The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Welldrinker Cult
A shadowy group is gaining power, drawing in people who are curious, vulnerable, or malicious, and turning them into Mystics. They are recruiting people into their ranks to spread the influence of magic in the world, but for what end goal?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
Posted by Cold Steel on Aug 21, 2009 21:31:48 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,363
104
May 1, 2024 18:45:41 GMT -6
One week, that was how long since he had seen Calley last, after that the world decided he needed a few days bed rest and a few days staying busy with the team and helping to dish out a few missions and pick up a few students from around the country. Rubbing his head slightly as he popped another heavy dose of Ibuprofen for the headaches that he had still been having. Doc unfortunately didn’t have any excuses for him as to why his head was still hurting like it was the only thing he could suggest was the mental stress but Sam had to disagree seeing as his head hurt only a few hours mainly when he woke up after a long nap or a good nights rest. Throwing his head back and sipping from his water bottle Sam gulped down the water and shook his head slightly as a butterfly passed by.
It was true it had been a week since the brawl and a week since he had seen Calley but he wasn’t happy with how things had ended, sure he never really knew Calley like he knew some of the other members of the team but he was still trying to make an attempt. Knowing that Luke and Calley had butted heads Sam thought the best place to meet was in a public setting one where they would both be less inclined to show their aggressive sides.
It was now noon and the sun was hidden for the moment in central park and Sam sat at a lone stone table and sat on a bench matching it as he looked at a chess board complete with all of the pieces, even if Calley couldn’t play chess he had a checker set in a small knapsack just incase. Sam just hoped that Calley still had his X-communicator. After leaving him a message both a time and place Sam eagerly went on his way in hopes he could meet the animal shifting teen and try to convince him to come back or at least end with him on better terms that what they had at the King Pharmaceuticals lab.
Posted by Cheshire on Aug 21, 2009 21:58:59 GMT -6
Mutant God
3,233
18
Sept 24, 2018 19:41:05 GMT -6
Calley
Calley’s experience with the X’s, at a glance:
First day as a spy: acquired video and audio of all current team members. Bugged Mansion.
(Mansion destroyed by Iris. X-Men: across the city, getting their brawl on the evening news.)
First day at the Mansion: walked into tryouts, and joined the X-team.
(Mansion destroyed by Stalker bots. X-Men: useless. All but one of their members rounded up and put into the Camps. Skin saved: by the Resistance, largely made up of Order and Kabal members. Lone uncaptured X-member: off chasing her boyfriend at the time of the breakout.)
Post-Camps X-meeting: hypocrisy in action!
Disappeared for a week. This was only noticed by Neena, Kat, and his First Retainer. They are awesome.
Spying, spying, mission, spying.
Neena called off on urgent business. Mansion awesome coefficient left in the hands of everyone else. Tangible awesome plummet.
Dream. Brawl. Luke maul.
Call from Cold Steel.
Thus is was that Calley was pacing, his footsteps softer than the usual human’s but not anywhere near that of a cat’s, towards the little chess table in Central Park. He looked around as he went, of course. Idly. Yep, he’d recently mauled one of their members. But he didn’t exactly fear retribution. Calley’s opinion of the current X-team, at a glance:
[/i]: A species largely known for its incompetence. Special abilities: gathering animals in the Mansion that a multi-shifter could easily exploit to blend in, forgoing thought for action, dating things that move.[/ul] At least the Order would have had the decency to ambush him at this meeting, and give him a proper pounding. Not that he ever intended to get pounded, ever again.
Cold Steel, and the X’s?
Calley had only one fear, as he pulled out the chair across from Cold Steel and unceremoniously sat down.
“I didn’t know you swung both ways.”
Calley was something that moved, after all. And the blue-eyed Mansion pretty boy had called him, not the other way around. It was a beautiful day for a man-date, and a little game in Central Park could be so romantic.
Posted by Cold Steel on Aug 21, 2009 22:28:02 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,363
104
May 1, 2024 18:45:41 GMT -6
A grin touched his lips as Calley sat down making his comment that implied they were on a man date. Shrugging slightly and with a smile Sam let out a small chuckle, ”Afraid not, and if I did you wouldn’t be my type Calley, no offense of coarse.” Sam pointed to the chess pieces in front of him, ”Had to shoo off a few old men to save you a spot but,” letting out a small laugh at his joke and then moved his pawn forward, ”We can play now that you're here.”
There were a lot of things he wanted to talk about first and foremost why he chose the side that he did on the day of the fight, Calley mentioned something about a dream he had and about no one missing him but he knew that couldn’t be the entire reason. There had to in Sam’s opinion be a few more reasons why he did what he did and he planned on extricating as much as he could before asking him to come back.
Picking up the water by his side and taking a sip of it Sam smiled at Calley and said, ”So how have you been we didn’t here from you after the fight and even though there were some of us that were pissed at you there were a few more that were hoping you were alright.” Sam had been the ladder on this topic, he had a mission or two with the young animal shifter and had no complaints about but after standing up to them and then mauling Luke…. that was where he had a few complaints.
A gentle breeze buffed Sam’s hair slightly as he looked up to see squirrel rummaging through some garbage near a trashcan, ”I came alone, if you were wondering…most of the team doesn’t even know I am here right now.” Sam said in a calm tone as he continued to look at the squirrel ”I don’t really see the need to attack you or try and capture you, and for the most part Luke is alright if you were curious at all.” he added quickly as he turned his attention back to the game in front of him.
Posted by Cheshire on Aug 21, 2009 23:09:03 GMT -6
Mutant God
3,233
18
Sept 24, 2018 19:41:05 GMT -6
Calley
“Chasing old men off from a peaceful game,” the brown-haired teenager commented airily, leaning back in his chair. “My, what good deeds you’ve done, Grandma.”
His posture slumped ever further as the man kept talking, in a heart-warmingly non-confrontational manner. Maul an X-men? Get a free counselor, apparently. His head tilted back, until he was staring up at the sky. Clouds covered the sun. Nice.
>> ”I came alone, if you were wondering…most of the team doesn’t even know I am here right now.”
No backup. Nice. Calley brought a leg up on his chair, and rested his arms lightly across his stomach. A moment later, a small black kitten was sitting there, as well, its steel blue eyes staring across the table. It was only then that Calley saw that his little X-leader here was making a move on the chess board. Seriously?
The kitten purred a little laugh, somewhere in the depths of its fluffy body. Calley made no answering move, either to look at Cold Steel with his own eyes or to touch the board’s pieces.
No. Just no. He was done playing games with the X’s, in even more literal ways than this.
>> “I don’t really see the need to attack you or try and capture you, and for the most part Luke is alright if you were curious at all.”
“I wasn’t, but thanks.” The teenager replied, as the kitten began to groom its paws. There was a squirrel, just a little ways off. Calley didn’t care for squirrels much. The kitten finished up licking the back of a paw, and lifted it up to rub behind one ear. “Is there a point to this little play-date, or did you just want to see my bright sun-shining face?” Spoken with the utmost lack of interest, mind you.
Posted by Cold Steel on Aug 21, 2009 23:38:22 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,363
104
May 1, 2024 18:45:41 GMT -6
Noticing the lack of interest in the game and the conversation Sam decided to change up the topic a bit at least enough to get Calley’s mind focuses some what, ”A shame you don’t want to play Calley, it’s been a while since I last played and I was looking forward to a little practice…” shrugging slightly Sam continued, ”Well if you don’t want to play I guess it can’t be helped…” picking up the knapsack and pushing all of the pieces into the bag Sam smiled and set it down once the table was clear.
”Now I wanted to talk to you about a few things, questions mostly and seeing as you kept the communicator and came here I can only hope your willing to talk for the most part.” taking another sip of his water he cleared his throat and continued, ”Probably the biggest question I had for you was why exactly you did what you did last week at KP labs. You said some things but would you mind clarify for me for I didn’t get to hear everything you had said.”
Folding his hands tighter and placing them under his chin Sam leaned against the table and gave his undivided attention to Calley in hopes he could pick the shifter brain enough to figure out why he did what he did. He knew after all that Calley couldn’t be evil he was after all on the team and had helped with several missions, this was what Sam wanted to believe but deep down he knew there wasn’t good in everyone he just hoped he could find some in Calley.
Cold Steel kept talking. No chess: a shame. Yeah. No practice for little Cold Steel; how tragic. Was Calley willing to talk? Well, he wasn’t biting the man’s face off, yet. Way to go on the wasted breath. Was this little bit of exposition-chat nearly done with, yet?
>> “Probably the biggest question I had for you was why exactly you did what you did last week at KP labs. You said some things but would you mind clarify for me for I didn’t get to hear everything you had said.”
Ah. There we go.
The kitten’s eyes took in Cold Steel’s body language; how he leaned forward on the table; how he showed the utmost concern, with just a dash of hope and understanding. That’s about when the kitten’s ears laid back flat against his head. Calley casually draped one arm over his chair back, and straightened up just enough to actually look at the man.
“Clarify, huh? All right. Let’s go for the thirty words or less approach.” The teenager said, his habitual smile claiming its usual place on his lips. “My problem with the X’s is this: you guys don’t actually care. You say you do, but you don’t. Not really. You’re just interested in looking like you care.”
One hand casually started petting behind one of the black kitten’s ears; two sets of blue eyes were watching across the table, with all the feigned disinterest in the world. The kitten didn’t purr.
“How about an example? It’s pretty recent, so I bet you’ll remember. Once upon a time, you set up a chess board, so that we could play while we had our heart-to-heart. You started playing. But you never thought to check whether I wanted to play.”
“It’s like you’re just sitting over there, play-acting the part of a concerned person. I’m sick of seeing all your more-understanding-than-thou-art faces. Is that clear enough for you?”
Posted by Cold Steel on Aug 22, 2009 10:42:51 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,363
104
May 1, 2024 18:45:41 GMT -6
Sam’s gaze remained fixed on Calley during the duration of the reasoning but as soon as he finished Sam’s attention was no brought to the small black kitten he could just barely see due to their current sitting arrangements. Was it a part of Calley? He wasn’t sure but assumed so, nodding his head slightly Sam said, ”Your wrong and your right about this topic, I didn’t ask you about playing chess and I should have, I just figured it would be easier for you to talk about this if your hands had something to do it always makes things easier for me to talk about difficult discussion topics, but I guess it is not the same with you.”
Shrugging slightly and lowering his hands onto the table Sam calmly said, ”Do you honestly think I pretend to care? How many missions have we been on? How many times have I risked my own skin to make sure someone was saved or something was stopped from being destroyed? Can you answer me that Calley?” his eyebrows slanted a little as he continued, ”And if I didn’t care about you I wouldn’t have bothered calling you here Calley we could have easily written you off and labeled you as backstabber or enemy of the team or someone who can’t be trusted near the mansion!”
His tone started to get harsh before he realized it and when he did he took a breath he calmed himself, ”I care Calley more than you know, everyone who was and is on the team I consider a part of my family and I want to make sure they know exactly what they are doing to the ones that care about them, and I believe they care about me as much as I care about them.” he paused and took a sip of water to counter act the dry mouth he was getting form his medication.
”Granted we never spent a lot of time together and I didn’t know you as well as I have liked but I am still willing to forgive you for what you did to Luke.” he paused slightly before he continued to try and let the words sink in, ”Now is that the only reason, cause if so it isn’t a really good one…”
Posted by Cheshire on Aug 22, 2009 19:55:09 GMT -6
Mutant God
3,233
18
Sept 24, 2018 19:41:05 GMT -6
Calley
>> “Your wrong and your right about this topic, I didn’t ask you about playing chess and I should have, I just figured it would be easier for you to talk about this if your hands had something to do it always makes things easier for me to talk about difficult discussion topics, but I guess it is not the same with you.”
There was the ‘he was right’ part. No word on where he was wrong. The kitten turned to grooming the base of its tail, with vicious licks. Calley just gave a slight eyebrow raise, to go with his habitual little smile.
>> ”Do you honestly think I pretend to care? How many missions have we been on? How many times have I risked my own skin to make sure someone was saved or something was stopped from being destroyed? Can you answer me that Calley?”
“Exactly I-don’t-give-a-crap times. How many missions have we been on? How many times have I risked my skin? That’s exactly what I’m saying, Cold Steel: I think all the X-Men—all of us—are just putting on a do-gooder show. Saving people to look good. Or are costumed theatrics really necessary? Just because we go out and play hero dress up doesn’t make us good people. That’s something I’m not sure any of you understand.” It sure hadn’t made him a good person. Not with as many missions as he’d been on. Not with as many times as he’d risked his skin. He didn’t know what a good person was, exactly, but the glowy theoretical image in his head didn’t match up with what the X-Men were. The X-Men were just a bunch of kids trying to look like heroes. It was the ‘look like’ that Calley didn’t like. Neena, Ghost, Katrina. Abyss. His sister. Those were good people. The only ones he’d ever known. They didn’t look good; they were good.
>> ”And if I didn’t care about you I wouldn’t have bothered calling you here Calley we could have easily written you off and labeled you as backstabber or enemy of the team or someone who can’t be trusted near the mansion!”
Snerk. “You already told me that you came alone, without telling anyone else, Cold Steel. Don’t tag in a Mansionite ‘we’, like you speak for everyone else. And I am a backstabber, in case you missed the part where I tried to kill Luke Jacobs.” Yeah, that part. It had involved his own private zoo, complete with head-stomping elephant. “Oh, and that whole I’ve been a backstabber since before you were even a Mansion resident speech. What, did you miss that? I knew I should have brought the megaphone.” The teenager ran a dramatic hand through his hair, ruffling it in an ‘aww, shucks, silly me’ manner.
>> ”I care Calley more than you know, everyone who was and is on the team I consider a part of my family and I want to make sure they know exactly what they are doing to the ones that care about them, and I believe they care about me as much as I care about them.”
“That’s exactly the thing, Cold Steel. I don’t think you care at all.” Which certainly made the ‘care about me as much as I care about them’ perfectly true.
>> ”Granted we never spent a lot of time together and I didn’t know you as well as I have liked but I am still willing to forgive you for what you did to Luke. Now is that the only reason, cause if so it isn’t a really good one…”
“I’m not seeing how it’s a bad one. Let’s look at another little example: this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had. Tell me, if you’re so warm-hearted and caring, why didn’t you ever call me up for a chess game before now? Does redeeming the little traitor add feathers to your do-gooder cap?”
“Please, tell me why wanting people to give an honest crap about whether I exist is a bad reason, oh Fountain of Empathy.”
Posted by Cold Steel on Aug 22, 2009 22:33:45 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,363
104
May 1, 2024 18:45:41 GMT -6
His eyes narrowed at Calley as he spoke, all of his thoughts were becoming more and more complex in thought which meant for him he would either need to simplify the thoughts or in turn answer them with his own complex thoughts. First thing first was to address the his illusion of the good guys not being one and the same with the X-Men. ”Calley, I can’t pretend that everything the X-Men had done in the past was good but they at least strive to do what is right, and honestly if the X-Men were ordered to disband due to some ridiculous situation I’d still continue to do what I have done so far on the team, I can name a few people within the team that would do the same.” he paused taking a sip of water and trailed his eyes down to the kitten sitting in his lap.
”Now tell me Calley, can you honestly tell me you feel nothing when you save someone’s life they look up at and know not all mutants are bad because you had a major impact on their life? It isn’t all about the missions or dressing up it’s about the message we try to give out.” Sam paused again taking a breath his eyes rolling back up to meet the shape shifters gaze, ”We try to prove that not all mutants are bad, we try to prove that we can coexist in harmony with humans those who are different from us.”
His eyebrows continued on their angle as Sam cleared his throat, ” I don’t know what you define as a good person but what I see when ever I go on a mission or see one of the team members in the hallways of the mansion, I think to my self, Hey right there… that's a good person. Sure they might have their faults but in reality we all do, the fact that they go out of their way and try to have a positive effect on someone else’s life by using what god given talents they were given.” his voice still calm but this time with a bit more feeling in them he continued again, ”They could indulge every whim that came to mind but they don’t they protect rather than harm, that's what makes them good people Calley…”
Taking another long breath and a shorter swig of water Sam set the empty bottle in his knapsack focusing on the next few words that were forming on the tip of his tongue, ”I only heard bits of what you said last week Calley, and what I did hear upset me, but I believe that everyone deserves another chance, I don’t care what you did in the past, what I care about is what you do in the present and in the future, which is why I am here today, I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t give you the attention that you needed and I am sorry, I’d like to rectify that starting today, even if you decide not to come back Calley, I’d like us to become friends.”
His eyebrows now raising to a lighthearted look as he continued yet again, ”and no I have no intention of adding more feathers to my cap, if you want you can keep them for yourself or pass them on to someone else if you’d like, I don’t even like my hat.” he gave a small smirk, which soon died down before addressing the last question, ”What do you mean? There are people who care about your existence, even if you don’t know they care, why else do you think I called you today for the meeting, I know there are a few people who are worried about you, I happened to be one of those people.” he nodded his head slightly only to add to his comment.
Posted by Cheshire on Aug 28, 2009 21:30:40 GMT -6
Mutant God
3,233
18
Sept 24, 2018 19:41:05 GMT -6
Calley
Good people. Who were good people? What was a good person?
>> ”Calley, I can’t pretend that everything the X-Men had done in the past was good but they at least strive to do what is right, and honestly if the X-Men were ordered to disband due to some ridiculous situation I’d still continue to do what I have done so far on the team, I can name a few people within the team that would do the same.”
Calley shrugged his way lower in his seat. One foot came up to rest on the chessboard table.
Did going on spandex missions make a person good? Nope. Kat didn’t. Unless you counted that time with the baby vampire, and the tiger-back fleeing. That was kind of mission-y.
>> ”We try to prove that not all mutants are bad, we try to prove that we can coexist in harmony with humans those who are different from us.”
And that definitely wasn’t it. Abyss was a good person, but he was definitely not ‘coexisting in harmony with humans’. Nor striving too. By any stretch of the words. Furthermore, if that’s what it took... then Calley was just downright screwed.
“Why should I care?” He asked. Because he didn’t. In the least. “Do you really think you’re making a difference? The Order’s got to be breeding about ten times as many grudges as the X’s are breaking. Really—why is it even important, what people think of us? They’re never going to accept us. That’s just the way it is.” And for mutants like Calley, that was fine. Let the harmony come crumbling down, and bring on a new Registration Act. His power was made for dodging his way out of things. For hiding. For surviving.
>> “I think to my self, Hey right there… that's a good person. Sure they might have their faults but in reality we all do, the fact that they go out of their way and try to have a positive effect on someone else’s life by using what god given talents they were given. They could indulge every whim that came to mind but they don’t they protect rather than harm, that's what makes them good people Calley…”
The other foot joined its brother on the top of the table. The kitten still sat on his chest, its eyes half-lidded with feigned sleep. “They just look like normal people, to me.” Normal people, and normal kids, that did normal things in abnormal ways. It wasn’t bad. But how was it good?
>> “I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t give you the attention that you needed—”
The brown-haired teenager sunk to defiant new lows in posture. The middle of his head was bumping against the chair back. “I’m not a houseplant,” he interrupted.
>> “—and I am sorry, I’d like to rectify that starting today, even if you decide not to come back Calley, I’d like us to become friends. ...There are people who care about your existence, even if you don’t know they care, why else do you think I called you today for the meeting, I know there are a few people who are worried about you, I happened to be one of those people.”
“Why?” The teenager asked, two sets of blue eyes on the man across from them. “Why do you even care?” That was the real question, wasn’t it.
Posted by Cold Steel on Sept 2, 2009 19:56:21 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,363
104
May 1, 2024 18:45:41 GMT -6
It was clear he wasn’t making as big as of an impression as he would like, the slouching in the seat and kicking the feet onto the chess table made that clear. The more he spoke the more he started to feel bad for the blue eyed teen sitting across from him. ”You should care, even if the order is making more problems than we can fix, frankly it disgusts me that we are even needed in this world, I’m tired of fighting, arguing and seeing other people be ugly to one another, why do we have to fight for our place? Are we really superior to humans? We feel the same way they do we react to things the same way they do, they throw a pebble we throw a rock they through a boulder we through a mountain, it’s a never ending cycle that needs to stop.”
Sam’s eyes continued gazing into Calley’s as he continued, ”How can you say you don’t care, would you feel nothing if something happened to anyone at the mansion, Nenna, Ghost or Kat? You said yourself you weren’t that close to many in the mansion but are you willing to cut the bonds that you have with those who call you a friend?” his eyebrows raised slightly as he gave a questioning look Calley’s way. ”You should care Calley, you don’t want another registration act again do you? Cause I sure as hell don’t, I have to many people I care about to see them get carted off to some death camp and slowly die off, atrocities like that are what we try to prevent.”
Watching as Calley lifted his other foot onto the table Sam’s eyes remained focused and unmoved hoping he could catch a glimpse compassion or something of the like to gauge if his words were having any effect on him what so ever. Sam could only hope that Calley was listening to what he had to say. The few moments he took breathing felt like an hour a day even he wanted to help the sifter but wasn’t sure if he could get through to him and it saddened him to no end. ”They may seem normal but they are capable of extraordinary things just as I believe you are…” he paused before continuing, ”And I know your not a house plant, you're a person with feelings, feelings that have been ignored by me and others and for that I am sorry.”
Then unexpectedly Calley asked why? Why did Sam care? It took him a moment to think about it he could have responded with it was the right thing to do or something along those lines but he shook slightly as if trying to clear his thoughts as one of his headaches rushed into his mind, ”Maybe because I fell like I had a hand with the path that your heading down,” pause ”Maybe because I am doing this for those who we consider friends who I know will be upset with the choices you have made or are about to make,” longer pause ”Maybe, it’s because I know what path your going down, cause not to long ago I was where you were now lost and alone and I needed someone to be there to help me up and dust me off. Neena was the person that helped me up dusted me off and gave me a push in the right direction.” he smiled slightly now a sincere and caring tone in his voice ”let me be the person to help you up and dust you off as Neena did for me, I have been down the path your about to head down and I can speak from experience it is full of blood and tears, it is a far lonelier path than anyone should have to take, let me help you Calley…” his eyes still focused Sam waited for a response.
>> ”How can you say you don’t care, would you feel nothing if something happened to anyone at the mansion, Nenna, Ghost or Kat? You said yourself you weren’t that close to many in the mansion but are you willing to cut the bonds that you have with those who call you a friend?”
Neena. Ghost. Kat. Interesting, that Cold Steel should pull those three names from the air. Neena. Ghost. Kat. Exactly the three people at the Mansion that Calley might just go out of his way to help, if he felt like it. Neena. Ghost. Kat. Since when did Cold Steel know him well enough to pick exactly those three names for an example? It might be a coincidence. Might.
But from here on out, Calley’s hair was officially on end. Figuratively speaking: the kitten gave a little pink-tongued yawn.
“Cold Steel,” the teen replied, swinging his feet back to the ground so he could lean his elbows forward in their place. “Let’s get something straight, here. The only bonds I’m cutting are with you freaks.” The term slipped from his lips with ease—he’d spent the first thirteen years of his life thinking he wasn’t one of those freaks, after all. And now that he was? He couldn’t argue with it. The humans had hit it right on the nail, there. “I’m not cutting anything with my friends. And another thing? Some of them do live in the Mansion.” Like Neena, Ghost, and Kat. Why weren’t there any other names on that list, if it was a coincidence? There were plenty of other people Calley played nicely with, if Cold Steel was just going off of his own limited observations. “And if I want to visit them at the Mansion, you can’t stop me.” A little smile quirked below blue eyes. “Really. You and the X’s? You don’t have what it takes.” They really didn’t.
>> ”You should care Calley, you don’t want another registration act again do you? Cause I sure as hell don’t, I have to many people I care about to see them get carted off to some death camp and slowly die off, atrocities like that are what we try to prevent.”
Maybe the laugh that shook Calley’s shoulders would catch Cold Steel a bit off guard. The X-boy might have a sincere tone, but that laugh of Calley’s? That was plenty sincere, too. The brown-haired teenager leaned back in his chair again, shaking his head with a grin.
“Cold Steel. Who the hell do you think I am? The humans? They can’t lock up every animal in the country. And they can’t guard against every animal, either. Another Registration Act? Bring it on.”
>> ”let me be the person to help you up and dust you off as Neena did for me, I have been down the path your about to head down and I can speak from experience it is full of blood and tears, it is a far lonelier path than anyone should have to take, let me help you Calley…”
Now that. Was. Interesting. Calley’s grin leveled back into his habitual little smile. “And what path is that, oh Sage One? What path do you just happen to know that I’m taking? And what’s wrong with it?” That last one was the real question, folks. Was this about good and evil, again? Probably. So what was good? Putting on his X-Man face and behaving himself like he was ‘supposed to’? And evil—that would be just being who he actually was, right?
That was kind of the issue. Kind of the heart of the matter, and all that. He was who he was. It’s who he’d always been, underneath what everyone wanted him to be. If that was the ‘wrong path’—then where did that leave him?
Posted by Cold Steel on Sept 15, 2009 19:40:14 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
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May 1, 2024 18:45:41 GMT -6
Was it coincidence or luck that he had stepped on the names of those three women that had Calley snapping back, his words far colder and more distant than before, he knew why he mentioned Katrina she was after all seen with Calley on several occasions the reasons he picked Ghost and Neena, well it might have something to do with him personally more than anything else.
He cared for both of them far more than most of the other mansion residents even if he wouldn't like to admit it. Neena was the mother goose that helped him when he was drowned in self-doubt and thoughts about the past and Ghost, well Ghost was the first person that he had discovered his past and was still able to look him in the eyes. They were his best friends, and he knew if there was another registration act they would have to send an army of Stalker bots to get past him. Maybe he and Calley were more alike than either would care to admit.
The kitten yawned and again Sam got the feeling that this meeting was coming to an end and his stomach churned slightly when Calley mentioned that he could still come around the mansion without so much as a problem because the X’s didn’t have what it takes. Rubbing his eyes slightly Sam said calmly, “It’s not just you I am worried about, there is a mansion full of mutants all prone to spread rumors like wild fire, the second someone hears about this your not going to be looked at as the same if you come around again, you’ll be basically wearing a sign saying ‘I tried to stop the X’s from doing what they do and I tried to kill them in the process’ you’ll be regarded as target of hate and distrust, and god forbid any of them try and attack you, this is what I am trying to prevent, and Luke, the last thing I want is to have to stop a fight between you two. Do you really want to come back to a place where you have to look over your shoulder constantly?” Sam sighed slightly as he leaned back in his chair a familiar pain from the Haywire virus shooting through his head again.
His eyes remaining shut for a brief moment Sam opened them and continued, “So what your going to hide and dodge till you're the only mutant left? To me that doesn’t even seem like a life worth living, and I said before the path you are headed on is a lonely one, which is why I want to help you Calley and I know because like I said, I was where you were now, not sure about what was right and wrong, Neena helped me find my way and I can sleep at night because I know what I do is right.” he put his fingers on his temples for a brief moment before removing them and then gazing at Calley, was there anything else he could say or do? What would Neena do in this situation or Tricity?
Tricity like him was more of a straight shooter but Neena, she was far better suited to handle things like this… maybe… “It seems to me that your mind is made up or at least for the most part.” He shrugged slightly before thinking the next words that he would be channeling from Neena after all you catch more bees with honey, “Although you won’t remain a member of the team you can still keep the communicator if you need to talk to someone, I’ll be expecting to be hearing from you….”
Standing up and picking up everything he had brought with him Sam dusted him self off before looking off into the distance, “If you come by the mansion try to stay clear of Luke or Raina… like I said before, I’m not exactly sure what they will try to do.” clearing his throat he continued, “One more thing before we go our separate ways, I know you may not want to but every now and then stop by my office or call me to let me know how things are going, cause I’d like to be counted as one of your friends one day…” no harm in trying it was a poor attempt but one at least. Extending his hand Sam smiled to Calley hoping the young mutant would at least shake his hand giving Sam some sort of hope that he would be seeing the mutant shifter soon in a better way than he was now.
Posted by Cheshire on Sept 16, 2009 4:00:58 GMT -6
Mutant God
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Sept 24, 2018 19:41:05 GMT -6
Calley
>> “It’s not just you I am worried about, there is a mansion full of mutants all prone to spread rumors like wild fire... Do you really want to come back to a place where you have to look over your shoulder constantly?”
A simple head shake, habitual smile fully intact, baby blue eyes honestly amused. Not in a good way. “Cold Steel. You really don’t know the first thing about me, do you?” He left it at that. There was no need to say more; it didn’t benefit him any. If the man really didn’t understand, that was fine and dandy.
Calley had said the X’s didn’t have what it takes to keep him out of the Mansion. He meant it. In general—two semi-homicidal exceptions aside—Calley wasn’t a fighter. The X’s couldn’t keep him out, because they couldn’t even recognize him. That was his power. More than that: that was who he was. He was a shape shifter, to the core. Was he worried Mansionlings would scowl at his back? Heh. First, they’d have to recognize him. Second, they’d have to care. Those were two very hard prerequisites.
>> “So what your going to hide and dodge till you're the only mutant left? ..Neena helped me find my way and I can sleep at night because I know what I do is right.”
“Meh,” Calley said, leaning back again. Meh, indeed. Meh. So what if it was lonely? It was safe, too. There was a lot to say for that. A lot he’d never appreciated, until it was taken away from him. Even if something like a new Registration Act did happen, he’d still have all of his friends. He would help them. Somehow. They all just... needed to make their powers as useful as his. Kat could already hide among normal humans. So could Ghost, with a little hair dye. Abyss could, too, if Kat was around. Everyone else could just... go off and get themselves imprisoned, or something, or be smart, and actually keep themselves out. There were ways. Not even the X’s tried to save everyone: they focused on the people they cared about, too. So there was nothing evil in thinking that way. Right?
>> “It seems to me that your mind is made up or at least for the most part.”
The kitten twitched an ear.
...Yeah. Sam didn’t know a thing about him.
>> “Although you won’t remain a member of the team you can still keep the communicator if you need to talk to someone, I’ll be expecting to be hearing from you….”
Kitten blink.
Boy blink.
Two pairs of honestly startled eyes, for a brief moment, before they blinked it back. Did Cold Steel just allow him to—nay, insist that he—keep the X-communicator? Well. One shouldn’t look a gift-X in the mouth. Yeah: yeah, Sam really didn’t know much about him.
>> “If you come by the mansion try to stay clear of Luke or Raina… like I said before, I’m not exactly sure what they will try to do.”
Because ‘good guys’ beat up teenagers coming into a school to visit their friends, if it suited them. Even Cold Steel wasn’t sure they wouldn’t. That, right there, was kind of Calley’s point about the X-Men, and ‘good’. He wasn’t sure exactly what good was, granted... but if it was that, he didn’t want it.
>> “One more thing before we go our separate ways, I know you may not want to but every now and then stop by my office or call me to let me know how things are going, cause I’d like to be counted as one of your friends one day…”
A hand was offered. Calley looked at it for a moment. The kitten disappeared. Calley stood, and clasped his own hand in return. “I think I’d like that,” he said. “Yeah.” With his usual smile.
Nice to know he hadn’t burnt all his bridges. That would be a very stupid thing for a self-employed spy to do, after all. The teenager left the park. He gave a little wave over his shoulder as he went. It was a completely self-assured gesture.
Now, he just needed to figure out where he was sleeping tonight.
