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Tales of the Legendary: The Love Life and Suffering of Leon McNichol
Tales of the Legendary: The Love Life and Suffering of Leon McNichol
#1
Leon McNichol stepped out of the elevator and looked around the room curiously. Terrence Knight had said it was somewhat urgent, but so far, the only other
people present were Terrence himself... and a very well built black-furred catgirl. Long legs, small waist and a large chest that the body armor failed to hide
in the slightest, long blonde hair and an oddly familiar face that all added up to one hell of a sex kitten.

Smiling, he stepped forward, already preparing the McNichol charm. "Morning Terr," he said with a polite nod, before giving a more respectful bow to
the catgirl. "Pleasure to meet you ma'am," he smiled. "Detective Leon McNichol, PSI."

The catgirl blinked slightly, before a faint smile appeared on her face. "Hello Detective," she said, her voice sounding oddly familar as well. She
glanced past him as the elevator doors opened again, and Leon turned to see Mag Flashlight and Smoldering Decay arrive.

A part of his mind classed them as no threat as he turned back to the catgirl. "You don't have to be so formal kitten," he chuckled.
"Friends call me Leon. Detective is only for the folks I'm arresting," the officer added with a friendly grin.

Terr made an odd coughing noise, but Leon paid it no mind as the catgirls smile widened. "I'll stop calling you Detective when you pay back the money
you owe me," she said playfully. The police officers mind paused for a minute as he searched his mental databases and found no matches for the woman in
front of him.

"... you're not the woman I met backstage after Priss's concert?" he asked after a moment. Terr made the strange cough again, this time
clearly holding back a laugh. The catgirl merely raised an eyebrow.

"Surely you didn't have so many jello shots that night you'd miss the fur?" she teased lightly.

"I doubt he was in any state to pay attention to fur," Decay snarked, getting a snort from Mag and an outright laugh from Terr now. Leon shot them
all annoyed looks.

"No, I wasn't that girl, although we were drinking together that night," she smiled. Her ears twitched as the smile became slightly evil.
"I'll give you a hint. You owe me the money because a Cadaver puked all over your pants and melted them. I lent you the cash to race into a clothing
store and save what was left of your dignity."

Leons friendly flirting smile was washed away by a wave of embarrassment and horror. "... Rob?!"

Knight of the Peace grinned even wider, pulling out her hero license and confirming that she was indeed one of his favorite drinking buddies in the Legendary,
now somehow feline and female. Behind Leon, the other three heroes broke down laughing, Decay leaning against Terr for support (And a quick grope).

A moment later, Knight joined them in laughter. "The look on your face!" she cackled as she leaned against a computer terminal for support. "I
think you just found another way to be shot down!"




Leon was so stunned his missed his usual response entirely. "Uh, about the kitten comment," he managed weakly. "I..."

Rob laughed again. "That's alright. After all, I am a kitten right now." She looked at him for a long moment, watching him try and collect his
bearings, then smiled and patted his cheek. "Besides, you're cute when you're embarrassed," she added, walking on past and pretending to
ignore the shocked squawk he made (Not to mention the other three heroes all give up and just fall down laughing).

***

For Leon, the day didn't seem to get any better. Going up against the elite soldiers of Romulus, emerging through a hole in time into the tunnels under the
Hollows, was bad enough, but Robin, as she was calling herself at the moment, seemed to be in an odd mood. Or perhaps she was just touched by the evil of her
future sister-in-law, and was simply going after Nene's favorite target.

"You know Leon, my eyes are a little above your line of sight," she laughed as he looked her over yet again, trying to wrap his brain around the
concept.

"I, uhm, I, sorry," he said. "I'm not trying to be a jerk, but how can you be so... calm about it?"

She leapt onto the back of a Roman that Terrence had punched their way, buried her claws in his back a half dozen times, then let him fall. "What, would
you prefer I curl up on the couch at home and sulk?" she asked with a shrug. "Hope they find a way to reverse the Yarnball and put my life on hold in
the meantime?"

"Well, no," he admitted, firing on another Roman, only to have him charge through the gunfire and smash his shield into the police officer, bouncing
him down the cave. As he groaned, he could hear Robin snarling as she lunged at the time travelling centurion. After a few pained yells from her target, she
was bounced down the cavern next to him. Leon swore, rose to his knees and switched his rifle to buckshot. The sneering Cimorean ran at them, only to have his
kneecap explode in a shower of blood and bone.

"I guess when you put it like that, you're making the right call," he continued. "Although I'm surprised you used the same hero name.
People are gonna remember this."

She smirked as she stood up and stretched. "Mmm. Probably. So be it. If they can't handle the fact I'm female, that says more about me then
them." Leon found his eyes roaming again as she stretched, noting she was indeed female, then scowled and turned back to the main fight, noting that she
was also a guy he'd had beers and played darts with on a regular basis, and regardless of how well she was taking it, that was just plain creepy.

"Besides," she added, brushing past him. "It does give me the ability to appreciate that cute ass of yours." As she popped her claws and
dived back into the fight, Leon was briefly frozen, his brain having stumbled and fallen over at that comment.

"... She's joking... right?" he managed after a moment.

"Glass not too sure," Glass Lass admitted as she walked past. "Glass think Knight need therapy."

"She's right though," Emi Arizona added with a soft laugh as she returned to the fight. Leon watched her go, then bowed his head and sighed. He
was getting a damn headache from all this.

***

"Brief break?" Terrence mused.

"Oh yes," Cy Berr agreed, rubbing at her forearm, where a Cimorean sword had cut rather deep. Behind her, Decay sat down on the front of an old car,
resting her legs.

Leon sat down near Mag, removing the clip from his rifle and doing a quick field check. Satisfied it was in working order, he looked around the cavern... and
his eyes locked on Knight, who had briefly unsealed her armor, doing a quick stretch, then began to clean herself in the manner of cats and catgirls
everywhere, seemingly unconcerned about the detective staring at her.

As she lifted her leg up, he briefly began to imagine just how flexible she was, before Mag nudged him in the stomach and pulled him back to reality.
"Look, burning barrels," Mag said dryly, pointing at something on a completely different line of sight then the black-furred catgirl.

"Yes, very interesting," he agreed, directing his eyes at the barrels, but not before accidentally catching Robins eye and seeing the knowing smile
on her face. "Dammit," he muttered. "She's doing it on purpose."

"Course she is. She's a catgirl that associates with Romanova on a regular basis," Mag deadpanned. "You're an easy target for
that."

"Better you then me for a change," Terr said as he walked past, completely unsympathetic. Leon gave him a filthy look.

***

"Enhanced senses have downsides."

"Really?" Emi blinked.

"Yeah. I can smell just how bad these romans are in their leather and metal suits, what with the sweat and mud and blood and the fact they don't have
washing machines in ancient Cimorea. I can smell the Yarnball they had you processing at the police station..."

"Yeah, dump the long boring work on the new girl immune to the stuff," Emi grumbled. "I had catgirls following me all afternoon."

"Not surprising," Robin said. "That smell triggers just about every single pleasure receptor in our brain." She glanced over at Leon and
grinned. "Leon smells nicer though." Leon closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Get a room you two," Cy Barr said, rolling her eyes.

Emi snickered and leaned in close to Robin. "So... are you just messing with Leon or actually flirting with him?" she asked quietly

"... you know, I'm not sure," she replied after a moments thought. She spent the next five minutes or so considering this, giving Leon a much
needed break.

***

"So, that's what ancient Cimorea is like?" Robin asked as they left the Hollows and returned to the much more civilized Atlas Park, all the
Romans suitably beaten up and tossed back through history. "An endless horde of disturbingly large men in bulky armor with swords and shields, all of them
stupidly powerful and dedicated to killing us in painful ways?"

"That's what I've been told," Leon agreed.

"Those were the elite soldiers of Romulus," Mag pointed out. "Most of the soldiers are much more human."

Robin shrugged. "I dunno. I can see Terr's fascination with the place. Give him people to hit and he's happy."

"I am a man of simple pleasures," Terrence replied with a dry smile.

The catgirl laughed, then nudged Leon in the arm. "Come on, I need a beer." He gave her a cautious look. "Oh relax, I'll cover you a few
rounds. It's the least I could do after playing Net and Terrence with you all day."

"Oh wonderful, the game has a name now," Terr chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"... okay," Leon replied, surrendering to the power of free beer.

***

Miranda Barnes looked up from the circuit board she was working on, as her sister came in and headed straight to her room. Curious, she looked back at the door
to see a familar officer standing there. "Heya Leon," she said with a grin and a slight wave. "Whatcha doing?"

"Rob's buying beer," he replied. "I'm planning on drinking it."

"Ah," she said. "So... I see you've seen the new look."

Leon shrugged, hands in his jacket pockets. "Would've appreciated it if someone freaking warned me."

Mir paused, then her eyes glowed with a purple light as her partner took control. "Are you implying what I think you are?" Shade asked, before the
light faded and Mir snickered. "You tried to pick her up, didn't you?"

The detective paused, looking for a way to save face, then slumped slightly and replied "... yeah." Mir put the soldering iron down, then allowed
herself to crack up laughing. Leon patiently waited for her to calm down. This took some time, as every time Mir looked back up at him, it set her off again.

The Warshade was still giggling helplessly as Robin came back out in jeans and a shirt. "...Do I want to know?" she asked Leon, which only set Mir
off again.

"Ah, she's just being her usual charming self," he scowled.

Robin nodded in understanding. "Mir, I'm going out and getting drunk," she said. Mir managed a weak wave as she gasped for air. Robin rolled her
eyes, fetched her jacket, and headed for the door. Behind them, Mir coughed and wheezed, then pulled herself out of her chair, fetched a glass of water, then
went and called Nene.

"Hey Nene, it's Mir. Listen, I've got some material you need to know before you see Leon tomorrow..."

***

She was still working on the circuit boards a few hours later when the sounds of stumbling footsteps got her attention. Curious, she pulled up her goggles and
went to the window.

"I am so drunk," Robin giggled, leaning against Leon for support. "And I was sticking to light beer. That's depressing..."

"You're what, half your old body weight?" Leon replied, guiding her towards the door. "You'll just have to be careful about how you
drink in the future."

"And I suck at pool now," the catgirl sighed.

"You were always crap at that," Leon disagreed, fishing through the woman's jacket pocket for her keys. "You kicked my ass at darts."

"Sniping. I'm good at it," Robin smiled, stumbling slightly. "I had fun tonight, even when that jerk got pushy."

"You think he'd know not to mess with a catgirl," Leon snorted. "Dumbass," he added as he put the key in the lock.

Robin giggled. "You were gonna deck him," she noted, laughing. "Oh noble man, protecting the girl."

He turned and gave her an odd look. "Last time I checked, you didn't need protecting."

"True, but it was very sweet. I should thank you for it," she declared, and before Leon really had time to register it, the woman had wrapped her
arms over his shoulders and pulled him down into a deep kiss. His eyes went wide as his tried to get past the alcohol in his bloodstream and remind his body
that even if Robin was currently a very hot catgirl with a great figure and a huge chest, he should really put a stop to this...

Thankfully, Miranda apparently took pity on him for once and raced to the door, swinging it open and pulling the catgirl off. "Okay then, someone's
properly plastered and is ready for bed," she declared. "Get in there and sleep it off," she ordered, pushing her towards the hallway.

"Ohhh... fine," Robin sulked, making her way towards the hallway in a sort of straight line.

Mir watched her go, then turned back to Leon, who was still standing there, frozen in an odd mix of surprise, horror, and lust. "I'd invite you in for
a much needed coffee," she said, studying him. "But I think I'm going to need to make sure she's properly tucked in and sleeping this
incident off."

Leon blinked a few times. "Uhhh... yeah," he agreed, wiping at his mouth. "... You won't mention this?"

She gave him an amused look. "I have some sense of mercy," she snorted. "Nene won't hear it from me. Night Leon."

"Yeah... bye," Leon said, watching the door close. He stood there for a long moment, still wiping at his lips with his thumb. "... This city can
be freaking weird," he sighed, turning and heading for the train station.

***

The following morning found Leon sorting through a pile of paperwork that was strange, even by PSI standards. How was he supposed to get signatures and
evidence logs from the officers on the other end of a suspect transfer, when the other end was two thousand years in the past, and any paperwork would be in
Latin?

He was about to shove the documents into a folder and go find someone at the Midnight Club to properly abuse over this, when he heard a familiar voice say, in
a tone he'd come to dread "Oh Leon-pooo..." Slowly, he looked up to see Nene standing there, a faintly bemused looking Ifrit standing behind her.

"What is it Nene?" he asked in a weary voice, already guessing what was coming.

"Oh, I just heard about your day yesterday, and I thought I should swing by and make certain that your intentions towards my future sister-in-law were
clean and decent," she smiled cheerfully.

One desk over, Daley Wong blinked and looked over. "I thought Miranda already had a girlfriend," he said.

"Oh, she does," Ifrit replied with an amused shake of her head.

Wong considered this, then smiled at Leon. "You were hitting on Knight of the Peace?" he chuckled.

"You knew about that?" Leon blinked.

"If you bothered to read the police reports on Yarnball, you would have too," Daley told him. "So... if you're willing to chase after a girl
that was a guy a week ago, does this mean I'm in with a shot?"

"Don't start with me Wong," Leon growled. Daley merely smiled and leaned back in his chair to watch the show.

Nene smiled. "I know how lacking your love life has been lately-"

"Hey!"

"So I know you might be considering introducing Robin to some of the more... exciting elements of her new gender," she continued as if she hadn't
noticed his protest. "But they're looking for a way to reverse it, so any more little adventures like last night-"

"Hey, she kissed me, not the other way around!" Leon exclaimed, starting to mentally curse Miranda, then stopped dead as Nene and Ifrit both suddenly
turned much more serious looks his way. "Uhhh..."

"Robin kissed you," Ifrit said softly, her face intent.

"Well... she was drunk, and a little out of it."

Nene looked over at Ifrit, the pair seeming to share a conversation in a few expressions. "Well then, that changes things," she nodded.

Leon glanced between them. "... It does?"

"Hmm," Ifrit agreed. "If Robin is interested in you in that manner... well, she's a grown woman, she doesn't need her sister keeping an
eye on her. That said, should you hurt her..." her eyes lit on fire for a moment as she continued in a sweet voice. "I will burn the flesh from your
bones, leave you blind and helpless, and then I'll let Nene do whatever she wants to you."

"Remember what I said about Priss?" Nene asked with a cute smile. "Well, have fun Leon-poo!" she said, turning and walking away. "Be
sure to take her somewhere nice!" Ifrit followed, giving Leon a cheery wave that had embers floating in the air behind her hand. Leon watched them head
towards the base teleporter, then groaned, his head dropping onto the desk with a painful sounding thunk.

Daley studied him for a moment, did some mental calculations of Leons frustration meter, and said "You do realize that this provides more evidence that
you should just join me on this side of the fence?"

"I will end you Wong," came the pained response.

"Promises promises."
Reply
 
#2
*applauds*
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies
Reply
 
#3
oh this had me laughing, well done Smile
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
Reply
 
#4
For those of you that weren't along, most of this actually happened, including the 'burning barrels' bit
which was just epic timing on Wire's part. It all started innocently. There I am, figuring, "Hey, I'll poke a little at MD by having Leon hit on
Knight, that'll be good for a few laughs, then we'll go beat up Romans."

Then Knight pokes back. Leon returns the volley. Knight sets up for a slam. Leon fails to notice. Knight slams...

And yeah. Downhill all the way from there. Poor Leon. Guy can't get a break in this town!

(In a more serious vein, though, that's awesome work there. You've taken it and run with it and now the ideas won't leave my SKULL damn you! Smile

Also:

Quote: The following morning found Leon sorting through a pile of paperwork that was strange, even by PSI standards. How was he supposed to get signatures and
evidence logs from the officers on the other end of a suspect transfer, when the other end was two thousand years in the past, and any paperwork would be in
Latin?




He was about to shove the documents into a folder and go find someone at the Midnight Club to properly abuse over this, when he heard a familiar voice say,
in a tone he'd come to dread "Oh Leon-pooo..." Slowly, he looked up to see Nene standing there, a faintly bemused looking Ifrit standing behind
her.
That right there is epic freaking win, man. I was dying over that. I may have to write that, now. That's GREAT.

"You! Yeah, you, mister whatever your name is, in the tweed jacket. Detective McNichol, PPD. Just LOOK at these! What the hell am I -- is that skull
grinning at me?"

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
Reply
 
#5
The burning barrels bit - that was my buried and hidden gentlemanly side coming out - and if ANYONE brings that up in public, I will give your children
espresso and puppies. And if you don't have children, I'll find some for you.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies
Reply
 
#6
((While we're on the topic of roleplay, did anyone happen to capture the entire conversation Eva had with her mother on the cellphone that I rattled off
last night? I was just creating it on the fly without really thinking about it, and when it was over, I couldn't really remember what I'd said. And I
rarely have a capture log open.))
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Reply
 
#7
Sorry to say, I wasn't there, so I can't help with that particular bit.

However, if you didn't already know, there's an option to log chat that can be permanently enabled in your Options settings. I turned it on a long
time ago and now don't bother remembering to capture the log, it's saved for me automatically.

... and ye gods, I'm up to a couple hundred megs of plain text, now. Time to do some culling! Big Grin

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
Reply
 
#8
I wish we could automatically log things by channel.

Cause I'm sure 90% of my logs are combat/broadcast related, and I really don't care about that.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
Reply
 
#9
Sweno: no option to do that, unfortunately... but I do have some handy-dandy regex's that'll do the trick nicely if you're running Textpad
(free/shareware) or any other regex-capable text editor.

Ops can attest as to how well it works. I've scripted it into a Textpad macro, and it can process a multi-megabyte file and extract just the channels
I'm interested in in a split second. Very handy stuff.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
Reply
 
#10
I've got a Java Program to do likewise, with multiple files at once. It's not perfect and it's probably not as quick as just feeding in a regex,
but you don't need to know any more than where your file is and what channels you want to keep. (Can also search the file(s) but that's a lot slower)
Just send me a poke somewhere, or I can make a thread for that if you folk are interested.
---

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

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI
Reply
 
#11
Sorry, Bob I was there but I don't log chat except by request at the time >< MY bad. Even if QB was being silly and trickster-ish
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
Reply
 
#12
Oh, well, no big. I'll cope. Thanks anyway, everyone.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Reply
 
#13
Sofa: I live, breath, eat, and sleep regex. Coming up with something to filter out the cruft isn't a problem. It's having to do so in the first place
Sad

I'll have to experiment with not logging the combat data in the first place (I never reference it), and see how that works out.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
Reply
 
#14
Leon tapped a key, then located the 'd' key, then located the space bar with greater ease. Slowly, the report on the investigation into Yarnball was
coming together on his computer. Very slowly. Not for the first time, he considered Nene's offer of helping him with his typing skills. Any grief she gave
him might actually be worth the bonus,

"I had a feeling I'd find you here," said a familiar voice. Leon blinked, then looked up to find Robin Barnes standing there, clad in jeans and
an oversized Paragon Protectors jersey that wasn't quite oversized in certain areas. He paused, briefly taken by a certain memory. "What?" she
asked, ears twitching.

"Nothing. What's up?" he asked.

"Protectors and Red Sox?" she said. "Tickets? We have them?"

Leon paused, then checked his calender. "Holy crap, that's today?" he wondered.

"Not just today, in an hour," she said."I trust you're still interested?"

"Uh, yeah!" Leon said, saving his report and turning off his computer. "I was mostly just getting overtime pay anyway." He gave her a
slightly concerned look. "You sure you're up for this? Insane amount of people, noise, smells..."

"Oh I'll be fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "And besides, I had to rescue the Heroes manager to get these tickets, I'm damn well
going to use them." She waited until he'd gotten his jacket on, then grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the base teleporters.

Daley Wong, making a return trip from the Coffee Maker of Doom, paused at the sight of a sexy catgirl guiding Leon out of the workplace. "You two have fun
now," he smiled. "And remember what Nene said Leon." His partner shot him a filthy look as they vanished towards Galaxy City.

Behind him, the tiny form of Tamara Reilly, aka Major Starlight, aka the youngest human police officer on the PPDs payroll, regarded the scene with a curious
expression as she swung her backpack over her shoulder. "What'd Nene say to him?" she asked Daley.

He turned, not having realized she was there, and shrugged. "Only that if Leon hurt Knight of the Peace, there'd be hell to pay."

Tam blinked. "That was Knight?" she said. She'd been working the Yarnball case directly, Peacebringers having a greater resistance to Yarnball
then baseline humans, so she'd heard about Robin, if not seen it.

Daley nodded, returning to his desk, forgetting the critical rule of any office place. Rumors and gossip can spread at light speed. In an office place with
superpowers, it was potentially even faster.

Tamara was young, on both the human and Kheldian side. She had the memories of the previous host, but they were somewhat disconnected from her mental state.
And no one could accidentally distort information and rumors faster then a girl heading for her fifteenth birthday.

***

"Now this... this is something I've missed," Lynna Mason declared as she stretched out on the couch. "I have barely seen or heard from you
in months, aside from the occasional 'not dead' emails."

"Hey, the Academy doesn't make their accelerated training course easy," Tam replied as she dropped into the armchair and closed her eyes for a
moment. "Thank God for not needing as much sleep as I used to," she sighed. Lynna snorted, and Tam cracked an eye open. "Some of those days were
twenty hours long," she noted. "Some of the instructors were so convinced a kid like me was too young, peacebringer or not."

"Well, you pulled it off. Back in uniform, for the very first time," she laughed. Tam chuckled and picked up her can of cola as Lynna channel surfed.
"Brass Monday documentary, cheesy romance, oh hey, baseball."

"Bah. It hasn't been the same since Crey brought out the Statesmen," Tam sighed.

"Hey, you don't turn on your team just because they're owned by an evil manipulative megacorp," Lynna snarked. "You just need to figure
out how to expose the conspiracy, free them, and watch them reclaim their glory."

"Well, if they could pitch decently, they wouldn't have lost their glory in the first place... Hey, see if you can spot Knight of the Peace in the
crowd."

The Warshade snorted. "Sex kitten like that should stand out," she grinned. "What's she doing there? I'd have thought a place like that
would be a nightmare for someone that got that kind of boost to their senses."

Lynna raised an eyebrow as Tamara actually giggled. "She's on a date with Leon."

"... Bull. Rob was a guy two weeks ago. She's not going to be dating a guy, especially not a tail-chaser like McNichol."

Tam shrugged. "Okay, maybe not a 'date' date, but come on... Nene and Ifrit gave Leon the talk."

Lynna sat up slightly. "The 'mess with our sister and they'll never find your remains' talk?"

"That's the one."

"... Huh."

***

"Well, Nene could just be messing with Leon," Valles mused as she punched a Council goon. The warshade nodded in slight agreement as Brande called
down the fire.

***

"Maybe Rob was gay," Braende suggested.

"... Nope. He checked out my tight pants," Rhea replied. "The ones that Mr Whiskers said would break Terrs Impervium underwear, and he really
didn't want to know anything else." The pair considered this for a moment. "Possibly bi," she decided at last.

***

"Well, looks like she's not letting it break her," Smouldering Decay chuckled. "Just wish her taste was better."

Sacae Sabre looked up from where she she searching through some of the books in the Legendary library, and said nothing.

***

"Oh man," Typhoon Sabre moaned, shoulders slumping. "I figured I might have a shot at Leon. Then in comes the new girl and takes him."

"... Sorry to bring bad news?" Sacae Sabre replied.

Across the room, Priss snorted. "Probably the other way round. Leon's finally getting somewhere with making the moves on someone, it's just that
he's finally getting lucky with a guy," she said, entirely joking.

"That's it!" Mackie declared. "Leon's taken himself out of play, but I don't need to worry about Robin getting in the way of me and
any other guys!" Sylia gave her little sister an odd look, then went upstairs to call Nene. Priss meanwhile, went into the next room to properly break
down laughing.

***

Sammy looked at the phone oddly. "What?" Purrfect Trick said.

"... Typhoon's convinced that Aunt Robin's gone and gotten herself a boyfriend."

"... okay..."

***

"THIS UNIT HAS OBSERVED BEHAVIOR THAT WOULD INDICATE SEXUAL ATTRACTION IN BOTH THE DETECTIVE AND KNIGHT OF THE PEACE." MACH Mk.II watched as the
uniformed officers nodded to each other and left. Most unusual.

***

"Leon shacked up with a sex kitten? Dayum!"

***

Leon came into work, thoroughly disappointed at the Protectors performance the previous day, only to find something odd going on. Uniformed officers were
grinning at him... well, the men at least. A number of the female officers seemed to be rather furious.

"Nicely done detective," one of the newer recruits said, raising his coffee cup in a mock salute.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," he replied, slightly confused. Thanks for what?

Shaking his head slightly, he continued on to his desk... to find Nene Romanova standing in front of it, a glare on her face, foot tapping in fury. "...
What?" he said after a moment.

"What have you been telling people McNichol?" she said in short, clipped words. Leon paled. She used his last name! She never used his last name!
"See, I've noticed more then a few rumors floating around today. Stories about you and my soon to be sister-in-law. Did you have fun yesterday?"

"Um... yeah. It was loud, and hot, but overall..." he blinked and looked over his shoulder at the sound of laughter in the hall. "The
hell...?" he murmured, not noticing Nenes face turn a remarkable shade of red...
Reply
 
#15
Air....need....air....laughing so hard.....
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
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#16
*snickers* If they think it's confusing now, wait 'til they figure out a cure for yarnball.

I do have a short statement from the boss bot though.

Quote: Irritated query: Do we have nothing better to do than gossip about Detective McNichol? Bribe: Perhaps if we got back to work the stack of vacation requests
might make it out of my inbox.

She would also like to say, for the record, her bad mood has nothing to do with losing the betting pool.

Quote: False indignation: Of course not.

Very nice Sky.

--

Cumulogranitus is a cloud type which appears to be innocent

from the outside but is actually stuffed full of geography.
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#17
The MACH Mk. II is perfectly outfitted for observing physiological reactions that might indicate arousal and sexual attraction, and answered to the best of his
ability.

That he completely missed the "do you think that's the LIKELY cause?" portion of the question is, of course, because his psychology subroutines
are the basic package that doesn't include his Subtlety.exe file. Nene's working on that, but Crey AI DRM is a pain in the ass.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
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#18
Emi Arizona blinked at the rumors flying back and forth in the squad room. Steeling herself and making a decision, she dialed a well-remembered phone number.

"Tira?" the Legendary's liaison to the PPD asked. "I think we have someone to invite to the support group. Uh-huh. Looks like she's adjusting really quickly, but that could cause trouble if something goes 'ker-splooey,' y'know?" She listened to the response. "Right. I'll put the business card in her locker at her SG base."

When her shift was over, Emi suited action to words:

Quote:Tiresian Fountain Support Group
Every other Thursday
Suite 823, Scheherezade Hotel, Galaxy City
Helping people make big personal adjustments since 2002
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
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#19
Pooky sat in the bar, eyeing the slumped form of Decay and the massive amount of empty bottles scattered on the table of her booth. Sighing, he motioned to the
bartender.

"I don't get it, man. Some folks couldn't get a date to save their lives, and this Leon dude has his best friend - now in a shiny sexually
attractive package."

"Mmph," the bartender replied noncomittally, polishing the already clean wood of the bar.

"Bastard's got the damndest luck, and he doesn't even have a clue."

"Hmmph" the bartender agreed. Behind Pooky, the crashing of glass and table announced Decay's loss of her battle with the demon alcohol. The
bartender peered around Pooky and shook his head. "Shit."

"Bah. I'll cover it." Pooky paid off the bartender, folding a twenty into the man's hand after his and Decay's tabs were settled. He
delicately plucked the comatose hero off the floor into a carry, his massive form cradling her like a small child, and hovered out the door and into the night
of Paragon.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies
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#20
It had me laughing, so good job sky.

and wire: Pooky has a soft side (gasp!)
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
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#21
i'm tempeted to write what DS would think if he heard this.... but i doubt he hangs in the right social circles Tongue


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#22
***

"God DAMMIT!" came the annoyed growl. Nene Romanova paused, paused the video she was watching, and wandered down to Leons office, watching as a
manila folder was tossed across the room, papers scattering in a variety of interesting directions.

"Well, it seems that you're making progress on whatever case that is," she said dryly.

The detective slumped back into his chair, not even giving her an annoyed look. "It's the damn Yarnball case again," he grumbled. "None of
it makes any damn sense at all." He gestured at the papers on the floor. "That just came from MAGI. They swear there's no magic involved in this
crap."

Nene raised an eyebrow. "Okay... so, some terrifyingly advanced nanotechnology or something?"

"DATA says otherwise," he grumbled. "They're saying it's a white powder. And you know what's even better?" Nene tilted her head
to the side, waiting. "It's chemically inert. It's no more a narcotic then talcum powder."

The computer genius raised an eyebrow. "... Have they seen Robin lately?" she asked.

"Yeah, there's no way in hell that body could be the result of hidden drugs and toxins," Leon replied, eyes unfocused for a moment. Nene
suppressed a slight smirk, before he snapped back to reality. "There is basically no way to explain how Yarnball can act as a powerful narcotic for
catgirls..."

"And turn other people into catgirls," Nene finished for him.

"Bingo," he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Even by this citys standards, it doesn't make any sense... and what the hell would the
Family do with a horde of drugged out catgirls anyway?" he asked. "Half of them were so out of their damn minds they couldn't do anything. Sure
as hell couldn't pay the Family for their fixes for long."

"A short term money grab?" Nene frowned, but she was already shaking her head as she said it. "Whatever the secret of this stuff is, it must
have cost a lot in money and hours. Even reinvesting that into Dyne research..."

"What if it was a failure?" Leon wondered, eyes gleaming. "They made something they don't really understand or control, and there's no
real profit in it. The Family never toss something aside if they can help it." He stood up and went to retrieve the papers.

"So they release it onto the streets?" Nene replied. "What good would that do them..." her voice trailed off as Leon held up the paperwork
with a smirk. "Ohhh..."

"Research and development of countermeasures, investigation, attempted vaccinations of officers and heroes at risk of exposure, stopping shipments,
hitting labs... All pulled away from other police and hero investigations," Leon said.

"And it would happen, because people freak out," Nene continued. "Word leaks out that if you mess with the family, they won't just kill you,
they'll change you. Transform you into a catgirl so hooked on their crap that you'll do whatever they want..."

"And the PPD busted a Family run catgirl brothel last week," Leon pointed out. "Which they don't think was actually running a profit, but
it's very existence gives their enemies a mental image of a fate worse then death. Some people might be willing to wear cement shoes, it's over
relatively fast, but this... This is slow, prolonged torture."

The redhead paused. "Are we in a Nemesis plot here?" she considered.

"The term isn't recognized as a trademark anymore," Leon replied, so caught up in the subject matter, he was able to banter with Nene without
ending up on the defensive. "So, intimidation, distraction, general scare tactics... Depending on how much it's costing them to make, this might
actually be saving them money compared to time and effort in sending goons out for conventional violence..."

Nene paused, then motioned for him to follow her. Curious, Leon did as he was told, as the young woman returned to her own desk, then opened an FTP program and
started searching. "Okay, all the Family bosses captured and questioned about this say its coming from the Rogue Isles, right?" she said. Leon
nodded. "While the Family is mostly unified over here, over there the Marcones and Mooks are in all out war at the moment."

"Again," Leon noted dryly.

"Of course," Nene said. "But here's the thing... there's nothing in the Rippers records, or the Arachnos Civil Security Divisions for
that matter, about a sudden upswing in catgirls in Port Oakes."

Detective McNichol paused. "... How did you get access to those?"

"Rippers don't waste money on security, and Longbow takes their job seriously," Nene replied casually. "Now, maybe it's just me, but
Emil and Guido seem like the sort of brutal thugs that would love to use this on each other."

"It's not just you," Leon agreed, frowning and looking over the files Nene was opening. "Neither or them has the Yarnball... then where the
hell is it coming from?" he wondered.

***
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#23
***

Robin sat on the edge of the roof, legs hanging over the edge, looking over the streets of Brickstown. She reached up, brushed the hair out of her face, and
briefly wondered yet again about the benefits of getting a haircut. Then, without turning, she called out "Pick another roof to do business on and I
won't sharpen my claws on your freeze rays."

"... How'd you know?" the Crey radiologist asked, before he and the two security guards he was with froze at the sound of a multi-rifle swapping
over to buckshot.

Carefully, they turned to look at Leon McNichol, standing behind them near the roof access door. "I can smell you idiots a block away. She's a
catgirl, with a superhuman sense of smell," he deadpanned. "Honestly, you'd think Crey scientists threw out their hygiene with their damn
ethics." He stepped away from the door. "Scram." The trio took the opening and left.

The police officer snorted as the door closed. "Why can't they do their drug deals in their wacky science labs?" he wondered.

"Company rules," Robin replied with a faint smile. "Do what you like with our poisons, just don't do it where we can see you." Leon
snorted again as he slung his rifle over his back. "So, what brings you up to Bricks?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Talking to a guy I know in the Family," he answered. "Now I've just gotta figure out what he was tellin' the truth about and what he
was making up. The idiot's getting unreliable, nearly time to bust him." Robin nodded, thinking of her own list of informants. "So... new
costume?" he asked, noting the metallic blue armor she was wearing.

In reply, the catgirl laughed. "It's a little spell Angie taught me. Magical costume change. She just neglected to mention it functioned like a
magical girl spell and came with its own outfit."

"Well, a suit of armor doesn't seem so bad," Leon mused, before Robin somehow kicked off the side of the roof, flipped in midair and landed in
front of him, giving him a good look at the fact that the costume seemed to be all armor up top, the lower half consisted of a pair of high heels and a very
short skirt that did a wonderful job of showing off her long, toned legs and stopped just before... he forced himself to pull his eyes back up, and locked onto
Robins face. "Well, uh, half a suit and... um..." Robin let him struggle for words for a moment, then broke down giggling. "Gee, thanks,"
he said with a mock scowl.

Robin covered her smile with her hand, then turned on the spot to give him an even better look. "Well, I think I can call this costume a success,"
she said, getting her giggles under control.

"I guess you can," Leon agreed after a moment. "Still, it throws me a little. You in a skirt?" he chuckled.

She shrugged, tail waving idly. "Why not? I mean, it looks good, I've certainly got the legs to show off, and it's... comfortable," she
admitted, face taking on a thoughtful expression.

Studying the expression, Leon considered things fore a moment. "Something's on your mind," he said. "Something pretty serious." The
catgirl paused, then nodded. "Related to your other issues?" he added in a cautious tone of voice. Robin winced at that, then nodded again. Leon
paused, considered the matter with all of his considerable reasoning skills, then asked softly "Want to talk about it?"

"... You won't freak out?" she asked, having gone from amused to thoughtful to rather nervous in about twenty seconds.

Leon gave her a friendly smile in return. "Hey, it's not like I've got a right to freak out over what you're going through," he said.
"And you're my buddy. You need to talk, I'm here to listen."

Smiling faintly, Robin backed up slightly. "I'm dealing with this," she said. "And pretty well, I'd like to think. I mean, I'm not
curled up in a ball at home, pretending it'll all go away. I'm not flinching at my reflection, I'm not trying to pretend it didn't happen, and
when people try and have a go at me over it, I don't let it get me down."

"People have done that?" Leon asked.

"Usually people I'm beating into the concrete, but also the occasional person I've rescued."

"Wow. There's gratitude for ya," the cop mused.

"Yeah, the later does hurt," she admitted with a slight shrug and a pained expression. "The thing is, I'm not just dealing with this... I
honestly think that if they can't find a cure, I could live a long and happy life." She chuckled. "Maybe Mir was onto something."

Looking at her, Leon gave her a curious expression. "And that's... a problem?" he asked.

Her expression shifted again, this time to annoyance. "In an odd, yet frustrating way. What happens if they find a cure for the damn Yarnball in six
months, or a year? Do I take it and go back to being Robert? What happens about everything that happens in the meantime? It's just as valid as my life
before Yarnball, right?" she asked. Leon nodded in agreement. "Right now, I'm doing alright, but I'm still... sorta kinda idling."

"Because you're waiting for a cure," Leon mused.

"And maybe I shouldn't," she sighed. "Maybe I should just say 'hell with it' and move on. Enjoy the enhanced senses, fondness for
snacking on mice, the curves and the looks people give me... maybe even some romance," she mused, a faint blush sneaking through her fur.

"Yeah, that would be a problem if you changed back," Leon mused. "I mean, what if your girlfriend was gay, not bi?"

"Oh, it's even more complicated then that," she replied with a slightly bitter laugh. "I was straight before... and I'm straight
now."

Her friend paused, then gave her a surprised look as that worked through his mind. "Um... are you sure?"

"Very," Robin said, giving him an intense look. "And all that's assuming they ever do find a cure. Because they were so successful with
fixing Trolls," she snorted.

"Then what's stopping you?" Leon wondered.

"Because I'm terrified of what it means," Robin sighed. "Because it feels like giving up, or it's wrong somehow. Like... I don't
know," she finished, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, before slumping slightly in despair. "I feel like a freak for not giving up on
my old body... and a freak for thinking of moving on," she whispered.

Leon looked at her for a moment, shoulders slumped, ears drooping, then seized the initiative and pulled her into a gentle embrace, drawing a surprised noise
from Robin. "You're no freak," he said quietly, but fiercely. "You're just a person that's had a lot of weird shit thrown at you,
and you're dealing with it a hell of a lot better then I would. Anyone that's arrogant and stupid enough to give you shit over it doesn't know you,
and doesn't even deserve to be shown how dumb they are."

Robin looked up at him, eyes tearing up, before she buried her face in his shirt and breaking down crying. Slightly stunned, even after guessing just how
stressed out Robin really was, Leon just held her and let her cry, getting it out of her system. "It's not your fault," he said gently.
"None of us think any less of you for it... you're still our friend..." It took a while for the girl to calm down, although she still held onto
his shirt with a near deathgrip.

"Sorry..." she mumbled.

"Bah. You look like you needed a good cry. My shirt is a suitable sacrifice for that," he joked. Robin laughed slightly, the noise containing more
then a bit of a sob still. "I meant it though," he added, stroking her ears. "I know you're not a freak, and I'm not thinking any less
of you for this."

"... thanks," she mumbled.

"And you don't need to be doing that... I'm just doing what's right." Robin smiled faintly, letting the moment pass. Eventually, she
broke the embrace and looked up at him.

"So... You think I should just get on with life?" she asked.

In reply, Leon shrugged. "I reckon that's an idea. It's your call though," he admitted. "Either way, we're still buddies."

Robin smiled again. "So... wanna go see a movie?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied with a grin. "I still need to see Star Trek so everyone will stop begging me to let them mention spoilers around me."
Robin laughed, then pulled a small mirror out of nowhere and studied the tear tracks in her facial fur.

"I need to clean myself up first," she admitted. "I can't walk around like this."

The police officer snorted. "Are you sure you didn't already decide to go all femme?" he wondered. In reply, Robin punched him in the arm.

***
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#24
Quote: The police officer snorted. "Are you sure you didn't already decide to go all femme?" he wondered. In reply, Robin punched him in the arm.

... sending the officer flying off the roof. "Oops," Robin muttered.

"... meDIc?" Leon whimpered from the street below.

(Sorry, that's the image that keeps coming to mind. She's faster and stronger, from what I've gathered... and Leon's, well, squishy. Smile)

Anyway!

I've said it in IM, and I'll say it here: you're better at writing my character than I am, man. This is some great stuff... I'm looking
forward to seeing how it all pans out for Robin. I like that it's not coming across all angst-y; sure, there's some inner conflict there, but just
enough of it, rather than too much.

Nice work!

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
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#25
She was able to keep it to 'friendly armpunch' levels, luckily for Leon. As for the angst, she occasionally wonders if she should be having more of
that. Smile
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