It's far too late to make this part of the standard character description, so let's just do this for fun: Get into character, and answer this modified version of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proust_Questionnaire]the Proust Questionnaire. Which character is up to you, but it should be one (or more) of the characters you control, or an open character that you created.

This post has the list of just the questions so that we have them available for easy copy-and-paste. Yes, it is intentionally Twenty Questions. Yes, they're intentionally not in question form, just like the originals...

(Edit: Maybe this could be an in-universe part of Maico Tange's website, where she asks these of people both famous and unknown and posts the replies...)

Your favorite virtue
The quality that you most admire in a man
The quality that you most admire in a woman
What you appreciate the most in your friends
Your main fault
Your favourite occupation
Your dream of happiness
Your idea of misery
If not yourself, what you should like to be
Where you would like to live
Your favorite authors
Your favorite composers
Your favorite artists
Your favorite fictional heroes
Your heroes in real life
What you hate most of all
Historical figures that you despise the most
How you wish to die
Your present state of mind
Faults for which you have the most toleration
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

I know this is a bit odd, a city of heroes fic, but I started writing this when we heard that the game was closing down.
Sadly, when the game went down, I put it to the wayside and sort of gave up on writing for a while, City of Heroes and you guys had inspired me to put my stories to paper, with it gone, the desire to write died with it.

Then recently, Ran pointed out that fact, that my writing had all but died, so I dusted this off and finished it, this could be my last fic... or it could be the spark to flue the creative flames.

As always, please enjoy and beware my typos and gramma skills.

***

Month one.

Seraph residence.

Pattie lounged on the couch, Gir curled
up next to her as she stroked her hair, smirking as her other hand
rested on Gir's belly. They had just dropped over after visiting the
doctor and they confirmed that Gir was pregnant with their second
child.

So of course they had to visit the rest
of the family to share the good news.

There was a low groan as Neph wobbled
it no the room and dropped on a free chair, her face pale as she let
out a low moan of discomfort. Pattie looked over and raised an
eyebrow curiously. It was rare to see Neph sick and on the few times
she was, she normally just stayed at home. “What’s wrong with
you?” she asked.

The middle child of the Seraph family
looked over her glasses, her blue eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
“Don't know.... just feel like crap of a morning, like a got a
stomach bug or something, normally goes away after a few hours.”

Pattie turned to look at Gir... who had
recently had similar symptoms... but that was morning sickness...
unless...

Looking to her wife, Patti raised an
eyebrow as Gir sat up and smiled slightly. “Neph, would you happen
to be.” she paused and tapped her chin. “Late?”

The other woman shifted awkwardly.
“What do you mean?”

Gir continued as Patti chuckled. “Well,
you’re not taking the pill, right? So if your late... that would
imply...” She let the sentence hang.

“What? Up the duff? Ha, as if.”

“Well, how long have you been
suffering morning sickness like symptoms?”

“I been feeling under the weather for
a few weeks...” She trailed off as the colour started to drain form
her face. “NO! No no no no no!”

There was the sounds of footsteps
Seraph walked into the room. “What's going on in here?” he asked.

Patti had moved over to Neph to try and
put a hand on her arm while Gir gave him a shrug. “Um... I sort of
suggested Neph being sick might mean she's pregnant.”

Seraph walked over. “Well, a simple
look at your aura should say if you are or not Kido.” he placed a
hand on her arm, his face taking on a surprised look. “Ooooh boy.”

Turning almost like a puppet, Neph
stared at her father.. “W-what?”

Seraph chewed his lip. “Um...
congrats Neph, your gonna be a momma.”

Neph reacted by promptly fainting.

Patti blinked. “Well... wasn't
expecting that, huh.”

* * *

Neph slowly woke up, her gut twisting
slightly as she saw her family surrounding her. Blinking she
remembered what they where talking about before she blacked out.
“No... no no no no FUCK NO!” She stood up, glaring at them. “No
possible, not pregnant!”

Patti pulled her into a hug. “There
is nothing wrong with being pregnant.”

“Patti! I'm a friken killer! I am a
monster! I... I can't … I.” She trailed off sobbing. “I can't
do this... I didn't want it...”

Seraphs face darkened slightly. “You
didn't plan this?” He asked in a flat voice.

Her reply was almost a snarl. “What
the fuck do you think?”

Seraph eyes narrowed behind his
glasses. “Then I need a talk with Light, excuse me girls.” He
turned and walked out of the room.

Neph looked to Patti, her eyes now wide
in panic. “W-whats he going to do?”

Patti gave her a comforting hug. “Don't
worry, he won't do anything to crazy.”

* * *

Atlas Park.

Promethus Park Farmer's market.

Diana Whoovers walked through the
market with her little sister Dee Dee, getting some ingredients for a
fresh batch of muffins when A man in a white Martial arts Gi ran
past, followed by what looked like some demon, black armour timed
with crimson, it's eyes like mini thunderstorms.

“Oh hey Mister Seraph!” She waved
as the demon slowed the armour shifting to reveal the face of her
teacher.

“Oh Hi Diana.” He stopped and gave
a slight bow. “Hey Dee dee, keeping your sis out of trouble?”

The younger girl gave him a large grin.
“Yup, also helping with the shopping cuz we need more to eat than
just muffins.”

Diana laughs and ruffled her sisters
hair. “So who are you chasing?”

“Oh, that’s my daughters boy
friend, we just need to have... “words”.”

“Ahh, so we still on for my lesson
next week?”

He nodded as his armour reformed around
him. “Catch you guys later.” With a flap of his wings, he shot
off in pursuit of the martial artist.

Dee dee watched him leave. “You
teachers kind of cool.”

Diana grinned. “Yup... now where is
the apples, want to try a new recipe.”

* * *

Neph was pacing the room, letting out a
slight growl when ever anyone tried to get close to her, her nerves
frayed to snapping point. So when she saw her father almost drag
Lights Retribution in by the scruff of his neck, she damn near
exploded.

“What the Fuck dad?” She yelled,
hands balling into fists.

He pointed to the couch and simply said
one word. “Sit.”

Neph grudgingly sat down, followed by
Light. Shifting slightly, she watched as her father started pacing
like she was a few seconds ago.

“Light, Neph, care to explain how
this happened?” He asked, his eye having a slight glint of anger.

Light looked around. “How what
happened? All I know is that I saw you hurtling towards me looking
like the wrath of god and shouting my name.”

Seraph stopped his pacing and turned to
face them. “Light, Neph is pregnant.”

“Oh...” Light sat for a few seconds
“Wow.... um... so.... er... how?”

Seraph blinked slowly. “If I have to
explain the birds and the bees...”

The burly martial artist waved a hand.
“No no no, I mean... we use protection, how did it happen?”

Neph swore slightly as a penny dropped
in her mind. “Light... remember when Longbow said I could be
legit... as in I worked off that indentured servitude thing?”

Light nodded. “And we went out and
had... one... to... many... oh crap.”

Neph looked to her father. “We got
drunk, fooled around, forgot protection, now... FUCK!”

Light put an hand
on her arm. “Calm down Neph.”

She took a deep
breath, trying to keep the turmoil of emotions with in her from
exploding.

Seraph turned his
gaze to Light. “And what are you planing to do about this?”

“Well.” He
scratched the back of his head. “It's my responsibility, so I guess
I man up and deal with it.”

Her fathers face
softened as a slight smile tugged at his lips. “Thank you Light,
your a good man.”

“Well, if I did
that, I probably just get you chasing after me again like a bat out
of hell.”

Neph looked at them
both in shock, her attempt at calming herself unravelling. Didn't she
get a say in this? She didn't want the bloody thing, but here they
where talking as if she was perfectly okay with what had happened.
Her nerves snapped as she stood up and glared at them. “What about
me? I keep saying I don't want this, but everyone is acting like I'm
happy! Well guess what? I'm not!”

She could feel
tears starting to fall down her face, but she didn't care. “What do
I know about being a parent? Who the fuck would even trust me with a
kid?”

Seraph went to pull
her into a hug. “Neph, calm down, it's going to be okay.”

She shoved him
away. “NO! Just....” she let out a snarl of anger, how could they
not understand? She turned and stormed out of the room.

Her father kept a
spare bedroom for her to crash in every now again, now seemed a good
time to use it as she kicked open the door, slamming it shut behind
herself and flopping onto the bed.

She didn't know how
long she spent crying into the pillow, but evidently she heard voices
outside the door before it opened and Light walked in. “Neph...”
He started, his concern momentarily cutting through her rage and
disrepair.

“What?” She
croaked, raising her head from the pillow.

He sat on the edge
of the bed, resting a hand on her back. “Look... I know this is
big, but... don't you think your over reacting a bit?”

She snarled. “Over
reacting? I finally was free, free to live my live as I wanted, free
to do what I wanted... now life decided to shackle a new ball and
chain to me.”

“It's not that
bad... I mean, yeah, things will change. But we can work through
that, can't we?” His voice calming as he ran his hand along her
shoulders.

She let out a dark
sigh. “You'll have my back?”

“What ever
happens, I'll be there for you.”

“And what if I
want an abortion?”

She felt his hand
stop as he stiffen in shock. “That's... that's a big decision
Neph.”

“And if I wanted
it?”

He sighed. “I
can't really stop you... your tendency to do shit your own way is
part of why I love you, but you should talk to your family first.”

She nodded, getting
off the bed and heading to the door, what was the worst that could
happen?

* * *

One and a half hours later.

Neph was back in
the room, hiding behind the bed as she heard bellowing outside the
room, Patti arguing with Light.

They had not taken
her idea well.

Patti turned out to
be extremely pro life and promptly tried to punch her, then started
to tear into Light for even thinking of supporting her.

But that wasn't
what she was hiding from, no... she was hiding from the look her
father had in his eyes.

The look of
disappointment, hurt and sorrow...

Eventually the
yelling quieten down and she heard the door open, soft footsteps
crossing the room before something dropped onto the bed, a white
haired head hanging down next to her, ambers eyes filled with
concern. “Hey kiddo, care to talk to your Aunty Sera?”

Neph turned to the
elfin woman and sighed. “What did they tell you?”

Sera climbed off
the bed and sat next to her. “That you said you might be thinking
about an abortion, then Patti started shouting at Light, he shouted
back, everyone shouted, so I told them all to shut the hell up up.”

That pulled a
slight smile from her. “So why did they send you in? Why not Gir or
Laz?”

Sera wrapped an arm
around her and smiled. “Because crazy aunts are who you talk to
when you feel that no one else understands you, sort of like
confession with a priest, but less religion.”

Neph ran a hand
over her face. “So this is the bit where you tell me that it's my
body, my choice, but I should keep it?”

“Are you really
that scared of being responsible for another person? Or creating and
caring for something? Or is it that you think your hands are so
stained with blood, that your child would be tainted and grow up to
be just like you?”

She narrowed her
eyes as she looked at Sera. “Are you reading my mind?”

Sera laughed and
ruffled her hair. “No, that is an easy trick. I can practically see
what your thinking written all over your face..”

“What? How?”

“I'm over two
thousand years old, I pick this stuff up.”

“So what do you
think I should do... honestly?”

There was silence
between the two for a few seconds, then Sera spoke. “If I was in
your shoes, I would carry the child to term, then if I didn't want
it, I would put them up for adoption.”

Neph sat in
thought. “But there is still that whole pregnancy thing I have to
go through.”

“It may seem
scary now, but that’s life. Eventually you will look back on this
and smile.” She chuckled and ruffled Neph's hair. “And trust me,
you will do fine. Just need to make sure your father doesn't chase
Light with a shotgun to make an “Honest Woman” out of you.”

Neph let out a
tired chuckle. “Okay... I guess I can do this... I have been
through worse.” She hugged her aunt. “Thanks.”

“Your welcome
Neph, now lets go out there and stop a war from starting, kay?”

Neph gave Sera a
quick hug before the other woman helped her to her feet. “Thank
you.”

* * *

Month three.

Legendary Base

Neph's apartment

Neph slowly went
through some basic kata Namarou had taught her. It was said to help
keep her fit and calm through the pregnancy, but she was a bit
sceptical. Slowly rocking on her feet, she looked down at her belly
and sighed at the baby bump in mild annoyance.

Thought to be
honest she was more bugged by the fact she hadn't been sleeping to
well for the last couple of weeks, weather it was her body getting
used to the new life inside her or some nightmare, her sleep patterns
where some what messed.. With a light growl, she finished up the last
kata and walked over to the couch, sitting down and letting out a
sigh as her eye caught the pile of books her family had given her.

“Gleh, this is
going to take for ever.” She grumbled as she reached over and
grabbed one, resting a hand on her belly.

There was a slight
flash of green light as the holographic avatar of her old AI Delta
flicked into existence. “Is
something wrong Neph? I can call your family doctor.”

She waved him off
as she opened a book titled. “Your baby and you, the journey of
motherhood.” and flipped to a book mark. “I'm fine Delta, just
bitching about my life again.”

“Ah,
I see, I have noticed an increase in mood swings of late, according
to my research on the matter, they will become more frequent as you
progress.”

She rolled her eyes
and silently cursed Patti. When she finally decided that she was
going to carry the child to term, her wonderful sister in-law had
contacted Delta and effectively turned him into a watch dog.

“That's nice
Delta, anything else you want to tell me?” she mumbled as Franz
wandered over, giving her a pitiful look before she reached down and
scratched his head.

“You
seem to have a visitor.”

“Open the door an
let them in then.” she waved as the green hologram flicked out.

A few seconds
later the door opened and she smirked as her eldest sister came in
carrying several tubs of Chinese food, Laz's patchwork face pulling
into a lop sided grin. “Soooo, how is mom and bub?”

“Mildly pissed
that most of my clothes don't fit properly.” She complained as she
garbed one of the Chinese tubs.

Laz opened a tub of
noddles and started chowing. “That all?” she managed between
mouthfuls.

“I could list
half a dozen other things, but yeah, lose pants and larger shirts is
the big bitch.”

The scared girl
laughed as she speared a piece of pork with her fork. “So where's
the dadda?”

“Out getting some
lumber.”

“What does he
need lumber for?”

Neph sighed. “A
crib.”

“Wow, he's sort
of taking the fathering thing seriously, isn't he?”

“Yeah... once it
finally sunk in for both of us, he's been working on making sure
everything will be okay...” She trailed off, not wanting to mention
how scared she was by all this, even at this point. Shacking her
head, she continued. “But, I'm gona have to move.”

“Why is that?”

Neph waved a hand
at the apartment. “This is effectively a very nice bomb shelter and
was never made with kids in mind... and it's in the heart of the
base. How many times has Terr and his girl friends set off the damn
warning system and put the place in lock down with some after mission
sex?”

“Hmmm, you have a
point, irradiating the baby would have child services on your ass.”
Her stitch work face pulled into a grin. “That and I'm pretty sure
dad won't want to have to wear a hazmat suit to hug his grand kid.”

They laughed
slightly as they finished off their meal, Neph letting out a happy
sigh as she laid back on the couch. “Dad's hyped about the whole
thing, isn't he?” she muttered, her lack of sleep starting to catch
up with her.

“Well, the two
daughters that can have kids are knocked up, so he's happy at the
idea of more grand kids.”

She knew what Laz
meant by the two daughter comment. The same Vhazilok devices wedged
next to her heart had also rendered her completely barren, so Laz
could not have any kids of her own. Reaching over, Neph gave her
sister a hug. “So... everyone wants me to keep the baby... huh?”

Laz smiled. “Well,
I would like another niece or nephew, but don't feel pressured to pop
out three or four kids.”

“I... uh...
buh.... HUH?”

Laz laughed and
hugged back. “Messing with ya sis.”

“Oh ha ha, very
funny, so only here to check up on me or bring over some free food
and try to give me a heart attack?”

“Thought I might
stay around a bit longer and help around the place.” She taped her
chin with her fork. “An if you are looking for a bigger place to
move, maybe I can help?”

“Well, if you
want to help around the house, move.” Neph poked her sisters side
slightly. “I am tried and need a nap.”

Laughing, Laz got
to her feet and started to clean up the take away and Neph stretched
out on the couch, her eyes slowly closing as she drifted off to
sleep.

* * *

Darkness surrounded her, her vision
unable to pierce the gloom as she heard something dripping and an
unearthly giggle.

Slowly, she moved forward. Placing
one foot gingerly in front of the other she became aware of a coppery
smell in the air. One that she was all to familiar with.

Blood.

Looking around, her eyes adjusted to
the gloom she quickly wished it hadn't. Slick chains hung from the
roof, covered in meat hooks from which hung severed body parts, the
slow dripping she heard was the sound of blood.

Feeling her stomach roll, she
started backing up when that twisted laugher echoed from behind her.
Spinning she saw something rise in the shadows, it's eyes casting off
an unearthly green glow as it made it's way forward.

“Look mommy.” It spoke in a
twisted rasp. “I'm a good child, I do what mommy does.”

Neph looked in horror as the thing
shuffled closer, still speaking in that sing song voice.

“Mommy kills the bad men to save
the world, so I kill the bad men too, cut them up so they never hurt
again.”

Falling back, she tried to run from
it, but a small hand caked in gore grabbed her leg.

“I'm a good child, aren’t I
mommy?”

Neph screamed.

* * *

“Neph, Wake up!”

Eyes slamming open,
she acted on reflex, grabbing the shirt of the person in front of her
and throwing them to the ground, pinning their arm behind them as she
rolled her weight on top. Her heart pounding in her ears as she
became aware of mild swearing under her as Franz started barking.

Shaking her head to
clear it, she looked down to realise she just pinned Light, climbing
off him, she muttered an apology. “Fuck, sorry... I um... shit,
where's Laz, what time is it?”

He easily got to
his feet and rolled his arm. “She left after cleaning the place up,
it's about seven at night and I just tucked you into bed when you
started tossing and turning. You where having one hell of a
nightmare, right?”

Hanging her head,
she nodded as he pulled her into a hug.

“What was it this
time? Mother Mayhem? The Hamidon?” he asked, listing off night
terrors of old he had learnt to deal with.

Wrapping her arms
around him for support as much as comfort, she buried her head in his
shoulder. “I... I had a nightmare about the kid.” her voice was
barely a whisper as she spoke.

“What was it?”

Taking a slow
breath, she recounted the nightmarish room, the blood and the thing
asking if it was a good child.

He was silent for a
while, when he finally spoke, his voice was hushed. “That's...
that's a pretty vivid nightmare, do you know what could of caused
it?”

Chewing on her lip,
she looked him in the face. “Me... with all the crap I've done
since coming to Primal earth... my hands are stained... what if the
kid grows up like me? Or worse, what if they become the next
Crosscut?” She cursed inwards as she felt tears starting to form.

Rocking her
slightly, he hushed her and rumbled. “It's okay Neph, nothing bad
will happen.”

“But what if-”
She was cut off as he placed a finger to her lips.

“Because I'm here
to look after you, both of you.” His free hand rested on her belly.
“Me, your sisters, your father, your friends, we will make sure
nothing happens, okay?”

She nodded mutely,
sitting back on the bed. “God... here's me, queen bitch of the
Legendary acting like a scared little kid...” Her shoulders slumped
as she felt her mood darken. A sacred little kid, well beyond her
depths.

Sitting next to
her, Light placed a strong arm around her shoulders. “I'll tell you
what, tomorrow, we can see your therapist again, see if they have any
insight to offer, but till then, we will need something to keep away
the night terrors, huh?”

She tilted her head
as he reached under the bed and pulled out a large azure plushy of a
pegasus with a rainbow main and tail. “A stuffed toy?” she asked,
feeling a slight smile tug at her lips.

“Hey, I seen you
snuggle it during a thunderstorm, so why not now?”

Taking the toy out
of his arms, she hugged it closely and crawled back into bed, a few
seconds later her followed, hugging her from behind. “Thank you.”
She whispered, feeling a calm wash through her.

He moved slightly
and kissed her ear. “That’s okay, now back to sleep, you could
use it.”

Nodding, she closed
her eyes and for the first time in ages, had a peaceful night of
sleep.

* * *

Month Five.

Croatoa.

Moose head pub.

Seraph lean back in
his chair slightly as the waitress brought over his meal and drink,
pushing the files he had been working on to one side. M.A.G.I. Had
recently found that some one had been trafficking in some Japanese
artefacts, which meant getting in contact with Lady Nogi, always fun.

Picking up his
knife and fork, he was about to start on his chicken parmigiana lunch
when two people approached his table. Raising an eyebrow, he was
surprised to see both Patti and Light, both looking tired. Waving a
hand, he indicated for them to pull up some seats.

“So, what brings
you two here? Where are your significant others and why the hell do
you look both look like death warmed over.” He examined their
faces. “Well, Patti more than you Light.”

As the waitress
returned and took their orders, Light ran a hand over his face. “The
fun of pregnancy, Patti said I should follow her as she comes out and
tries to unwind while Laz took them out shopping for baby clothes.”

Nodding, Seraph
started cutting his meal. “So what’s the problem? Late nights?
Mood swings? Cravings?”

As Patti's drink
arrived, she took a deep pull and sighed. “In my case, all of the
above. It's almost like Gir is a different person.”

“How so?” He
asked as Light got a simple juice.

“Let's see.”
She started ticking off on her fingers. “She doesn't like Mexican
any more, only wants fancy stuff like Caviar and such. She flips
between happy and angry.... oh and she no longer seems to be able to
cook.”

There was a slight
choking noise as Seraph blinked. “She can't cook?”

“She tried to
make pancakes... they burnt on the outside while staying gooey on the
inside.”

Light looked at
her. “That doesn't sound physical possible.”

“That’s what I
kept saying!”

Seraph sipped his
beer and then took a breath. “So then, how's things with Neph?”

Light sighed. “She
suffers some night terrors, back pains and her emotions are a mess,
it takes very little to get her upset or worried. It's...” He took
a breath. “It's a little scary to see her like this to be honest.”

“But your helping
her through it and staying by her side, right?”

“Yeah... well,
not right now, but yeah.”

Patti drained her
beer and smirked. “So, when are you gona pop the question and
become part of the family Light?”

“Er... one thing
at a time Patti, one thing at a time.”

“Don't you want
your kid to have your last name instead of the Seraph one?”

Light shrugged.
“We'll deal with that when we get there.”

Shaking his head as
he watched them bicker, he turned back to his meal, wondering what
the girls where up to now.

* * *

Steel Canyon

Victory Mall.

Neph grumbled as
she followed her sisters through the mall, unconsciously resting a
hand on her belly, feeling slight movement of the small life inside
her. She felt self-conscious, but not for the baby belly.

No, she was feeling
self-conscious because she was in a skirt.

She had been
getting bigger, so none of her shirts or pants really fitted
any-more, so she was wearing one of Gir's spare dresses while Laz and
Gir took her shopping.

“This friken
bites” she muttered.

Laz stopped and
turned. “Look Neph, it happens, the further along you get, the
bigger you will get, so you have to get new clothes... or walk around
naked.”

Gir giggled as she
stroked her own belly, Neph looked over and sighed, her younger
sister was a month ahead of her, so she was getting to see a brief
glimpse of some of the fun she would have to go through, from back
pains and weak bladder to sleepless nights and bouts of irritability.

Smacking her older
sister up the back of the head, Neph growled. “Haa haa smart ass,
lets just go and get the new clothes, okay?”

Laz laughed again
as they reached the maternity store, stepping in, a bubbly young
woman walked up with a smile. “Hello there!” she smiled at them
and gave a slight bow. “Welcome to Motherly Wear. My name is Mindy,
how can I help you?”

Gir stepped
forward. “Yes actually, we need some clothes for my sister here.
It's her first time and she didn't realise she would grow out of her
old wardrobe.”

Glaring at her
sisters back, Mindy gave a light laugh. “Ahh, first timer then,
what sort of clothes are you looking for miss?” She took Neph's
hand and lead her amongst the clothes racks. “We have quite a
selection, from normal everyday wear to super hero suits for the
mother that wants to keep on fighting to make a better world for her
kid.”

Following, slightly
bemused by the articles of clothing she saw, Neph was eventually
brought to the back of the store where the changing rooms where
located. “Not to sure about the heroing stuff, but as long as it
isn't a dress, I'm happy.”

Her sisters pulled
up seats as Mindy started handing her outfits to try on, a wide
variety of pants with stretchy waistlines, shirts and blouses to even
a bra's, a mildly annoying reminder that the “girls” where
getting bigger.

Another joy of
pregnancy.

As she tried on the
various combinations of outfits, she listened to Mindy chatter on
about stuff like support, comfort and elasticity. It all sounded like
a speech the girl had ground into her head on the first day of the
job.

Eventually getting
a pair of elastic waisted jeans and baggy, but comfortable shirt,
looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled slightly. She actually
felt almost normal, barring the bulge of her belly.

Stepping out her
sisters gave the thumbs up while the sales assistant beamed. “You
look wonderful miss, will you be trying anything else?”

“Nah, this will
do for now. Mind if I wear it on the way out? Better than that dress
I walked in with.”

Gir let out an
indigent squawk. “Hey, I liked that dress!”

“And it made me
feel like I was wearing a tent, give me pants any day of the week.”

After finalising
the purchases, they headed back out into the mall, Laz smirking. “So,
what’s next girls?”

Both the pregnant
women replied. “Lunch.”

“Ahhh, cravings?”

Neph chuckled.
“Something like that.”

* * *

Month Seven.

Atlas Park

Neph's home.

Easing herself onto
the couch, Neph looked around at her new home.

It was a decent
sized place, big enough for her, the dog, Light... and the little
life inside her. Resting a hand on her stomach, she felt a slight
movement, her child doing what ever it was that babies did.

“Jeasus kid, you
ever gona stop wiggling around in there?” She muttered as the child
kicked. “Can you at least go easy on my kidneys?”

She felt a strong
hand rest on her shoulder and looked up at the face of Light, a warm
smile on his face. “Having fun are we?”

Taking his hand,
she gave it a slight squeeze. “Well, still suffering the occasional
freak outs, but I'm getting there. What about you, soon to be dad?”

He gave his chin a
scratch. “Well, it's not something I ever really thought about till
it happened, but it's growing on me.”

She smirked patted
her belly. “Good to hear... but I can't wait, just a few more
months and it stops kicking the crap out of my liver.”

“And then the
wonders of late night feeding and diapers.”

“Geeeh, double
edged sword, huh?”

Walking around the
couch, he sat next to her and pulled her into a hug. “But we will
get through it, not the hardest thing you've gone against.”

Nodding, she rolled
up her shirt a little and stroked her belly again. “Yeah, but
lucked out getting this place.” She waved her other hand. “All
thanks to my big ass longbow pay checks, huh?”

“Are you going
back to them when this is over?” Light asked, placing his hand on
her stomach.

“Not sure, maybe?
Or I might get something a little less black ops though. Posibly a
desk job or a liaison with Hero corps or the PPD?

Light started
laughing, earning a light punch to the shoulder.

“What’s so
funny?” she asked.

“You? At a desk
job? You be barking mad with in a week.”

“I could pull it
off... maybe... till the kid is older?”

“Then?”

She sighed. “Don't
know... maybe something higher paying in Longbow?”

“And back beating
the crap out of people in the Isles?”

She sighed. “No,
I don't think I can ever go back to that life now, to much to lose.”
Shifting slightly, her hand resting on his as he stroked her belly.
“And what about you? Are things going to change for you as well?”

He rubbed his chin
and shrugged. “Maybe? I can start a Dojo or something?”

“A Dojo?”

“Well, when a
martial artists reaches the peak of his training, they either journey
the world, looking for challenges equal to their skill or they start
training others, passing their skills to the next generation.”

“Oh... so plan to
take this one.” She pointed to her belly. “As a student?”

“Well some one
has to make sure they don't pick up your bad habits.” He replied
with a smirk.

Laughing she
lightly slapped him up the back of the head and yawned. “And again
the lack of sleep kicks in.” Getting to her feet she stretched
slightly. “I'ma gonna nap... again, gods this is tiring.”

Light stood up and
gave her a quick hug. “I got some stuff to take care of in town,
but I’ll be back with dinner.” Kissing her brow, he headed to the
front door while she waddled her way to the bedroom.

* * *

She opened her eye
as a glowing green figure stood on her bedside table. Looking at the
clock, she saw she had only been asleep for two hours. “Delta, why
the hell are you waking me up?”

“You
have visitors, your friend Jasmine Shadow and your sister Laz.”

Sighing, she sat up
and climbed out of bed, rummaging around for a dressing gown. “Let
them in and tell em I'll be down in a few, kay?”

The hologram nodded
and flicked out as she exited the bedroom and headed to the lounge.
Her sister leaning against the couch while Jasmine was stretched out
on it.

Crossing her arms,
she looked at both women. “Soooo, what brings you to my house?

Jas bounced to her
feet and pulled her into a hug. “Remember how we wanted to have
baby shower for you?”

Nodding, Neph
remembered the conversation, she had shot down the idea simply
because she didn't really understand it or see the point. After all,
what was the point of getting the kid presents when it hadn't even
been born yet?

“Well, we decided
to get your little one presents anyway.” Jas finished as Laz held
up several parcels. “Just some odds and ends, likes toys and
stuff.”

Neph looked
surprised as she took the parcels, noting the gaudy, over the top
wrapping paper. “I uh... fuck, I got no idea what the hell to say.”

Laz grinned. “Well,
traditionally thanks is a good start.”

Laz pulled her
sister into a hug, the grumpy Seraph girl hugging back with a
chuckle.

* * *

Delivery Day

Seraph sat in the
waiting room, looking to the rest of his family. Gir had given birth
to a healthy girl last week, Nicole White, and Neph had come to pay
her a visit when her water broke. Thankfully they where at the
hospital, so it didn't take long to get her into the delivery room.

Looking at the
clock on his phone, he had called Light an hour ago and the marshal
artist had gave his word that he would be there as soon as he could.

While he knew that
Nephs child probably wasn't racing to be born, he still could feel
worry and impatiens gnaw at the pit of his gut.

He was about to hit
redial when he heard footsteps hammering in the hallway, looking up
he saw Light run in, several doctors and nurses trailing him
complaining as he dripped blood on the floor. Several wounds marring
his body.

He looked to
Seraph, pausing long enough for one of the nurses to start trying to
tend to his wounds. “Is she okay?” He rumbled, his features
scrunching slightly in concern as he looked around.

Seraph stood up and
rested a hand on Lights shoulder. “Yes, so far so good... but you
should go in, I think she needs some support or some one to yell at.”

Almost as if on
cue, they could hear Neph scream out, followed by the sound of
something hitting the wall hard. Shoving off the medical staff, Light
headed into the room, as the door opened a string of profanity echoed
through the halls.

Tish looked at
Seraph. “I hope to hell I never have to go through that.”

He wrapped an arm
around her and gave a slight chuckle as they waited, the clock
ticking as friends and family came and went. After what seemed like a
small eternity, the doctor came out and smiled at them. “You can
come in now.”

Getting up, he gave
Tish's hand a squeeze as they entered the room, light sitting next to
Neph, holding her hand and spotting a black eye, while Neph looked
haggard, a weak smile pulling her lips as she tilted her head. “Hey
dad... got some one that like to meet you.”

Approaching the
bed, they looked at the small bundle Neph was holding close to her, a
small face looking up from the blankets. “Say hello, to Caroline
Tish Seraph.”

Tish gave her a
look. “Tish?”

“Hey, name her
after one of the biggest bad ass's I know.” Neph laughed tiredly.
“That and lets face it, she will call you gran, no matter what...
wanna hold her?”

For a moment Seraph
thought Tish was going to argue, but she car fully picked up the
baby, her expression melting into one of amazement and joy. Seraph
looking over her shoulder as Caroline opened her eyes, her emerald
gaze looking up at them curiously, not sure what to make of them.

Looking to Neph, he
smiled to her, then looked back at his newest grandchild. “Hey
kiddo, welcome... to the city of heroes.”

Hey group, I've been trying to figure something out, and haven't been able to. So I turn to you for help.
I have a CD iso file for my computer recovery tools. But I don't have any free blank CDs.
So I want to put it on a USB drive, and boot from that, but I haven't found any tools which will allow me to do.
Is this even possible?
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

Wow... 
"Sir, look at me—did you have any shoes on?" asked the emergency medical tech. "Were you wearing shoes when you were struck?"
"Huh?" I wondered, a little dazed. "What's with the shoe obsession?"

Quote:I stumbled out of the studio and toward the house where my wife and children were staring out at me in horror. They had seen the flash and heard the tremendous crack that comes with a nearby lightning strike. My son Felix said the flash was so bright that he thought it had gone through the kitchen. As I staggered into the house looking like a wide-eyed psychopath, everyone knew something had happened. "I, I, I... think we need to call 911!" I stuttered.

Rubin Design Bureau
TK20 - "Severstal"
Ultra-heavy interstellar Cargo craft.

Formerly a Soviet Ballistic Missile Submarine, Severstal was laid up in the early 00's as funding for her operation began to dry up. Old and in need of modernisation, she was placed in mothballs. As the wave began to break across the world, and hearing rumours of a US Navy program to do similar, the Russian government quietly began studies towards converting three remaining Project-941 submarines to space-based cargo carriers, based on plans drawn up by the Rubin Design Bureau for an under-ice cargo carrier ten years previously.

Beginning in 2010, the program was originally planned to take 2 years, and involved the removal and disposal of Severstal's missile systems and their replacement with multi-purpose pressurised cargo decks. These decks can be outfitted to carry passengers, or up to fifteen thousand tons of cargo. This makes Severstal one of the largest cargo carrier's by capacity. The unique multi-pressure-hull design of the Project-941 Submarines makes them emininently suitable for conversion to cargo operations. The design is inherently fail-safe against total depressurisation. Large internal spaces help the crew maintain psychological health, while two nuclear reactors provide failsafe power capability and almost unlimeted range.

Severstal his multiple docking rings - compatible with Soyuz spacecraft, or similar collars. Two modified items are used as shuttlecraft. The entire control centre can also be ejected and used as an emergency lifeboat if necessary.

Severstal was designed - in a secondary role - to carry enough food for crew for up to six years if necessary, with the reactors capable of an up-to ten year endurance on a fresh fuel load.

Cost overruns and technical hitches led to Severstal remaining in dry dock until 2016, with the maiden voyage not coming until 2017. Severstal remains the largest spacecraft to take off from Earth's surface - not including unreal estate.

Severstal is operated jointly by Roskosmos and the Russian Navy. She spent five years in further prototype testing, undergoing a number of final upgrades and repairs along the way, before finally entering full revenue service in 2022 as Roskosmos Heavy Interstellar Carrier 20 Severstal. Severstal is booked out for cargo-lifting until mid-2025. Severstal has proved popular with a number of mundane corporations looking to rapidly expand their operations in space, being capable of carrying the contents of an entire colony - and its inhabitants - to the asteroid belt within 5 days.

Plans to retrofit Submarine TK-17 Arkhangelsk were abandoned when she was found to have degraded too much while in mothballs. She was subsequenctly scrapped. TK-208 Dmitry Donskoy will be rebuilt when he is withdrawn from service. It is still intended that there be three 941 spacecraft - though with the scrapping of Arkhangelsk, the only way this will be achieved will be if a 7th Type-941 is conscructed from scratch. Demand for Severstal's service is currently high enough to make this economical. There is no current alternative in the 15 thousand ton range. Rubin have received a number of approaches from private entities to convert existing decommissioned submarines to cargo carriers, and has been aggressively purchasing those mothballed submarines which still remain in useable condition.

Severstal's current Commander is Yuri Senyavin. Officially, he is employed by Roskosmos, and trained as a Soyuz Cosmonaut before the program ended.

==Mundane Attributes==

"Big son of a bitch" Largest (by mass) cargo carrier capable of taking off and landing from the surface of planet Earth. She can carry up to fifteen thousand tons of cargo and passengers.

"Tough." Built to tolerate torpedo hits even before being introduced to handwavium.. Penetrating the waved hull with anything short of a relativistic railcannon is an excersize in futility.

===Quirks ==

"The Peoples Music." Requires the Soviet National Anthem to be played in the engine room on takeoff. [Ref] Any similarity to USS Stingray is a coincidence [/ref]

"Cold-- and Hard" A thin layer of Ice forms on the hull when her drives are active. Even in the dry depths of space. It dissipates naturally,

"The say it's a healthy glow." Items in the reactor compartment glows blue - the intensity of the glow being directly related to how much radiation the component eits. The glow is energised by the interaction of handwavium with ionising radiation. Actual ionising radiation emitted by glowing components is minimal - the wave appears to eat the radiation to fuel the glow.

"Young Pioneers of Space." The ship's computer, Vanya, wears the uniform of a Young Pioneer. He loves having children aboard. He sulks if he has no-one to play with, to the detriment of ship's efficiency.

----------------
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

Cool as some of the things Certain Parties have written for In Nomine are, it's taking up shelf space in my basement and I'm short on cash. 
In Nomine, for sale:
In Nomine
Liber Servitorum
Infernal Player's Guide
Angelic Player's Guide
Revelations V: The Final Trumpet
Revelations IV: Fall of the Malakim Sold! 
Liber Castellorum
Superiors 4: Rogues to Riches
Superiors 3: Hope and Prophecy
Ethereal Player's Guide

Tribe 8, For Sale:
Word from the North
Word of the Pillars
Children of Lilith
Trial by Fire
Word of the Fates

I'd like to get about 2/3 original retail for them, if I can. Anyone interested?
I'll also trade for certain 1/200 scale Macross model kits and/or gashapon.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

"Not Harry, please, not Harry! Take me instead!"

"Stand aside, foolish girl."

"Please, not Harry!"

"Stand aside! ... Where is your wand, foolish girl?"

The pleading mother froze for just an instant, before falling dramticaly to her knees and begging all the louder, but her enemy's suspicions had been roused. His dreaded wand rose to point at her, but rather than the expected curse of death - "Specialis revelio!"

She fell silent then, all too real tears of terror and regret drowning anew as despair at having her gambit exposed gripped her heart. The Dark Lord's reptilian eyes flicked over the shimmering strands of magic revealed in the sudden silence, broken only by the soft sniffles of a toddler who hasn't yet decided if he's upset enough to wail, and as they did those eyes widened from their cruel slant, genuine surprise at the depth and power of the trap that had been prepared for him striking a small but undeniable spark of admiration for the ingenuity of the trembling witch at his feet.

"Please, please, take me instead, spare Harry," Lily mouthed once more, all but broken.

His eyes narrowed in calculation. "Truly, you offer yourself, all that you are, in exchange for allowing your child to live?" he demanded, tipping her head up with his off hand to stare into her eyes. The prophesy may have foretold a child with the power to defeat him, but power and will were two different things, after all...

"Anything..." she whispered, the irresistible force of his mind looking into hers proving she meant it with every fiber of her being. Lily Potter had knowingly prepared to use her own soul to power a ritual of defense for her son, what lengths would she shy from compared to that?

"Accepted."

That one word nearly knocked her fully to the floor, not through any force of magic but from sheer shock. Voldemort spared a moment to relish the sheer chaos it threw her mind into, before dispelling a few key parts of the magic she'd so carefully wound herself and the infant in. "Your arm," her demanded, having disrupted enough for the whole delicate web to collapse and dissipate.

"My... arm?" A wholly new form of numbing horror swept through the rehead, as she broke eye contact at last to look down at the limb as if seeing it for the first time.

"Present your arm, child, and take my mark. I could make use of another intelligent follower - I assure you, you will have little enough competition - and power was ever the true measure of purity. Or, is your child's life not truly worth anything after all?"

Gritting her teeth, Lily Potter rose, and thrust her left arm out, all but ripping back the sleeve. "For Harry, anything," she repeated with a grim resolve. James would have hated the idea, but James was already dead at this villain's hand, and her own best hope at ending the monster's reign of terror had been foiled. All that was left was to protect the precious son he'd given her, and she would do whatever it took. "Anything."

When that proud resolve turned to wincing, then a pained scream that unleashed matching wails from the infant that was his original objective this night as the blackest magics burned into her flesh like a brand of hellfire, Voldemort laughed. Oh, certainly there was another possible candidate to become his nemesis, but after this night he would be ready for such a trap, and that minor threat would be just as swiftly neutralized.

--------

.oO(Did I really just write that?)
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

I'm getting a raspberry pi "to play with," and I'm thinking I want to use it as a file-and-print server (possibly facing the internet, if I can add a decent firewall to the mix). I'm not what one would call a unix guru, though - most of my *nix experience comes from using Multics back in the day. Thus, I need resources...

Can anyone here recommend some good resource sites for the raspberry pi?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

2025 Overhaul
~~~

 

[table]

So, Amazon has an 88% off sale going for a Crusader Kings 2 bundle with all the DLCs (save for the new one that comes out next week).  If you haven't heard of Crusader Kings 2, it is a 4x grand strategy game where you play as a dynasty in medieval Europe, from 1066 to 1453 (867-1453 with next week's DLC), in which you can create and play out alternate histories.  For example, I'm currently midway into a game as the Ziani family of the Republic of Venice, a merchant republic instead of the normal feudal system, in which I've managed to gain control of Jerusalem (and the surrounding area), and the Strait of Gibraltar.*  The game is ridiculously addictive, to the point where I have over 300 hours logged on it on Steam, after starting playing it about two or three months ago.  Plus, as I said, Amazon has it for incredibly cheap, only fifteen dollars for the game and all the DLCs, while Steam has the base game alone for forty dollars.
Also, if anyone does end up getting it, and is interested, I'd like to try out the multiplayer mode at some point.  (If this comes to pass, I'd start a thread over in The Legendary.)
There are some good LPs floating around youtube, if you want to take a look before you decide.  I personally recommend Quill18's LP, as that is what introduced me to the game myself. (It is slightly out of date though, as the ability to play as non-Christians has since been added to the game.)
*I have SO MUCH money... 
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.