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 Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
Witchblade
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
Rebecca did not speak right away. She was just blinking, processing Agnes’s news. When she mentioned having a night before she returned to River, it was never really a possibility in Rebecca’s mind she meant she wanted to spend the night together.
Immediately, she felt like an idiot peeling egg from her face. It was a silly assumption that, after the weeks spent visiting her, they were ready to go back to the same mistakes they had been making. Spending the night—even one night—was still an affair. It was easy to fall into those habits quickly, and they already established that sneaking around was not healthy because it was not what they really wanted.
Rebecca was just missing Agnes. Getting close to her again increased the yearning to return to the way things were, but they were just not there yet. River was still a presence in their lives, and Rebecca made the promise with herself to be patient. Still, she jumped at the thought that Agnes might want a night with her to celebrate her return to the city.
It was officially time to backpedal. ”Richt, richt. Ay coorse, sorry. Ah wisnae thinking.” Maybe she was apologizing too much, but she did not want Agnes thinking she was trying to push for something.
It was an honest mistake, but there was a good reason to make the assumption; Agnes was just getting out of the hospital. Still, she was a big girl, and if she wanted a night of freedom to herself, she was probably long overdue. ”If yer ready tae hae th’ nicht aloyn, ‘at coods be guid fur ye.” She had been stuck at the hospital, so actual privacy had been scarce. She was cleared to go home, so there was no reason she could not be left alone beyond Rebecca’s desire to keep the girl close forever.
It could have ended there, but Rebecca had to add one last stipulation. ”Jist… if ye start tae feel loch yoo're havin' onie regression ur if ye need me, Ah'll hae mah phain close. Loch Ah said, Ah want tae gang back tae bein' thaur fur each other, e'en wi' th' bad stuff.” Rebecca was tired of being fair-weather girlfriends, which is what the affair had turned them into. They were supposed to be a team, even when it meant sharing the serious dilemmas. ”Yer burdens ur mah burdens noo, Aggie.”
Agnes could feel the air getting heavier. She didn’t want to sound ungrateful towards Rebecca, or like she didn’t want to spend time with her. She really did but, right now, while things were still technically still going on with River, she didn’t want to be sneaking around anymore; at least not in a situation that could lead to clothes being strewn about on a very large and very comfy bed. She pushed past those thoughts and instead focused on the conversation at hand.
The song on the radio switched over and Agnes bite her lip in thought. Really it seemed almost as if the universe were against her, tempting her with all sorts of things that she knew she didn’t always have the willpower to hold back. What was one night with the redhead? Nothing physical had to happen. They could share one night, maybe watch a move, maybe cuddle, maybe tear one another clo-…right. That was why.
She paused, contemplating turning off the radio to skipping to a new song when she glanced over to the redhead. She seemed a little confused by what Agnes had said, almost unsure if she could believe it. Really, Agnes couldn’t believe it either. If anything she wanted to latch onto the redhead tighter for all the help she has been to her. Sadly she knew that she couldn’t rely on her all the time; this was something, a state of being, that Agnes was going to have to learn to live with.
Still, she wished that Rebecca wouldn’t look so…hurt.
>> ”Richt, richt. Ay coorse, sorry. Ah wisnae thinking…If yer ready tae hae th’ nicht aloyn, ‘at coods be guid fur ye.”
She nodded. ”It’s okay,” she said, trying to sooth Rebecca’s tone. ”And I think it will. I…need to do this on my own. I have a therapist’s on speed dial if I start slipping. I mean, people can’t watch me twenty-four-seven, you know?”
She paused. She really wasn’t looking forward to this at all but she knew how important it was. Being able to control the Hive Queen, or at least subduing her on her own was of vital importance to living her life. Of course, at the facility Devon and Haven tried to awaken the monster again but Agnes was resistant to keep trying, just for fear that she wouldn’t come back. Devon didn’t think that was the case as it was still her body and her mutation, but it was a tough nut the crack. Besides, the Hive Queen only appeared because she was in life threatening danger.
She was reasonably sure that the fluffy towels wouldn’t be plotting against her.
There was a pregnant silence in the car. Rebecca clearly had more to say and Agnes could sense that. She felt bad, though. She had put the woman through the emotional wringer and she was still trying to her damnedest to be with her. Agnes could see that and it was both touching and a little scary. Still, deep down, she was afraid, she was always afraid that Rebecca would run off again. It was selfish of her to think such things and it only continued to paint herself in a bad light. She didn’t care for that.
However, Agnes was shaken from her self-deprecating thoughts by Rebecca whom seemed to have found her voice again.
>> ”Jist… if ye start tae feel loch yoo're havin' onie regression ur if ye need me, Ah'll hae mah phain close. Loch Ah said, Ah want tae gang back tae bein' thaur fur each other, e'en wi' th' bad stuff…Yer burdens ur mah burdens noo, Aggie.”
Touched. She was truly and deeply touched by the redhead’s words. Rarely had she ever felt so wanted and complete in her life. The vast majority of it had been spend living in the streets, trying to survive, and then trying to make her own way in the world. Now that she didn’t have to face everything alone, who was she to make the redhead continue to suffer in such a manner. It most definitely wasn’t fair and reminded the violinist of just how many things she had been keeping from her.
”Burdens…” she repeated softly. ”…I’m certain we both have our fair share of those.” She kept watching the scenery pass. Her expression had shifted to that of confusion, with a tinge of someone who didn’t know how to proceed. ”Maybe…Maybe some should just stay buried, though.”
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Aly
Agnes was all too right; they each had burdens to bear, and some of them weighed down heavily on their shoulders. Rebecca missed having Agnes around when the chips were down. Agnes helped Rebecca recover from her time in the Ragman, and Rebecca helped to protect Agnes when Malachi caught them in her childhood home. In their prime, they were a team that could overcome anything.
Maybe she had to take the first step toward getting them back there. ”Ah… Ah dinnae think sae, Aggie. We wark best when everything’s it in th’ open. When we’re nae daein’ everythin’ aloyn.”
Rebecca knew what she had been dying to tell Agnes since early Spring, so she swallowed her fear and pushed forward. ”Ah… Ah dinnae want tae be oan mah own, apart frae ye. Ah’ve seen ‘at an’ it’s nae good…”
It was important to take a steadying breath, because Rebecca was preparing to mentally revisit a traumatizing event. ”Ah went tae Atlantis wi’ th’ X-Men. We went oan a mission tae learn mair abit th' islain 'at jist appeared. An' it was rin by thes man. Thes king.” Her voice shook as she remembered Atlan and what he tried to do to her. ”He was a telepath an' he was tryin' tae control us. Ah am nae easy tae control, Ah guess.” She meant for the comment to be a joke, but her tone lacked the humor.
Instead, she pressed onward. ”Insteid, he jist tried tae break me. He foond ye in mah heed. Ye waur aw Ah coods hink abit. Ah remembered everythin' abit us an' Ah saw us merrit an' Ah...” She needed a moment to work through the lump in her throat. ”He made me watch ye die.” It was not long after the mission that Rebecca found it more and more difficult to stay away from Agnes. After everything she saw, she wanted Agnes back and she wanted to be the one to keep her safe again.
”Ah still hae nightmares sometimes. Jist… ne’er wi’ ye.” They had only spent a handful of nights together since Spring, but Rebecca knew it was more than a coincidence. ”Sae… nae… Ah dinnae want tae keep things buried frae ye again, Aggie.”
It may have been selfish of Agnes to want to keep her burdens to herself, but that was what life taught her to do. Her parents were monsters and, as a result, Agnes knew it was important to keep things to herself. Even when she was with Jasmine, she kept a number of things private because she just figured it was better that way. But with Rebecca, things had changed rather remarkably. She felt she could open up to her, knew that she could share her burdens.
All that changed when she left. When Rebecca was gone, the first thing that Agnes did was retreat back into herself. It was safe, she didn’t have to worry about anyone judging her. Even with River, she kept a number of things to herself for quite some time. And even when she did reveal, it was drastically edited information, heavily rated for her audience. It’s easy to keep things to yourself because then you only have to worry about what you think.
Things were different again. Agnes could feel that they had approached a crossroads. This would be one of those defining moments. Not what would happen when they went back to New York, not what would happen the next day, not even what happened days ago, it was here and it was now. Rebecca had stated that she wanted to help share Agnes’ burdens. Truly? Because there was a lot that weighed upon the violinist’s shoulders.
She took a breath. She tried to give the other a way out, stating that somethings could be kept, buried deep, if only for safety. It would seem that the redhead would disagree.
>> ”Ah… Ah dinnae think sae, Aggie. We wark best when everything’s it in th’ open. When we’re nae daein’ everythin’ aloyn…Ah… Ah dinnae want tae be oan mah own, apart frae ye. Ah’ve seen ‘at an’ it’s nae good…”
She lowered her head. She was about to say something but stopped as it seemed that there were heavy thoughts on Becca’s mind. Slowly she turned, eyeing her closely as the woman admitted something that she had not been aware of in the months since it occurred.
Atlantis. She had remembered hearing about that on the news. She was having breakfast when the television popped on, showing strange, grainy video. None of it made sense to her. She had, of course, heard of the mythical continent from television shows and books and movies, but the idea that it was an actual place? That alone was stunning, to say the least. Atlantis was one of those places that El Dorado or the Tower of Babel, it just wasn’t real.
And yet it was – and apparently it had horrors all its own.
Agnes was breathless as she listened to Rebecca tell her tale. Her story of the mad tyrant, a man of unimaginable power ruling over an ancient kingdom. The X-Men had been sent in to investigate, Rebecca of course being one of them, and their actions had earned the tyrant’s ire. An attack was made and Becca had apparently gotten the brunt of it.
Her hand slipping over her mouth in surprise, Agnes shook her head as she listened. She blushed a little when Rebecca had said that the king had used thoughts and images of herself to torture her. Images of their wedding and of her eventual death. This caused the ex-runaway to close her eyes, unable to even imagine what it was that the redhead had gone through.
Admittedly she had those thoughts, late in the night, when the world was asleep. What would her life be like if her lover had passed? Would it feel empty? Devoid of any life? How would Agnes survive? Those thoughts were quick, though, lasting only moments. But the way that Rebecca described it, it sounded significantly longer and more powerful than just a stray thought or two.
>> ”Ah still hae nightmares sometimes. Jist… ne’er wi’ ye…Sae… nae… Ah dinnae want tae keep things buried frae ye again, Aggie.”
Her hurt was evident on her face. Slowly, gently, Agnes reached over, wrapping her hand around one of Rebecca’s and held it there for a moment. She was here, she was alive, and this wasn’t some fantasy by a mad dictator; this was real.
”I’m….sorry that I was used against you like that…” she whispered. ”That…I can’t even imagine. But…I’m glad you made it back safe.”
She lowered her gaze as her own tears started to collect in the corners of her eyes. Rebecca didn’t want to keep things from her anymore – she guessed that that was a two-way street, wasn’t it? Dante and her experiences with his cult started to crop up in her head. She had already told Haven about them but no one else. Considering that she still had family out in the world, it was probably only fair that Rebecca know as well. So, with a pause and a breath, she continued.
”Do you remember…once…I told you that I had a brother? Dante?” she asked cautiously. Rebecca should know the name. She should also assume, like Agnes did so many years ago, that her brother had died. After all, the last time Agnes has heard about him was the day he left. What were the chances he would still be around? She took a breath, her eyes lowering as she nervously played with her own hands. ”Well…I…I found him…”
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Aly
It was terrifying making herself vulnerable for the first time in a long time. Rebecca had been dying to get the events of Atlantis off her chest, but there were few outlets. Everyone who went on the mission came home with their own challenges to deal with, as every single one almost made the choice to either abandon or hurt their families and loved ones. Rebecca did not want to burden them when they were handling their own demons and telling Vanessa was out of the question. How was she supposed to tell her girlfriend that, when someone probed her mind, the “most important person” they found was still Agnes?
Telling Agnes about Atlantis and listening to her empathize and express her joy just to have Rebecca home safe helped. She was sure it helped a lot, feeling the pressure on her shoulders slowly fade away. Somehow, she was cautiously optimistic that she might have fewer recurring nightmares going forward.
There was quiet in the car until Agnes took a deep breath and asked about Dante. ”Ay coorse. Ah wisnae jist gonnae forgit.” It was tied to one of her vivid memories from her last teenage years in the states. They had visited Agnes’s old house to gather belongings from the ruins. Some of the items were Agnes’s brother’s possessions, and the girl who was only her friend at the time confided in her, telling her the truth of her brother and his departure from her life.
Which was why it was such a bombshell that Agnes had found him after so many years. ”Foond heem? Really? that's amazin', reit?” It seemed like something Agnes could have only dreamed of growing up.
Then again, not all dreams were good. Rebecca worried she might have jumped to the wrong conclusion. ”Was he... okay?”
Hearing about Atlantis was a little surreal. She didn’t even know that the X-Men had gotten involved in event, but had only seen bits and snippets of it on the news. There was a general bit of mystery surrounding the island and then drama about some in-fighting that had never been fully reported on. Tabloids stated that it was being invaded by a foreign government. Others said all the people were getting sick because they weren’t used to the air of the modern world. And still others hazarded to guess that it was all simply an elaborate ploy set up by some movie companies for the next big, paranormal teen romance film franchise “Waves: Be Still the Trouble Waters of My Heart – Volume 1 of the Oceanic Hereos of Triton” series.
Bit of a long title, if you ask her.
However, learning from Becca that the X-Men had been involved, well, it painted things in a much more realistic light. They were there, they came across someone who was crazy and super powerful, and he had attempted to tear them down – or at least Becca. Agnes knew that Becca had a surprising fortitude about her and to know that she suffered under the weight of such a madman was terrifying, to say the least. But Becca came out of it.
The redhead clearly had a few battle scars from her experience but it seemed to be a relief for the Scot. Her shoulders felt less weighty and the sensation of their hands touching seemed somehow more alive. Agnes didn’t always like that Rebecca was an X-Man, but she understood the drive for it. After all, who was Agnes to judge considering her own exploits with Haven?
Still, Agnes was happy to be there for her ex-lover, comforting her after her harsh time. But that begged the question, shouldn’t she unload some of her own burdens? Haven was still a secretive organization so that was off the table, but there were other matters that were weighing heavily upon her. Rebecca had been trusting enough to tell her about Atlantis – shouldn’t she trust her back? Especially if, at the end of the day, Rebecca was the one woman whom she truly and deeply wanted?
Dante. Just thinking about her brother and the state that she saw him in last was…heartrending. That was a weight that she carried around with her for months because, really, she had no one to discuss it with. River wouldn’t understand and she and Becca were too busy trying to struggle around the obvious feelings that they still had for one another. And yet, still, in the back of her mind, she never let her thoughts stray too far from him.
Maybe she could trust Becca with this…
>>”Ay coorse. Ah wisnae jist gonnae forgit.”
She smirked, slightly. She remembered when she actually brought up her brother to the redhead. It was back when they tried to break into her family home in order to take back some possessions that had been left there, including a few items belonging to him. The trip in no way turned out as she had expected but it was the beginnings of something that Agnes never expected to happen.
Then again, she never expected to ever find her brother again either. So, like that, she dropped the news; her brother had been found.
>> ”Foond heem? Really? that's amazin', reit? Was he... okay?”
The violinist took a heavy breath, she could feel her emotions beginning to rise again. It had been some time since she last heard from her brother, but he had passed communication along that he was still laying low and getting closer to his daughter. It was good to hear, yes, but not exactly the most ideal of circumstances. To look at those hollowed eyes and know what those people were doing to her brother, her last living relative, well, it broke her slowly from the inside. Especially because there was nothing she could do about it.
At Rebecca’s question, Agnes shook her head softly before delving into her story. ”Detective…Cervantes came to my apartment a few months back,” she explained. ”There had been some hate crimes committed on mutants that he was investigating. Members of the old cult my parents belonged to.” She didn’t look at Rebecca as she spoke, instead keeping her eyes on the road and not watching it. ”He had some eyewitness sketches and…and…one of them was Dante.” She shook her head. ”He was working with them…”
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
Rebecca listened carefully to Agnes’s story, not wanting to mishear or misunderstand a detail of her reunion with her brother. Jorge came to her, and as much as she liked the man, that was never a good sign. The last time he contacted her in his capacity as a New York Police Detective, it was to warn her of the Ragman’s return. She clung more tightly to her sidearm for a week after that call. Fortunately, Jorge eventually reached out to let her know the bastard was no longer on the streets, so it was not worth bringing up or thinking about any longer.
As for Agnes’s apartment visit, Jorge had news about her parents’ cult returning to cause new trouble. Rebecca was all too aware of the beliefs of the cult and the horrors they found acceptable. It was a shame to see in twenty-seventeen that there were still people who could justify violence by claiming mutants were sub-human or monsters. Every time a mutant criminal committed some horrible act, it only fueled the fire for people like that who were willing to ignore the unspeakable things humans did on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, the sketches Jorge came with gave bad news: one of the cultists was Dante. It was a gut-punch; the boy ran from his family and the atrocities they committed. Why would he return and join the ranks of the people who mistreated him and his sister?
”Nae way…” Rebecca replied softly, trying to wrap her head around the idea. ”And… yer sure it was Dante, richt? Ye hadnae seen him since ye were wee children, aye?” Maybe she was in denial. She wanted to believe there was a lookalike whose appearance was a dead-ringer for a grown Dante. The coincidence would be easier to swallow than the truth, but something in Agnes’s voice sounded too certain she found her brother, and Rebecca wondered where she found that confidence.
And suddenly something clicked. ”Aggie… whit did ye dae efter ye foond it?”
The trip back to New York City was going to be a long one. The only good thing was that already almost half of the trip was completed but there was still a small sense of claustrophobia settling in. Really, after spending as much time as she did in a hospital room, all she wanted as to walk, to feel the air on her face, to have that sense of freedom again. She knew that she was okay and that everything would be fine, but in the moment she couldn’t help the small flutter that she felt in her chest.
She glanced at Rebecca. There was small comfort in the familiar face but in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder what her life would have been without her? Would her life at the mansion been different? Would she have still been with Jasmine? She believed that Rebecca and her would be in love forever back then and life proved her wrong. They separated more times than she liked to admit, they had their troubles, and in the end, an ocean separated the two of them. Half the time, when she looked at her, it was hard for her to see her as the same girl she met so many years ago. She was different, and yet the same.
It was this train of thought that eventually brought to mind the simple fact that Agnes could hardly remember her life without the redhead. They were ridiculously happy in college but they really had been together since the mansion. How many high school romances actually go on as long as theirs did? Sure there was the break they had when Rebecca moved across the ocean and Agnes found briefly found love with River, but was it all just steering her back to Rebecca? Was that fate?
At times like this, Agnes often wondered what her life would have been like without Rebecca. Would it have eased some of their heartache? Just been replaced with a new one? At the end of the day, who really said she had to be with the redhead? Agnes didn’t believe in God or destiny, so who was there to pull the strings except herself?
Agnes had entertained the thought that, maybe, she just shouldn’t be with anyone. That after the incident with the Hive Queen that, maybe, she should just strike out on her own. Whether in New York or somewhere else in the world, maybe she just needed to find herself so she could quell the strangeness that seemed to encapsulate her life…strangeness such as dealing with a brother she once thought to be long dead.
She had revealed to Becca what had happened with Dante; how the detective they both were familiar with, approached her with news regarding her family’s cult. The sketches, obviously, weren’t photographs, but she knew Dante when she saw him – a fact that she immediately shared with Rebecca.
>> ”Nae way…And… yer sure it was Dante, richt? Ye hadnae seen him since ye were wee children, aye?”
Her chest heaved in a deep breath as she nodded her head. ”I’m sure,” she said softly. ”He has a scar on his face, one that I helped him to stitch up when we were both really young. It was still there.”
She could see feel the blood seeping out of her face when she had realized that was her brother. Dante was a good person, she knew that he was, but in that moment she didn’t know right from wrong; her world had flipped. However, thankfully she learned the truth from Dante himself and it was a more tragic story than she could have ever expected.
>> ”Aggie… whit did ye dae efter ye foond it?”
She blinked out of her thoughts. The suspicion was clear in Rebecca’s voice. So, tilting her head down, Agnes closed her eyes as she thought back to all the events that followed, all those events that she didn’t think were possible. She would have to tell this story, slowly, otherwise she could end up inadvertently distracting the redhead enough to where she would plow her car into a tree.
”Well…I…offered my help to Mr. Cervantes. I just wanted to see my brother but, you know him, he wouldn’t hear of it. So…I…kinda helped myself?” She paused. ”I…went to the police station…pretended I was there for a different matter, and…I…managed to…steal…the investigation file without anyone…knowing?” It all sounded pretty bad when she told the story out loud but it was too late to go back. She could feel the accusing look in Rebecca’s eyes already so, quickly, she attempted to defend herself. ”I mean, how else was I supposed to get the address to meet him?”
Wait. Maybe she should have led up to that last part…
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
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Aly
It was hard to picture life without Agnes. Where would life have taken her if she never took a stroll through the Mansion greenhouse? Agnes was an integral part in her journey of self-discovery; would she have figured out her own sexual identity? Before they even started dating, Agnes was the one helping her find her confidence with a good friend by her side?
It seemed like fate pulled them together against all odds. They broke up and their lives could have taken different paths, and yet they came back to one another. They put an ocean and a fiancée between them, and yet they were sharing a car ride and bearing their hearts. It was hard to tell at times if they were fighting with fate to end things or keep them together.
Yes. Rebecca could be self-destructive. She had a long record of it. Even still, she was working against her nature to do something good for herself. For the first time in a long time, her and Agnes were really talking. It was progress.
That did not mean the conversation was easy—particularly when Agnes revealed that her brother was alive and associated with her parents’ cult. There was no doubt; he had a defining scar. She could hope it was just some face-changer trying to assume Dante’s identity, but even Rebecca realized how much she was stretching for a better answer.
Of course, the story was not going to end there. Agnes asked Jorge for the chance to help with the investigation and he turned her down. And that would have been the end. But the story did not end there either. Agnes stole actual police information from the actual police station! She covered her mouth to hide her slack-jawed surprise.
If that was shocking, what Agnes did with the information almost caused the car to swerve. Agnes sought her brother out. The brother who had thrown his hat in with an anti-mutant cult. ”Aggie!” She was not trying to come across as judgmental. She was just stunned that Agnes would take such a dangerous risk. ”Ah cannae believe ye did ‘at aloyn! Who knows whit coods hae happened?” Rebecca was suddenly seeing flashes of her Atlantis visions; she wanted to keep those false memories from being reality.
She lowered her tone because she was worried, not angry. ”Aggie… Ah wish ye coods hae jist called me. Ah dinnae care if we’re together or…” She did not want to finish the sentence. The silence made its point. ”Whitever happens wi’ us, please… know Ah’ll always be here tae hae your back.” Come what may, she could never abandon Agnes.
But there was no changing the past. There was still more to the story, after all. ”Sae… whit happened. When ye foond Dante?”
The swerve of the car was unexpected and, really, not required in Agnes’ opinion. However it was hard to voice that as all she got out was a squeak of protest and the shock caused her ex-lover to almost drive off the side of the road. Thankfully her quick hands managed to pull them back into the road for a more steady drive. She was just thankful that no one else was around them or they could have caused a whole heap of trouble that they didn’t need to be causing. While she was somewhat annoyed with the reckless driving, she guessed, in some small way, that it was warranted.
Dante, well, it was surprising news to say the least. Add to that the fact that Agnes had actually presented herself falsely to a policewoman, then caused a ruckus just so that she could steal the file herself and, well, that was grounds for some rather rough reprisal. That wasn’t even the worst of it, though. There was more to the story that, while it would have been better to omit, it seemed pointless, especially since the two of them were trying to be open and honest – for a change.
>> ”Aggie! Ah cannae believe ye did ‘at aloyn! Who knows whit coods hae happened?”
Agnes nodded her head, accepting the blame that was being thrown at her. She knew very well the trouble that could have come from her actions. However, this was the only family that she had that she actually gave a sh*t about. She wasn’t going to allow that to be taken away from her without at least trying to keep it together.
Still, Rebecca seemed to catch herself from delving too deeply into a tirade about the danger that she had put herself in. Understanding that it was a necessary evil, or that it was useless to get too upset about something that had already happened months ago, Rebecca took a breath before she clarified.
>>”Aggie… Ah wish ye coods hae jist called me. Ah dinnae care if we’re together or…Whitever happens wi’ us, please… know Ah’ll always be here tae hae your back.”
She understood that. In their time together, Rebecca had always been the protector between the two of them. She was willing to throw herself into the den of the lion and fight tooth and claw for what she believed in. However, while that may bring up the idea that Agnes was akin to some fairytale princess that needed constant rescue, it wasn’t the case. Agnes may not have been the protector, but she was a survivor. When it came down to it, she knew which lines she needed to cross in order to make sure she saw another day.
This was one time where Agnes didn’t need to be rescued.
>> ”Sae… whit happened. When ye foond Dante?”
Crystalline eyes lifted their gaze to the redhead. Rebecca had her eyes on the road but Agnes knew that she had her full attention. There was clearly more to the story and there was no going back now. If it had been some sweet, happy ending, then clearly Agnes would have introduced the redhead to her brother already. The fact that she hadn’t was all the more telling.
Her eyes lowered again as she tried to collect her thoughts. That night had been…strange. When she found Dante at the shop, she tried to talk to him and he attacked her. Almost choked her to death before he realized who she was and the two of them teleported out of the building. The talk they had, the story that he told, it was enough to cause a whirlwind of emotions that she could scarcely comprehend of. How was she supposed to reveal all of it to Becca?
Headfirst…she guessed.
”I…tracked him to a religious store one of the members of the cult owned. Dante was picking up some pamphlets and papers for them and…he…” she closed her eyes. There was no nice way to say it so she barreled forward, hoping that the stream of words would be enough to knock Becca into a stunned silence. ”…he attacked me. We fought until he realized who I was. Afterwards he teleported us….yes, he’s a mutant…onto the roof of a nearby building where we tried to talk things out. He joined the church because they kidnapped his baby daughter and were holding her hostage. They needed his powers so they could teleport around the city. He said he is going to lay low in the meantime while he tries to figure a way out. I get contacts from him every now and again but its admittedly been a bit.” She took a breath. That was a lot to say. Cautiously she turned her eyes back up to Rebecca, to make sure she was still functional.
The Metation Guild The Spellsword Guild Mansion English Teacher
Witchblade
palegreen
Bisexual
Married to Mirror
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Apr 1, 2024 13:50:36 GMT -6
Aly
Rebecca had to keep an open mind. She had no clue what she would have done in Agnes’s position because she was an only child. Dante leaving was one of the defining moments in Agnes’s life, escalating her horrid relationship with her family and shaping the woman she would become. Before Dante left, the siblings were thick as thieves. The idea of reuniting with him must have been so strong, Agnes was willing to take risks and break rules.
Agnes was always practical when it came to people to the point of suspiciousness. She was fully aware of how terrible humanity (and even mutantkind) could be, and she still found Dante, whose first instinct was to attack. Rebecca started to wonder if it was best she did not go along with Agnes, because she would not have had it in her to watch the man assault her without intervening.
Dante’s was a tragic story that forced him into the employment of the cult. He had a daughter being held hostage so he would comply with being a form of instant transportation for anti-mutant zealots. It was hard to hear, but Rebecca was suspicious. It was not outside of the cult’s moral scope to kidnap a child, but it was also not below them to use a story like that to exploit someone.
And suddenly, they were back to the present day, with Dante “laying low” and keeping in contact with Agnes. Rebecca took a deep breath because it was a lot to take in. Where did she begin? The most important thing first. ”Ah’m… glad yer safe.” In the end, that was what mattered most.
The rest was going to be harder. ”Ah’m also glad Dante is… still haur.” Probably more sensitive than saying she was glad Agnes’s brother had not died over the years. ”But mebbe, ye know, approach cautioosly? Yoo're smart, but whit if ye got unlucky gonnae a cultist hot spot aloyn?” Just because Agnes made it out safe did not make it a good choice. There was a reason the X-Men handled missions in pairs and teams.
”Jist… please be careful.” Agnes was an adult and Rebecca could not tell her to back away and let the police handle the cultists and Dante, (even if it was the right answer.) ”Mebbe jist call me next time sae Ah can back ye up? Ye know... in case Dante isnae tellin' ye th' whole truth.” No reason for that to go poorly, right?
Even before Agnes had stopped talking, she could feel the shift in the air. That dense cloud that hovered over them, seeping into their very pores and choking the life-giving oxygen out of their bodies. What started as a sweet and possibly rejuvenating trip back to New York City had quickly turned a direction that Agnes could not have expected. It was almost as if the nap that she had just woken up from had dropped her into a reality that wasn’t her own anymore; a reality that was the same and yet wasn’t. Maybe, like from all the news reports she’s heard, and Becca’s on testimonials, that she had inadvertently traveled through a rip. But that wasn’t really possible, was it? Try as she might, she couldn’t convince herself of that.
There was something different in the car now, something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Whether it was the tone of voices or the atmosphere, something had shifted once Agnes had started her torrent of information. A lot had indeed happened in the incident with Dante and she had made a lot of moves that either A.) she never thought she would do, or B.) she never should have done alone. She put her own life at risk for the last bit of family that she ever trusted; wasn’t that worth the risk?
It would seem that her stance wasn’t all that appreciated. Though there was no admonishing tone to her voice, Agnes could already feel the disapproval wafting off the redhead. She was suspicious, that much she made clear. Again, Agnes understood how stupid her actions were but, Dante was her brother, the one family that she had trusted above all. Even if he had abandoned her, that her issue to hash out with and no one elses.
Agnes fell into silence after that. Her blue eyes contemplative as she turned her head to look out the window. The world that passed them by seemed so quiet and serene, a stark contrast to the beehive of emotions and thoughts that currently raced through her head. It seemed that, for the rest of the car ride home, she had a lot to think about.
The trip back to New York was done in relative silence. Conversation was sparked time and again but nothing at the level which the two girls would normally be able to bring themselves to. Things just felt different now, as if they had reached a crossroads where a path was already being a chosen that they refused to acknowledge. Silence, it seemed, was the best recourse to take but it was only putting off the inevitable. Though a few quick smiles were shared, they didn’t have the same effect that they normally would – it was a blessing, therefore, when the towering spires of New York came into sight.
The burger joint was supposedly good but Agnes couldn’t taste any of it. Her mind was still in such a whirlwind that, eating each French fry barely registered with her. Even the burger, a fat cheeseburger with bacon and avocado, the one thing she had been craving for the last several weeks, was eaten without any sense of taste. It was as if each taste bud upon her tongue were ashen, the nerve signals that would normally be spared to them were sucked back up into her cranium for the purpose of aiding her overworked mind. Steadily she could feel herself being led to a decision, finally, but it was one that she didn’t care to admit to.
In silence she continued to eat, only engaging in conversation that Rebecca started and, even then, only half-heartedly. For the moment she would just chalk it up to be overly tired from her journey and, though she wouldn’t be able to convince herself of that, at least for the time being she was willing to hold onto that slim possibility.
Agnes stood at her hotel window, looking out over the darkened city skyline and toying with the silver necklace around her neck. She was dressed simply in pajama shorts and a tank top. Her hair was combed and hung loosely around her shoulders as her crystalline eyes peered over the skyline. Each lit window looked like a tiny star caught in a pane of glass. It was quite beautiful, actually, but her mind was too preoccupied to truly look at them.
Becca had dropped her off at the hotel she requested and in her mind she played that scene over and over again. Dissecting every nuance, investigating every word that was given, every look that was shared, almost as if trying to find something that wasn’t there. Again, that car ride felt…strange; and it was an air that only continued to follow the pair until they go into the city and then towards their final stop.
At the entrance to the hotel, Rebecca helped to get Agnes’ bags out of the trunk and, taking them in hand, Agnes wrapped her arm around the redhead, giving her a tight hug. The scent of the Scot’s shampoo still was in her nose after she had buried her face into the side of her neck, nestled in her hair. It was a sweet moment, one to cherish, probably even more tender than the last kiss that they shared before Becca said she would be heading home. With a promise to call to check on her later, Agnes waved the Scot off, watching her car disappear around the bend before she bit back a tear.
Without realizing it, she had spent her last moments with the redhead. She guessed, deep down, that there were worse endings.
With a shaky breath, Agnes blinked away the memories and instead refocused on the expansive skyline before her. She could feel the tear as it trickled down her cheek, falling upon her chest and rolled down beneath the neckline of her tanktop. It felt cool against her pale skin. A decision had been made, one that she didn’t entirely agree with, but one that she knew was inevitable. With a glance to a nearby writing desk, Agnes found the will to move her legs, pull out the chair, and take a seat. For another 30 minutes she just sat there, wringing her hands and looking for something that was directly in front of her. It took more will but, eventually, she finally grabbed the notepad from the corner and a pulled a pen from the cup.
Closing her eyes, she clicked the pen a couple of times before she rolled her shoulders and just started to write.
She started early. After what she feared would be a sleepless night, Agnes eventually succumbed and, somehow, woke with a better perspective on the entire matter. Her decision didn’t seem all that terrible anymore but, rather, like the thing that needed to be done. In a way she was almost proud of herself for finally making the tough call. It was going to be heartrending, but she was committed now and there was no turning back; she knew that if she faltered the whole thing was going to fall apart. She needed to act while she still had the fire to do it.
A phone call to Devon came first. Tempest was sweet and understanding, of course, and still offered services to coach her through this tough transition. The next went to Gina Schuyler who was saddened, but wouldn’t stand in Agnes’ way. In the end, they would always be sisters. That was the easy part. After showering and getting dressed, Agnes prepared herself for what she knew would be considerably more difficult.
The trip to her apartment was a tense one but she wasn’t going to let herself fall. Upon arriving, she found River there who was looking considerably rough and irritable. It seemed that some of her own bad choices had been made. But, sitting the Sioux down, Agnes and she had a rather harsh conversation. River took it less than well as everything was laid out and the last Agnes saw of her was her storming out of the apartment with a cloud of curses and rants folllwing her.
Agnes was…surprisingly unfazed by it. She knew it was justified. That every “whore”, “slut”, and “b*tch” that was thrown at her was more than warranted. With River gone, Agnes sat for a few minutes, simply looking at her apartment, at all the little signs of the life that she was starting to build here. It really was almost the home she always prayed for – sans the one thing that she had been wanting since she was in college. She bit her lip – she had to stay focused. Feeling a rub against her leg, Agnes looked down to spy Lilith, the little cat-demon. She purred and nudged against her more and the violinist smiled. Reaching down, she scratched behind her ear.
”Don’t worry, you little brat,” she whispered. Leaning down, she scooped the kitten up in her hands and sat back, placing her upon her chest. The kitten purred and nestled in and Agnes kissed the top of her head. ”I won’t forget you.”
Packing her things up came rather quickly. In the end she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to take everything that she wanted so she grabbed only those things that meant the most to her. Clothing, jewelry, photographs, a few books and musical paraphernalia she would require, and of course Lilith and her own things. Once she had managed to collect everything that she wanted, she stopped to take one last look at her apartment and turned to the doorway.
She closed her eyes. Part of her almost wanted to hear that timid knocking again, even if it was utterly unlikely. Her eyes drifted from the door, to the entrance way, to the bedroom door that had once been hastily opened. A sad smile pulled across her pink lips. She could feel her will waning, her want to reach into her back pocket for her phone…but she didn’t. With a steading breath, Agnes simply opened the door, the last of her things in hand, and walked out. As the door shut behind her, she didn’t bother to look back but, instead pressed forward.
Her last stop was a quick one. Dropping by the hotel in her VW Bug, Agnes knew that she was at the point of no return. Arriving in the lobby, she walked up to the desk, a soft smile on her lips for the receptionist who was already there to greet her. Dressed in her jeans, a lilac-colored top, and her denim jacket with the large ladybug patch sewn onto the back of her shoulder, Agnes sighed as she approached the desk and pulled a carefully folded up letter from her pocket.
“Good day, Ms. Nicholas. An early start, I see?” The receptionist was a sweet man, one who had slowly gotten to know her as the girls kept checking into this same hotel.
Agnes nodded. ”Yeah. Had a lot to get done.”
“Such youthful energy,” he said as he pushed his hand through his graying hair. “A trait I wish I still possessed.”
Agnes giggled softly. ”Oh I’m sure you’ve plenty left in you.” A warming smile on her lips, she took a deep breath as she nodded to desk behind him. ”Would you happen to have an envelope that I can borrow?” She breathed. ”And…also I would like to check out.”
“That saddens me, of course, as we love your company, Ms. Nicholas. But we shall eagerly await your return.” He turned and grabbed an envelope from the desk before he returned and set it before her along with a pen. That done, he turned to his computer and started to tabulate Agnes’ bill.
Envelope in hand, Agnes slipped her carefully folded envelope inside, licked the glue on the back flap, and sealed it tight. When it was secured, she quickly jotted down the name: “Rebecca Grey” upon the surface before setting it down just in time to receive her bill. Handing over her credit card, she waited patiently for the receptionist to finish. With her bill printed, Agnes returned her card to her purse, signed her name, and handed it back – along with the envelope.
“What’s this, darling?”
”Just a note,” Agnes said. ”At some point, probably today, a redhead with a Scottish accent may come asking for me. If she does, can you please instruct your staff to give her this envelope? And if she doesn’t show up in a day or two, just forward it to the address I wrote on the front. I would greatly appreciate it.”
The receptionist, eyeing the note and the look on Agnes’ face, gave her the softest and most tender smile. Sweetly he dipped his head in agreement. “On my life’s honor, I guarantee it will make it into her lovely, freckled hands.”
For the first time that morning, a new series of tears sprung up at the corners of her eyes. Leaning in, she gave the sweet man a big hug. No sobs would follow, though. After embracing him, she breathed a deep sigh, bid her farewell, and shoved her hands into her pockets as she walked out the front doors to speak with the valet. With her car ready, Agnes slipped into the driver’s seat, gave one last deep breath, and then pulled onto the road. Lilith, in her carrier on the passenger seat, purred softly as she curled up to sleep. Good…this was going to be a long journey.
True to his word, the receptionist placed the envelope in a secure location in the desk, along with a note to all staff that it should be given to a redhead with the name of Rebecca Grey. The note itself was rather light, simple, consisting of only a single sheet of paper with neat handwriting upon it.
Hey love,
It is no small thing to say that you have changed my life. Never in my dreams could I have imagined half the things that I have experienced and the majority of them were because of you. Whether you were there encouraging me or were simply an inspiration, you changed me and I will forever thank you for that. We’ve had our ups and downs, but in the end, we always had each other, even when we didn’t. I will never be able to thank you for everything that you’ve done for me, for all the journeys we’ve had together.
But I think we’ve had one another so much that, now, we need to try to discover who we are going to be outside of that. I need to figure some things out and, it’s not something I can do here. So…I’m leaving New York.
I will always love you. You will always have a place in my heart, and if we found each other once, who knows, maybe it’ll happen again. Just know that these have been the greatest years of my life; even the last few months. Despite all the turmoil, you have meant the world to me. I love you, I love us, and I hope we can find what will make us both happy – even if it isn’t together.