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.
The taste in his mouth was that of ashes. It was the type of taste that only came out when someone had fallen asleep in a fit of sickness, mouth slack jawed and open to the elements. The young man groaned, trying to wipe the taste away as he struggled for some kind for some kind of clarity as to his situation. But just as he attempted to move, a pain shot through his body that caused him to gasp and cringe against the lightning inside of his brain. He couldn’t even will his eyes to open, that was how much pain he was in.
“Hey, what’s this?” a voice echoed from somewhere in the darkness around him.
He could feel the heat of a shaft of sunlight on the back of his head, hear the incoming footsteps of several people, but judging by their pace alone, they were obviously not here to help. But, try as he might to move, his body was simply wracked with far too much agony.
“Yo! Nice jacket for a homeless kid,” another, gruffer voice announced.
“Hehehe, I’m sure he won’t mind,” a wheezed voice uttered near his ear.
There was a sharp tug at his back (the jacket, he assumed) and he growled, trying to twist away. The pain was still there but it slowly lessened as he tried to squirm; it was almost a breath of relief that these people came since it forced him to move. But, it was a relief that would be short lived. As soon as he attempted to stand, there was the sharp pain of a boot kicking him straight in the ribs.
He cringed, coughing up every bit of air in his lungs. Why couldn’t he open his eyes yet?!
“Hahaaha! Livewire, this one!” a voice said and followed it up with another kick to his ribs.
He gasped and fell back onto the ground. The feet rushed around him, pulling, tugging, and grabbing at anything that seemed valuable. The victim was scarcely in and out of consciousness as he heard them arguing over a wallet, knives, and a jacket that he would never see. A glob of something wet, probably spit, was hocked onto his nose and he groaned as sweet unconsciously began to once again take over.
There, half hanging in an alley, half in the sidewalk, the eighteen year old man groaned as his head flopped to the side. Wearing only jeans and black t-shirt, (his boots, jacket, weapons, and wallet all stolen), the young man moaned in agony. Only one thing kept pounding in the midst of his blacked out dreams…
There were a lot of things wrong with the world; greed, hate, murder... they were the most widely known. People tended to pitch fits about the most obvious things, the easiest things to stand against... but also tended to pointedly ignore the rest.
One thing that never ceased to sicken the Greek, was the way people could turn a blind eye on someone in need. She had seen it countless times since moving to New York. Those considered homeless were filth in the eyes of the working class. Those that could not help themselves were snubbed and swept under a rug as if they didn't exist at all. Every time she wandered across examples of this human trait, she walked away feeling sick to her stomach, and more than a little angry.
So, you can imagine the flood of emotions that hit her like a brick when the Gorgon happened upon an all too familiar sight. Someone's prone form laying half on the sidewalk, obviously in need of some sort of help, while pedestrians stalked past without so much as a glance. Quite riled up, Andrea shook herself and forced her body to move. The shock of stumbling across someone in such a position always left her feeling uncertain at first, but the few times she'd been able to help had been well worth it in the end.
Shouldering past a man who was loudly barking into a cell phone, the Greek hurried to the figures side. Kneeling, the realization that he was nothing but a kid hit her like a slap in the face. Sure, she could sometimes understand how, say, a lone woman would avoid helping a strange man out-- because she's rightly got to be a little paranoid this day and age-- ... but a boy? Someone no older than herself? It was inexcusable in her books. She deemed every single person that had walked past without a care as purely rotten, and turned her mind back to the task at hand.
"... Can you hear me?" Touching his shoulder as gently as she could, she leaned over him to get a look at his face. Aside from a few scrapes here and there, he didn't seem all that injured. "Are you all right?... Do you have any injuries...?"
Her serpents stirred behind her, tied back securely with a length of yellow ribbon. Andrea gave him another once over before deciding that if he was injured at all, it wasn't a visible wound, and therefore not something she could hope to help treat. From the looks of him, she figured he'd been jumped. The lack of shoes was an obvious sign if she'd ever seen one. Wrinkling her nose at the thought, she sat back on her haunches and folded her hands across her lap nervously.
The blackout didn’t last long, but it was enough to knock the man into pretty deep oblivion. But it was a comfortable one, one that allowed him to wrap himself in the cool comforts of darkness. At least here he didn’t have to worry about pain or struggling to get up or even remembering exactly what happened. Instead he could enjoy the peace and serenity of solitude without having to worry about anything from the cruel world around him.
Yes, he would stay here. What was so good about being awake? But, just as he began to settle into this idea, he heard something. At first he couldn’t make out what it was, only that it was distant…sweet…and lyrical. A music pierced into the blackness of his mind and slowly he began to follow it back out to the exit.
On the verge of consciousness was when he realized that it was actually a voice speaking to him that was tinged with concern.
>> "... Can you hear me? Are you all right?... Do you have any injuries...?"
Was that…someone actually wanting to help? After his last ordeal, he was a little cautious about anyone stumbling across him, but he amount of pain he was in (and such a kind voice) meant that he was more than willing to take a chance on someone who seemed like they actually might care.
Carefully he moved his head, his arms, his legs, turning them to get some sense of motion. He didn’t feel anything broken, just a long, throbbing ache that coursed throughout his entire body relentlessly. That was at least some good news. Slowly one eyelid fluttered open, followed by another, as he groaned and felt every bruise that began to form all over his body. This was one hell of a day.
Eyes squinting, he saw only a blurry mass in front of him as he tried to lift his gaze, wanting to touch the very air, to feel something that was not pain.
“W-What…happened…?” he whispered, his voice hoarse and thick, hinting to the fact that he had gone through hell in a handbasket. He turned his weak eyes over to the presence he felt sitting nearby. All he saw was a blur of green (which didn’t make sense). “Who...are you? D-Did you…do this…to me?”
Hey, didn’t hurt to ask. Maybe he had a guilty conscious.
Oh dear... maybe he was worse off that she'd first thought. He groaned like he was coming out of a lengthy sleep, and the way he was moving just didn't seem right at all. Maybe some sort of head wound was what had laid him out in such a manner? "Shh... it is alright. You should not move anymore than necessary until we know if you are wounded." What was it people always said? Don't move someone, just in case there was some kind of neck, or spinal injury? Or.. was it the other way around?... no, that wouldn't make much sense. It had to be the first.
“W-What…happened…?” Well... crap. His guess was as good as hers at this point. She leaned in closer to hear what he was saying, since his voice was scarcely above a whisper. “Who...are you? D-Did you…do this…to me?”
"Heavens no!" Mortification hit her at the very thought of such a thing, and the gorgon shifted away from him. "...You were laying here when I spotted you a few moments ago... I did not see anyone else around, so I am afraid I do not know what happened to you." Pausing, her shielded gaze returned to his feet. "Though... due to your lack of shoes, I am inclined to believe that it was some kind of mugging..." The Greek frowned, and relaxed once more, reaching out to try and feel his forehead, to see if he was running any kind of temperature.
... People did that in situations like this, right?
Yeah... Of course they did! "My name is Andrea... Do you know where you are?" If he didn't remember what had happened to him, or who had done it, then she was at a loss for what to do to help him solve the 'crime'. But, that didn't mean she couldn't at least help him up back onto his feet and get him on his way safely back to wherever it was he lived. Assuming he lived somewhere, that is... Looking at his clothes, he didn't appear homeless... and he wasn't as scruffy as most of the people living at shelters tended to get.
He almost wanted to chuckle at the response. As a matter of fact, he would have if not for the pain in his sternum. He didn’t know why his ribs were hurting but he assumed it had something to do with why he was lying on the cold floor, barely able to open his eyes, and with only a whisper of a voice. But, he had to be thankful that at least there was someone nearby who seemed like they wanted to help. He would have doubted whoever this person was had been involved in the mess from earlier anyways.
Already, even without seeing her clearly, she seemed far too sweet and modest to commit such a horrible act.
He blinked a couple times as he tried to clear away his vision. It seemed though, that whatever had happened, had been fairly rough.
>> “You were laying here when I spotted you a few moments ago... I did not see anyone else around, so I am afraid I do not know what happened to you…Though... due to your lack of shoes, I am inclined to believe that it was some kind of mugging..."
“A…mugging?” he whispered as he carefully brought his hand to his side where he felt the worst of the throbbing. He caught snippets of what happened before, but since he never opened his eyes, he could not be sure.
He remembered footsteps, laughing, the sensation of pain exploding throughout his entire body, and lasting the tug and pull of items from his very person. All-in-all, that is indeed what it sounded like to him.
“Yeah…sounds…about right,” he grumbled, wincing a bit as he finally lifted his weak, shaky arms and rubbed the soreness from his eyes.
After only a second or two, he finally blinked away the blurriness and focused in on the dank sky above him. The walls of the alley were imposing, slime covered, and sickly to look at. Past that, he could see the reddening of the sky that meant that either dusk was approaching. How long had he been here?
>> "My name is Andrea... Do you know where you are? Can you sit up..?"
He swallowed with his dry, thick throat, and attempted to answer her questions. But, he soon found that as he tried, all he felt was a thick, black fog wrapped all around him. The cloud was so impenetrable that it almost hurt to focus in on it too much. What made it worse was that as he continued to try, he felt only a frustrating blankness inside of his head…as if he didn’t know anything at all! He struggled, in vain, searching and probing the blackness until all he was able to dig up was one kernel of information…
“V-Vicente? I…I think my name…is Vicente,” he whispered. It is a terrible feeling only knowing a fleeting glance of one’s own identity. What made it worse was the simple fact that that was ALL he could remember. She asked where he was and all he was met with was that thick cloud of the unknown. For all intensive purposes…he was a blank slate. “I don’t know where I am.” He admitted.
Slowly he began to sit up, cringing and growling in pain as the shocks fired throughout his body like and uncontrollable lightning storm just underneath the skin. When he finally achieved an upright status, he pulled up the corner of his shirt, revealing the tight, muscular body of youth. Beyond that, though, there was thick, black and blue bruising from his ribs being kicked in. He winced…turned to his savoir…
“Whoa!!” he jumped a little and scurried back away from the green skin, the writhing snakes, until WHAM![/b] “Ow! Sonnavabit—“ he growled, holding the back of his head where he accidentally slammed it into the brick, alley wall. Through partially scared eyes, he looked up at the woman again, cautiously. “W-What…are you?”
Her brow furrowed. Vicente...? Why did the sound familiar? Tilting her head slightly as confusion set in, she watched him as he started to move. The think he had tacked onto his statement, as well as the admission that he had no clue where he was were worrisome facts. She couldn't very well help him if he could barely remember his own name, now could she? Pondering on that thought, she recalled that her phone was tucked into the little purse she had on her person, and she wondered if calling an ambulance for this Vicente was needed. If she did, it meant that she would need to make herself scarce by the time help arrived, and that he would be on his own with a new set of people to answer too.
She had just been about to open her mouth to ask him what he would prefer she do, when he finally managed to get a look at her. His reaction, while it earned a jump from her, wasn't all that surprising.
“Ow! Sonnavabit— W-What…are you?”
The Greek was suddenly, painfully aware of the fact that she had nothing to hide behind. Her sweater had no hood, her dress offered no protection, and she could practically feel every blotch on her skin itching. It had been a while since anyone had reacted to the sight of her in such a manner, and the hint of fear within his gaze only made it worse. Immediately, she swept herself onto her feet, and backed a safe distance away, tucking her hands into the pockets of her dress so he wouldn't see her wringing them.
"Sorry... I--... I did not mean to surprise you..." She manged a timid smile, but turned her chin to avoid looking directly at him.... even if he couldn't see her eyes through her glasses, anyway. "... I am a mutant... Um.. if you would like, I could call someone else for you? Someone more qualified to deal with this kind of situation might be of more help than I am..."
Why did her chest hurt all of the sudden? Silly thing... she should be used to this by now. All of her time spent hanging around Saph had caused her to forget how vastly different she was from normal people. It was always a painful thing to be reminded of... but, she really couldn't hold it against Vicente.
Vicente, a little wide eyed, continued to stare at the green skinned, snake-haired woman that sat across from him. She looked hurt at his reaction, to which he immediately felt bad. But, seriously, she acted as if her appearance were completely part of the norm! Who would consider that normal? Would he? Come to think of it, he really had no idea what normal was supposed to entail since he remembered absolutely nothing about the world he was in or what was going on in it. Nothing even looked or sounded vaguely familiar.
Just…what was going on?
>> "Sorry... I--... I did not mean to surprise you..."
He shook his head, forcing himself to look at her closely. The last thing he really wanted to do was offend someone who was just trying to help.
“N-No, I’m sorry,” he responded. “I…I should be more respectful than that…”
In all honesty, he meant it. He didn’t know why but he had a sense that respect was very important to him, and therefore should be important to give to everyone else. Maybe that was a clue as to who he actually was? In silence he put those thoughts aside as he watched the woman stand and creep a bit further away from him. Now he was feeling all the worse for his reaction. He shouldn’t have acted so startled.
Despite the fact that was. And still is a little…
>> "... I am a mutant... Um.. if you would like, I could call someone else for you? Someone more qualified to deal with this kind of situation might be of more help than I am..."
Mutant? For whatever reason, the word didn’t seem to register with him. Oh, he knew what it meant, but Andrea announced it with a different infliction than he normally would have heard the word. It was a science word, it meant something abnormal in nature; Andrea used it to refer to herself, almost as if she were outside of the norm of human nature. Maybe she was?
What was going on in the world?
Slowly he shook his head as he looked up to her, meekly. It was so awkwardly timid that anyone who knew who this man would grow up to be would have done a double-take.
“I…don’t know…anyone,” he whispered as he peered out into the busy. So many faces, and none of them were familiar in the least to him. There were like ghosts, phantasms, that fluttered by; familiar and yet not familiar at all. “So far…the only nice person I’ve met…is you…”
Her smile became a little less timid, and a little more genuine after he apologized. The tension in her shoulders, and in her snakes, flooded out and she was left feeling relaxed, if a little silly.
The idea of calling someone for him got shelved moments later, and she was left pursing her lips while trying to figure out what to do. Maybe it was because he seemed truly lost, or maybe it was because he'd just complimented her... but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly for a while if she just dropped Vicente off at the nearest police department. She needed to know that he was going to be alright, even if that required a lot more effort on her part.
"Well, that is okay... I can stick with you until you are properly back on your feet." She was unsure if approaching him to offer a hand up was the best idea... but couldn't really help herself. Kindness had always been her downfall, and it was a pretty hard habit to kick. Taking a brave step forward, she offered one gloved hand to him.
"I know a lot of people who would be more than willing to help you out, even know a good doctor who could make sure you are not to badly injured." Letting her eyes drift out to the street as he had, her nose wrinkled again as a thought struck her, and then she dropped her shielded gaze down to his bare feet.
"...but... before we do anything, you could really use some shoes. I know a nice little shop that sells sneakers at a very reasonable price.. what say we stop there first, before we figure everything else out?"
>> "Well, that is okay... I can stick with you until you are properly back on your feet."
Vicente actually looked a little relived at this. His experiences thus far had not really left him with a good taste in his mouth for meeting even more strangers. So far, Andrea is the only one that seemed to be trustworthy and a real friend. Though she didn’t know him at all, she stopped her life to actually make sure that himself, this complete stranger, was okay after being mugged pretty harshly. Vicente had a feeling he could trust her, it was the rest of the world he had a problem with right now. This feeling was doubly so since he couldn’t remember a damn thing from his past other than a haunting name that may or may not have been his own.
But, at least he was making some strides in the right direction now. With his latest friend, that was some sort of positive that he could be glad of.
>> "I know a lot of people who would be more than willing to help you out, even know a good doctor who could make sure you are not to badly injured."
Vicente looked up, a little surprised but also incredibly grateful for any help that he could get. He was lost, frustrated, and just the littlest bit scared. He didn’t know what was going on and so far the life that he could remember consisted of being mugged and pain. But Andrea, she was quickly proving to be a good soul, and the young man doubted he could ever express his gratitude for finding her at this lost time in his life.
“Really?” he asked quietly. “T-Thank you. I would like that, so long, you know, as it isn’t too much of an imposition.”
He smiled, genuinely. He started to move onto his feet, wincing the whole time thanks to his ribs. But just as he stood up straight, he found that he was being inspected by his new found friend.
>> "...but... before we do anything, you could really used some shoes. I know a nice little shop that sells sneakers at a very reasonable price.. what say we stop there first, before we figure everything else out?"
Vicente looked down at his bare feet. He had to admit that the idea of walking around on concrete in absolutely no shoes didn’t sound appealing. As a matter of fact he would have jumped at the chance to have shoes, unfortunately he remembered that he was now lacking a wallet. Whatever money, and identification, was long gone. He frowned a little and shook his head.
“Thank you, kindly,” he said with a nod. “But…” he began to fish around inside of his pockets, finding only empty air and lint. “I’m afraid I don’t have any money. I’m sure I’ll be okay, how bad can it b—?” he started to ask he stepped out onto the sidewalk…
…and onto a rather pointing bit of rock.
“Ow! Ow!” he winced as he hopped back into the alley, his imposing 6’1 frame leaning against the wall as he held up his foot to inspect where the rock had bit into his sole. Yeah, so not a good day…
"Really, it's no trouble at all.. I was on my way home, anyway. Same destination." Vicente was turning out to be rather sweet, despite his reaction to her appearance. Maybe he really had simply been surprised by it? She liked that option better than thinking he was inwardly like most of the city dwellers, who tended to cross streets and go out of their way to avoid walking past her.
She winced for him when he inadvertently answered his own question. Or rather, when the sidewalk answered his question in a painful way. At the same time, though, she fought to hold back a giggle. It was rude to laugh at peoples misfortune, yes... but nothing proved a point quite like a sharp rock jabbing you in the heel. "Oh hush.. Do not worry about that. If I didn't have enough to spare in order to help someone out every now and then, I never would have survived in this city." Now was one of those times when she was thrilled that she had a nicely paying job. She didn't need a lot for herself, and pretty much all of her food was provided by the school, which left her with a pretty nice amount of cash to save or spent to her hearts content.
...Which most of the time meant she bought herself a lot of junk food, and hoarded away gifts for people sh cared about.
"It would be just terrible of me to let you walk all the way to the school barefoot, when it is no skin off my back to help you out a little." She sealed the deal with a nod to herself, having already decided that it was going to happen one way or another.. even if she had to go in and buy the shoes and wrestle them onto his feet. She turned, stepping out from the alleyway onto the sidewalk, and pulled her phone out to check the time. "We should have just enough time to make it before Edward closes the shop up, come on, it is just down the street a little ways."
Smiling over her shoulder, she tossed her braid over one shoulder to keep her snakes from trying to reach out to her new friend, and started off slowly down the sidewalk. She didn't want to move too fast just yet, just in case he had a hard time keeping up after only just getting to his feet.
The look on his new friends face looked as if she wanted to explode with laughter. Vicente, still a little in pain, only looked back and smirked a little. Though it was not as funny since he was the one in pain, he had to admit it was rather humorous, especially considering the timing of the situation. Carefully he returned his foot to the ground, after inspecting and finding that the rock didn’t pierce the skin. He tested out a step or two (with thankfully only a slight limp) and sighed as he turned back to her.
>> "Oh hush.. Do not worry about that. If I didn't have enough to spare in order to help someone out every now and then, I never would have survived in this city.”
She was offering to buy a complete stranger shoes? And take him to her home? And have him be seen my a friendly doctor? What, was she just the friendliest and most trusting person in the world? Vicente had never seen something like this before (so he guessed). As a matter of fact, he began to shake his head in response. How could he, in good consciousness, just have someone buy him shoes that he didn’t even know?
>> "It would be just terrible of me to let you walk all the way to the school barefoot, when it is no skin off my back to help you out a little."
The nod followed that. Not just a simply, slight nod, but the nod. It was as if by doing so, Andrea had sealed what she was going to do into stone and there was no way that Vicente was going to get out of it. It was funny because the more he thought about that, about the conviction in her eyes to help him, the more he got the notion that she could be a little fireball. He wouldn’t put it past her to tackle him to the ground and force shoes onto his feet until she was satisfied that she had done the absolute right thing in helping him.
Wow, the friends that a person can meet in a single day. Vicente smirked a little as he turned to eye the young woman. Seeing as he had no choice, he followed her out onto the side. Only, this time, he paid a careful mind to ground and made sure to dodge around any and all tiny rocks, shrapnel, and other painful items.
“Okay,” was all he said to prove that he wouldn’t fight her on the issue. “I have a feeling you won’t take any other answer.”
It was as he followed that he began to look around this huge and strange city! The buildings were so tall and massive, the people around mulled about everywhere, and there were so many sights and sounds that he truly felt a bit of disorientation. He actually found himself pressing closer to the green skinned woman, the only sense of familiarity he had right now. While he walked, though, he paused when he saw a young woman wander by, walking along with a pretty redhead. But the strangest thing was that the brunette had these huge, iridescent bug wings that were pressed against her back. He could tell they weren’t fake either since, from time-to-time, they fluttered!
As he thought about this, though, he returned to that word Andrea used, Mutant. Was that brunette the same as Andrea? Would she call herself a mutant too? It sounded so…derogatory. Thinking carefully over the thought, he glanced down to Andrea as he strolled next to her, the question burning on his lips.
“Andrea,” he cautioned to ask. “If, you don’t mind me asking, um, what is a mutant? That girl, with the bug wings on the other side of the street,” he said as he nodded in the persons general direction. “Would she be a mutant too?”
He nodded to a pair of girls... both of whom looked familiar in a very slight way. She couldn't put a finger on where she'd seen them before, if she even had, and shrugged the feeling away. "She would be, yes... though, I would not recommend tossing the term around loosely. Some are more sensitive to it than others... I really must kick the habit of referring to myself as such." She cautioned, laying a gloved hand on Sloths length of body while trying to come up with a half decent explanation. She chose to avoid the lengthy explanation her mind wanted her to throw at him.. a mix of all the facts she knew, as well as her own special raving theory.
"Erm... well.. It is a little difficult for me to explain, actually. I have only been here for the last three years... so my knowledge on the subject is downright pitiful compared to others." Sad, really... considering that her main reason for leaving Greece at all had been to figure out what she was, and how exactly she was supposed to deal with it.
"We are human, but... we are also different." Well, different wasn't a satisfactory answer, in some cases. Some mutants didn't seem to possess any human traits at all... "I believe the main theory has something to do with genetics. That those of us who can be labeled as 'mutant' have different genes, which leave us with.. well... things like this." She lifted Sloth's lazy head and scratched the scaled under his chin. The great snake responded by pinning his beady eyes on Vicente and flicking a pink tongue in his direction.
It was impossible to ask him how he's never seen a mutant before, considering that his memory didn't seem to be working properly. The question would have to stew within and slowly eat at her. "The school we are going to, where I am currently staying, it is a safe place where people like me can live and learn. Many of us don't have a full grasp on our...um... gifts... right away.. and society can be pretty cruel to those of us who are more obviously different." Wrinkling her nose, she dropped her hands back into her pockets, while treading quickly through a crosswalk.
>> "She would be, yes... though, I would not recommend tossing the term around loosely. Some are more sensitive to it than others... I really must kick the habit of referring to myself as such."
Vicente immediately took note of Andrea’s words and committed them to memory. In a strange world, it was best to not offend anyone. It was odd, though. He looked up at tall buildings, at passing cars, and the names of stores and he seemed to already know all of that information. He knew what they were and that they were not out of place. But any personal information, ideas on mutants, all of it was completely lost upon him.
Whatever happened to him…he must have been hit pretty hard by it.
He shook those thoughts away, even though they remained prevalent in his mind, and tried to focus in on Andrea and her explanations.
>> "Erm... well.. It is a little difficult for me to explain, actually. I have only been here for the last three years... so my knowledge on the subject is downright pitiful compared to others."
Vicente smirked as he walked alongside his one and only friend in this great big strange world. She confessed that she really knew little on the subject but, obviously, since she was the only one present he implored her to answer with his eyes. She seemed to take this into consideration and attempted to answer his question as best she could.
>> "We are human, but... we are also different…I believe the main theory has something to do with genetics. That those of us who can be labeled as 'mutant' have different genes, which leave us with.. well... things like this."
The snake eyed Vicente. He could only stare back, locking eyes with the beast is it slithered its pink tongue in and out, watching him with absolutely no shame in it. The young man actually began to feel just a tiny bit uncomfortable because of how intently it stared and turned his focus back to the ground.
Keeping an eye out for sharp objects and debris on the concrete, Vicente retreated into his thoughts as he listened to Andrea further. So, mutants have different genes, a genetic makeup that allowed them to look different from other people. It sounded right with the scientific definition that he could recall, but that was one hell of a genetic change! He wondered what had happened that allowed people to change in such a way…
>> "The school we are going to, where I am currently staying, it is a safe place where people like me can live and learn. Many of us don't have a full grasp on our...um... gifts... right away.. and society can be pretty cruel to those of us who are more obviously different."
“Gifts…” he said to himself.
He let the word roll around on his tongue as he thought about it. Would having a “gift” like Andrea’s really be considered such? It seemed like such a burden to have to carry; a burden that she had never asked for. On top of that, he had a vague idea that society indeed had a mean streak. Look at himself! Just passed out in an alley, a gang of thugs stole almost everything he had just because he was alone and defenseless. But at least he looked human! For someone like Andrea, and that bug winged girl, they were not so lucky.
But, Andrea did look sweet and happy. Even though he was sure that she met with some gnarly reactions to her appearance, she never lost who she was. At least that was something.
They neared the shoe store. Another question burned in his mind as he glanced to her (looking past the still staring giant snake).
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to go to that school?” he asked. “They, you now, seem pretty mutant exclusive. And I don’t look like one,” he said as she turned around for her, revealing no physical mutations at all. “I would hate to waste their time.”
His question caused her to pause for a moment, and she blinked at him. Would they accept him there?.... Well... she wasn't sure about the long term, considering that he was correct about the whole mostly mutant thing... But she was more than confident that they would at least take him in until he was back on his feet, and help him figure things out. "I do not think there will be any problems. The x-men run the school, and they do not have any qualms against humans. The idea is that we are all the same, genetics aside, and we should all help each other out, you know?"
Once they reached the shop door, she paused, holding it open. "Besides, if anyone has a problem with you, they will have to go through me first! And I can be pretty stubborn when it counts." With a grin, she waited for him to enter, and followed behind.
A little while later, once Edward had dug out a pair of shoes for her new companion and she'd purchased them, they were on their way back outside. It was dark already, with not a hint of red or orange in the sky. The Greek paused on the sidewalk, unwilling to move too far from the doorway and glanced about warily. In all of the time that had passed since the incident, she still hadn't been able to overcome a near crippling fear of the dark. Walking at night always left her feeling anxious and paranoid. Considering what she'd gone through, however, she allowed herself to feel at least a little justified in it.
Clearing her throat and attempting to squash the fear, she eyed Vicente and forced herself out of the doorway. "How do they feel? " She started, stuffing her hands back into her pockets. "We've got a little bit of a walk until we get to the bus stop, so you should make sure they are comfortable before we leave." It always helped to alleviate her own stress by switching the worry to something, or someone, else.
>> "I do not think there will be any problems. The x-men run the school, and they do not have any qualms against humans. The idea is that we are all the same, genetics aside, and we should all help each other out, you know?"
Vicente nodded. But even as he did so, his mind settled on one thing: [/i]X-Men?[/i] He really was not sure what that was supposed to mean, but from the way that Andrea spoke about it, she seemed to trust whoever these people were intently. Though Vicente didn’t know them, he would have to take Andrea’s word for it. He hoped, indeed, that they would not mind helping him. For a man with no past, a placed to start was a godsend.
>> "Besides, if anyone has a problem with you, they will have to go through me first! And I can be pretty stubborn when it counts."
“Hah!” he chuckled. “I don’t doubt that for a second,” he admitted and walking into the shoe store.
It was only a short time later that suitable shoes were found for Vicente. Though the man marveled at the size and girth of Vicente’s feet, he knew that a pair could be found for him. Unfortunately, since they were so close to closing time, there was very little in stock in the young man’s size. But, eventually, they managed to find a pair.
A pair…that Vicente was not too wild about. But, since he didn’t want to hurt Andrea’s feelings (and, honestly, he couldn’t go the rest of the day without shoes), he accepted that they were in fact just fine for him.
Shoes bought, feet protected, Vicente strolled out of the store with Andrea still in the lead.
>> "How do they feel? We've got a little bit of a walk until we get to the bus stop, so you should make sure they are comfortable before we leave."
Vicente looked down at the shoes. They felt good; squishy, solid, excellent traction, as a matter of fact, they were absolutely perfect…except for one tiny, minor detail; they were pink. And not just pink, but PINK[/b]. Edward had assured him that these shoes were indeed a man’s shoes and, not only that, but he no other shoes in stock that would have fit him. Vicente was going to have to concede that these were his shoes, at least until he could buy some for himself (if he ever got to that point.).
But, at least he learned one thing about himself; he didn’t care for the color pink.
He nodded as he jogged for a second in place and smiled at Andrea. “They feel perfect.”
As he said this, he peeked out and noticed that the sky had darkened considerably from when he was found in the alley. A shudder ran through his spine as he imagined all the dark, black corners and alleys they would have to pass in order to get to this place that Andrea spoke of. For a second, he wished they could have just stayed in the store until morning. The light of day was so much more soothing.
But, as a testament to her stubbornness, Andrea stepped out into the night and, of course, Vicente had to follow. He did notice that she seemed just a slight bit tenser. He hoped she was okay.
“It’s….dark…” he managed to say as he followed her out into the night. They began their journey to the bus stop again. He had to admit that it felt good to have his feet be warm and protected against the rough elements of concrete. “Ugh, is it, you know, much farther?” he cautioned to ask Andrea as he eyed every alley and shadowy place.
