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.
Thomas Moore gazed out over the pond with an unblinking gaze. His expression never changed and he didn't move an inch. He could be described as stoic... if he were human. Instead the bronze bust commemorating the 19th century bard of Ireland simply stared into the distance, no matter what weather or what time.
Paul had chosen to do his jogging around "The Pond" at the south end of Central Park this morning. The air was a crisp 48 degrees and the once sunny skies were slowly becoming overcast. The weather man had given the day a sixty percent chance of rain and it looked like, for once, he might have been correct.
Paul's hair was slick from sweat and he could feel the long sleeve t-shirt he wore under his hoodie sweatshirt sticking here and there against patches of damp skin. For the moment he was working on cooling down, slowly circling the Thomas Moore statue while he allowed his breathing to even and his heart rate to slow. Since his conversation Katrina a couple of months back the nightmares that had plagued him for years had subsided until they were just a rare occurrence. He had once chosen to run in order to make his mind stop from sheer exhaustion but now he was running for the sheer enjoyment.
Finally stopping his walking, Paul walked over to an empty bench and began stretching to make sure his muscles stayed loose. While he worked on his calf and then hamstring, he looked around at the other joggers that had filtered into the area. There were a few he recognized and a few he didn't but that wasn't really strange. With a place like New York City new people were constantly arriving and people that had been there for a while were constantly leaving. It was the circle of city life. After several more minutes of stretching Paul finally stopped. The slight soreness of his muscles was actually a somewhat pleasant feeling and he reveled in it as he pulled off his sweat shirt and plucked the t-shirt away from where it had been sticking. Turning to walk toward the exit of the park he missed seeing that his keys had fallen from the sweatshirt when he took it off and were now simply lieing on the ground.
Lumen was quite proud of herself for sticking to the running routine. It had been proving not only helpful in maintaining her own physical state while she searched for a martial art class to accommodate her schedule, but was also serving as the perfect place to meet new people (though every single one seemed to be a mutant). Running also helped her fight the headaches. If she ran and concentrated on dispersing the energy in her eyes evenly she warmed up faster (both temperature and body) and it took the edge off. The only problem was it kept her feeling warm so she'd taken to wearing what a runner might wear in summer despite the cold weather.
She was finishing her run around the pond. This had became habit to her- she got a kick out of the statue. It reminded her of home but certainly didn't fit with the image she had of good 'ol Moore in her head. Minstrel that he was. Lumen wasnt hugely homesick no more than she was hugely brother sick. As soon as her brother disappeared and her parents started to change home stopped feeling like home. But it was still nice to be reminded. She found herself humming one of his tunes and she finished her warm down and begun to stretch.
Humming away it was then that she spotted a glint of metal just out of her peripheral vision to the left. She stared at it a moment and the keys began to slide across the pavement into her open hand. Why the hell did she just do that out here in the park in front of everyone?! Maybe her 'power' wasn't as cooled off these days as she thought. She stole a few quick glances around to be sure no one had noticed then she stood up proper with the keys in hand. There was a man a few yards off with his sweater in hand, the keys likely belonged to him. "...and here I go.. meeting friends again." she said out loud to no one in particular.
It only took her few quick strides to catch up with him. She couldn't really tell his age from the back but he moved like a runner, and like a runner who knew what he was doing. She reached out to tap his shoulder but noticed her hand was giving off a slight glow. She mentally cursed, took a beat to gather herself, and the glow subsided. Honestly, there had to be something in the air for her today! Content that she no longer looked like a walking light bulb she tapped the man on the shoulder. "Excuse me, ah, sir..." she began "I believe these are yours?" she held up the keys and jangled them just a little for effect.
Her hair was pulled back into a tight braid as usual for running today. She wore a a grey tank top with matching grey capris and her usual "batman" utility belt as she called it. She hoped her skin was under control and knew 100% for sure when she got back to the hotel tonight she'd need to lock herself in the windowless bathroom and let her light shine at it's maximum to burn off some of this energy. The running was helping a lot, sure. But in all this investigating of the MIA kids she wasn't taking the time to burn it off as much as it needed to be to prevent the headaches and oompa loompa like state of her skin.
Even though Paul had eaten a light breakfast before coming to the park, the amount of running he had done had made him quite hungry again. Since suffering with hunger pangs until lunch was not really an option to Paul he was already beginning to envision a nice brunch in the not to distant future when he felt a tap on his shoulder and a pleasant female voice addressing him. Turning he offered a pleasant smile, glad to find that the female form was just as pleasant as the voice. "Mine should be in my..." He began as his hand moved to fish in the pocket of his hoodie but trailing off as he found only emptiness. Well now didn't he look a little bit foolish. Losing your keys seemed like a juvenile mistake and it was a touch embarrassing even though Paul knew he had plenty of apartment keys stashed in his hallway for situations where he lost his keys. Of course, most of the time that was because they had been consumed in regenerative flame which was much less embarrassing than this.
"Thank you... thank you very much." He replied with the slightest touch of chagrin in his voice as his hand slipped out of the pocket and extended to claim the keys from the pretty blond in front of him. "I would have been lost when I got home. My name's Paul, Paul McCoy."
For a moment he paused, inviting the young woman to offer up her name but whether she did or not didn't really matter. Some women were extremely cautious about strangers and he couldn't blame them but he was hoping for a pleasant answer. Besides, he had been thinking about food and it wasn't that much fun to eat alone. "I was just going to go grab a bite to eat. Could I buy you a coffee or bagel or something to thank you?"
Lumen smiled as the man turned around. She was still no more sure of his age then when he had his back to her. He looked young but also had a look to him like he'd seen a lot. That or the older men of New York all had discovered the secret to anti-aging. She remembered finding it hard to place Detective Jorge's age as well and when she finally looked it up she was shocked to see he was in his 40s.
The man looked for his keys only to realize they werent there. "I think you dropped them when you ah.." she motioned to the sweater embarrassing herself by realizing she was checking out his body. Not really in the same sense most men or women checked each other out.... but more of a sizing up a potential opponent, or maybe a ally. Who knew? It was a habit and one she was worried she might have been caught at.
"Lumen." she replied to him with a smile. "New here. If you can't tell by the accent I'm told is blatantly obvious" she laughed. "Nice to meet you Paul."
He invited her out to breakfast and it took her a moment to consider. She knew her power wasn't quite in check but she'd been on such a roll lately with meeting new people and they'd been leading to a lot of networking. As much as the inner Lumen wanted to be cautious she couldn't see the harm in breakfast. It wasn't like she wasn't a pro at running if she needed to. "That sounds... nice Paul. Thank you." she smiled. "Any ideas where? I haven't gone much past the hotel restaurant and local coffee shop." she admitted.
ooc: feel free to gloss over the walking to a place
Paul didn't miss the blond scanning over the t-shirt that was still wanting to cling to spots on his chest. It wasn't that much of a surprise to have a woman checking him out, he knew that he was fit enough, but something in her eyes was different. Normally there was that slight spark in a man's eyes when he was checking out an attractive woman and the same in a woman's eyes when she was checking out a man but that spark didn't seem to be there in Lumen's eyes. Was she evaluating him for some other reason?
"Nice to meet you too Lumen, and don't worry about being new, I was new a few years back. Thankfully I've had time to lose my accent but," He momentarily slipped back into the French accent he still remember and could instantly recall from so many years before, "Mine was obvious... once upon a time."
As they turned to walk toward the exit, Paul once again dropped his accent, returning to the English he was used to speaking. There was a bit of New York mixed in with a bit of California but it was still most definitely all American. That's what 51 years of living in the states would do to a person.
"There's a casual little diner a couple blocks over that's pretty good." Paul answer as he slipped his keys into the pocket of his sweat pants, hoping that this time they would stay where they had been put. "We can count this as an extended cool down walk."
***
The morning air made the walk pleasant and Paul did his best to keep Lumen at least mildly entertained/interested by pointing out interesting places or telling funny stories about things he had seen or even done in New York. Of course the most interesting part of the walk was as they were walking by a hotel and an obviously wealthy man walked out. He hailed down Paul, speaking to him as though he was a valet or concierge. After getting a few questions answered but also finding that Paul couldn't help him with some other things the man began to berate him. Right at that moment the real concierge came walking up and asked if he could help the man somehow. The man got flushed, blustered on about something and then quickly walked away. Paul and the concierge had a chuckle and then both continued with their days.
"And here we are." Paul said as they finally arrived at the restaurant entrance. It was set a little bit away from the typical tourist area but it had a clean and inviting entrance with a simple sign over the door that read, 'Jessie's Place'. "They get their breads and pastries from a local bakery that I know pretty well and they've got some decent cooks in back that can whip together a good omelet or a decent breakfast platter."
After being greeted and escorted to a booth, Paul found himself sitting across from the attractive young woman. "What is it with me and meeting interesting blonds?" He idly wondered as took a sip of the complimentary water that had been set on the table, "They seem to be falling out of the wood work lately but not are that interested... must be losing my touch." Forcefully setting aside thoughts of anything besides pleasant conversation and friendship, he decided to ask a question. "So what brought you state side?"
She smiled as he demonstrated his French accent, pleased with herself for finding yet another kind person in NYC. Whoever said the Big Apple was full of thugs? Certainly not her! (she'd specifically said mutant thugs). "Oui Oui!" she said "That's all I know. I make bags of trying to learn other languages. Always thought it would come in handy but don't seem to have the talent for picking them up. Just makes me feel like an eegit" she laughed.
She was doing a much better job of making new friends than she was of keeping her accent in check. At least the running seemed to be working out and she was making headway in the cases. Not all a loss. Though she knew if her brother could see her now he'd be surprised to see her making any friends at all. Growing up it was always the two of them. Thick as thieves. Her other half. "A cool down walk to the diner sounds grand!" she exclaimed a little cheerier than she'd intended.
>>>>>
Lumen listened and watched as Paul pointed out some of the city markers. A few of them she knew and would give a comment on, but many of them she didn't. She was starting to know the city very well by night, but it was a totally different place in the daylight that was for sure. She'd gotten so many of the streets down in her mind and was starting to memorize many of the shops and touristy places and she'd barley been here a week.
She stood back when Paul was addressed by a wealthier man who obviously mistook him as someone else. She didn't want to embarrass him by saying much until they were out of ear shot. "Well mate, at least they aren't mistaking you for the opposite sex. Many times when I go to job interviews they expect me to be male. No idea why. Lumen is not a common name but it certainly doesn't sound masculine to me" the truth was, many men didn't expect Lumen to have the skills she had. Since she never disclosed to clients that she was a mutant they really didn't expect anything much of her and were usually doubtful upon first impression. But she'd always win them over, if not in the interview, when she solved their case.
She gave her arms and neck a stretch when Paul announced they'd arrived at their destination. She surveyed the area taking careful note of the exits and the amount of people. There were times when Lumen could seem like a lion, proud, graceful, and in charge. But it was in moments like these that she more resembled the deer- willing to dash at a moments notice carefully taking in her surroundings. "Seems nice. Like I said, anything's better than the hotel." She liked the idea of the shop buying local. It reminded her of the bread shops back home and it certainly smelled like one.
She followed Paul to their table and realized just how hard she'd worked it today when she sat down. Every muscle screeched at her and for an instant it probably showed on her face. "Here?" she asked a little disoriented.".. eh.. sorry." she re-adjusted he weight and graciously accepted a glass of water from a passing waiter. She took a generous gulp then sat the glass down. "Sorry, was feeling so good from that run didn't realize how not good my muscles were feeling." she gave a lop sided smile looking across him at the table. There was a slight blush to her cheeks, in part from the run, in part from the rest, but maybe just a little bit in part to the handsome guy sitting across from her. Keep talking blondie. Knowing his rating on the hot or not scale wont help you one bit if trouble goes down "I ah, came here for work." she explained wondering how much information she should give him. "Im good at finding things." she eluded.
A waiter came with more water and set menus down in front of them. It was such a quaint place Lumen was almost surprised the menu wasn't posted on a chalk board out front but she peered through it anyway. She ordered the special; 2 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, hash browns, toast, and a fruit cup. They new how to eat back in Ireland and they'd certainly taught her. "It seems to be working out well for me." she added "I am quite surprised how many interesting people I've been meeting. Im not usually a social person..." she trailed off hoping that might explain to him if she was missing any cultural queues or seeming a little strange in their communication. It was the God's honest truth. There wasn't room for a lot of friends in this business... but then again back home she'd been ousted as a mutant and missing her other half. Here no one seemed to care whether she was a mutant or not.
"What about you, Paul?"
ooc: going to try this colour thing, I must have made the code incorrect a dozen times because of the spelling difference. Haha think that's the big reason why I never used it before!
"I've had a lot of time on my hands to learn languages." Paul replied with a chuckle, enjoying the inside joke that only he was privy to. Lumen seemed like a nice woman but Paul wasn't the type of person that revealed his secret to just anyone.
During the walk, Paul found himself actually beginning to enjoy Lumen's Irish brogue. That was a country he had never spent much time in and though he had met quite a few Irishmen when he first came to American most of them hadn't been good people. In fact a lot of them had been thieves and bullies. If Ireland had more people like Lumen then it was beginning to be cast in a much more favorable light in his mind.
"Thankfully no one has ever mistaken me for the opposite sex." The laughter in his voice was obvious as they walked, "Though I'd have to suggest he get his eyes checked. What sort of concierge would be at work wearing jogging clothes?" It was a comment worthy of a chuckle and it also gave him time to consider the young woman's statement. Lumen... why would someone think that was a man's name? It didn't have a masculine sound to it but yet she said that a lot of people assumed she was male when she went to job interviews. Had she just met a lot of sexist employers or was it because of the field that she was working in?
***
It was nice to hear Lumen say something complimentary about his choice of restaurants. "Maybe if things work out then I'll ask her to breakfast at the bakery sometime." The idle thought popped into Paul's head before he swiftly set it aside, "Easy there... let's not get ahead of ourselves."
The pain that flickered across her face as she sat down was obvious. Paul had to admit that he was slightly sore but there were also two things that kept it from being to bad for him. The first was the fact that he had been running for a good thirty years now and his body was used to the abuse. The second was the fact that he had died and regenerated only a couple of months before so he still was working with the youthful energy and stamina of an eighteen year old. "When the adrenaline starts to drain away and the muscles start to stiffen it can get painful." Paul acknowledged sympathetically, "Do you need some Advil or something? I'm sure the waitress can find something if you need it."
It was impressive how large of a breakfast platter the young woman was ordering and so Paul simply matcher her order, specifying that his eggs be scrambled. It was interesting, she jogged enough to keep her physique and yet could still pack in the calories of a hearty breakfast. That meant she probably didn't obsess about her looks though she did care about them. It was a nice combination. "Good at finding things? What sorts of things?" Paul asked the question almost without meaning to. It was a vague description of her job that raised a red flag in his mind. What was she hiding and why? Was it just that she didn't yet trust him or was it something else?
"This is my second time to New York. I was here for several years some time ago and then I went to California for a few years and now I'm back. So far I've been here a little over six months." He decided that would be as honest with her as possible without revealing his secret. To be blunt, he didn't know this woman from Eve and really had no idea if she could be trusted with that sort of information. "I've got a decent amount of money saved since I've lived frugally for some time but I do the occasional landscaping job to make extra money. Working with flowers and plants is a nice relaxing job and a good way to escape from the hectic world around."
>> "Do you need some Advil or something? I'm sure the waitress can find something if you need it."
"I think I'll be fine. Just caught me a bit off guard" her blush deepened for a half a heart beat before her brain kicked in and went into zen mode. Lumen was at her best when she'd taken a few moments to gather herself. Not just in thinking but in the oops I'm a walking night light end of it too.
Paul decided to order the same thing as her. She was embarrassingly thankful. Between her lights and her job Lumen burned a lot of calories in a day. She needed to eat lots to keep up her stamina and the pace she always kept. She had some sleuthing to do tonight and tomorrow she'd be checking out a mixed martial arts class in the afternoon.
>>>"Good at finding things? What sorts of things?"
"People." she stated. "The missing kind. Even better at finding the ones who don't want to be found." she took another sip of water feeling rather warm. Paul seemed like a nice guy but she just couldn't go around telling every single person who was listening that she was a private eye. If she did there'd be nothing private about it. She felt neutral about telling Tasean, but she did honestly believe it was and would remain a benefit to them both. With his work it was almost certain they'd meet again under more stressful circumstances. It was good to have a person on the inside of the system if she found any of these lost kids.
"I'm looking for some missing kids, actually." She said in a bit of a grim tone. She wasnt sure why she was opening up to Paul at all. Her brain was cursing her out for giving him this information. At the same time though she knew finding suspects and finding people was more than a game of cat and mouse. It was more like fishing. If she put out the right type of nets or the right lure something might take. She'd only told him missing kids anyway, not missing mutant kids.
>>>"I've got a decent amount of money saved since I've lived frugally for some time but I do the occasional landscaping job to make extra money. Working with flowers and plants is a nice relaxing job and a good way to escape from the hectic world around."
Lumen nodded knowing everything there was to know about living frugally. She had no problem investing in something- like her running shoes or her utility belt. But she was still living in the hotel because it was several hundred dollars cheaper for the time being than all the apartments she'd viewed. She was hell bent on finding one to accommodate her needs. One where she could slip in and out at all hours of the night without any nosey neighbours or landlords.
She was a little disappointed to hear that he worked in landscaping. Not that she didn't have respect for those who worked in the field just that she'd been hoping a bit that his job might pull them together again sometime. Er wait. She was disappointed because she couldn't use his skills? Yes, ah, that made more sense. Interest in the opposite sex and interest in their ability to help her solve a case usually played a massive game of chess in her head from day to day.
Lumen had tried to date a bit when she was younger but men always were too suspicious of her work or worst yet they'd be worried about her safety like she couldn't take care of herself and maybe they could do it better for her. Plus, with her unusual obsession with her brother (as one ex had put it) most men seemed to not live up to her expectations of what a partner should be. After all, they were competing with Riori, her twin, her other half. Even as a child he'd been quick and cunning.
But, sometimes Lumen did get lonely. She'd been on her own for such a long time. Two parents who graciously accepted the money she sent home but paid her no more mind than a Christmas card in the mail and perhaps all of two friends back home. She'd even went on a few dates with other women- not because she felt them any more attractive than men but only because she hoped they might deal with her circumstances better. It was never the case. Leading Lumen to believe that she was possibly a bit broken in that department.
"Landscaping must be fairly taxing work. But the results are undeniable. I'd rather see New York with more green spaces even." yes, the results of skilled landscapers were easy to spot. Not only in the gardens around the city but in the physical shape of the men doing the task. It almost seemed funny to her that men who essentially planted flowers were always ripped. But there was a great deal of manual labour involved in planting and sustaining gardens.
She made a bit of idle chat about gardening telling Paul about the wild rose bushes that grew back home and how she'd thought their bulbs were actually tomatoes and tried to eat one as a kid. Flower bulbs didn't taste very good. But their breakfast would- it was being served to them just as she finished.
ooc: forgive me while I assault your eyes with rainbow colours, hehe. Still trying out which works best! So happy to be rp-ing again! <3
(OOC: Rainbow colors don't bother me... it takes time to find the right color. And even though I've already mentioned it, it's great to have you RPing again!)
IC:
The points in Lumen's favor were steadily growing as the conversation progressed. It was nice to see a woman that was tough enough to handle at least some pain with complain. Lori was tough as well but Paul was willing to put money down that Lisa, the Sanctuary receptionist was tougher than any of them. Even though he was getting used to her he had to admit that there was something just a little bit unnerving about her seeming lack of emotion.
As they talked Lumen seemed to be opening up more. She admitted that she helped finding missing kids and apparently she was good at it. That could mean two things and possibly even both at once. Either she tracked run aways or abducted kids or maybe even both. It was an impressive field and made Paul think about the various kids he had seen during his time on the streets. Sure that had been decades ago but it was still a fresh memory. "I was a little bit wild when I was younger, I worked on the dark side of the streets you could say. There were lots of kids back then and I'm sure it's just as bad if not worse now." In fact Paul actually KNEW it was worse now. He still had the contacts and still used them for the occasional less than legal job. It seemed like kids were getting sucked in younger and younger whether it was by choice or by force.
As the conversation moved on to landscaping and after making a few comments about different plants Paul sat back to listen to her talk about the rose bushes back home. Her story about trying to eat one of the 'tomatoes' made his smile broaden and a quiet laugh come from his chest. Then, almost without his realizing it, the waitress appeared and began to place the food in front of them.
"Thank you very much." He said politely to the waitress before returning to his conversation with Lumen. Since they were on the topic of landscaping Paul started to tell her about the job he had done a few months back building a raised flower bed with chief cliff dry stack retaining wall stone and then planting both rose and lilac bushes. The job had been going well and then... "The next thing I knew I was being bitten by fire ants and of course the worst thing about them is that when one bites you it sends out a chemical signal telling all of the other ants to stop biting. I had to throw down my tools and run across the lawn to the garden hose while leaving a trail of clothes behind me because I was stripping off the outer layers. I felt a lot better once I could rinse the ants off but then I realized that there were people out walking and jogging along the street... apparently I had given them a free show!"
Lumen took a bite of bacon and then went to work smearing peanut butter on her toast while listening to Paul reminisce a bit about his own youth. "I think all kids need a bit of a wild stage to grow properly, I think I was just a bit weird with mine." She laughed "I was really obsessed with true crime stories. Might have been a reason for the lack of dates in high school. Can't imagine the boys lining up to ask the girl with her nose constantly in the book about The Black Widow to prom." She grinned. Lumen hadn't actually been that interested in dating as a teen. Her obsession with her brother was much worse in the early days and she couldn't focus much on anything the kids her age paid attention to. It all seemed like a waste of time.
"I'll agree with you that it's getting worse for kids though. The numbers keep going up, and numbers don't lie." specifically the numbers for mutant kids in New York.
She listened attentively to his story about the fire ants. Probably with a little too much attention. She might have been currently visualizing a scantly clad Paul and a garden hose. Her eyes were starting to hurt. "I can imagine that was certainly a site to see." she'd finished the eggs and bacon and was now moving on to the fruit cup. "This has really been a lovely visit" she reflected. "I've been meeting a few people here and there, trying to make connections. But I think you're the first one to detail the best way to both put on a show and get rid of fire ants. " she reached in her belt and fished out one of her business cards. Her cards only had her name, email address, and phone number. She never put her job or anything else on it. Not only because she valued her privacy but because many of her clients valued their privacy too. It wasn't exactly a good sign when your wife found the card of a private investigator in your jacket.
"Here." she passed him the card, not wanting to finish their visit so soon but still hoping to leave an impression. "Maybe we can get together to run sometime, and maybe you can show me some more of the city. I have lots of questions and new places I need to see. It be nice to... do that together. ". She'd said as much to the other people she'd met too. And it was all true. She wanted to see Tasean again, and the others. Everyone she took the time to give a card to she felt would be an asset. But her eyes were hurting as well as her head. As nice a time as she was having she really needed to go burn some light energy and maybe have a nice long bath.
"True crime stories? Really?" Paul asked with obvious curiosity in his voice. He never would have guessed that. If anything he would have pegged her as having been a romance novel reader as a teenager or maybe poetry or the old classics. Not true crime. "I guess that was the perfect building block to your eventual career."
As the conversation progressed, Paul had been working steadily on his own breakfast as well. He had chosen to eat the fruit first, enjoying the freshness and juiciness after his morning run, and then moved on to his bacon and eggs, alternating bites between the two breakfast staples.
Not really knowing how else to respond about the statistics of child abductions and runaways, Paul simply allowed the conversation to move on. He was interested in learning more about how Lumen handled her job but he also didn't want to push her for to much information. Maybe they'd bump into each other or maybe they could meet up some other time and share some more information. The future was like blank pages just waiting to be written... well, maybe not completely blank. Thanks to his visit with the Oracle, Paul did have at least a few ideas about what was ahead.
Ketchup was added to the hash browns and just butter was added to the toast as Lumen expressed her appreciation for his fire ant tale while pulling out a business card. Quickly chewing his bite of toast Paul took the card and gave it a quick scan. Extremely simplistic but still containing the important information. Name, phone number, e-mail... no address no description of her job. Simple.
"I normally have a pretty flexible schedule so we'll have to see what we can do." Paul replied with a smile as he slipped the card into his pants pocket, "Maybe next time I can impress you with something other than sweat soaked jogging clothes."
After finishing his toast and half of the hash browns Paul had to push the plate away. The portions here were large and even though he had burned quite a few calories while running he just couldn't handle all of those hash browns. They had been very tasty though. "I suggest some warm compresses on those muscles when you get home just to keep them from locking up." He offered the friendly advice of an experienced athlete before asking the question he really wanted to know, "And how soon would you like me to give you a call?"
Lumen had to grin a bit when Paul didn't finish his food. She found herself wondering if he was a mutant. He didn't look like a mutant... but neither did she. He didn't appear to be a telepath... didn't give any indication he was reading her thoughts. As far as she could tell he couldn't levitate or fly- why would he bother running then? But that didn't mean his body didn't change or he didnt have control over certain elements or something. The woman in red who took her brother didn't look like anything special but she could control fire.
It really wasnt any of Lumen's business whether he was a mutant or not. But she always felt comfortable knowing... just not comfortable asking. Maybe if they met again she might push it a little. He'd been respectful and hadn't asked her... or was that just dumb? She didn't see near as many mutants in Ireland or perhaps they were just better at hiding than these New Yorkers. Nearly everyone she'd met so far had been a mutant.
"You can give me a call whenever you'd like. I'm busy until about mid week for this week. Job and such. But I'm free after that. Don't be a stranger.". She answered putting her dishes into a neat little stack for the waiter who upon seeing it wondered if she'd worked in the service industry before. After all, it was usually only past servers who knew how to stack a pile of plates so perfectly. "But I do have some meetings to get to this evening so if I don't get home now I'll be showing up in jogging clothes and all smelly." she reached across the table and patted his hand. It was an intimate gesture but it was also very Irish. "Thank you, Paul. I don't know what I expected coming to this state but I certainly didn't expect so many New Yorkers to be this kind. It helps a gal feel a little less lonely and I'm always happy to make new acquaintances."
She fished out some crumpled bills and a couple coins and placed them on the table. She had a feeling Paul was the type of guy to pay for a lady's meal but she wouldn't let him. At least not this time. She gave him a little nod, gathered her things, and swaggered outta there the best she could with those sore legs.
Don't be a stranger... it was an interesting phrase since if they were both completely honest that's exactly what Paul and Lumen were. Sure they had been able to enjoy some pleasant conversation and even a nice breakfast but they were still basically strangers. Of course only time and more meetings could change that and a part of Paul found himself looking forward to the idea. From her conversation Lumen seemed intelligent and she had an interesting job that he would like to learn more about. She didn't seem to be a mutant which was all at once both a positive and a negative but he could work with that.
"Don't worry... I'll get in touch with you sometime soon." Paul assured with a smile. The intimate touch of her hand was surprising though definitely enjoyable. Being from Europe and having only dealt with the tough side of the Irish during his time on the streets of New York he was not used to that sort of tenderness. Lumen was definitely Irish but she was also most definitely not the Irish he was used too.
"My pleasure Lumen. New Yorkers get a bad rap but we're the same sort of lonely people that you find all over the world. Just people looking for friends." His answer was simple but somewhat poetic if you really thought about it. Hadn't there actually been a poet that wrote about how the world was full of lonely people? Paul thought so but he couldn't think of the name. Oh well, maybe he'd do some research at the library some time. That question would be nagging at the back of his mind until he found an answer.
As with most women of the 21st century, Lumen didn't seem to want him to pay for her meal so after putting money down on the table she gave him a friendly nod and then turned to walk out of the restaurant. "A nice walk." Paul murmured appreciatively before turning his attention back to the bill. Laying down enough money to pay for both their bills, Paul turned to leave as well. Their waitress would be getting a very nice tip but that was OK... it was the principle of the thing! After all, HE had invited HER to breakfast which meant he had to pay whether she wanted him to or not.
