Drunkard's Walk Forums

Ebony Wrote:

Quote: Sofaspud wrote:

---

... okay, that's a heartwarmer. (cue 'Awwww...')




But.




I'm sorry, I really am?




This had me in stitches:




[Local] Namoru Hayataki: Well, I find a galleon of "Fudge Ripple" and a movie marathon helps, too, but that just
might be "Namora" talking.




I'm sure a boat full of Fudge Ripple would do something, but yikes?

I was just curious as to where the Sub-Mariner's cousin and Hercules' sometime squeeze had developed a taste for Fudge Ripple.

Remember, Namoru comes with over three years of RP existance and a LOT of backstory. Part of the backstory is that Nam has a TG curse on him, turning him into "her" for extended periods of time. His cover for that is that his girl side is his "sister" Namora Hayataki (I was on the spot back when it first came up and had to think up a name fast. I would have chosen "Namoko" had I time to think about it. ). Nam still attributes some of his more "girly" thinking to "Namora" thought.

The delicate chime of the door bell rang in the serene quiet of the Silky Doll as Jeena Malso, nee Lost Sabre, opened the door and stepped through. Nervously
rubbing her hands together, she approached the attentive clerk behind the front counter.

"I have an appointment?"

"Yes, Ms. Malso, right this way!" The clerk replied cheerily, and led Jeena back to a door with a discreet 'employees only' sign. The door
clicked open under the clerk's hand, and she smiled as she held it open for the lanky, sweater-clad Jeena.

Jeena closed the door gently behind her, and considered the room she was in. White walls and tile combined with the bright flourescent lighting to leave no
shadows or dimness, and the high tech panelling undoubtedly bore scanners and perhaps even weaponry, pointed at the occupant. With an act of will, Jeena put
aside her attempt at self distraction, and approached the door on the far side of the small room. Standing in front of it, she placed her palm on the subtle
handprint etched on the surface to the right of the door, and that area of wall blinked green, as the door slid open.

Jeena walked through the inches-thick secure portal into another antechamber, this one panelled in a dark wood and festooned with potted plants, the greenery
contrasting with the warm glow of the well cared-for wood. Doors along the wall were labelled with small signs denoting contents, and Jeena strode towards the
one marked 'Admin'. Hesitating again as she reached the door, Jeena forced her hand up and down, in a firm knock. The lock clicked, and a voice called
'come in'.

Jeena closed the door behind her, exchanged a nod with Priss, and turned to face the seated occupant of the room, who signed the form before her, slid it into
a tray, and looked up at her. Sylia had often been referred to as 'cold', mostly by people who didn't know her 'off the clock', and she
looked it today. Jeena swallowed nervously, and sat in one of the chairs facing the desk as Sylia gestured to it.

"I trust you know why I asked you to come here today?" Sylia asked, her face neutral and still.

"Yes ma'am, I think I have an idea." Jeena replied, nervously rubbing her hands together.

"This isn't the first time we've recieved a complaint about one of our own, though this is the first time involving something so.. strange. Would
you care to offer any input?"

"He.. I don't know, ma'am. I just find him so aggravating. And I can't avoid him, he's so -popular-" This with unmistakable acid in
the tone. "I just can't get away from working with him."

"Almost sounds like you're in love with him" Priss interjected, chuckling. Lost turned to stare dumbfounded at the other Sabre, and Sylia arched
an eyebrow. "OK, maybe not."

As the uncomfortable silence stretched out, Lost stared at her hands, folded in her lap, then drew a deep sigh, and raised her head to look Sylia in the eye
again. "I'm just so fucking jealous, Sylia. He's got everything, and I.. well, I'm a lot better off than I was six months ago, but..
still.. " Lost trailed off again, staring back down at her hands, and it was Sylia's turn to sigh.

"Lost.. Jeena. Listen. You have, in the last six months, gotten new cybernetic arms, found a place to live, started working one of the weirdest jobs in
the world, have trained and fought robots, demons, soldiers, businessmen, mages, zombies, aliens, and a giant jello blob." Priss snorted at this, and fell
silent as Sylia continued. "You've had several surgeries, including some neurosurgery. You've been basically stapled back together from wreckage,
Jeena."

Jeena blinked away tears and looked up at Sylia. "It doesn't make waiting any easier. I feel _good_, I feel _right_, in a way that I haven't since
I showed up in Paragon." She looked down again, a blush sliding into her cheeks and the tips of her ears. "For the last month, I've been noticing
boys again, and it's.. Sylia, I don't remember boys from before, I don't know what to do!" She wailed, covering her face in her hands. Sylia
glanced at Priss, who had a hand covering her mouth, and was quaking with, thankfully, silent laughter.

"That's.. actually a very good sign. Especially in women, that drive is a tricky thing, and its return is a signal that you _are_ healthy again, or
very close to it." Sylia fell silent, her hands steepled on the desk in front of her, her face abstracted as she concentrated. Jeena wiped her face clean
with a kleenex from the desk, tossing the crumpled tissue into a wastebasket, and composed herself with an act of will, waiting patiently.

"So you've been 'noticing' boys.. just boys, then?" Sylia asked, refocussing her attention on Jeena, who nodded.

"I know that there are girls who.. are interested.. in girls, or both girls and boys, but I've never really.. been interested." Jeena
shrugged. "Not my thing, I guess."

Sylia nodded, then pulled a creamy white business card out of her desk, swiftly scribbling on it. "OK, we'll handle this from the top. First, leave
Terrence alone. His relationship is a good thing - and it's something him and those ladies have to work at every day. You need to apologize to him, and
stop being willfully rude."

Jeena blushed again, and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I should be able to apologize today, we're both on the roster for an ITF later." She said,
smiling ruefully. Sylia winked.

"Secondly, I want you to go for a full physical, and then go visit this doctor." Sylia handed the card across the desk, and Jeena took it, reading
the elegant handwriting. Sylia pulled a second card out and began writing on it. "She's a gynecologist, and to be perfectly blunt, you really should
make sure everything is working and safe before you become sexually active. She's also a counsellor, and I'll be calling her with the specifics of your
situation. She should be able to provide you with an.. overview. Of what you can expect." Sylia handed the second card over, and Jeena's eyebrows
shot up. "That's a competitor of mine, though they specialize more in.. accessories.. than fashion."

Jeena's blush intensified, the tips of her ears burning. Sylia continued without pause, as matter-of-fact as if she was discussing corn futures.
"While it can't compare to an actual lover, a toy or two can be a wonderful stress relief, and I think you would benefit from some stress relief at
this point." Sylia arched an eyebrow at Priss, who was again quaking with repressed laughter, biting her fist to keep from bursting into giggles.

"I... ah.. uhm. I... thank you?" Jeena stammered, her face bright red. Sylia smiled gently. "That's also a shop I have no ownership of,
so your purchases and questions will be.. discreet."

Stammering and blushing, Jeena shook Sylia's hand, and nodded once at Priss as she escaped back through the door and into the City. Priss angled across the
office and sprawled into the recently-vacated chair in front of Sylia's desk, legs draped languidly over the chair arm. "Sexual frusration,
then?" She said, grinning.

"It's not exactly a laughing matter, even if it is funny, my dear." Sylia said, a small smile on her face. Leaning back and putting her feet up
on the desk, she continued. "Sometimes I worry about her. She's got the body and hormonal balance of a mature human female, but some parts of her
experience are just.. gone."

"I'd hate to see her ruin a relationship because of that." Priss said, frowning. Sylia watched one of the singer's long legs as it swung back
and forth. "One of hers, or one of the Sabres"

Sylia blinked, focussing on her lover's face. "You think that her.. ignorance.. could be harmful to one of the other Sabres?"

"No, no, Sylia, I meant at the, hmmm, institutional level. One of the best things about this place is the abundance of groups like ours, and the
relationships between them. It's easy to get dependant, and hard to stay completely independant." Priss said. Sylia sat back in her chair, staring at
the ceiling herself as she thought on Priss' words. While noone discounted the brash singer, it was easy enough to forget that there was a fine thinking
instrument behind that pretty, angry face.

"While I wouldn't call us in the least 'dependant' on The Legendary, it certainly is a.. convienient relationship. I'd hate to see it
disrupted, especially for something as easily remedied as.. this."

"Mmm." Priss agreed, also staring at the ceiling contemplatively. "So, in the end, what that girl needs is a good deep d-"

"Priss!" Sylia interrupted, agahst, and the two erupted into laughter.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

All in all, it didn't seem like she'd had anything to be nervous about, Irene thought.

Ever since the close call that'd nearly dethroned the Countess, the pressure on her department to produce working Scimitars had been lessened a good deal
as most black operations had had their operational tempo stepped down to avoid drawing excess attention as the PR departments concentrated on damage control.
Plus, with Paul gone and the flurry of personnel replacements that'd happened as those deemed "expendable" had been "discovered" and
terminated to feed the metaphorical sacrifice requirement for appearing to make a clean sweep of "rogue elements", Irene effectively had had her
cover re-inforced by the fact that only a handful of the current staff knew her except by reputation, which she'd carefully kept low-key on Reika's
advice.

Which left her with a lot of free time and, unfortunately, not much of a social life to use it in. Reika was home less often these days, and Irene had to admit
that as much as she loved her sister, she had an...intensity...about her that made Irene somewhat uncomfortable at times. She'd been better lately, as if
she'd found some kind of outlet for it, but still, they weren't exactly to the point of randomly socializing together. Part of her wondered if they
ever would be, given how quickly Reika'd had to grow into her role as the head of the Chang Group...

Putting such thoughts out of her mind for the moment, however, she considered the hospitality she was enjoying. Edge and Rose Sabres(Utena and Anthy, she
reminded herself) had invited her over to help with making cookies when Utena'd heard that she was looking for something to do with her abundance of free
time. Apparently Anthy was a decent enough gardener, housekeeper, accountant, and a variety of other mundane specialties that left Irene feeling a little
inferior, but the one thing she could absolutely not do was cook. As such, Utena needed another pair of hands that could follow simple instructions and Irene
had agreed, albeit a little tenatively.

The reason for her hesitation had been based in what she'd known of the two prior to their escape. Utena, now Edge Sabre, formerly Edge Scimitar, had been
an absolutely lethal combatant in her short stint under Crey's covert security division. Enough that she'd been fast-tracked into combat against more
dangerous criminal groups that required more force than Crey really needed to spend on mere business competitors. She'd similarly disarmed and utterly
dominated a Scimitar designed to be her potential replacement in case she ever went rogue and proceeded to drag that one out with her during her escape.
Yet....she seemed perfectly comfortable wearing an apron and baking cookies, tossing stories about various non-events that kept Irene thoroughly entertained
with the sheer mundanity of it all. If she wasn't aware of how active Utena was on the arena circuit among Riot Force and the Legendary, Irene could almost
have suspected she preferred staying home with Anthy to suiting up and leaping into combat.

Anthy, by contrast, was practically the opposite of her significant other in every way. Soft-spoken, insightful, and prone to startling bursts of clarity(and,
so the rumors went, bordering on precognition at times), she seemed like a traditional Japanese wife stereotype in almost every way, until you realized that,
in quite a few places, the rather self-confident Utena deferred to her without so much as a second word, showing a much more two-way partnership than it seemed
to be on the surface. Compared to the bizarre shift from perfect imitation of humanity to single-minded killing machine that most Nemesis automatons had, Irene
was left with dozens of questions she couldn't really ask politely about what made Anthy so different. Crey had
made some small on-record changes to her basic processor(mostly the removal of the combat programming switch that would make her much easier to keep prisoner,
given her normal personality), but altogether she couldn't exactly pin down what about her seemed unusual...though she didn't think it mattered too
terribly much. The woman was about as close as one could get to a saint by personality and inclination, in addition to her healing abilities.

But really, knowing their histories hadn't prepared her much at all for these two people, and Irene felt more than
a little comforted by the decision she'd made to help people like these against Crey. Because they were people,
and these two proved that as much as any of them.

With such suitably warm and fuzzy thoughts in mind, Irene stepped into the pantry to get another bag of sugar, when she came face to face with the last thing
that she'd expected: a fully grown Rikti monkey a small necktie which was sneaking a couple oranges out of the fruit basket. Faced with this, Irene had
possibly the most logical reaction anyone vaguely familiar with the creatures would.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

"What?! What is it?!" Utena yelled as she slid around the corner, before looking suitably perplexed at the image of Irene, who'd fallen back
against the door at some point and the Rikti monkey, who'd dropped its oranges and was hiding behind the basket, both of them panting slightly to make up
for their simultaneous expressions of startlement at each other.

Utena shook her head and smiled slightly. "Chu-Chu! What've we told you about sneaking up on visitors that don't know you?"

The Rikti monkey made some chittering noises that could possibly be interpreted as speech, along with a few gestures, most notably pointing at its necktie.

"Yes, I know you have the tie. But that's not going to be the first thing people look at when they see you."

The Rikti monkey made the most perfect example of a pouting put-out expression of body language as Utena rolled her eyes, much to Irene's bafflement.

"Yes, it is important. Most monkeys aren't smart like you and like to, y'know, attack people?"

"Chitter-chitter-hoot-ook!"

"Yes, I know you're not like them, but poor Irene here didn't, and you were trying to sneak food like
wild ones do," she noted sternly.

The Rikti monkey (Chu-Chu? Irene parsed mentally) looked suitably abashed, then perked up as Anthy came around the corner, hopping to its feet and scampering
up and around to Anthy's shoulder. Utena glanced over to Irene, helping her up as she smiled somewhat embarassedly. "Sorry about that. I really
should've thought to introduce you two. Irene, this is Chu-Chu."

Irene nodded, still off-balance, at the Rikti monkey, who chittered what sounded like a greeting in return(she oddly noted it had a partial telepathic
component that helped her understand the sounds that didn't resemble speech in the slightest) as well as waving. Waving back, she looked at Utena with the
obvious question on her face.

"Well, Anthy and I got a job shortly after that mess with the Countess," Utena explained. "Apparently the investigation'd knocked loose a
lead to a lab where they were experimenting with Rikti monkeys. Trying to increase their intelligence to use them as deniable bio-weapons," she said
absently. "We rescued the four that they had at the lab, and Chu-Chu here just sorta...adopted Anthy. He's smart enough, but we're slowly getting
the neighbors used to the fact that he's not a typical bloodthirsty ruin monkey."

"And...um...the necktie?" she asked, slowly regaining her mental balance.

Anthy chuckled slightly. "That's because he's too dignified to wear a collar and his hands aren't exactly well suited for tying bow
ties."
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

...... you has a monky...... a Rikti monky O.o

Igneous Nadir was poking through the jumbled shelves of Arcane salvage

stored in the side of the Infamous' base dedicated to magic when she heard

a small sound. A slight movement, like two pieces of glass rubbing together.

Long practice kept her movements natural as she continued to search through

the shelves. Looking past a strangely warped skull, she reached within

herself and began to call upon the hellfire that smolder there.

Ready as she could be, she suddenly spun and dodged around the shelf, coming

to a stop as she spotted a miserable looking Hexane tucked into a corner. The

kunouichi had her arms wrapped around her legs and was shivering. A steaming

mug of something was sitting on the shelf in arms reach.

"What *are* you doing now?" Igneous asked. Humans could be very strange.

Hexane groaned, and buried her head in her hands. "I'm hiding from Obsolete

and trying to figure out how to apologise to Nogi."

Igneous raised an eyebrow. "More details please."

"I seem to have done something to offend Nogi and I'm trying to avoid

retribution and figure out what it was so I can make amends," Hexane elaborated.

"I wish Mace hadn't vanished, I could have probably gotten it out of him

with out too huge a bribe."

"What has Lady Nogitsune done to you, and what does Obsolete have to do with

it?"

Hexane groaned and took a sip from the mug, grimacing as she did so. "She

didn't do this too me, it's just the flu. Probably spent too much time

in the sewers hunting Vhaz." She set the mug back on the shelf, and Igneous

caught the scent of chicken broth. "Of course it has to be the week that

the boys are at that trade show."

She shook herself and refocused on the imp's question. "What she's been

doing is teaching our friendly and helpful robot some home remedies." Hex

started shivering again. "As soon as I'm better I'm going to go," and here

she ground her teeth and looked even more nauseous, "grovel and then, then

I'm going to hunt down and torture the grocery store clerk that sold Obs

the leeks!"

The devil considered this carefully. She'd been in the mortal world for long

enough that she felt she had a good handle on most human customs and foibles,

but every so often something new came along. "I believe I will regret asking

this but what do vegetables have to do with it?" she asked.

"Nothing! Nothing at all," Hex looked panicked as she scooted farther back

into the corner. "If anyone asks, you haven't seen me since the last meeting!"

Igneous held up her hand and rubbed her fingers together in a trans-universal

gesture. The kunouichi glared at her, then wilted and sighed. "Right, right.

I'll make it worth your while."

Smiling, Igneous nodded, walked out of the storage room, and down the hall

towards the teleporters. Up ahead she saw a strangely moving metal figure in

a nurse's uniform. Her smile twisted into a grin and she raised her hand. "Oh,

Obsolete! I was just looking for you..."

--

50 Things Hexane has learned since joining the Infamous:

--38. PPD webgrenade gunk is impossible to get off the bottom of your boots.

wow, I haven't thought of (or played) Ig in far too long. Nice to see that even if I have forgoten her, others haven't .

And Chu-Chu is adorable in a very weird twisted way.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

IF you don't know what Nogi taught Obs.... well. *ahem* there's a VERY weird Japanese folk remedy for a cold or Flu involving leeks...

Supposedly you don't eat them, or put them in an aromatic stew... you ... place them in uncomfortable parts of one's anatomy.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

See, I didn't get that at first ... now I do. Oh my God. Poor Hexane. >_< You're an evil genius, Firvulag.
-- Acyl

"No person should ever have something placed in there that is larger than a fist and less loving than a dildo."

--George Carlin
---

The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI

"Zen?"

"Zen."

Grayed eyes popping open before depressing the button on her radio "Yes?" She'd been sitting for a handful of hours meditating in a quiet spot
behind the deafening hum of the super's generator just to be alone with her thoughts before her shift. "I need a favor" the male voice asked of
her over that loud humming and pulsing "give me twenty" she muttered before clicking off her radio and drawing up to her feet.

A slowed wandering pace washed over her as she drifted to the telepad in the base. Fingers fanning only to ball into fist and pop before claws jutted out and
receded as she punched in the coordinates for Talos. Young heroes, starry eyed and full of energy buzzing about her as she drifted to the station. Basinns
stood calmly handing out assignments to hopefuls as her mere presence, meaning her clearance badge threatened to part the crowd as the upstarts gave her a wide
birth where she stood in wait.

Basinns waited until a few had come and gone before Zen slinked up to his side and leaned on the outside wall of the precinct. "We've had some
trouble, but not the kind that just anyone can handle" while signing off a work order, not bothering to turn to her as he did. "Hum" the asked
in a mildly inquisitive tone, his only reply was to hand her a police report.

"Nice work" she replied dully while thumbing through the pages idly Basinns shooting her an annoyed glance over his shoulder "It's on your
group Zen. Do you really want the rep for that kind of thing hanging over your head?" Zen handed back the file stepping away from her lean against the
wall "I'll see what I can do." Basinns barking after her as she started that calm wandering away "Get it done before they pass your
clearance level."

Bony fingers sinking into her leathers as she walked her way to the ferry in mild contemplation. She'd gone from one form of community service to a totally
different form. This whole hero of the city thing seemed so far from her reach. But here she was being handed one snot nosed hopeful after the other to work
with on their rise up in the list. It was only a matter of time they handed her a few that would be tough to mentor.

Stepping off the boat she drew her cellphone to shuffle through the numbers a moment, stowing it and turning to her radio having not found what she'd
needed. "Dispatch, patch me through to" enie mieny miney moe "Lost Sabre" a moment of silence before the operator chimed in "Patching
you through now." Zen checking the band and picking up the first thing that was nearby "Yeah?" the band popping silent "Zen Hart of The
Legendary, saw you were in the area, care to fight a bit of crime with me?" seconds passed before a peppy "Sure!" rang through.

Without speaking the two arrived on location at the mouth of a cave as Zen dropped from the sky and landed just shy of the young upstart. A graying eye gave
her a mild once over before stepping through the cave door without bothering to wait on Lost. The second her eye caught sight of a Circle operative her
heartbeat slowed with her breathing and she was in their faces without hesitation.

Lost came crashing through behind her as those grey eyes caught the sheen of a broadsword. Her mind flat-lining in an instant as it swung around with it's
massive weight. Zen pulling a moment straight out of the Matrix as she leaned letting that heavy silver glide a half inch away from her face. It taking a few
silvered grays free of her head. Right... beware of team mate, she thought to herself before pressing on though mindful of the full force of Lost's swing.

Mob after mob falling one by one to the two geared for quick arrests with massive injuries dealt to the bad guys and as few as possible to the good. Everything
was everything as Zen sprinted into the mob that held the civilian at the heart of a collection of demon and man resigned to a darker purpose. The hostage
after being freed took to following Lost amid the vast tunnel system.

Zen and Lost had turned down separate tunnels, Zen locked in arms with another demon fighting tooth and nail to claw through his toughened hide, Lost
eventually zipping in beside her once more. Zen stood in the aftermath of the downed mob staring at Lost with this vacant expression on her face. Her voice
reflecting much the same "You lost the civ." Lost's eyes held the momentary look a deer makes when caught in the headlights of a car. "What
do you mean 'I' lost the civ?" Zen said nothing more in the moment as she kicked off to go looking for the woman.

She'd stopped against a tunnel wall to catch her breath from trying to keep up with the quicker scrapper and now realized she'd totally lost her
rescuers. Zen popping around the corner just as panic was about to wash in over the lady. Lost's voice poking through over the radio, something about
another team member, Zen was too busy trying to clean up after her error to have a civil reply until the victim was in her sights.

"Ma'am?" she asked turning the corner as the lady stood trying not to hyperventilate in her fear. Zen's radio clicking over to Lost "You
have com" as Zen motioned to the lady that she follow. Zen lead the civilian back to the entrance passing a nearly undetectable form of the added member
en route there. Lost zipping in behind them as Zen simply walked out without bothering to correct the youth on her error.

Zen was asked to stick with the young upstart that had joined the party and she nearly on auto pilot picked up another random thing on the scanner while Lost
and the other sat around greeting one another. Zen wouldn't bother opening her mouth again until there was an issue as a sapper smacked her several times
nearly knocking her flat on her back asleep. She backing away from the second grouping to handle the first without their attentions on solely her.

Out of the corner of her eye while she serrated flesh, dealing blows akin to a mac truck doing 60, she saw the younger hero weaving some sort of magic that
turned the Sapper on his own mob. It reminded Zen why sometimes even these lesser in rank heroes can impress where other's fail to make a positive
impression. Lost was called away by the supervisor of the realm when he rung to inform her that her promotion papers had been approved.

Zen was left in the quiet of her own mind as she walked in silence back to the ferry. Footfalls landing heavy to pause in front of Basinns with this slightly
annoyed look painted across her face as she crossed her arms and glanced to the concrete a moment. On the return of her glance up to stare him down she spoke
calmly but in a stern tone "Do you guys let just anyone with super abilities have a badge? Or is there some actual logic behind giving any nitwit
clearance?"

Basinns posturing in defense to the attack of her words "if they're competent to keep the peace we give em a badge if they aren't we ship em to
the Isles. I asked you to work with em because they're good at what they d-" Zen taking a step forward to point with a stern finger in his face
"I'm not a fucking babysitter and if you guilt trip me into cleaning up another one of your departments fuck ups" the finger jabbing into his
shoulder before turning to walk away from him before she flew off and hit him.

"They're good kids Zen." she stopping dead in her tracks to turn back and march straight up to him with purpose. Her tone leveling off as grey
eyes stared through him once again "And Paragon prime keeps promoting em despite how many buildings they level. They are just kids Detective, they're
going to blow buildings up in their off time. Only growing up will stop them, being assigned a babysitter isn't going to help them do that any
quicker." again she turned to walk off but this time the detective curled a hand about her forearm to stop her "You were their age once."

Wrong answer. A clawed fist pausing closely enough to his throat that the tips punctured lightly into the soft exposed flesh. "I was in Tibet at that age
learning how to fight for my life without killing people not decimating taco stands." a slow drawing back of his hand as her fist calmly recoiled from his
throat, she shifting her posture from a fighting stance to a calmer less threatening pose. "Being a hero isn't just about having gifts beyond that of
a normal person... heroes are born. Some from the rubble of their own lives and others simply have it as an inherent power."

The claws retracting as she placed a hand on Basinns shoulder in respect of them both being warriors though different paths had been taken. "Just roll
with em Detective, they'll either get better on their own or they'll disappear to the isles. But seriously..." withdrawing her hand with a light
shake to her head "I'm a trainer not a babysitter and I'm asking you nicely not to confuse the two again." turning to walk away again,
Basinns once more called after her "My money's on her, not you."

He was egging her on, challenging her to stand up to the kids in the Arena... Zen just kept walking knowing too much more of this conversation would wind up
with her having to pull the reigns in on beating the hell out of some poor officer. His heart was in the right place and Zen understood his motives well
enough. Zen would still have to check on the other one involved in the fiasco but Lost was as true to her name as any Hero could be. She might grow up if she
were staring down heavy artillery in a hot zone or she might go on wreaking havoc in Paragon.

Only time would tell which path she chose to walk along. Zen hopping back into the base to return to her meditations but pausing at a terminal to e-mail Lost
with a friendly challenge. Win or loose, Lost still might learn something from the experience. Whether it was simply a prideful smile as she wore the victory
or a new found understanding of her shortcomings.

----

Dear Wire,

So... you know Kung Fu?

Show me.

Love,

Vyper

----

Dear DS,

GIR wanna play?

Vyper

oh, hey, a Gauntlet! *nab*
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

Gir: play what?

Gir sat on the couch draped in a quilt with a tub of ice cream, it been a couple days since she been on the
task force with lost sabre, since she had her heart broken. Everyone kept telling her that the pain would go away, that she would feel better, but is was still
there. She looked up as she heard her phone ring, the caller ID said that Lost was trying to call her again, but Gir didn't really feel like talking to
her, she put the phone down and waited for it to stop ringing. She knew that it was a bad thing to do, but she really didn't feel like talking to Lost, not
yet. She burrowed back under the blankest and was about to doze off when she heard the door open, carefully she looked over the couch and smiled slightly as
she saw Dark Seraph struggling into the kitchen with an arm load of groceries. After bout of swearing and the sound of least one bag breaking Seraph exit the
kitchen.

"How are you?" He asked as he headed over to the couch

"Still a bit sad." She replied, she didn't know why he kept asking her that, maybe it was a
family thing.

Seraph sat down next to her. "You know your probably gona have to talk to Lost about what happened, I
spoke to her toady, you know?"

Gir let out a squeak. "What did you say?"

"Well I explained what happened, and I think she didn't realise how upset you were."

Gir's shoulders slumped, as she started to cry. "She… she didn't know"

Seraph cursed himself. "No.. well kinda…."

He trailed off as Gir started to sob, he was screwing this up, carefully he put an arm around her.

"look Gir, yes Lost didn't know, but that's not her fault, and yes you do hurt, but one day
you'll find some one you will click with, you may not realise it, but the right girl for you is out their somewhere." Seraph glanced at Gir, she'd
stoped crying, which was a good sign.

"So everyone's got some body?" she asked.

"Yes"

"Like you have Enynn?"

Seraph paused, and waved his free hand vaguely.

"I'm not sure what me and Enynn have to tell you the truth, but you've got the vague
idea."

Gir thought about this. "And the pain, when will it go?"

"That I can't really answer, it's different for different people, but don't let it drag you
down, talk to your friends about it, trust me, it helps"

Gir got up and hugged Seraph "thank you daddy" she said, before picking up her phone and heading of
to her room,





Gir sat on her bed, lights off, staring out the window at the night activity of Atlas Park. The frantic
scrabbling of the clockwork, usually guaranteed to bring at least a giggle to the normally cheerful girl, failed to so much as raise an eyebrow. The phone rang
again, and Gir looked down to see the neon green taco she had assigned to Lost Sabre's caller ID. Gir took a deep breath and pushed the green button to
accept the call.

"Gir! I'm SO SORRY I didn't know please don't be mad at me!" lost panicked voice blared from the ear piece.

"I'm not mad at you, just sad, daddy told me he talked to you about it"

"I figured.. I'm really sorry, Gir, You're my best friend here in Paragon, I just.. I'm just not
interested in girls. I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know, I had Mister Terr explain it to me, it hurts, but it's not your
fault."

Gir paused dreading the answer to her next question

"Can we still be friends?" she asked hesitantly

"Please? I was scared that you didn't want to be my friend anymore."

I smile spread across Gir face upon hearing Lost's reply, and the pain in her chest
lessen.

"Of course I wants to be your friend…. Well I wanted a little bit more, but I settle
for friend. Um, you want to do something tomorrow…. As friends"

"Kay, what you got in mind?"

Gir made plans to visit a new Mexican restaurant with lost, thanked her for still wanting
to be friends, before getting changed and climbing into bed. Hugging her stuffed piggy close she drifted off to sleep



******

the second half is 70% wires work, so he get more credit than me

Vanguard Debriefing Report: Binary Fusion, Temporal Fault
Subject: Status of Villainous Groups in "Vanguard Earth", Arachnos
[Recording begins]
"It's kind of funny, yeah? You'd think that Arachnos would've been the first to take advantage of the weakness caused when the Rikti started winning battles directly all over Paragon. And they would have, probably....if the Rikti hadn't hit Grandville first. The video from Reporter Vines on the scene was just....even though you knew these people were evil? No one deserved that."
[Video recording found in files brought with arrivals begins playing.]
The skies of Grandville go sickly green as Arachnos' equivalent to the War Walls are overloaded by the strain of the attack ships. Dozens of dropships pour through arriving portals, opening fire into the city below. A Huntsman on the street is screaming into his communicator. The words "56 ships" are visible on his lips, though no one can hear him through the thrumming noise of the Rikti dropships' antigrav and the pulsing thumps of Grandville's anti-air defenses filling the skies with coherent light and deadly shrapnel. One dropship flickers and explodes in mid-air under concentrated bombardment, before deadly lightning of Rikti particle beams rips into the defenses. Walls explode inward and screams are heard. The camera jerks towards the central tower of Grandville and sees for a brief moment the gnat-like specks of people who'd been standing on sections of the upper towers as the Rikti beams carve into the structure, severing gantryways, causing landslides of debris into the lower levels. With a creaking groan like a damned soul, one huge section of "web" breaks free, tumbling down into the urban scrawl below. The impact is audible from a mile away, even as Arachnos fliers launch from the remaining bays, using their VTOL capability to scratch out whatever advantadge they can get against the advanced warships bearing down on them. There's a horrific thud and the camera jerks around again, to see the sight of a dropship impaled upon the upper level of the tower, its thrusters still burning. Which is when the dropship itself explodes, severing the head of Grandville Tower and sending the throne of Arachnos plummeting into freefall into the ground below...
[Video Recording Ends.]
"Apparently Recluse was in the tower when it happened. No one found any body, but given how hard that area got hit by the Rikti later with bombs and particle fire, and his absence since then, most people are fairly sure he's dead."
"So who's in charge now?"
"The one person Daos was sure he could trust. Ghost Widow's been loyal to Arachnos above everything else for some time. And Daos wasn't stupid enough to want the head seat himself. The advantadges, as they explained them to us, were pretty good. Arachnos could effectively no longer be decapitated when its leader was literally immortal by dint of being dead already. Ghost Widow's loyalty assured that her actions would benefit Arachnos, and she was powerful enough to hold onto power if anyone'd challenge her. Of course, no one did."
"Really? Black Scorpion hated her."
"Lost in the initial attack. Ghost Widow would've been too, if not for her being dead and all. Apparently the tower collapse couldn't kill her more than anything else."
"And the other Patrons?"
"Scirocco'd been on the front lines in St. Martial, fighting a Rikti offensive. Mako was with him, under orders to find the Rikti war leader and take him out."
"So Silver Mantis..."
"Naw. She just...disappeared after Scorpion died. She was still alive, obviously, but something must've...broke inside of her. Aeon took over Scorpion's post, while Kalinda replaced Ghost Widow since her acension to the head of Arachnos. Truthfully, the setup's pretty ideal."
"Ideal? Scirocco and Ghost Widow, I'll give you, but Mako?"
"It's war, man. Ghost Widow comitted the full assistance of the Rogue Isles to Vanguard after the attack, something Recluse had refused consistently to do even when the ships started falling. She's more pragmatic than him. Similarly, Mako's a highly trained, vicious assassin. He's racked up more kills of highly ranked Rikti generals than any other single hero, villian, or soldier, and probably more than any ten combined. Scirocco's Ghost Widow's default second in command, while Aeon and Kalinda are too new to their positions to really offer any resistance regarding policy. Given what the tactical section's gotten from the precog divisions of Arachnos, it may be they see their survival as tied to ours as everyone else does."
"I see. And Vanguard's opinion?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend....but the fact they're still an enemy has to be respected. Arachnos is on our side...for now. Doesn't mean we aren't waiting for the back-stabbers to try to gank us from behind if we win the war."
[Record ends]
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

Youhave a navi for taking thing to their logical extremes, I wouldn't have thought of this but it makes sense now that you lay it out
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

The Saint Martial penthouse was the very pinnacle of serenity. The simple and tasteful decor was accented here and there with the occasional trophy or scroll of Calligraphy scribed by the current occupant of the room.

Lady Nogitsune opened her writing case and unrolled a fresh scroll. With skill gained through lifetimes of practice, she prepared the sumi-e ink, meditating on the truths she would impart in graceful strokes of the brush. She allowed her mind to wander briefly through her time as a kit so long ago and the shock of sentience on gaining her second tail. She flowed into graceful motion, inking the hundreds of characters necessary for the first of thirteen scrolls for her latest scheme.

She repeated the task twelve more times, each time focusing her will on different parts of her long existence. Satisfied, she set the scrolls to dry and instructed one of her newest kunoichi recruits who showed the most promise to roll them when they were dry. She stepped into the next room, which was awash with the activity of her six most trusted underlings. Kareshi, resplendent in her geisha attire, placed the penultimate touches on the ornate scroll cases which would allow Nogi to convince the Tsoo that the recently finished scrolls were genuine ancestral relics.

She smiled to herself and took a seductive pose, looking over her shoulder with eyes full of promise. "Anata," she breathed as Mace Mac Hine embraced her from behind, the pattern of the tattoos on his arms complementing the embroidery on her kimono.

"Hey, babe," he said, chuckling. "I'm back in the Isles, did ya miss me?"

"This one has indeed missed her beloved," she replied, twisting in his grasp to place a gentle kiss. "This one has been keeping herself occupied in his absence, however."

"Oh? Anything I should watch for?"

She smiled, her features taking on the tell-tale foxy grin. "Ara. This one would hate to spoil the surprise!"

In a fit of girlishness, she dragged her husband to a private location. After all, one did have to look after conjugal duties....
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

hotcha hotcha!
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

It was a quiet day in the Barnes household. Miranda Barnes, part time heroine, full time engineer, was sitting crosslegged on the floor, dismantling one of her
brothers gauntlets and carefully arranging the parts on the drop cloth in front of her. At the table, Robert Barnes, Knight of the Peace, was trying to work
out his taxes, and not getting anywhere.

"All I got was a cheque from Hasbro," Rob grumbled. "How the hell do I know how many actual amounts of the product that is?"

"Product?" Mir asked.

"Action figures."

"Check the letter that came with the cheque. Page three," she said. Rob paused, looked at her, then stood up and went to check his records.

"How do you know that?" he called out from the next room.

"Nene mentioned it the other day," she replied, before looking up as the mail dropped through the door slot. Putting down the gauntlet and the sonic
screwdriver, she got up and collected it, sorting through assorted bills, letters and such. She paused as she found the Silky Dolls Spring Heroine Catalogue.
Looking interested, she put the rest down and started flipping through, pausing on occasion to admire either the outfits or the models.

Have you always been so interested in... oh my... murmured the mental voice of her Kheldian partner.

Not before I got you Shadey, she said. You're the one behind those lusts.

Uh-huh... Mir paused, her eyes lingering on the centerfold shot, noting that the familiar twitch of jealousy at Ifrits
figure was competing rather well with other sensations caused by the sight of the fey sister in nothing but robes of the Sybils. She's your sister, Shadey managed after a moment.

Then give me back control of my eyes, dammit! she retorted, getting a feeling of embarrassment from her partner in
response. Mir grinned slightly, then looked up as Robert came back in, his attention on the located paperwork.

"Oh yeah, here it is. Man... still can't believe I have action figures," he muttered, sitting back down. "Wild."

Mir nodded slightly, noting she really needed to do more hero work if she wanted a figure of her own. Then she looked back down at the catalogue, paused, and
considered something. That's evil. Do it! Shadey declared, having learnt the art of sibling snark surprisingly
quickly.

"Say... Rob?" the Warshade said out loud.

"Yeah?" he replied, most of his attention on a calculator.

"Ifrit's pretty much your clone, right?"

"Yes...?"

"And she started out with your personality and memories, right?"

Rob paused, apparently recognizing the tone of her voice from years of experience. "Where are you going with this?" he asked carefully.

"Well..." She turned the catalogue around for Robert to see, enjoying his 'sister sister sister' moment. "For someone that started out
as you, I find it interesting that she's so much more girly then I could ever be."

Rob's brain snapped onto the matter at hand, and he glared at the blue-haired girl. "And not just the hot body, the modeling..." Miranda
continued. "She's a mother, and there's the way she talks, her body language, the way she walks... although with hips like those, she can't
walk any other way. And her fashion sense," she mused, enjoying the giggling in her head. "You never see her just throw on a shirt and baggy pants,
it's always near perfect..."

Her brother continued glaring for a moment, then said calmly, "Go tie your tentacles in a knot."

"Something you haven't been telling me?" she grinned. "Should we go talk to a witch about a little transformation magic?"

"This is why God created Quantum weapons," he scowled, only getting a wider grin in response. "And why local firearms laws don't let me own
one," he grumbled, turning his attention back to the paperwork.

ahh, the not so quiet sounds of sibling rivalry

I enjoyed it, more please!
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

Dark Seraph and Sera -chan stood in front of the notice board in Riot, Seraph had no idea how she coned him
into this.

"Come on.... put it up." she said bouncing up and down on the spot.

sighing, Seraph stuck the notice on the board, it read as following

"Rooms for rent, affordable, in heart of atlas, contact Dark Seraph"

turning to his sister Seraph asked "you happy now?"

"Yep" she beamed

"Your smiling.... that's never good"

---

Short thing to tie you over till I finish my next story

"You're sure of this?" Madigan asked, leaning back in her chair as the redhead in front of her practically vibrated with pleasure at pulling out
another secret.

"Yep! Those toasters don't come close to being able to keep me out, even if they've got chips for brains," she noted, preening. "And the
idiot said as much in front of her without erasing the memory file. It was child's play."

Which is probably why you actually succeeded in finding the information, Madigan thought to herself. Nena was a savant
in many ways. If the information existed in the brain she was scanning, she could find it without so much as a twitch unless one had active psionic defense
measures. They'd even tested her on computer mainframes, though that had been less successful. The "spark" which defined machine sentience had to
be present in order for her to have a frame of reference from which to dig into another "mind" with the ease that she did. Non-sentient machines
frustrated her, and Nena was not one to handle frustration well, usually giving up out of pique rather than pressing further forward.

All of which led to the information that Nena had taken from her surveillance of the unit "MiMi Blade". Madigan snorted at the codename. Their
creator clearly had no concept of the symbolism inherent in the Scimitar project's naming system, but then, he apparently had little idea of who he was
attempting to deal with. She could ruin his chances with Crey now. Have him broken by Crey's reprogrammers and made into an obedient little drone....but
that would be too simple.

Even before she'd been uploaded into the GENOM mainframe that had caused her inadvertant transfer to this dimension, Madigan had been a corporate shark.
And she'd risen to the top position available in GENOM on her wits and ability to play the corporate game with a style and subtlety that outwitted the
nastiest and most diabolically clever executives that humankind could dream of. Only Brian J. Mason had ever been better, and that had worked out nicely,
hadn't it? Crey, by comparison, was small potatoes, but she had to play the game for now, and she knew it better than anyone else....and one never let
their skills fall out of practice.

"Very good Nena. You're dismissed for now. Go run along and play with your pet," she noted with a smirk, as Nena rolled her eyes at the
description of her loyal "bodyguard" in the Infamous. She'd hardly needed a bodyguard, but Nena's childlike enthusiasm for playing with her
powers seemed to settle on her fairly often. Madigan wondered if the formerly human cyborg retained any semblance of independent thought at this point....

"Galatea," she said, the armored figure flickering into view at her shoulder. "You're going to deliver a message...."

***

The office that Dib had been given was small, but frankly, he hadn't expected much. Crey demanded results before it gave of the priveleges it was capable
of, and Hopkins' challenge to bring in one of the more notable rogue "Sabres" had yet to be met, so he could hardly demand better treatment at
the moment without possibly intruding on his welcome....

The small disc sitting on his desk, however, was new. Given his own tendencies, that meant that somehow he hadn't been informed of its delivery...which
meant someone had bypassed his security entirely. He made a quick note to readjust the parameters as he put the disc in....to be confronted with a striking
woman whose lavender hair wasn't hardly as eye-catching as her eyes which were very, very sharp and very, very unamused. In fact, her face looked like one
that smiles were fairly alien to....at least, pleasant ones.

"Mr. Membrane...." she began with a smile that confirmed his suspicions about her facial structure. "It's come to my attention that you are
the new project lead of something called Project: Blade. As the effective field commander of Project Scimitar, I am, of course, required to coordinate with
you. In that sense, I believe a clarification of our roles is required..." she smiled again, before her expression turned into something like a cat
watching a mouse that didn't know it was already trapped. "Simply put, you are competition. Your entire position hinges on being better than what I
and my subordinates are capable of. Everything you gain will be lost from Project Scimitar, and I am not one to roll over and accept the ascendance of an
incompetent. You're new to corporate politics, so let me be blunt so you don't misunderstand. Regardless of our mutual employers, you have made me your
enemy by choosing to attempt to replace me. And you've already made some very grievous mistakes. Such as leaving the information that you are deceiving
Crey about the number of Blade units you've constructed. And considering from the start that you will eventually betray Crey. Both of these are offenses
suitable to certain.....re-education procedures. And I indeed have duplicates of the evidence for such accusations. But I feel no need to bring it forward just
yet." The predator's smile was more befitting a shark than a human being. "I will tolerate your existence for now. It gives my Scimitars
something to keep them from getting lazy and slipping from the top of their game. But if you ever seriously attempt to threaten me or my project, I will ruin
you, Mr. Membrane, and sow your grave with salt in the process. Just so you're aware of the fact the safety net below your tight rope has been removed.
Also, please don't get any ideas. My headquarters is far, far more secure than the labs in Paragon. Recluse is much less concerned with the concept of Crey
possessing a "private army" in his domain than Paragon's City Hall. And I react...poorly....to physical assaults on my person or the persons of
my employees. Good day, Mr. Membrane."

Dib's expression had hardened as he watched the recording, as he certainly recognized the commander of the Scimitar unit(and a Scimitar herself) Katherine
Madigan. However, before he could summarize his thoughts on the recording's implications and the massive security breach it implied, he felt a pair of pin
pricks on his back....as a dark armored figure faded into view. "Don't cause any alarms. This isn't an assassination," Shadow Scimitar noted
quietly. "Simply a....gentlewoman's notice of who you're up against. Good day, Mr. Membrane," she said just as softly, before backing up and
fading into invisibility again. The door opened, then shut on its own accord as Dib watched, as the bloody right hand of the woman who'd just declared
herself his enemy made her way out of his facility as undetected as MiMi had been within the Crey labs in Paragon.

In hindsight, that was probably the point.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

.... what have i goten myself into?

but on the flip side... this will work nicely into the plan i have for Dib and his Blades

( Monday 6/ 4/ 9 7:30 pm)

Skyway City

Crxy mix Coffee shop



It was a dead night for once, so Laz was using the lull to get the dishes done, it been three weeks since she started working here and she loved every second of it, hell were else could she walk around with her
"normal" face and not have people staring. But then again, the regulars… well to put it bluntly there were Lost that looked better than some of the
clientele. Not that Laz cared.

She just finished the last of them when she heard the dull clunk as her boss entered the room. Drying off her
hands she turned to him. "What's up Term?" she asked

Most people found the hulking cyborg skeleton form of Term mildly intimidating. Laz found it entertain as
hell, especially when he was operating the espresso machine.

"Your sisters here, looks like she's got something on her mind." His voice came out in a dull
rasp.

"So.. mind if I knock off early?"

"Knock yourself out, it's not like theirs anyone around tonight."

"Thanks."

Laz head out in to the main store and saw Gir nursing a cup, a quick check conformed it was tea, she
didn't trust Gir with anything stronger.

"Hey short stuff, what's up?"

Gir looked at Laz and bit her lip, which meant she either broke something or she need some help with
something.

"Um Laz…. I need some help"

"Okay, lets sit down and you can tell me what you broke"

Laz took Gir to a table in a corner and sat her down.

"So what did you bust?" She asked

"I didn't break anything, it's… um… well its mumble mumble" Gir shyly replied

"I have no idea what you just said."

Gir stared sheepishly at her hands, a blush slowly making its way across her face.

Laz grinned in realisation. "ooh, is it a problem of the heart then?"

"… yes, I was In Cimoria early today and I got asked out on a date and at first I was all "yay
I'm gona go on a date" but after it was over I started panicking cuz I have no idea what to do on a date and all those chick flicks I watched make
dating look so complicated and now I don't know what to do and I'm afraid I might screw it up."

Laz mentally slowed down her sister's rant so it would make sense.

"So you have a date and you came to me? I would like to point out I'm the worst person to talk to
about this sort of stuff, why didn't you ask Lost or your new friend Patti?"

"Well lost was beating the snot out of a lady who wanted me to go to the rouge isles for tacos, but she was lying… and as for Patti…." Gir trailed off her face turning a
deeper red.

"Ah, she's the one that asked you out?"

"… Yes…"

"And you're worried you'll do something incredibly stupid, right?"

"Yes"

Laz thought about this, Gir was still new to this sort of thing, maybe a few helpful pointers wouldn't go
astray.

"Okay Gir, first things first, where is Patti taking you for this date?"

"Um… burgers and a movie."

"Okay, so I don't think you have to worry about her trying to get into your pants…. Unless she has
some plan, then I'll have to introduces her to Mr lead pipe"

"Um Laz… why would she want in my pants, it not like I could fit a second person in them."

Laz paused "… your kidding, right? I mean, dad did give you the talk, with out net threatening to break
his arm?"

Realisation spread across Girs face. "Oh…. You mean… sex stuff."

"I swear if you blush any more you'll rupture a blood vessel or something, but yes, sex
stuff."

"Can we move on to the second thing Laz?"

"Okay, second thing, are you interested in her?"

"Well she's really nice, I mean she doesn't treat me like a kid which is kinda nice and she
really pretty."

Laz nodded. "So I gusset ha leaves number three, what you gonna where?"

"Is that important?

"Very, we'll see what we can hook you up with."

They chatted for a bit longer before heading out. Laz stoped by the door to change to her "civilian"
face

"So you feel better about your upcoming date?" Laz asked as the made waited for the next train to
atlas.

"Yeah, I don't feel like I'm gona make a fool of my self now." Gir wrapped her arms around
Laz and hugged her fiercely. "Thanks Laz."

She smiled as she reached down and ruffled Gir's hair. "Your welcome short stuff, its all part of
being a big sis."

"Thanks again."



****

Intro sort of for a story i'm working on with Ran

as useual, enjoy

The following is set between missions two and three of my mission arc 'Attack of the Catgirls'. Names have not been changed to protect the embarrassed.

***

"Is it magic?" Lady of the Peace asked, her voice strangely calm.

The doctor in front of her mistook the nature of the seeming calm. "Well, we're not really sure. The requirements of a full physical change, replacing
all the subjects cells, in such a short and dramatic time frame, would seem to suggest that. It's really quite fascinating actually. There are countless
methods of high-speed transformation, obviously, but to mass produce it in such a simple form... this could be revolutionar-" He looked up from his notes
at a sudden flare of heat, finding himself looking into Lady's fiery eyes.

"Doctor, that is my brother in there," she growled. "Not some test subject, not a fascinating experiment, my brother. A hero that has saved
countless lives, and doesn't deserve to put up with you talking like that where he can hear you." She turned to Net Sabre, standing next to her.
"Call Stephen and get him here. We need an actual professional handling this."

"But she can't hear us here," the doctor protested as Dark Glass shoved past him and walked towards the door.

"I have two catgirls. I know how good their hearing is," Lady said coldly, walking past him. Net Sabre regarded him for a long moment, expression
hidden behind her helmet, before walking away to make a phone call.

"Little hard on him?" Dark Glass murmured to her sister softly.

"You could see it in his eyes," she scowled, opening the door and stepping inside. The Warshade followed, stopping in the doorway at the sight of the
figure curled up on the bed. She'd heard what the doctor had said, what Alice had reported, but even so... Instead of the familiar sight of Robert Barnes,
long time hero and older brother, there was a tall, black furred catgirl on the bed, one sleek leg pulled up against a considerable chest that the hospital
gown utterly failed to hide.

Hearing them come in, she looked up at them, reaching up and brushing a massive mane of blonde hair out of the way, revealing a face that, if not for the black
fur and yellow stripes, was identical to Ifrits. As she closed the door behind her, Dark Glass couldn't stop the quip from slipping out. "Well, this
proves once and for all that you got the hot babe gene in the family."

"Miranda," Ifrit scolded as Robs eyes flashed, showing the slits the pupils had become.

"You're a shapeshifter these days," she replied with a smirk. "If the concept of big tits really fills you with burning envy, go right ahead
and swell them up."

"Nice comeback," Ifrit noted, moving over and sitting down on the bed. "If I needed any proof it's really you, that'd do it." Rob
snorted, ears twitching. "How're you doing?"

"Sore. Tired. Angry," she muttered, hands clenching into fists around the bedsheets. "Sick of those fucking doctors poking and prodding me,
taking my blood... what, didn't they get enough of that last night when they had me chained to the damn bed?" Her ears were flat against her head,
tail lashing back and forth, before she looked up at them. "Thanks for telling him off."

Ifrit smiled weakly. "I nearly punched him," she admitted, then her head jerked back slightly as three gleaming silver claws emerged from between the
knuckles on Robs left hand. Miranda looked at the claws (Often called wolvers for some reason she'd never heard of), with more then a little fascination.

"I think I tried to use these on him last night," she said softly, raising her arm to study them. "Or one of them. I cut through the restraints,
went for them... I don't remember anything for a little while after that." She stared at the claws for a long moment. "Sorry they didn't let
you in. It... It was in my medical instructions."

"You had medical instructions for being poisoned?" Miranda asked, surprise in her voice.

Rob laughed bitterly. "Instructions for being drugged out of my mind," she replied with a slight snarl. "Remember that kid I rescued before
Christmas? The one Atta tried to turn into a Supa Troll?" The other women nodded in reply. "I realized... something like that could happen to any of
us one day. I... I didn't want you to see me like that," she continued, voice wavering. "I didn't want you to see me like this." As the
claws slid back into her hand, vanishing without a trace, Ifrit pulled her older... sibling into a gentle embrace.

"I've been there myself," she whispered softly.

Rob shook her head. "Not this," she said, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "That's not... I... You've dealt with this, I can deal
with it myself. It's not this..." She pulled her legs in slightly, sniffling. "They... they poisoned me. I would have done anything for them. I
woke up yesterday, and I needed it. Yarnball, it... I can't describe it 'frit," she mumbled.

"Then don't," the fey whispered gently, squeezing the catgirls shoulder.

"They had a telepath work through, try and get my mind back into shape, but they didn't get it all," Rob murmured. "It was divine. Every
part of my body felt alive, every hair nearly vibrating. My legs were so weak, I couldn't talk, I couldn't think. There was only this light... And then
it was gone. It was so wonderful, but it didn't last. They said if I was good, they'd give me more." Her body tensed again, anger returning.
"I would have done anything for the bastards, just to feel like that again. They turned me into one of their... their damn junkies," she spat.

"Well, they didn't get to keep you," Mir pointed out honestly. "They got to you in time, and like you said, even if the doctors can't
reverse the changes, you can deal."

The catgirl opened her eyes again and regarded Miranda again, eyes gleaming with rage. "That's not enough," she said in a dangerous tone. "I
need to get the bastards that did this, that tried to make me a fucking pet." She clenched her hands into fists again. "I need to see them, to beat
them... Make them get a good look at these claws," she spat, ears flat against her head, body trembling with rage.

Ifrit regarded her for a long moment, considering, then spoke. "You'll get your chance." Her sisters looked at her in confusion. "Alice
called earlier. There's another shipment of that filth coming in today, in just over an hour, on a ship scheduled to dock in Independence Port. The heroes
she called in for this mess are going to be paying it a visit."

The Warshades eyes widened in surprise. "Um, 'frit," she said as Rob's expression and body language shifted from helpless anger and shame, to
properly directed wrath. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea..."

"No, it's just what's needed," Ifrit replied calmly, sliding out of the reassuring embrace and pulling a bag out of nowhere. "I modified
one of my costumes. The armored bodysuit variant. It's not the power armor you're used to," she apologised as Rob took the bag and opened it to
reveal the body armor, repainted in Knight of the Peaces usual colors, "but hopefully you'll make do."

Rob slid off the bed and ripped the hospital gown off, pulling on the bodysuit. The shame and humiliation had vanished, replaced by an expression that frankly,
unnerved both the Warshade, and the alien lover in her head. "But, you're dealing with a new body, different weapons, different protections..."
she protested.

"I'll make do," Rob said calmly, in the same tone Ifrit had used talking to the doctor earlier. She popped her wolvers, made sure they came
through the gauntlets cleanly, then tapped the button that had the suit seal up and mold to her curves. "I see you fixed the boots," she noted dryly.

Ifrit shrugged. "Could hardly let you get into your first catfight when you could hardly walk," she teased lightly, handing Rob a teleporter.
"Dock Twelve. Let me guess, you need-"

"-to do this alone," Knight of the Peace finished, setting the destination and pressing the launch button. As the small device built up a final
charge, she looked over at Miranda, whose expression had gone past shock into pure horror. "Don't worry," she said with a shrug. "I'm
too cute to die." And in a flash of light, she was gone.

Miranda stared at the empty space for a moment, then looked at Ifrit. "Have you lost your mind?!" she yelled. "She's charging off to get
killed!" In reply, Lady of the Peace pulled out another two teleporters. "Uhhh..."

"Please, you think I'm letting her do this alone?" she asked with a wry smile as the door was thrown open and the doctor from earlier charged in,
followed by Net Sabre.

"Rob's gone off to vent anger in a suitable direction?" Net asked her fiancee with a laugh in her voice.

"Of course," she laughed. "Now we need to go and keep an eye on her."

"Miss Barnes, what the hell do you-"

"Oh do shut up before I burn your eyebrows off," Ifrit retorted. "You coming sis?"

"... Well, I guess that's the only decent thing to do... and I better call Alice, she's gonna want to let those heroes she recruited know about
this," Miranda grumbled, pulling out her cell phone and teleporter at the same time. "I really wish you'd warn me about these things before you
set them into motion..."

***

Alice stared at Inyme from across her bed, the Rikti girl not looking in her direction as she ate her late night snack while typing out something on the
computer sitting on Alice's desk. This, in and of itself, was not unusual. To Inyme, eating was something she relished, given that, before her change, all
food had been seasoned via telepathic "flavor transmission" along the Rikti mindnet. The concept of tasting her food via her own taste buds was still
alien to her, and since her secret had been outed, Inyme no longer had to hide her unusually intense enjoyment of eating. In that sense, all was normal.

No, what was unusual was the distinct aroma that Alice's unusually acute sense of smell was detecting coming from her, a sharp contrast to the sandwich she
was digging into. A smell that wasn't food, but still decorative...following her nose, Alice moved up closer to Inyme, curious, before confirming where it
was coming from.

"....someone kissed you," she said, causing Inyme to almost choke on her sandwich before she managed to force the food down the right tube, her dark
skin blushing slightly in places that Alice had long (and intimate) enough experience with the girl to recognize despite the comparatively harder to notice
change in tint when compared to a person of lighter complexion.

"I....it was...." she stammered slightly, as Alice watched, somewhere between curiousity and amusement.

"I was working a Vanguard job with some other operatives...."

***

"We had a brief run-in before. I didn't find her very pleasant," Inyme muttered, blinking at the still rather strong sense of approval that
admission got from the tall silver haired ninja that was assisting them as QB Kitsune smiled faintly and nodded. "Afterwards, she went out the door and
never came back. I expected some kind of ninja vendetta about making a point of breaking me for my defiance or something..." she admitted, toppling over
another group of Rikti.

QB nodded, twitching slightly. "Sh-she can be awfully inscrutable."

"Hn," Sachie noted, after putting a Rikti comm. officer through the wall. "You didn't want her, and you didn't care if she killed you.
The only thing she had left to get at you would be your Alice, and Vanguard wouldn't have let her do that."

Inyme's eyes darkened for a brief moment. "If she'd tried, I would've snapped her neck.....non-lethally," she added at the
"sound" of several of the heroes on the team giving her worried looks.

"Then she would've had a new host, given your magic sensitivity," QB noted, shivering.

Sachie, meanwhile, snorted in derisive amusement. "I'd wager 50 on the Rikti in that fight," she noted
with grim amusement.

"Can't say I'd not like to run into her again....I could make up for my lousy aim from before," Inyme said after a while, QB glancing over at
her.

"Aim?"

"I hit her shoes because the psi-buffers wouldn't let me telekinetically alter the trajectory. I was aiming for her face," Inyme answered simply,
drawing several stares as Sachie laughed out loud. Inyme glanced over in slight surprise as the large ninja walked over, shaking her head in slight wonder.

"You....you tried to spit in Lady Nogitsune's......" she said, before bending over and laying one on Inyme's lips, the Rikti's eyes going
as wide as QB's beside her before Sachie broke the split second contact and grinned at her. "Good show," she grinned fiercely, before diving back
into the horde of Rikti, leaving Inyme blinking as QB patted her on the back awkwardly.

"Um....yeah. Go you...yay."

***

"Wasn't quite expecting that after her girlfriend ever so subtly suggested I take a long deep whiff of a Yarnball crate we confiscated," Inyme
admitted. "Nogi's her mother."

"So, Sachie kissed you because you tried to spit in the face of her girlfriend's mother?"

"I think so. You're not mad?"

"That you ran into some crazy ninja threesome thing? Nah," she smiled. "Just need to get that scent off," she noted, leaning in to kiss
her, Inyme putting the sandwich back on its plate as Alice leaned her up against the bed's headboard.

"Sammy's going to be irritable if we keep her up all night again...."

"Mum got me some acoustic dampers," Alice noted. "It was either that or Sammy started sharpening her claws on my stuff."

Inyme blinked. "I didn't know they made those. Huh."

"Just another neat invention from Posi...tron's lab...." Alice noted, mentally kicking herself as Inyme failed to hide a wince entirely.

Sorry, she said mentally, radiating apology.

It's okay...it's not your fault. Old prejudices...old hate....I have to deal with it sooner or later, Inyme
returned.

And I'll be here to help, Alice nodded firmly.

You always have been, even when you didn't know there was anything to help
with, Inyme smiled softly as Alice leaned up against her.

And you helped me out with my problems too. It evens out nicely, she noted with a giggle, kissing Inyme again as they
leaned against the wall, Inyme's breath quickening even as Alice started purring.

"That's it, I'm going to find Derrick," a familiar muffled voice was audible saying from the other side of the wall, which set Inyme to
giggling uncontrollably, followed by Alice shortly thereafter.

"I know you two!" the voice indignantly squeaked through the wall. "It'll be loud and sweaty and you'll be grinning all of tomorrow
and...."

"Are you trying to talk us out of it or not?" Inyme managed through her giggles, setting Alice off even more, the catgirl laughing helplessly into
her girlfriend's chest.

"I...you....ARGH!"
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."