View source for 1881/Anything you can do...

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/08/07
|Location=Unknown
|Synopsis=Summary needed
|Cast of Characters=326, 1218
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>So it was time for practice with her new team-mate. So it was that the young mutant had gone to the place she normally avoids. The old slave pens and associated buildings not too far from the old seat of Government. In her mind, if she was going to destroy part of the city, this was the part that deserved it the most.<br><br>At the appointed time, a portal would open in that same place in Dana's apartment. For her part, Blink's in her training gear. In deep green lycra cycling shorts and a matching sports top. On her back is a quiver filled with crystal shard javelins. And as always, she's grinning. "Come on Danaaaaa, it's time!" She calls, when she doesn't see the other woman immediately.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>Once more, all of Dana's junk has been piled up behind the designated portal area. It makes her look like less of a slob. As for her, she's 'wearing' her superhero outfit. Black onsie made of her own flesh and features that shift a bit more than typical.<br><br>She hops through, giving a little nod. A little less timid than usual. "Let's, um. Let's do it!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>Blink looks over at the outfit just once, then grins as she lets the portal -blink!- closed behind them. "So! Today it's all about showing each other what we can do." The young girl grins, indicating the ruptured cages, half broken buildings and various broken bits of metal that make up the surrounding area.<br><br>"So! If you want to go first? What's your standard kind of attack?" It's odd how the young hero seems to do her best to be looking at Dana, or the ground, or up above the horizon. Rarely does she look directly at the cages.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"If you're sure you want to see," answers Imbroglio, somewhat uncertain about this plan it seems. She looks around at the battlefield. Or training ground, as it were.<br><br>"Mostly, I punch. Or maybe I turn into something to get kind of a sneak attack," Dana answers to Blink. A more cerebral sort of person, she explains before any sort of demonstration, "Are sneak attacks un-heroic?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"There's no un-heroic when you're in a fight." Blink admonishes Dana gently, but firmly. "I'd forgotten that you're still new to this. So let's go over the basics of combat. Not super combat, /any/ combat." Wow, she'd never thought she'd be lecturing someone /else/ the way that Mister Creed lectured /her/! It's quite empowering really...<br><br>"There's no 'fair fighting'. If you're fighting, most of the time you're fighting for your life. So remember that, you do whatever it takes to /win/. Because winning, is surviving." It's all said relatively matter of fact, the mutant obviously believing in every word. "So you have to /commit/. There's no half measures." There's a pause. "And anyway, my fighting style is all about surprises!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>Imbroglio seems to be trying to be the perfect student. She stands properly, attention fully on her instructor. A nod of understanding is given.<br><br>"But I don't want to seriously hurt anyone. I'm stronger than most people I fight. If I don't pull my punches, I might kill them..." she protests at this first lesson. So much for perfect student.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"You have to learn how to hit, before you can learn how to hold back." Blink comments. "Observe." There's the blur of movement as Clarice performs a flawless spinning back kick, her foot stopping no more than an inch from Dana's face. As she stands there, perfectly balanced, the mutant advises; "I can do this, becuase I learnt to kick properly. Now I know when I expect an impact, and can stop just before then. See?"<br><br>The foot is moved away, returning to the flaw in slow moving grace. "So /hit/ something. And hit it hard." She points at a nearby wall. "That. Hit that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>Dana wobbles backwards at the sudden kick, almost falling onto her backside. She keeps her balance, though, and goes wide-eyed. "Woah," she mumbles quietly.<br><br>She then moves to follow instructions. She moves to the wall, rearing back to punch it as hard as she can. There's a little crack, but it's far from any of the actual mutants with super strength. No blood on her knuckles, though.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh..." Clarice looks at the wall, then back at Dana. "Is that your hardest?" It's not that she's not impressed by the wall cracking, but Dana made it seem that she was some super-human monstrosity thing. And this is just a little bit of a anti-climax.<br><br>"Well if that's the /hardest/ you can hit. Then the worst you're likely to do is break a rib or two. Mister Creed hits heavier I think, and he seems to have no problems." But then Victor had been fighting for almost his entire life. "I suppose it's my turn, what do you want to see?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"Was... was that not good?" wonders Dana, a little self-conscious now, "I know I'm way stronger than normal people. No Superman, I know, but..." She looks between her hand and the wall.<br><br>"I guess, um... show me the main way you attack, then?" she wonders next, tilting her head to observe.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"Well... Other than close combat, I've got these bad boys." Blink grins, pulling one of the shards from her quiver. Looking about, she spots a burnt out car - what once may have been a very expensive vehicle. Now no more than a rusted shell. "That'll do..." She muses to herself before flinging the javelin the twenty or so yards to impact against the metal chassis.<br><br>Instntly, Blink's bluey-purple glow surrounds the car, before with a -Blink!- it just vanishes. Waiting for a second or so, Blink holds a finger up to Dana, forstalling any comment. "Four, three, two..." CRASH! Hurtling from above, the car crumples as it smacks into the ground at terminal force, throwing up dust all around. After a soft cough, Clarice removes the finger and grins at Dana. "I can move things anywhere I'd normally be able to open a portal. So guns normally end up out in the bay, but people will normally fall just far enough to knock them unconcious..." Or break their legs. But that hadn't happened as often as the other.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>There's a little jump when the car lands, and Dana blinks a few times. "Wow," she lets out this time, looking over to Blink.<br><br>"Does it pierce what it hits? Or just... poofs?" she wonders. Once more, her mind on lethality.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"The javelin shatters and it's the energy inside that makes them go poof... I think." Blink shrugs, it works, and that's enough for the teen. Let the boffins work out /how/ it works. "So far I've done up to a bus, but I haven't dared try anything bigger in case something goes wrong." Not that plenty of words hadn't been had about her 'holding back'.<br><br>"So yeah! Portals, javelins... Punchy kicking. Oh and uh..." She flicks a hand out, a portal neatly slicing the car in half. When it vanishes, a clear line is missing from the chassis. "That's what happens if you get caught when I'm opening a portal."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh, that's neat," Dana echoes her earlier sentiment, smiling to Blink at the explanation. Enough for her, at least. "Is it more size or weight? I wonder if you could practice it on me," she wonders curiously.<br><br>The sliced car gets another wide-eyed look. She'd known it was a thing, but this was something else. "That's... pretty intense! I think you're a lot more dangerous a fighter than me, in the end," she confesses. A pause, and she amends, "More dangerous in most ways."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"Only because I've had years of nearly dayly training." Blink advises. "Once you've done that, you'll be toe to toeing with me in no time." There's a contradiction there, what with years being no-time. But maybe it's just Clarice's positive outlook.<br><br>"So! If you can hit like that /now/, what about if you go all creature comforts and make your arm like a battering ram first?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"I think maybe portals that cut things in half make you a little more dangerous, too," answers Dana wryly to Blink.<br><br>The question gets a little frown, "I need something to compare to. Otherwise it gets really weird. I should go to a zoo, maybe. Get more options to pick from, right? Not a lot of big and strong animals wandering the streets of Gotham."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"Ooh, so you can't just, visualise a big boney hand or something?" Clarice's face turns thoughtful. "Okay then, Zoo it is. We'll go there next." She pauses, considering; "How long can you go before you get tired? Is it normal human kinda thing? Or something else?" Because what exactly does a tentacle sack /do/ when it's tired?<br><br>"Aaaand finally, you still need to show me what you really look like." Blink adds the last in, as if it were an afterthought. Perhaps in a bad attempt to catch Dana off guard?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"I still sleep at night, and I can go for a while without getting tired," Dana explains at the question, "I think that's still normal human range, but I haven't really tested it." She looks down at herself, "I need something to model off of. It works best if I can see it. I wore an actual one-piece to memorize this form, I didn't just imagine it."<br><br>There's a little frown at the talk of her true form. Dana looks around, as if seeking out observers, "Are you really sure, Clarice?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>There's only a momentary look of surprise on the young girl's face before Clarice manages to school her features to a look of mild determination. "Very sure Dana. If you get that way when you're angry or scared, I don't want the first time I see you to be in the middle of combat." Because the shock may well put her off her game for one.<br><br>"We need to know each other if we're going to fight together, and that includes the bits we'd rather the other didn't see." Which is probably easier to say, when your differences are right there on your skin all the time.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"Don't say I didn't warn you..." answers Imbroglio to Clarice. There's clear anxiety on her face. The young woman clearly expects this to be the end, though there's still some hope there.<br><br>"I guess you should have forewarning," she does concede to Clarice's logic.<br><br>The shapeshifter takes a deep breath. Without much warning, there's a sudden shift of her body. Her back, neck, arms, and legs all snap into crooked positions. One would expect to hear bones snapping, but nothing does. Then, all illusion of internal structure melts away as her flush moves in a rubbery, almost liquid fashion. Almost like the way an octopus slides over the ocean floor.<br><br>A maw full of teeth opens from her neck, her head falling to the side limply like it were a mere ornament upon her flesh, no consciousness there. Tentacles slip from the maw as eyes of various sizes blink open across her skin with no sense of symmetry or reason. As one blinks, it melts away as another opens elsewhere.<br><br>The whole time, her body is growing in size. One arm turns into a mass of lengthier tentacles. The other is absorbed into her mass entirely. Her legs melt and collapse beneath her.<br><br>In the end, she's nearly twice as tall and a little wider around. A writhing mass of ever-changing and shifting limbs, eyes, tongues, and teeth. It sits there, not approaching or retreating, dozens of eyes focused upon Blink at any given moment, the mouths flexing and tentacles slithering.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>Clarice's eyes widen as Dana's head falls to the side and the look on her face is more one of worry than anything else. She'd seen shape shifters before of course, Mystique for one and more besides. But this... Well this was something new. And perhaps just a /little/ on the nauseating side. If only because she can't find a pair of eyes to decide are the other woman's main.<br><br>Once it's all finished and Dana's there in all her resplendant messy glory. Blink swallows against the motion sickness trying to watch the arcane horror before speaking; "So... You look like some kinda sea creature. From those Discovery programs about things way down deep." Her voice is steady, and thanks to all that Blase training, she even manages to make it sound almost off-hand. Almost.<br><br>"Uh, can you still hear me? I can't see any ears..." And she's looking, walking slowly around the creature. Finally she reaches one hand forward; "Are you as wet as you look? Can I touch you? Or would that be wierd?" Blink's heart bleeds for her friend, if it's hard being purple and green, then it's got to be so much worse for someone who isn't even in human form.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>There isn't much in the way of response. Just an otherworldly groan from multiple mouths in response. Impossible to tell if it's agreement or not. A briefer grunt follows Clarice's second wondering.<br><br>The creature stays still as Blink wanders around. Some of the tentacles move away from one spot, leaving it open to touch should she desire. The best response it seems she can manage.<br><br>The flesh will be strangely dry, if touched. Rubbery and almost spongey to the touch. The skin would seem to kind of swim beneath the fingers, solid and not so at the same time.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"That's so /wierd/." Blink comments with wonder in her voice at the feel of Dana's skin/flesh/blubber. She flushes plum a moment later. "Sorry, that was insensitive huh?" She makes herself find the biggest eye, focusing on it before it blinks and vanishes. "You're okay Dana, I'm not going to say you look beautiful or anything, because you'd know I was lying... But you're okay. I'm not horrified, or sickened or anything..."<br><br>She grins, bright and wide. "I bet you can kick some serious behind like that though, those tentacles look pretty strong. And all those /mouths/! Mister Creed could teach you a few things about using those... I once saw him rip an entire chicken in half with just a bite!" She'd heard worse things too, but she didn't really /believe/ those.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>There's a little shudder throughout the monster's form. Slowly, it starts to shrink. The strange appendages and everything else fades away. For a few brief seconds, it's just a formless blob of flesh.<br><br>Then, it's pulled into humanoid shape. Dana's shape. Then it takes on her features, nude for the briefest of moments before her torso loses those same features, darkening to become the familiar one-piece 'hero' uniform.<br><br>She's blushing, but her eyes are on Blink now.<br><br>"It wasn't insensitive," she offers by way of belated response, "You're right. It's weird. And you're too nice to me. I don't ever fight like that, though. Not unless I lose control."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>Blink can't help but stare as the whole thing goes in reverse. She has the good grace to quickly look away when she realises that Dana's nude, but by that point the image would already be seared into her brain. Whether that's a good thing or not will remain to be seen...<br><br>When the other girl speaks, those solid green eyes come back and she grins easily. "I'm not /nice/, I'm honest." She quips after she's finished. Stepping in a bit closer so that they can hold a normal conversation again. "That three-sixty field of view's gotta be useful though! You should think about trying to work that into your fighting style. Means no one can sneak up on you!" All practical there, even if not really considering Dana's feelings about being 'all the eyes' in public.<br><br>"I can see why you'd be careful about showing people though..." She admits a little reluctantly, "There's not a lot of people that'd see you as /you/ and not think 'monster'." A beat and she actually steps forward, showing no fear as she bundles Dana into a full two armed hug. "But I get that too, so you're not alone."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"You're nice," Dana protests quietly, smiling back at Blink regardless.<br><br>"It's... not as useful as you'd think. It's really hard to understand what I'm looking at. I'm still only used to two eyes," she explains to the other woman, "Though I seem to not have trouble when I lose control... or maybe I just don't care what I'm swinging at."<br><br>She shakes her head, "But no, I told you. I don't use that form except on accident. I don't want people to see me like that. I don't look like a hero. I'll just scare people."<br><br>The hug distracts her easily, though. It takes a moment, but she even returns it, resting her head against Blink's shoulder with some measure of relief.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>Clarice stands there like that for several long moments, before she breaks the hug and grins. "So! That's the big secret huh? Now we're past that, we can get on with some /serious/ training."<br><br>Which apparently turns out to be jogging. Blink sets an easy pace to start, motioning for Dana to join her. "Cardio is key. The more energy we have, the more we can do..." She repeats it in that same 'by rote' voice that she does when quoting Mister Creed. "Though there's nothing to say we can't have some fun along the way..." She quips with a grin.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>The hug is kept for Dana's part as long as it will go. She gives a little nod at the question, "I think you know all of them now, really. I mean, sometimes I go halfway in-between if I get really freaked out, but you've seen the worst it gets."<br><br>She follows with the jogging, reminding, "Does it work if I don't have a heart? I don't think I have a heart."<br><br>Talk of fun gets a curious question, "Fun?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>It's an easy pace, Clarice taking on a thoughtful look. "I honestly don't know. But let's do today, see how tired you are. And see if it gets easier over time?" She, like Dana, has no idea about what the other girl's abilities might be after all. Or whether she can get 'fit' or not.<br><br>"Fun." She agrees. "You make a game of it..." She points at a burnt out car. "See if you can kick that as we jog past..." Meanwhile she's looking for her own game, spotting a lazy looking pigeon she gestures. "I'll try and hit that with a javelin..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"Good plan," Dana agrees to Clarice's suggestion, giving a little nod. She doesn't seem troubled with the idea of at least trying.<br><br>"Oh, that seems pretty easy..." she muses as they jog. She kicks off to the side when they approach, kind of jumping off of the thing. The car shifts slightly, but she remains not terribly strong. She stumbles a little on the landing, but she keeps up well enough.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"And that's the start of learning to leap off walls..." Blink grins as a shard of softly glowing crystal appears in her hand. As they get within twenty paces of the pigeon, Clarice lobs the javelin at it. But it's a pigeon, it sees at over fifty frames per second... So it easily dodges. The shard itself shatters and vanishes, apparently doing nothing. "Dammit!"<br><br>Her stride's not wavered due to the throw, having timed it at such a moment as not to hinder her. Though her breathing is a little heavier than normal as they continue their route around the tumbledown area. "I can show you where I used to live whilst we're here if you like?" She offers out of the blue. "If we're out-ing all our dark secrets before getting this off the ground..." She doesn't sound so sure as she continues on, but there's no sign of backing out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"Good thing you can't teleport the Earth, I guess," Dana muses as she hits the shard hit the ground, giving Blink a little grin.<br><br>"Used to live? That sounds cool," she calls out, following. She doesn't sound winded. At least not yet.<br><br>This changes a little as Blink seems less certain, "Dark secret...?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yeah... We've all got things we'd rather people didn't have to know Dana." Clarice admits with a look both determined and... worried? It's not a look that Dana's seen on Blink's face very often, if ever.<br><br>"Do you know where we are?" She gestures around the scene of destruction, the metal bars and clay brick structures that all appear to have some damage to them (if they haven't been completely destroyed, leaving blackened pits in the floor).<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yeah..." answers Dana simply, a little distracted by thoughts. Looking a little worried for Clarice's sake. Maybe a little for her own. What could cause the cheery mutant to frown?<br><br>"I... not really. Other than Ganesha, right? That's where you said this is before," she comments quietly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"Genosha." Blink has to laugh. "I'm pretty sure Ganesh is a Hindu God... Or Goddess... Or something." They're still jogging as the smile slips from her lips. "These used to be the slave pens." A hand points out a long building at the end, now little more than three walls and rubble. "That was the feeding hall, where I'd eat."<br><br>After another few steps, Clarice slows to a walk, coming to stop before a cage of miss-matched bars. The bars look bent in from the outside, even though they're not covered in rust. But inside, the floor is marred with mutliple lines that just don't seem to be there. The concrete gone. "This was home..." She admits quietly, resting a purple hand on one of the bars.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh, Genocha. I'm sorry," Dana answers back with an embarrassed expression. The jogging masks any blushing, cheeks flushed from exertion instead. A frown is revealed at the revelation of the purpose of this location.<br><br>She stops with Clarice, looking stunned for some time. She moves to try and put a hand on Clarice's back, "You were a slave...?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"I thought you knew that bit..." Clarice answers, not moving as Dana's hand comes to her back. Through the thin tee it's possible to feel tiny lines criss-crossing her back. Lines that might have been noticed when she was in the bikini before...<br><br>"Yeah, I was a slave. All the mutants here were. They called us mutates and used to try and make our powers stronger with experiments." Stoicly she keeps her face away, not wanting her friend to see the bitterness there. "That's why the uprising happened... That's who Magneto freed us from."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>"That's how you got out? Magneto, not your powers?" wonders Clarice. It takes a moment, but some small measure of horror dawns on her as she looks around at the destruction wrought. Realizing that she's considering living in close proximity to the one who did it all.<br><br>It takes a little time, but she shakes it off for the benefit of her company. The arm moves to wrap around Blink in a side-hug instead.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>Blink's own arm answers by slippng around Dana's waist and holding on. "No. Mister Creed saved me." She gestures with her free hand at the bent metal. "He just ripped his way in like some force of nature, got my collar off somehow..."<br><br>Blink's voice turns grim. "And then I joined the uprising..." The words have a weight that seem beyond just the joining of a movement. Something beyond simple loyalty to a cause... And there's still those lines on the floor.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>This all seems so far beyond Dana. She's an upper-middle-class white girl from New England. Slavery and uprisings are terribly far from her realm of experience. So, she lingers quietly with Blink for some time.<br><br>"I'm glad he saved you," murmurs the woman quietly, looking at the cage still. There's no talk of lines.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"There's..." Finally Clarice looks over, genuine pain on her face as she admits the final bit. "There's more... We talked before about the willingness to kill if you need to?" She only waits a beat, not daring to stop in case her lips refuse to work. "Well I have, I mean, I /did/ during the uprising. And before... When I was forced to by the collar. And uh..." She trails off, gesturing into the cage again. "Once by accident, when my powers first manifested." There, it's out now. Every last scrap that she feels Dana could hate her for. The young girl's morals had been quite clear on the subject...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>There's a comforting stroking to Clarice's side, holding her still. Embarrassment lost in the severity of the moment.<br><br>If she's bothered by the revelation, she doesn't show it. "You had no choice," she answers, trying to sound comforting and sure of this response. Maybe less sure than she tries to sound.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:326|Blink (326)}} has posed:'''<br>"There's always a choice, I just chose to be free." With all that entailed at the time. Blink stands there a little longer, leaning into the blonde girl and drawing some reassurance from the fact she's not already demanding to be sent home. A long, slow breath in... two three... And out. Finally;<br><br>"Okay, good. You know all my little dark secrets, and I know you're secretly a creature from the black lagoon." She makes Dana's description sound lighter than the words would actually seem. And then? Then her normal grin is back, glowing green eyes hiding the fact that it doesn't reach them. "Ready to go beat the crap out of some stuff?" She gestures back towards the wrecked area.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1218|Imbroglio (1218)}} has posed:'''<br>Dana doesn't seem to agree with Blink's disagreement, but she doesn't voice this fact. She lets it go for the time being.<br><br>"Okay," is her answer to the question, smiling a little. She seems reluctant to move away, but she will once Blink starts moving. Heading back to practice some more.<br> <br>
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