Cheetah
Villains 
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129 
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Post by Cheetah on Jan 22, 2017 22:24:41 GMT -5
It was the sound of gulls that woke Barbara; gulls and the distant surf crashing on the beach. She opened her eyes slowly and lazily took in her surroundings. There were no sunbeams slipping past the curtains, which either meant that it was well into the morning, or the bedroom she was in did not face the eastern direction. Honestly, she couldn’t remember which way everything was oriented, not after last night. A delighted little smile crossed her lips as she recalled the previous evening’s events and became aware of a weight pressed against her back and an arm around her waist. Though she knew there was a pressing engagement between her and Laura, Barbara snuggled into his body and despite how odd the slight size difference was, it was still restful. Barbara gave herself ten minutes in the warmth of someone else's arms before carefully and quietly slipping out from under the covers.
Rather than commandeer the master bath once more, Barbara decided to use one of the slightly smaller full baths. This would be better as it provided some added privacy as well as allowed her to mentally prepare for today’s test and turning back into her cheetah form. But that was the most important question; could she turn back into that form? If so, how? Certainly the answer couldn’t lie in blood consumption. If it did, either Urzkartaga’s past wives stayed in their beastial forms longer that she would prefer, or the culture held regular bloodletting sacrifices. She wondered if animal blood would or if it had to be human blood specifically. So many questions. Perhaps her godly husband would be nice enough to answer some of them in time. But perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult as all that.
As she sat in the bathtub, Barbara began to think of the change itself, how it occurred, what it felt like, and the circumstances of it all. If her thinking of being human while feline triggered the change, perhaps the reverse could do the same. It took a few minutes, but her back and scalp soon began to itch and soon it spread as a heat across the entirety of her body. It felt intoxicating and wonderful, and the change soon took hold. Unlike the first time, there was no actual pain, just an odd discomfort that caused a shiver to run through her body once it was done. The second round of discomfort followed upon realizing she was in a tub full of water while covered in fur. It was not an entirely pleasant feeling and she now understood why some cats detested water.
Once dried off, she slipped a dressing gown on, preferring to have something on rather than walking around solely in fur. Walking the halls of the house, Barbara noted how more acute her senses were, or at least as much easier it was to understand its all. It was as if her brain was wired differently, and she enjoyed it. She moved more assuredly, more confidently, as if her body had been honed more just for the simple act of moving. And she supposed that that was the case. Her footsteps were lighter and she easily followed her senses to where Laura was.
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X-23
Heroes 
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Jan 23, 2017 8:46:41 GMT -5
Laura sat, cross legged on the beach in front of the house, having been there since she watched the sunrise over the ocean. In front of her was a steadily growing pile of fragmented coconut shells. To her left a short stack of the ones she hadn't got to yet. Laura had been wondering through the forest and found a small group of trees laden with the treats and had taken a dozen of the ones looking the tastiest with her back to the beach with her.
As she chewed on the last bit of her fourth, her hand reached out to pick out the largest of the ones left. Laura hefted it before popping a single claw in her other hand and pierced the shell of it, before she raised it to her lips and started drinking the milk inside. Laura had slept for about four hours then woken up feeling refreshed and ready to find her own breakfast.
The night turned into the morning as she had roamed the island, having actually expected to find an animal to hunt and cook, but as it turned out, coconuts did not run away or need cleaning. so she was happier with this. She paused when she smelled and heard Barbara approaching (noting with some approval that she was transformed already.) And turned towards the door when she approached, by now having cracked the food in half and started on the insides of if.
"Good morning." Laura greeted as she was joined by the other Metahuman, she pointed towards the pile as she talked. "Breakfast, if you want it." Laura had seen Barbara's strength enough that she wasn't going to consider this a test, but it might be a way to grow her confidence. she put down her own food and threw Barbara one of the whole ones without warning. "Break it with your hands. As good a starting point as any."
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Jan 25, 2017 6:44:49 GMT -5
Just how long Laura had been on the beach, Barbara had no idea, but the pile of open and broken coconuts was of a fairly good size, so it was likely that the girl had been there for a while. She watched Laura use her claws to open the hard nuts so effortlessly. With all the excitement of yesterday, Barbara was almost unfazed by the sight of those protrusions sprouting from her knuckles. She wondered just how long Laura had had them and if they ever proved to be… Barbara looked from the younger woman and glanced back at the villa, as if having to do a physical motion in order to link her thoughts together. Artie’s face, how his injury looked as if the skin had been removed by something incredibly sharp, like talons or claws. Like those at the end of Laura’s hands. It wasn’t something Barbara would bring up or question at the moment, knowing how touchy Artie was about his face and his relationship with his daughter, but if that was how he was injured, it certainly was an interesting thing to take into consideration.
“No thank you, Laura. I think I will politely decline the offer of having coconuts for breakfast,” she answered, shedding her robe and leaving it hanging upon a nearby railing. Right now, the idea of eating anything other than meat disagreed with Barbara, likely due to her current form. In fact, she wasn’t even the least bit hungry. That would definitely be something to keep an eye on in case it changed during the course of the exercises. Or, even more interesting, in case it didn't change.
The coconut was indeed thrown without warning, but Barbara was able to catch it easily enough. She grasped the shell and examined it thoroughly for any cracks. She trusted Laura not to provide any aid in order to make it easier on her, but nature was another thing. With the hull notably unblemished, Barbara dug her claws into each end of the nut and pulled. With a crack and a snap, the coconut broke messily in two. Smirking, Barbara tossed the pieces into Laura’s pile before walking over to a nearby palm tree. Amongst the leaf litter, she found another coconut, though this one still was hidden away in its thick and massive husk. She had heard that some natives were able to pull the outer layer apart with their teeth, though she was not about to try such a thing. Instead, she ripped the fibrous husk off with little effort and, once the inner nut was free, broke that apart as well with her hands. “Coconuts are hardly a challenge, my dear. What’s next?”
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Jan 27, 2017 14:27:24 GMT -5
Laura didn't give much of a reaction to the refusal other then a small shrug of her shoulders. She didn't give it any thought beyond the assumption the woman just didn't like coconut. What was far more interesting was getting another chance to examine the animal form in full. it was.... odd. clearly not human, but based around what was obviously Barbara's true form. Laura wasn't going to say it out of not knowing how the woman would react to it, but Laura thought she looked better like this. there was a strength to her a normal person would not ever have.
There was only a raised eyebrow when Barbara made short work of the nut. "Good." She noted as she tried to think, "the hard part of testing you is to not exaust you too early on." Laura explained after a moment. "i was going to ask you to transform over and over again as fast as possible. to time how much of a window you will be exposed to as you go through the pain of it. And to see if there is a limit to how often you can do so a day. But you can do that without me at any point you have the time free."
Laura walked over to Barbara, pulling the last bit of Coconut away from its shell, tossing it carelessly aside without paying any mind to where it landed. "i shall see what you wish to do. We could run? find out how fast you are and how long you can keep up your highest speeds. you may be built for short bursts or long distance running." That one would probably be the easiest. Laura would go find a clock for the speed, and then after that they could easily both run together until one or the other needed to stop.
"We could see how far we can push your strength? perhaps you can fell trees with your bare hands? Even I can not do that." that was something useful to learn, it would give Barbara a way of knowing what she was truly capable of. but if Laura was being honest, it was her third idea she liked the most. "I do not know if you have had any formal training in martial arts, but with your reflexes alone I believe you could be highly efficient. I would be interested in having you attack me, it would be the most real way to know what you can do. And I would be able to see what the most pressing thing to work on would be."
That was the kind of thing that could make people hesitate, "i would have my claws sheathed. if that helps." deep down, Laura knew that going straight to that kind of iidea wasn't the most efficient, it being far more useful when Barbara was one hundred percent confident in this form and comfortable going forward. But Laura was used to being the only superhuman in the room, and she hadn't been able to stop herself from wanting to know if she was still on top when it came to the physical abilities. Call it pride, an obsession with fighting, a bizarre version of pack dominance, or some kind of instinct that had made her want to be the best at all costs her entire life, the urge to fight Barbara just to find out where things stood had been there since the first sight of her covered in fur
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Jan 28, 2017 17:04:07 GMT -5
Laura wasn’t exactly subtle in how she looked at Barbara, so it wasn’t exactly hard for the British woman to notice how she was being examined. She cocked an eyebrow as her tail swished, watching Laura. The girl was most definitely an odd one, but then again, she shouldn’t be one to talk. “You never got a chance to see me like this, did you? At least not enough to take it all in.” In order to appease the girl, Barbara gave her a slow turn, allowing herself to be seen at all angles. However, once she heard Laura suggesting that she change back and forth in rapid succession, Barbara stopped, a worried look on her face. “I’d rather not, Laura. I can’t exactly explain it, but I have a feeling inside me that such an abuse of power would be a bad thing. Either it would be catastrophic for me or it would draw unwanted attention.” Neither of those options were something that Barbara wanted. Yes, it would be wonderful to learn the limits of the change, but instincts screamed that the outcome would be more painful than educational.
“But, any of the other options you’ve offered sound ideal. Speed first, then strength, with fighting you being the last of the tests. I’m not worried about your claws, but I would rather get a feel for what the two of us can do, since I haven’t exactly seen you in action before.” She then smirked at the girl. “Besides, I don’t think you’re the type who would appreciate someone with abilities like mine to hold back.” She remembered how the girl followed her and was seemingly insulted or upset when Barbara told her not to interfere with the hunt. It was tempting to tell her that their sparring would end upon the drawing of first blood, out of safety and concern for each other, but that didn’t seem fair. “We’re opposites, aren’t we? You, the wild child looking in on civilized life and trying to figure things out, while I, the proper woman being thrust headlong into the wilderness, expected to survive on her own. I think we can learn a lot together, you and I.”
That having been said, Barbara began stretching, preparing for the run the two of them would have. Surprisingly, she found her range of motion increased quite a bit. Wanting to test a theory, she moved into a handstand, finding the action incredibly easy despite not having done one in years and the ground being loose sand. She then shifted her weight to one hand, lifting the other away and laughing as she did so. She certainly had never been able to do that before. Without a word, Barbara then sprung upwards into the air, curving backwards to land lightly and deftly upon the stair railing. She grinned and finished the maneuver by leaping once more, this time over Laura, and landing crouched in the sand. “Let’s go for a run then. You lead and I shall follow. For a while, at least,” she grinned.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Feb 2, 2017 21:06:37 GMT -5
If nothing else, Laura appreciated Barbara not being one of those people that tried to tip toe around things. Laura had known plenty of people who started acting strangely when they realised she was watching them, many took offence. which she couldn't always blame them, especially when she was eyeing people up for if she needed to kill them. Thankfully that wasn't at all the case here. "I did not. You ran off rather quickly after I came back." Laura took the chance to take in everything about this new appearance with interest. "your entire bone structure seems to have changed slightly. you even stand differently." Laura noted. it was a minute thing, something about her spine.... perhaps to do with the tail? improved balance? interesting. "do the claws hurt? are they retractable like a house cats or mine?"
The idea of 'abusing the power' and what was clearly a fear of the being that gave Barbara these gifts bristled Laura. She did not like the idea of restraining from her full ability, ESPECIALLY out of fear of someone like that. But she could tell this would go nowhere, some people were happier doing as they were told. "disappointing. But it is your choice, we shall move on under the assumption the strain will put some natural limit on you. If there comes a time you think you will have to fight many times in one day, stay in this form in the downtime between fights. you will conserve energy."
Unless it turned out being in this form burned through calories faster then they knew. Which would mean Laura had given the worst advice possible..... which they wouldn't be able to test because Barbara was scared. Great. if this got Barbara killed someday it wasn't Laura's fault. If it got someone else killed Laura would be ticked off. But then she was well aware most people with healing factors wouldn't have tested it to the extent she had so perhaps Laura was not the best mentally to judge what was or was not the correct lengths to go to.
perhaps she was the only sane person. Perhaps everyone in the world was incapable of considering proper safety procedure but her. That would explain a lot. Laura was pretty sure Father would tell her she was right if she asked, even if he thought she was being weird.
On the plus side, Barbara's reasoning on the tests was perfectly sound so Laura was happier about that. "That sounds optimal. we shall do it that way." Laura agreed with an approving nod. "It would be hard for me to demonstrate my abilities. the line between my powers and my training has blurred." it was said on automatic, but Laura realised Barbara had no idea what she would have meant by training. Time to move on, quickly. "you are right. I would take it as you dismissing me, which would be an insult." Laura admitted, smiling back at her in spite of herself, "Besides, it would defeat the purpose of any of this if you did that." and rob Laura of the potential for a sparing partner that was actually worth something. The muscle hired by Artie were all guys that had been born tall and broad shouldered and had lived their entire lives content on being nothing else. Laura danced circles around all of them and had long since given up on that.
wild child? Laura didn't know what to make of that, she fully agreed with the assessment she was still not grasping all of day to day life, or how most people talked or acted. but that bit threw her. Laura tried to think of everything Barbara had seen her do and recognised perhaps it was unusual for the teen daughter of a business man to care so little about her own appearance or safety. Yes this was starting to make sense to her. "increasing the amount I understand is always a good thing. I hope that you are right." she said, not thinking much to the concept of a 'proper woman' as that usually involved deliberately seeming weak.
It was interesting to watch Barbara move around and start to truly test herself. "Impressive." Laura admitted, she could not balance herself on one arm in perfect conditions let alone the beach. So Barbara's dexterity was greatly improved. they knew that already but this was extra proof. To be able to leap the way she did was also far beyond Laura. It was starting to be clear who's powers were most efficient and Laura was quite sure her healing factor might be the only full advantage she held over the animalistic woman. "that alone was more then I expected." Laura noted before nodding.
The shorter woman turned towards the line of sand heading off into the visible distance and started to run, taking a few seconds to build up to her full sprint, but once she had Laura was able to keep it up in a way normal humans never could. She remembered when she was fifteen and had decided to test how long it would take to feel tired. she had had the test run on her as a child by the men in white. but this had been after puberty so Laura had wondered if that had changed anything. Artie had hung around, watching Laura run for forty minutes straight without seeming out of breath. he'd gotten bored and decided to go do paperwork.
two hours later Artie had returned to find his daughter doing the exact same thing and while sweating from the exertion, her stamina didn't feel like it had faded at all. As a result though Laura was not, for want of an easier example, as fast as the sprinters at the Olympics, she would always be able to catch one in the end because they could not keep up their heights for long. Now the only question was would Barbara be the same. she would be slower then Barbara but would she outlast her?
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Feb 5, 2017 17:25:18 GMT -5
At the mention of her changed bone structure, Barbara lightly felt the shape of her face. She hadn’t truly noticed much of a difference in the mirror, but now that she was tracing things with her fingers, she found herself to have a slight muzzle with a flatter nose. Her arm and leg joints moved easier and Laura was right about her standing differently. Barbara didn’t sit back on her heels as much, relying more on the balls of her feet, and she realized that she stood slightly leaning forward. Not a lot, but enough to feel more at ease with her tail. “No, the claws do not hurt. They…” She quietly examined her fingers for a few moments, eventually discovering that, while they did not fully retract, she could shorten them from claws to long nails. A good thing to note, but the sensation was an odd one that made Barbara shake her hands a bit. She could feel muscles contracting, but she was not used to such muscles causing protrusions through her skin. “Does it always feel unusual like that, or will I get used to it?” she asked, hoping Laura would understand because of her own claws.
“Please don’t look at me like that, Laura.” She could see the girl bristling slightly at her refusal to change back and forth. “I will learn my limits in regards to that, just not today. My first change had a level of pain to it and….. to be honest, even though it is magic, I still have worries that it will hurt or that I will get stuck mid-transformation. I promise to test the change. How many times I can do it, as well as how quickly I can go between forms.”
When Laura spoke of how impressed she was with Barbara’s acrobatics, the older woman stood and blushed, though the fur concealed that. The only indication was her tail curling around her leg. That added appendage was certainly an emotional tell. “I wasn’t meaning to show off. I just…. It was fun,” she said with a smile, showing off those longer canines.
Before she could say anything else, Laura was already off and running. Barbara soon followed suit, able to keep up with her fairly well enough. While running on two legs was something she was used to as a human, Barbara’s mind and body complained, as if her active consciousness was fighting something she knew instinctively which left her lower back tight. She knew could could go faster, that’s what everything inside her was saying, so she finally listened after a bit. It all happened in quick succession after the decision was made; Barbara fell forward, but instead of landing flat on her face, her arms caught her while her legs continued propelling her. She found herself moving easier on all fours rather than on two. Her back was no longer tight, in fact it moved easier and more freely. She pulled ahead of Laura easily, speeding up as she did until her surroundings were a blur.
However, what felt like it was all too soon, her body and speed reached its limits and she collapsed into the sand, chest heaving, and waited for either Laura to catch up or pass her by. Though it was only the first test, Barbara felt that she could have kept pace with Laura for a long time, but the full extent of her top speed would only last for a short while, not unlike the actual cheetah. Raising her head up from the sand, she looked back in order to judge just how far behind Laura was.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Feb 15, 2017 17:07:51 GMT -5
Laura could tell immediately that Barbara moving her claws around was nothing like the first time Laura had unsheathed hers just from how calm she was. "Mine cause me pain when I move them. So our standings are clearly very different." Laura explained matter of fact and uninterested in dwelling on herself, "But yes, I have gotten used to it in time. Hopefully you will too, although obviously there is no way to be sure just yet."
If Laura was uninterested in discussing herself, they had found the topic Barbara did not wish to press upon. That bastard who threatened her so easily last night. Laura had heard before that people who were trapped in abusive relationships often made excuses or relied on denial rather then acknowledge what the actual problems were. It seemed similar to this. Even if Barbara was telling what she thought was the truth, Laura knew any voicing of the need to separate her from that bastard would be shut down. So she did not bother. was not her problem anyway. "Good. It is an important bit of groundwork to build off." She agreed, wondering what half way between forms would look like and having to admit she was morbidly curious. "perhaps someday you will become strong enough to increase your maximum."
It was frustrating, but expected, when she was left behind so effortlessly. Laura tried her hardest not to be jealous of the kind of speeds Barbara was so easily managing to reach. Laura would never do that, never even get close to that kind of speed no matter how hard she tried. But that didn't mean everything..... sooner then Laura would have ever expected, Barbara collapsed from exhaustion. she was at least 300 yards ahead of Laura, so it took longer then she would have liked before she reached the feline woman.
Laura came to a stop just next to Barbara, sweating from the run but breathing as normally as if she'd been sitting around all day doing nothing. "You are faster then evey none meta-human that has ever lived. Congratulations, that is no small thing." Laura said as a way of greeting her. "Stamina seems to be your weakness then. There may be a limit to how much you can improve in this form, but there ARE things we can do to try and increase it. This is a good thing, we already know how to set about making you stronger." And make her stronger Laura would. The woman was important to Artie, and so keeping her alive would make Laura's life better by proxy. "Take as long as you need." she added, sitting down on the sand, crosslegged next to her to wait.
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Feb 16, 2017 20:34:15 GMT -5
From Laura’s description of her own claws, Barbara wanted to examine the girl’s hands. Though she hadn’t inspected them closely, she was certain that there weren’t any openings for her claws, which would explain why it hurt every time she unsheathed them. But if that was the case, why was there no blood? Why did she not scream in pain or flinch or do something to show how much it hurt? Did Laura’s ability to beat death mean she wasn’t so easily injured, or that she healed faster? As evidenced by the bullet hole on her forehead that had disappeared within a few minutes, that had to be the case. But healing fast didn’t mean you didn’t feel pain. Barbara herself had such an ability. The grazing she had received from the bullet was gone. Her skin, both as a human and a cat was once more flawless, so, while she didn’t heal as fast as Laura, she did have an enhanced ability in that regard.
As for her own claws, now that she found they could retract and extend, they stayed retracted. Even so, the sensation was peculiar and would definitely take some getting used to. “Perhaps I have an unlimited maximum number of changes," she pondered. "After all, it is magic." Magic that came at a price, but maybe Urzkartaga was a generous god.
By the time Laura reached her, Barbara’s breathing was nearing its normal rate. The girl had a bit of a shine to her, but that was the only sign that she had been running. She had to laugh at that. “Let us sign up for the Olympics. You can run the marathon while I try my hand at the hundred-meter dash,” she teased with a smirk. “Do we think they would let a cat compete?” That did raise an interesting question; would Barbara’s abilities transfer to her human form? She didn’t note any grand difference in her senses other perhaps a slight change in how she took in information scents gave her. She more easily disregarded unimportant background smells, only bringing them to attention when they mattered, through a process that was likely subconscious and innate. She assumed that her physical abilities would likely do that as well, increasing only minutely due to activity and exercising. Not that it mattered. Why would she really need that much speed as a human?
“I agree. I think at some point, no matter how much I apply myself, I will reach a plateau for my distance and stamina when it comes to running at that speed. It’s just a matter of how quickly I will get to that point.” For some reason, Barbara figured that she wouldn’t get much more of an improvement. Her change was magical and all stories she had read that involved magic gave strict limits of how much could be done. Sitting up, Barbara stretched in the sand, back arching in a very feline manner as her eyes closed in contentment upon removing the kinks and compression in her spine. The sand and sun were warm and the desire to lay there basking was intense, but they would do that later. With a final stretch, Barbara stood and shook herself, brushing away any sand that remained on her fur. “I suppose morning runs are now in my future.”
Walking over to a nearby tree, Barbara flexed her claws, wanting to see how sharp they were. Slashing into muscle was one thing, but how would she fare against tougher material? She found that she did quite well, able to gouge out a good amount of wood with a few swipes of her claws. It wasn’t exactly a hot knife through butter, but it was definitely easier than a hand axe chipping away at a hardwood tree. “Do you think I should try punching it?” she asked Laura. Barbara had lifted Artie without a problem, but doing that and punching a tree were two entirely different applications when it came to strength, and yes, she still had quite the human fear of breaking her hand.
Even before she finished asking the question, Barbara already knew the answer. Of course Laura would have her punch the tree. She would also likely have her kick it and do anything else she could in order to demolish the defenseless tree. However, though the strikes would likely be effective against a person, they didn’t exactly cause the wood to splinter a great deal. That wasn’t a surprise, but at the same time, it frustrated Barbara. People gifted by the gods were supposed to have great strength, yet hers seemed to be lacking that herculean ability. On a whim, she spun and whipped her tail around, letting it strike the tree. Truth be told, she didn’t expect anything to happen, so when a huge chunk was removed from the trunk, leaving the tree swaying dangerously, Barbara was left stunned and wide-eyed.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Feb 23, 2017 21:32:24 GMT -5
"I do not think I have fully comprehended the fact magic exists." Laura replied to Barbara with some trepidation. It was not an easy thing to accept that the things you thought you knew about the way the universe worked could be thrown out of the window like this. Was magic just physics humans didn't understand, or something completely separate? was physics just plain wrong? Perhaps.... It was far too big a concept to try and contemplate right now. She'd leave it to discuss with her Father who would have a better grasp of science anyway. "If you do, that would be good. I hope so."
Laura smiled in amusement at the idea of them entering the Olympics. "I doubt Canada would have any interest in having a mutant represent them. even if I offered." Was her first reply, before she did indeed laugh at question of what this form would do. "I highly doubt there is a rule against cat people competing. and yet I fear they might list the magic as a form of performance enhancing drugs. it would not be entirely wrong, just inaccurate." The question was funny just because how badly people reacted to meta humans not under the control of the government. If Captain America had stood only for himself and wanted to fight in the war, Laura expected they would have had him killed.
"you can help me convince Father." Laura noted, "i am convinced it will help his knee in time if he paces himself properly but he forever claims not to have the time. Either way, you can join me back in New York." She offered before adding "if you do not mind being slowed down by me." it wasn't entirely a joke. Laura wanted to see Barbara improve and so was hesitant to suggest anything that would impose a limit on her.
The demonstration of Barbara's claws was impressive, and was another thing Laura paid close attention to, filing away every detail she gleaned from it. Once again showing far improvement of what a normal human could hope for, obviously, but it was so hard to tell what the difference between the two was. Laura's claws were longer and she could get deeper into the target but she suspecting Barbara had more strength to work with. Curious, perhaps Laura would be able to match that by..... whatever Laura had been thinking bout was cut off by the kicks (a good idea, and not the most effective. which Laura hadn't expected.)
"that was not bad for strikes. We can hardly expe-" Laura trailed off into a shocked silence when Barabara's tail did something remarkable. "oh." was all that came to mind as the cogs in Laura's brain spun hopelessly in trying to process that. what. "well. that changes things." Laura finally mustered with a disbelieving tone. "If a fight breaks out again in the future. I would suggest opening with that."
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Feb 26, 2017 0:35:54 GMT -5
That was a statement that actually caused Barbara to cock her head a bit. “Then may I ask what you think caused my transformation? I wasn’t born with any ability like this, nor is there a family history of such a thing.” Her question was sincere as she honestly wanted to know what Laura’s opinion was. In her mind, magic seemed to be the easiest answer. It was possible that somehow something might have been triggered inside of her, but humans weren’t part cat. If anything, if it was an evolutionary change, she should have been part ape, unless Darwin was completely wrong in his theory.
Barbara did have to agree with Laura about countries being represented by mutants at the Olympics. Jesse Owens won at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, but, from what she had read about his treatment when he returned to the States, he was back to being treated like a second class citizen, not a winner of gold medals. “Inaccurate or not, I don’t think I want to be responsible for an entirely new prohibition or set of guidelines. Worse yet, they might start a new Olympics for animal people. If there are others like me.” That was a thought. The writings about Urzkartaga stated that only one wife existed, but the world had tales of were-creatures in abundance, so whether there was a possibility of other people like her, Barbara wasn’t quite sure.
“I will try to help where I can, but I’ll let you know that he was still sound asleep when I left him this morning. So motivation will likely be a problem for him.” She smiled at the speed joke before realizing that Laura wasn’t completely joking. “I don’t think I have this speed as a human, and I know I won’t be comfortable running in public view as this. It will… I’m sure we can work something out if I need to exercise in this form.”
Barbara felt her tail after recovering from the shock. It was no different from any other feline tail she was aware of. The bones were not harder, nor was the fur incredibly tough or dense. It just…. happened. She could kill people with a swipe of her tail, as odd as that sounded. And such a notion was odd. She was more comfortable with her teeth and claws doing the killing rather than her tail. “It….. I will try to remember that.” The discovery unnerved Barbara just a little bit, which translated into her body as a sort of fidgetiness. She felt like something was unlocked, and it begged to be used. Speed and strength had been tested, which left only the fighting, of which the small instinctive part of her mind was eager to do. The animal part in her wanted to play, but Barbara was wary of such a sensation as it reminded her of she she felt when she had first changed yesterday. She wondered if it was normal. Would Laura be able to help if it wasn’t?
“I suppose we move on to fighting now?” she asked, only having just realized that her restlessness had caused her to start circling Laura in anticipation. Already her body was acting on instinct.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Mar 5, 2017 14:38:38 GMT -5
Laura realised she had not explained herself correctly and shook her head. "I do not know. "Magic" is not an explanation in the same way telling you "science" is not an answer to how my powers work." She told Barbara thinking it all over. "I was not born with my mutations. it took...." Laura hesitated, "trauma to cause them to activate when I was young. To my understanding, most Mutants powers do not show until puberty. So I am not that convinced by you having been normal until now." She was about to leave it at that when something else occurred to her and made her smile, "If you do have family like this, it is more likely they kept it to themselves."
The idea of new guidelines made Laura nod in approval. At least Barbara had a sense of what world she had entered into. "they would thank you for the publicity needed to enforce harsher laws against the freaks. You should be ready for the abuse you will receive, regardless of what you actually are the world is going to see a Mutant." Not that Laura expected Barbara to make it public that she could do these things now. It would carry no benefits and only cause her problems after all.
It was a genuine surprise to hear her Father was sleeping in. that was unlikely at the best of times but Laura nodded. "good. he does not sleep enough, I keep telling him and he never listens to me. If you have given him even another hour I appreciate it." That man seemed dedicated to crashing and burning through exhaustion, and Laura had beaten her head against the brick wall of trying to convince him way too many times.
"Father owns warehouses, he will have one that is close enough to empty for you to have enough space to yourself." she answered, thinking he would probably fly her to the island every time she wanted a work out if she asked him nicely. It wasn't an over reaction, Laura was just aware her Father had a tendency to want to give his Daughter the world at the drop of a hat. she knew it'd be the same for his..... Laura considered it and settled on 'lover' out of convenience.
Laura didn't expect Barbara to start circling before she'd even asked the question, but settled into a ready stance, her arms raised and prepared to block at the first hint of an attack. It went without saying Laura's claws stayed tucked away but she was still aware she could seriously hurt the other woman. "I have no difficulty in defeating wild animals without endangering myself." She said, trying to word that without being insulting, "to do well you must not act purely on instinct. think on your feet. Learn. react. adapt." with that said Laura finally fell into the state of mind that let her brain focus on the millions of possible actions, reactions and next moves that a fight involved, to slim them down to those that were possible, likely and effective.
"You do not have to hold back. you are not more dangerous then a bullet. Give me your all. Begin." Laura seriously doubted Barbara would be willing to go full out on her. many people could not even when they knew she'd be fine logically, when their emotions came into play. Still Laura hoped that she would, it would make this more entertaining.
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Mar 6, 2017 0:50:26 GMT -5
Laura’s words weren’t exactly comforting. In fact, they made Barbara’s stomach drop a little and her tail, which had been idly flicking and moving about, go still and limp. “My fever could have been trauma,” she said softly. But the thought of her being a mutant, having this in her blood? It was terribly unsettling. Her family had been proud of their lineage, having been able to trace their family ties back to a mayor of London during the reign of Elizabeth the First, a Duke in Normandy during the mid-eight hundreds, and possibly back to Charlemagne himself. As far as she knew, no madness, deformities, or hint of blood illness, what likely a mutation would have been called back then, was present in the family tree. Even if there was, how would that explain Urzkartaga being there? Barbara would laugh at the thought of him possibly being a long lived family member. But, could the change have been brought about or triggered by something inside her? Stories always said that certain types of blood, usually royal or something equally special, allowed a person to do incredible feats, and gods usually chose mates and brides based on breeding. The more Barbara thought on this, the more it made her stomach turn and fear grow.
“I don’t want harsher laws against anyone of any type,” she replied rather quickly and sharply. “We’ve already seen what happened to one group of people due to laws. I don’t want to be responsible for a repeat of that.” But Laura was right; they would see her as a mutant no matter what. Which was why she would keep this change as quiet as possible. She would only open up to one other person, that being Mystique. Barbara assumed that, since both of their appearances were unusual, she would hopefully find some understanding in the German woman.
“He was tired last night. We both were,” she sighed. “And yes, he needed the extra rest.” As for the offering of a secluded warehouse, Barbara nodded, grateful for the offer. “I will certainly ask him about it.”
Barbara circled and watched the girl as she readied herself. With Laura’s smaller stature taken into consideration, she slipped down onto all fours. “I’m not a wild animal, dear.” The statement was not taken as an insult, merely an acceptance of fact. She studied the girl, looking for any sign of weakness, any tell or hint of a flaw. As she did, Laura’s voice grew distant and soft, a distraction that was being filtered out of her mind, turning into background noise. “Cheetahs don’t hold back,” she replied in a breathy fashion, her pupils having dilated. “Expending energy that is not to its fullest is foolish.” Her movements became slower and more controlled, like any feline stalking its prey. She broke her motion pattern up; pausing at odd intervals, feigning a strike or lunge. She knew Laura wouldn’t fall for much, if anything, and she was fully prepared to be hit on her first attempt, but after an amount of time where she thought the girl had grown comfortable with her being so low, Barbara swerved in her circling and dashed in, acting like she was going for her calves before rising up and leaping at her, right hand cupped in a claw-like fashion, intending to land a heavy blow upon the girl’s head and neck.
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Post by Artie Cade on Mar 19, 2017 21:21:31 GMT -5
Artie had slept in, it was true. Well, he didn't personally go to bed until about 4:15 in the morning. Still, though, he'd missed the training time the ladies had set and once his awakened brain realized that, he was dressed lightly and off down toward where they'd agreed to meet immediately, cigarette case and lighter in hand.
He lit a cigarette shakily as he went limping along, having forgotten his cane.
Eh. Didn't matter, the warmer climates didn't affect his bad knee as much.
When he finally reached the site and saw what was going on he say down not far off to watch.
It was....pretty spectacular he had to admit. Barbara moving with such grace and speed, Laura so easily countering yet having difficulty with other moves...it was all very surreal. Why did all the weird stuff seem to happen to him? Not that he minded, but it always seemed to.
Of course he wouldn't be a distraction if he could help it. Maybe it would be more useful to go back and start up the island...no, that wouldn't help. This was Laura's batch of training. Artie could only train someone in firearms and maybe help them brush up on robotics or their sarcasm. Hand to hand combat was Laura's thing. He recalled that the first time he had built the sparring room for her, he'd thought he would help her out by being the first to spar with her.
He winced at the memory.
That had been a mistake. A short lived mistake, but a mistake. And now Laura had the advantage of longer limbs.
He sighed out smoke wistfully as he considered the amount of curious tests he could run in the sparring room with the two of them...if they...didn't mind.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Mar 27, 2017 17:34:00 GMT -5
Laura nodded approvingly at how quick Barbara was to insist. That had touched a nerve, as it should when it was something like that. "I never thought you did." She answered, not taking it personally in the slightest. Laura had not been aware of the second world war in the same way most people had at the time, but she was still well aware how bad things had gotten in Europe. "Probably wise." Laura agreed, not thinking much of it after that.
"Last night was. eventful." Laura agreed, doubting her Father had fully recovered from the stress of seeing her die. Not that she could blame him for that, Laura had found herself tossing and turning a lot before she'd fallen asleep with more then enough thoughts fighting in her mind to keep her from finding rest easily. At least he would feel better when Barbara had a way to involve him in her training, he always seemed to appreciate when he could feel involved in Laura's personal training even if he tried not to let on.
While the Cheetah-like being started to circle her, Laura became a rock, standing straight and bracing herself for the attack. When Barbara was out of eyeshot Laura let her hearing follow the footsteps and breathing to tell her if she was about to charge, or pounce. Laura hadn't considered that she might choose to go with that approach and tensed as she tried to predict if she would need to throw herself sideways to avoid an attack.
One that didn't seem to come. "I would be disappointed in you if you dared." Laura said, thinking that any amount of restraint could only be punished in a real fight, and it was something worth learning early. it was interesting to watch Barbara start to start to think tactically, pausing erratically was smart and pretty effective in making Laura have to start trying to detect patterns or hints rather then guard. Distracting any amount of her focus from the moment was an accomplishment and an advantage to hold on to. When she came at Laura with a strike or lunge, Laura would bat them away with a forearm or by twisting and letting her come up short, each time treating it like the first real attack and every time finding Barbara give way far too easily. Feints. but they had not forced Laura to move from her spot.
And then Barbara came in for real, aiming for her calves made Laura finally budge, trying to move sideways to avoid the attack and bringing her arms up to try and punch Barbara in the head as she passed through the space Laura had just been. It would have worked on a normal human but Laura hadn't really realised how fast Barbara was.
There was a spray of blood as Laura had to abandon her attempt to counter attack and got her open hand in the way of Barbara's claws, letting her slash open Laura's palm to prevent being hit in a more venerable spot, Laura hadn't expected the power behind an open strike like that and found herself driven back another couple steps.
Laura's fingers closed around Barbara's hand tightly, even though that caused Barbara's claws to dig further and deeper into her skin. She hissed with the pain of it as her blood dripped down both of the womens hands, and looked at Barbara with a glint that might have been excitement in her eyes. Laura had only just realised she was going to be able to enjoy this fight and had been completely dismissing Barbara as a threat because she was untrained. If that had landed where it was aimed, Barbara might have won the fight.
This was good. This was the best possible thing that could have happened. Someone Laura could actually enjoy fighting and wouldn't beat down in seconds.
"Finally." Laura whispered before her free hand threw a punch at Barbara's stomach. As long as she was holding onto Barbara, it was harder for her to use her speed advantage, although there was a good chance she'd break free as soon as she wanted to. But then she'd have to be focused on that not offence.
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