles and chews his gum, but he carefully notes all the security features the newcomer indicates, acknowledging each detail with the slightest of nods. When he's finished, the young man grins. "Wow, you really know you're stuff; you a security consultant or somethin'?" He leans over and overs an outstretched hand. "Lenny Stein, talent coordinator; sorry we started off on such a bad foot, I was just messin' around."

Faye sighs deeply; she feels bad for what she's about to do, but this op has been a nightmare from the get-go; she drops the illusion and appears beside Ghost with an unhappy look on her face. "That space is a little pocket dimension I was given access to, and it's as black as me heart, truth to tell" The redhead smiles ruefully. "I hate to do this to ye, boyeen, but yer on yer own now; this little game just isn't worth it. Mind you don't turn yer back on that Dryad, she's off her chump, she is." Faye leans over and kisses him softly on the cheek. "Take care, now." Suddenly she makes a quick series of gestures, a portal forms beneath her feet, and she drops out of sight like a magician's lovely assistant through a trapdoor.