Heritage

Grimalkin

"Well, this is unexpected...but not unwanted."

Much like Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat, you often heard Grim before she chose to reveal herself, and tonight appeared to be no different. But her voice sounded warm and amused, which surely was a good sign. And then she appeared, in her usual black and midnight-blue costume, slowly sauntering towards him.

"Although it looks I'm overdressed."

As she got closer, her outfit peeled away into tatters of gray vapor, exposing a dark blue shoulderless cocktail dress below. Clearly cold weather was not a problem for her.

"There, much better," she sighed as she gave her arms a good stretch. "So, what's the occasion? Not that you need one to wine and dine me."

Shift

As Charlie made his request, the robot rolled her luminous red eyes and sighed.

"FINE..."

The cheap plastic pistol slid out of her arm and into her hand, and the vest reformed, sensors intact. Of course, now the fit was perfect and much more comfortable; she wasn't sacrificing that.

"The teams are satisfactory. May the best bipeds win."

Shift

"This is an interesting concept for training," noted Shift as she took in all elements of the course."Our lack of familiarity with the layout will definitely add to the challenge."

Based on Charlie's instructions, she appeared to be wearing black gym shoes, black jeans and a charcoal grey turtleneck. She kept fiddling with the straps of her sensor vest in irritation. 

"This garment is not well-designed. I do not like how it feels on my body."

Suddenly the fabric of her 'sweater' began to ripple and writhe; it spread over the cheap tactical vest and integrated it into Shift's body, so that the sensors appeared to be part of the material. In addition, her dark cloud of curly hair twisted into a set of tight braids that fell down her neck, shrinking her silhouette considerably. The overall look was sleek and futuristic.

The robot smiled and nodded at her handiwork.  "That is much better! I also need a weapon."

Moving next to Bernadette, she reached out and chose a somewhat boxy-looking automatic pistol. As she held it, her fingers stretched out to absorb the laser pistol, integrating it into her arm so that the laser's lens was in the palm of her hand. Extending her palm towards the Irish multiplier, her eyes glowed neon red as her voice became deep and metalic.

"TODAY I AM HUNTING HUMANS."

Despite this disturbing transformation, it was obvious she was grinning and struggling not to laugh.

Shift

No one really questions the presence of a snowman on lawn in winter time, although those more familiar with this house might have wondered who was young enough to make it. He was quite jolly looking, with a red and green scarf and features made of the traditional carrot, twigs and lumps of coal.

However soon the truth was revealed; the festive figure began to spin around in a spiral, whirling and shifting to form into an attractive young woman with light skin and a big mass of curls, arms spread wide in greeting.

"Surprise! Welcome, my friends! Come and see what Charlie and I built together!"

Shift's smile and enthusiasm were fairly infectious.

Grapple! 1d20+33=50

I think I did this one right?

The Eel

"Knock three times, then two times, then three again when you come back. Just so I know it's you."

Once John was gone, Eileen allowed herself a good stretch, which meant sending her arms and legs all about the small room. She also used this opportunity to feel nearly every inch of floor, walls and ceiling as her hands and equally sensitive feet checked for peepholes, hidden cameras or microphones. She opened all the drawers on the dresser, felt around the bathroom mirror, and checked the light fixtures, all without getting out of bed.

Finally satisfied, her snake-like limbs relaxed and returned to their proper dimensions as she fetched the remote off the top of the TV with her feet, and deftly switched it on, arms folded behind her head.

The Eel

There was a loud gurgling at the mention of food, and the English amnesiac looked down at her belly for a few seconds. "Um...perhaps a bite to eat wouldn't be a bad idea. Ooh, do you know if there are any Indian places hereabouts? I could absolutely murder a chicken vindaloo!"

Eileen stepped into the cheap room, doing her best not to touch...well, anything. She pulled off her own raincoat, folded it up a few times, and then placed it on top of the pillow; there was no way she was getting under the covers of this bed. Gingerly climbing across the bedspread, she laid down with her hands behind her head, and her eelskin returned to its original configuration like an oil slick that started at her neck and spread down to her toes.

"You know, I can honestly say I've never been happier to own this particular garment, although I dare say I'd feel safer in a bloody hazmat suit."

The Eel

"As long as it's warm," Eileen said in a thick and nasal Queens accent before she trailed off into giggles. She kept whispering and giggling into the side of John's neck to better hide her face.

Once they were inside the elevator, its mirrored walls cracked, smudged and marked with graffiti, she dropped the persona and leaned against the wall, sighing deeply.

"God, I am sick of the ugliness of this town; everything has this disgusting film on it, like a patina of nicotine and sweat." She looked up at John and shook her head in disbelief. "How have you maintained your sanity in all this filth?"

The Eel

Eileen nodded and smiled as she disentangled herself from John's back, a singular sight to see. Like him, the cold never bothered her anyway.

"I like it. Takes a bit of the pressure off. On that note-"

She looked down at her eelskin, and it shifted into something more suitable for a date: a dark brown jumper, pleated wool skirt and knee high boots with a modest heel.

"There we are, much better!"

She entwined her arm around his and pulled him closer to 'keep out the chill', their hips now gently touching as they walked, her boots clicking rhythmically on the pavement.

"So, just how many dates have you brought to this hotel," she teased.

Crystal-Gazer 

Lulu still had her arms crossed, but her demeanor had softened some; her tone wasn't nearly harsh when she spoke, and there was a hint of smile on her lips.

"It looks like you're feelin' a bit guilty; good. You should be. But after all is said and done, turns out you're fine and you just have a case of the 'forgotums', coined by Great Aunt Cecilia to describe the forlorn and crestfallen look on a kid's face when he sees how pissed off and worried his folks is."

She sighed, shook her head and ran her fingers through her red locks before giving Rex a smile and a wink.

"So, you ever plannin' to introduce us to your new friends?"

1d20+24=37

Higher, if any of the bonuses apply. Also I don't think that includes the Additional Limbs bonus.

The Eel

With her limbs wrapped firmly around John's torso, Eileen in no way impaired his movement; her weight rode on his hips and shoulders, as snug as the finest harness you could buy. Her head was tucked in between his right shoulder and neck, which muffled her voice somewhat.

"Perfect. I have enough cash on me to pay for several days, and a few caches hidden in various inaccessible places about town."

There was a pause.

"Thank you, John."

Attempting to initiate Grapple with Wormie.

1d20+13=15

Grr! Let me see if I missed any other bonuses.

Edit: forgot Inspire! Is 18 enough to hit?

Grimalkin

"I could put you up," offered a suddenly visible Grimalkin, who appeared sitting next to Ghost still holding his hand. "Dok and I had an opportunity to talk a few years ago; I feel comfortable having him at my place. I've got a spare apartment across from mine, partially furnished."

To be honest, Lynn had surprised herself with the offer, but she didn't regret it. She'd spoken to Viktor about the importance of atonement in her faith, as well as her own journey to right the wrongs of her criminal past. In many ways, she was the perfect person to help him.

Shift

Even as vile a creature as Sebastian Shields did not deserve to die like this. Chump's entreaties moved Shift, and she finally released her death grip on the massive teen. Then she backed away, keeping all three sets of arms ready to strike.

"I don't this thing is living. He's not going to be easy to drop."

The Eel

"I'll make it even easier for you," she whispered back to him. "You'll be able to wear me out like a knapsack; arms and legs around your shoulders."

Eileen sighed and shook her head, still leaning on John.

"I've been so careful for years; cash only, burner phones, no photos, no taxes. But all it took was a friend putting a snap of me up on Instagram, and then the bastards find me."

Shift

It was debatable as to which event hit Pol harder: seeing Shadowborne stab Luke with a spear, or the realization that the pair were obviously in a relationship. She shouldn't be surprised, of course; she'd been out of commission for 2 years, and Luke was a handsome young man attending high school. And it wasn't like she'd ever made it clear that she liked him; after all, she was still trying to sort out human emotions when she was last at Claremont. With an internal sigh, she moved all the letters she'd written to him during her downtime into the 'recycle bin' and deleted them.

Time for a fresh start.

Of course, all of this had taken but a few seconds while she simultaneously did a search through her data banks on this creature, but her files were pretty thin. In the meantime, she adjusted her grip on Chump and waited to see what's next.

The Eel

As soon as John arrived, Eileen turned to him, tears streaming down her face, and pulled him into fierce embrace, which in her case was fairly strong. Once her lips were close to his ear, however, her whispered voice was all business.

"Sorry about the waterworks, luv; I want them to think they've gotten to me. And I nice cuppa would be brilliant."

She then allowed herself to be led by him, visibly leaning on him for support.

The Eel

This was not good; she was normally pretty good at shaking a tail, but these two were on her like white on rice. And if they were this good, someone with very deep coffers must have hired them, which boded very poorly indeed.

Turning her back to the pair, she slid her cheap burner flip phone out of her zippered belly pouch and texted one of three people saved on it, although none of them were listed by name.

Quote

Bad news. Being tailed by two pros, very good. Near bus station downtown. You free? V. worried.

Crystal-Gazer 

Lulu crossed her arms, shook her head and clicked her tongue, unconsciously channeling her bio mom with her obvious disappointment. The more she spoke, the more animated she became, with much waving and pointing. 

"Boy, you had your sister an' me worried sick!  You can't just run off willy-nilly through portals like 'at! Ah know you think you're all skilled and what-not, but you're still a kid, an' your people worry 'bout you when you go off an' do somethin' so foolish. Ah swear, you'll be the death of me!"

Her accent had gotten super thick.

I think Shift has the HP for this (she has Luck 2): using Beginners Luck to get +11 on an otherwise untrained Knowledge: Occult roll.

1d20+11=19

SLIP AND SLIDE by THEV

Really simple edit. 3 PP converted to skill points, 4 each in Investigate, Kn: Streetwise and Search.

And make the pic smaller, for God's sake 

SLIP AND SLIDE BY THEV

<Img>https://photos.app.goo.gl/V5FnY1cS1X5nBUcq6<img>

Grimalkin 

Grim's natural scent of pine and flowers grew stronger, and then Ghost felt her breath on the back of his neck as she whispered back.

"He's always been fairly whimsical, all cuckoo clocks and bratwurst. People think of Germans as joyless Nazis, but they actually know how to party."

There was a weary sigh that tickled the crimefighter's ear.

"This is exactly the sort of ridiculous bs Dok would get into. So yeah, I believe him."

20 hours ago, RocketLord said:

GHOST

 

He pulls away and pulls up his x-ray goggles. "Sounds like you know the guy. Wanna tag along?" he holds out a hand and, as soon as Grim accepts it, they disappear.

Grimalkin 

"Very much so," she said with a firm nod. Once they were inside and took a seat, Grim faded into the background...literally, as she used her glamour to become transparent. She didn't want Dok to feel too boxed in or crowded, though she wanted to be present to step in and come to his defense if need be. She and her former employer had some reconciliation several years ago; one could hardly call them friends, but they were certainly civil.

The one part of Grim that was incongruously still visible was her hand holding Ghost's, which gave it a reassuring if disembodied squeeze.