Old Lace

Old Lace is a genetically engineered Deinonychus from the 87th century, created by Dale and Stacey Yorkes as a future protector for Gertrude Yorkes. The Runaways found her in the Yorkes home while investigating their parents and the Pride, and Gert formed a psychic link with Old Lace that let her direct the dinosaur while also sharing pain through the bond. Her design also prevented her from harming Gert’s immediate family.

After Gert was killed by Geoffrey Wilder, she transferred the link to Chase Stein before dying. Old Lace was later believed dead after protecting Klara Prast from a crashing aircraft, but she had actually been sent to Dinosaur World and was eventually recovered. When Gert was rescued from the moment before her death, Old Lace reunited with her and the original bond was restored.

Appearance: Old Lace has brown skin. She has red colored eyes. She has a large, muscular, bipedal dinosaur build featuring an elongated neck, a long slender tail, powerful hind legs, and smaller forelimbs. Her entire body is covered in textured scales, wrinkles, and folds. A pattern of dark purple coloration extends along the top of her snout, across the crown of her head, down the upper ridge of her neck, and along her spine to her tail. A thick gold nose ring is worn.

Her elongated head features a mouth lined with numerous small, pointed white teeth and a pink tongue. Her forelimbs end in hands with three long, textured fingers, each tipped with a sharp, curved black claw. Her thick hind legs end in feet with multiple forward-facing toes tipped with smaller black claws, and a large, prominent, sickle-shaped black claw curves sharply downward from the inner side of each foot.

Personality: Old Lace behaves like a fiercely loyal animal protector rather than a speaking person. She follows the commands and emotional signals of whoever holds her psychic bond, but she can also act on instinct when that person is threatened. Her bond with Gert Yorkes lets them communicate mentally and share pain, which makes Old Lace less like a trained pet and more like a linked guardian.

Her main relationship is with Gert, who named her and became her bonded partner after finding her beneath the Yorkes home. Old Lace later bonded with Chase Stein after Gert transferred the link to him while dying, making Chase her temporary handler and protector. She is also tied to the rest of the Runaways as a team companion, though her loyalty centers on her bonded person first, shown when she once attacked Nico during Gert’s conflict with her.

Old Lace has the natural weapons and senses of a Deinonychus, including powerful jaws, sharp claws, speed, and strong tracking instincts. She also has enhanced intelligence and a psychic bond with her handler, letting Gert or a later bonded partner command her mentally while sharing sensations and pain through the link.