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.
Mondragon labs, the very title of this little known institution carried with it connotations of a misleading nature, for one would imagine that it was merely a place of scientific research, a place where various chemicals and other concoctions were analyzed in sterile beakers and noxious clouds of gas were released each time a new compound came into being. And if one were to visit the labs of their volition and somehow managed to obtain a visitors pass of sorts they would find such assumptions to be true, well, for a given value of “true” at any rate, for you see people often become uncomfortable with what they cannot comprehend or even fathom and as such the true nature of the labs was always hidden from public view and the government deceived as to the facilities true purposes which, even at this point in time, have not truly come to light.
Recently however a small percentage of humanity had been granted access to the labs in a way that had previously been unheard of, where before the multitude of hallways and corridors had remained a desolate landmark of the secretive institution they were now crowded with creatures of all shapes and sizes who sought safe haven from the mutant registration bill. Many would perhaps see such an action as a gesture of great compassion and even kindness on the behalf of the labs owner and financer, however at least one individual knew differently and as he wandered irritably through the sea of ignorant characters Zephyr found himself rolling his eyes at the naivety of those enjoying Antonescue’s supposed “protection”. The fools truly didn’t see that they were little more than lab rats, being forced to continually run through hoops under the pretense of training so that their mutations could be thoroughly examined. Those who proved themselves to be of value in some way were carefully documented and given preferential treatment so, an indefinite amount of time later, when they were reminded of the kindness to shown to them, they would not be quite so reluctant to repay their debt.
It was indeed a masterful stroke, if somewhat risky, and under other circumstances the elemental might have been able to more fully appreciate such a move. However at this point in time he was finding the unnatural influx of people to be something of an annoyance he really could have done without; half of them seemed to be lost and as a consequence asked directions of anyone and everyone while the other half appeared to possess one type of illness or another which resulted in an overflow of visitors to the infirmary and a severe shortage of staff. Normally this wouldn’t have had any real affect on the merc for any wounds he acquired were few and far between, however his recent encounter with one of his own teammates had left him with a fair share of injuries, which while not serious were fairly annoying and carried risk of infection. Naturally he had gone in search of medical aid, yet when he had reached the infirmary the sheer number of patients present had caused to reconsider his plans and in the end he had chosen to forgo his visit until later when things would hopefully be less hectic.
Thus the elemental had found himself in something of a quandary, for there was little point in leaving the labs until his injuries had been dealt with, at the same time however this left him with nothing to do. He had long since created a mental map of the labs maze like twists and turns so there was little left to explore. Additionally he saw little point in conversing with any of the new mutants since it was unlikely that they knew anything of interest and a although he slight intrigued about who had been left in charge of labs during Hunters absence his curiosity wasn’t great enough for him to actively seek out the information.
In the end Simon had simply settled for the simplest solution and strolled idly through the cluttered hallways until he reached the modest library housed discretely within Mondragons warren like structure. The elemental had always thought the library to be something of an oddity, because unlike the vast majority of the labs it had no set task to perform, it simply existed as luxury and this was emphasized by the rich ruby carpet one felt underfoot when they first entered and was also reflected by the warm ambience generated by the picturesque fireplace nestled comfortable among the wide variety of tomes and texts which lined the walls of the room. The whole place truly looked as though it had simply been stolen from some child’s fairytale, yet despite this the room held no real aura of innocence. The library was one of those few places which could easily change to suit the occupier’s mood and as the merc browsed the various shelves in search of some suitable distraction he found that it took no real stretch of the imagination for him to visualize the room as a meeting place of sorts where corrupt leaders would gather and discuss decidedly unethical schemes over glasses of port or whisky while they lounged in the expansive seating provided and basked in the glow of the flames.
A moment after the thought had occurred he had discarded it, silently admonishing himself as he did so. He of all people should know better than to pander to such blatant stereotypes. With a dismissive shake of his head he put the matter to rest and finally selected a crimson bound volume authored by Arthur Conan Doyle and was entitled simply “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”. Tipping the book open where he stood the elemental deftly flicked through the starch pages as he scanned the text for one tale in particular, a story of deception so simple that it confounded the greatest fictional mind in history, a particularly apt tale if one were to consider his behavior over the past hour or so.
At last coming to the appropriate page a the elemental found his own lips twitching upwards ever so slightly as his eyes alighted upon the words of a story he had enjoyed so often in his younger days. With his eyes still fixed pointedly on the text before him Simon easily navigated the room as he meandered towards the fireplace and, once within the flames comfortable aura of heat, he reclined gracefully into one of the lavish seats which decorated the area and allowed his mind to become engrossed in the story of “The Man with the Twisted Lip”.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
There were currently a lot of people in the hallways, but Katrina didn’t mind. She darted between two of the older teenagers from the mansion with complete disregard for the cheesy looks they were sending each other as they walked. Katrina wasn’t interested in such things and hopefully wouldn’t be for quite awhile. She reached a corner and stopped, carefully peering around the corner. There was her adversary. She clutched her dart gun to her chest, or rather, she clutched what she assumed was Calley’s dart gun to her chest. She counted to three and darted around the corner, quickly aiming and shooting. The dart flew and missed its target, falling a foot short of the stuffed bear with the blue bow. Dang. She was still too far away.
To the casual observer walking by it would look like she was a child playing a childish game, which she was, but she was also practicing using her powers. The idea had come when she was feeling bored with her normal routine and had found the gun on top of a book about Astronomy (which she had been looking at to try to understand the complex Astrophysics book she had received as a Christmas present). As she aimed and shot her darts, she was also trying to make the bow on the bear turn invisible, but so far she wasn’t having any luck. During her game she had discovered that when she got closer to the bear she could make the bow turn invisible, but when she got too far away, she couldn’t affect it. That was a bit of a problem, because a limited range for invisibility would mean that when she was invisible people would be able to see her from far away but not up close.
So, she was practicing in the hallway to find what her range was and to see if she could increase it. She had already been darting around people and sneaking up on her own bear for an hour, but hadn’t been able to find out what her range actually was. It seemed like it was different every time she tried it, as if it were flexible or depended on how many people were around. She sighed, then collected her bear and headed back to the library to return the dart gun to its place until a later time. It was about time she got to studying anyway. It was just that when there was no one to study with she got easily distracted by things like dart guns randomly on top of books. And there hadn’t been anyone to study with an hour ago. Or for a few days for that matter, as Calley had been away doing whatever it was he did when he wasn’t staying in the library.
As always when she arrived in the library, she checked to see if there was a brown haired, blue eyed boy sitting in one of the comfy armchairs facing the fireplace. This time there was one. His face was covered by his book, but he was sitting up with a rigid posture, so Katrina assumed it was Slate that was in charge at the moment. Rather than returning the dart gun to where she had found it, she decided to continue her target practice by aiming the toy directly at the pale forehead that was visible from over the old volume.
“Bang!” she exclaimed as she pulled the trigger, then added, “Where have you been all this time?”
Idly flipping to the next page which foretold tales of the British detective Simon had not truly taken note of the child’s presence when she had entered the library, nor had he reacted when she closed the distance between the two of them so absorbed was he in the novel before him.
“Bang!”
There are some things however that simply cannot remain unnoticed and a twelve year old girl with a dart gun and a trigger finger is one of them. The moment the immature cry reached his ears Zephyr’s mind was relunctantly drawn away from the text it had been so actively pursuing, redirected its attention to present and the originator of the irritating exclamation. However before the elemental could even begin to lower the volume which masked his face he felt something strike his forehead before then dropping down into his lap and his eyes narrowed in annoyance. With the book still obscuring his features the merc did not respond to the girls next words and instead let free hand drift down slowly to his lap, nonchalantly grasping the plastic projectile with two fingers and lifting to eye level. As he did this the elemental closed the book and lowered it to rest on his knee, revealing his expression, and therefore his annoyance, for the one in possession of such a toy.
Keeping his cobalt eyes focused on the dark purple dart in his hand Zephyr tilted the toy back and forth as though examining it while he chose how to word his response. It was obvious that he had been mistaken for someone, though he couldn’t think who, and while this did explain things to a degree he still felt a measure of irritation and this was reflected in the dry tone he used as he spoke.
“Is this your…” Simon glanced at the girl in front of him for the first time and his words caught in his throat as his eyes widened abruptly and had the book still been in his hands he would have dropped it.‘It can’t be’ he told himself silently, ‘there’s no way’ try as he might to deny it though he couldn’t find it in himself to reject what he saw; the blonde hair, the gentle features, some things had changed certainly, she’d gotten taller for one, but he still recognized her face.
“Sarah?” he breathed, “What are you doing here?”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Katrina was pleased that she had hit her target and her delight shown in her eyes until the old book was lowered. She had shot the wrong person. The boy sitting in the chair looked very much like Calley. He had the same brown hair, the same blue eyes, and was probably within an inch of Calley's height. He was not as dangerously thin as the tiger-shifter, but he wore an expression that Katrina could have easily imagined on Slate's visage and his posture mimicked the stiff pose that Calley's more serious half often adopted.
When Katrina saw the annoyance on the newcomer's face, her triumphant grin faded. Oops. The newcomer looked at the dart, then glanced up at her. Katrina ducked her head, prepared for a scolding, but the moment the boy's gaze met her own, his face did something funny. It abruptly changed from its expression of vexation to one that looked... strange was the only way to describe it. It was like a combination of shock and recognition. Just as abruptly as he changed his face, the boy cut short his inquiry about her projectile.
>>> “Sarah? What are you doing here?”
He spoke so softly that Katrina almost couldn't hear the name he whispered, but she knew it wasn't hers. She wasn't sure exactly how to respond, so she shuffled her bare feet, letting her toes feel the softness of the carpet.
“Umm,” she eloquently stated, then after a brief pause added, ”I think you've got the wrong person. I'm Katrina. And you're not Calley. Just so we're clear.”
She handed him the dart gun by way of apology for shooting him, and stepped back. She watched him for signs of wanting to use the toy in retaliation for the injury his forehead had sustained from its plastic missile. If he was like Calley in other ways, she would have to be prepared to dash into the bookshelves for cover. As she waited for his reaction, she tried to remember where she had last seen the plastic samurai blade. She thought it was tucked behind a mineralogy book, a sword in the stones by someone's strange classification system.
It is often surprising how accurately a mere morpheme can describe an individual’s frame of mind. A persons psyche is, after all, supposed to consist of multiple pathways and layers which are constantly changing as the mind grows and matures, to be able to summarize a person’s thoughts with a single word somehow seems almost… demeaning. However the accuracy of this simple four lettered lexeme could not be denied, Simon truly was lost; of all the people he had expected to encounter within the labs his sister had not even warranted consideration. The child was supposed to be in another damn country; somewhere she wouldn’t be hurt or risk being connected to him, yet somehow, against all odds… she was standing right in front of him.
He had no idea what to do, anger and elation warred beneath the surface of the elementals thoughts but neither one could seem to gain dominance. A part of him wished to simply sweep the child up in his arms and embrace her as tightly as he could. At the same time though another part of him wanted to hunt down Antonescue or whoever happened to be in charge and discern, preferably through the application of pain, exactly what his sister was doing inside the rebel headquarters; surrounded by mutants from the lowest remnants of humanity. His hands turning to fists as his mind continued down it’s negative track, if Sarah had been hurt in any-
“Umm,” she eloquently stated, then after a brief pause added, “I think you've got the wrong person. I'm Katrina. And you're not Calley. Just so we're clear.”
Zephyr blinked, his internal battle momentarily dispersed as his attention shifted back to the girl in front of him and his brow furrowed briefly in uncertainty as he took in what the girl was saying. It took less than a second for the mercenary to realize his mistake and, for the barest of moments, the elementals confused features shifted to form an expression so downcast one would have thought he had just been informed of a death in the family. Then, in the blink of an eye, the look was gone, replaced instead with the impassive mask which hid his emotions from the world and so did not allow the child to glimpse his emotions.
“Ah, my mistake. I thought you were… never mind”
What had he been thinking? No, it would be better to ask why he hadn’t been thinking; for if he’d kept just an ounce of logic or rationality in his thick skull he would have known that this girl was not his sister. Firstly, there was no way in hell Sarah would ever leave England until she was at least 19, possibly even later if her father had anything to say about it. Then there was the simple fact that Sarah was not a mutant, therefore no excuse could possibly justify her presence in the labs. Even if his sister did, in some bizarre twist of fate, posses an active X-gene her family would have enough sense to make sure she hid it and never developed it. They knew what could happen when a teenager’s mutation spiraled out of control, or even worse, came under full control, Simon had made certain of that.
Wishing to turn away from his self admonishment Simon glanced down at the neon purple dart gun which had been placed hesitantly on the arm of his chair. He really didn’t know what to do with the thing; unlike the 12 year old before him the elemental was not in the frame of mind to initiate a callow imitation of a shoot-out in the library. It wouldn’t have been fair on the girl for one thing and secondly he just wasn’t in the mood; depression was not an emotion that the young merc had a lot of experience with but, then again, as he had relatively few expectations in life this was not overly surprising.
He knew, of course, the origin of his melancholy. It came from the little blonde girl standing right in front of him and stemmed from the fact that she had not been who he’d believed her to be. Sadly though, simply knowing why he was depressed did not do much to alleviate his situation; that would require a direct injection of dopamine or possibly serotonin into is system. Alas as he had no desire to become addicted to such concoctions that was not a course of action he could take.
Dismissing such thoughts with a slight shake of his head Simon gave a weary sigh and slowly picked up the dart gun before then offering it back to its previous owner. “Katrina, was it? You can hold onto this, just remember to check your targets before you pull the trigger.”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
>>>“Ah, my mistake. I thought you were… never mind”
Sarah? Wasn’t that what he had called her? Katrina wondered who that could be. She could easily guess what the mystery individual looked like, but had no idea what that person meant to the boy sitting on the chair in front of her.
For just a moment Not-Calley had a very droopy looking expression on his face, but within an instant it was gone again, before Katrina could figure out exactly what the expression reminded her or. His face returned to its normal expression of expressionlessness. It was an interesting expression simply for its lack of any expression what-so-ever. Especially since it seemed to be so difficult for the boy to keep up that expression. Twice now in just a few minutes it had crumbled away, first revealing shock, then sadness, and before returning to nothingness.
Katrina wondered whether the boy way any good at poker, which reminded her of a picture of dogs playing poker. That’s what his expression had reminded her of; sad puppy-dog eyes.
She also wondered what he was really thinking under that that anti-expression.
>>> Simon gave a weary sigh and slowly picked up the dart gun before then offering it back to its previous owner. “Katrina, was it? You can hold onto this, just remember to check your targets before you pull the trigger.”
Katrina nodded and accepted the proffered plastic weapon. She would bet anything that in the same situation, Calley would have shot the boy again after he handed back the dart shooter. Katrina wondered what would happen if she did shoot him again. Would his mask crack again, giving way to anger like it had to surprise and sadness?
The boy certainly was curious. Katrina decided not to shoot him, and instead climbed into a chair next to his. He raised so many questions in her mind that she wanted to stay and find out more about him, first of all, his name. Without that, she’d have to resort to the tried and true method of nicknaming, which worked in her head to classify people she didn’t know, but didn’t always work when she wanted to call to or talk about someone out loud.
“So, what’s your name? I haven’t seen you around before, are you new here? I could give you a tour of Mondragon Labs if you’d like.” She had done a lot of exploring, though she didn’t have the ability to explore everywhere she’d like to. Or rather, she had the ability, but hadn’t yet gotten up the nerve to wander around invisible in places she wasn’t supposed to be in.
Simon watched the girl carefully as she accepted the proffered toy, while he may not have been in the mood to play her games the elemental knew the same would not necessarily hold true for child before him. And so he renewed his grasp on the volume resting upon his knee; prepared to simply leave the room if the girl chose to continue her antics. In fact the mercenary was of a half a mind to simply leave right now; looking at this body double of his sister was almost painful for it reminded him keenly of what he had left behind. He’d done his best to keep tabs on Sarah as he moved around but it just wasn’t the same as when as this, he couldn’t see her, couldn’t tell when she was happy or sad and if her damn father ever screwed up then he couldn’t be there for her.
Closing his eyes Simon once again tried to forcibly shift his thoughts from his sister; he was letting his thoughts wander too much and if he wasn’t carefully he’d end up letting something slip. He really should leave.
It was just as the elemental was preparing to act upon this thought that his young charge abruptly scrambled into the seat beside him and stared up at him with curiously innocent eyes causing Simon to blink as his mind at last grasped the subtle flaw in the doppelganger before him. ‘Her eyes…’ The azure ocean hue he had been expecting to view was completely absent, in its place was an iris of slate gray which contrasted sharply with the obsidian pupils in the center. It was only a minor blemish to an otherwise perfect resemblance of his sister but it gave him something to focus on, a way to prove to himself that, no matter how much she might to appear to be, this child was not Sarah. Once that was accomplished the elemental found it far easier to bare the child’s presence.
“So, what’s your name?” I haven’t seen you around before, are you new here? I could give you a tour of Mondragon Labs if you’d like.”[/color]
Simon remained silent for a moment and raised a single eyebrow as he listened to the inquisitive little girl. If she believed she knew the labs labyrinth of passageways well enough to act as a guide then that said much about the duration of her stay within the labs catacombs. He was almost tempted to take her up on her offer but another thought had taken precedence in his mind.
“A tour? You must have been here quite a while if you know the place so well.” The elemental smiled and was surprised at how easily the expression came to him. “However I think I might just be able to find my way around, besides shouldn’t you ask your parents before you wandering off with a stranger?”
---
((OOC: My apologies for the long hiatus, RL has been a cruel mistress as of late and I no longer have a regular amount of time to devote to posts, hence the short length pf my response. However I hope you will find it satisfactory.))
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
(No worries, Zephyr, I've been quite busy myself.)
>>>“A tour? You must have been here quite a while if you know the place so well. However I think I might just be able to find my way around, besides shouldn’t you ask your parents before you wandering off with a stranger?”
Shock, sadness, guarded, searching, and now a smile. The smile suited the older boy the best out of all the expressions Katrina had seen so far. She grinned back and proceeded to respond to his remarks in opposite order.
“You wouldn't be a stranger if you introduced yourself. My parents aren't here to ask for permission, and if I didn't meet any new people on my own, I wouldn't know anybody here. And that would have been very lonely.”
Katrina regarded the older boy again. He really did look a lot like Calley, but his smile was very different. Calley's was more mischievous. This boy's smile was fresh and new, like it had just been unwrapped from the package and was being used for the first time. It was a friendly smile, Katrina decided and it made the blue-eyed-boy look rather handsome. “If you know your way around here, you must have visited before. But not for awhile, not since the Resistance came to live here. Are you here for a visit, or will you be staying awhile?”
Simon tilted his head slightly as he listened to Katrina’s reply. He was somewhat surprised at how cheerful the girl seemed to be given the absence of her parents, most children tended to mope if separated from their parents for any length of time and the registration was a few months beyond its contraception. The fact that she had managed to retain a positive attitude spoke much about her character, and her naivety. The elemental could not account for every individual currently residing within the labs but he knew that the vast majority of the mutants came from ill reputed backgrounds and being cooped as they were Zephyr wouldn’t have been surprised if tempers had frayed to point where some would be as likely attack a passerby as converse with them.
Still if nothing else it showed the child had some luck; a vital quality these days, especially for mutants. However, lady luck was fickle mistress whose partners changed like the wind and one day the girl might find herself in rather poor company. Leaning back within his chair the elemental easewd himself into a more comfortable position and narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought about how to word his response, he didn’t truly want to sound like he was about to scold her, though his next words sould easily be interpreted that way if he was thoughtless.
“That’s true enough” he conceded in a gentle tone, “but tell me, what would you do if you met someone who, for some reason or another, wanted to hurt you? Would you just try and run to the guards or can you protect yourself?”
It wasn’t the most subtle wording he could have used but Simon would rather that the girl understood his message the first time round instead of explaining the questions purpose to a confused 12 year old. Things would just go smoother that way.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Now that was an interesting question. Why would this boy want to know what she would do if someone wanted to hurt her? He seemed genuinely concerned about whether she could take care of herself. On the other hand, he suspiciously was not sharing his name. He was in serious danger of receiving a nickname.
Katrina had been reading a lot about Greek mythology lately, as research for the oboe piece she was currently practicing, the fourth movement of a piece called Metamorphoses. She was getting better at both the music and the accompanying illusions.
This strange boy reminded her of the subject of the fourth movement. He kept switching masks like a tragic Greek actor, so maybe he could be Dionysus- the multifaceted god of tragedy who inspired poets, made men brave, enacted cruel revenge, suffered annually, and knew how to throw a party. One never knew what to expect from Dionysus, just like Katrina couldn't begin to guess what this mysterious boy in front of her would do with the information he was seeking.
“Oh, I think I'm pretty safe in Mondragon Labs,” Katrina responded with a shrug. There was tight security here, Stalkers didn't know about it, every inch of the place was covered in security cameras, and there were always people who would protect her. And, if all else failed, she could turn invisible and run away. The Labs were a very safe feeling place, free from the nightmare monsters that seemed to roam the rest of New York.
Katrina knew she hadn't answered the boy's... Dio's question, but he hadn't answered her either, and hers had been a much more simple inquiry. “So,” she changed the subject, “Dio like Greek mythology?” She grinned at her own terrible joke.
A puzzled expression graced the elementals features as he took in Katrina’s question. He knew from experience that children had a short attention span and were liable to jump from topic to topic but how exactly had the girl managed to connect Greek mythology to their current conversation? He hadn’t even shared his alias yet, still it was an innocent enough question, the problem was though he didn’t actually know. He had some knowledge of the subject that much was true and although his knowledge of said knowledge wasn’t encyclopedic he considered himself well versed in comparison to most.
The mercenary’s body shook once in mild amusement as he exhaled, in hindsight it had actually been a terrible oversight to base his moniker upon a myth that so clearly explained the nature of his mutation. At the time he had thought himself a step above everyone else; believing those he associated or dealt with to be simply hired thugs or high paid businessmen motivated by materialistic needs. Such people would not spend their time studying the myths and legends of a society long since wiped from the earth. As his career had progressed though his thoughts were shown to be in serious error, people these days actually received a modest amount of education before being let loose upon the world and it was all the more true in more developed countries.
Shaking his head Simon tried to rid such irrelevant thoughts from his mind, it wasn’t as though he could ameliorate his past folly; too many people knew him by his current codename and any attempt to change that would simply be a wasted effort, he needed to concentrate on the present.
Brining his azure eyes back to the girl before him Zephyr rested his head upon his hands which were themselves interlaced and anchored in place by the position of his elbows on the armrest of his current seat. Much like a philosopher posed with a new and unexpected question of existence the elemental generated an air of contemplation, most of which however, was for show. He already knew what his response would contain; he was simply trying to predict how long it would be before Katrina became frustrated with his oh so informative answers.
“Hmm... that’s a difficult question Katrina, I know a fair amount about the old gods, however that knowledge has caused me some annoyance. So I suppose the answer is yes, and no.”
Five minutes, that was how long he expected the girls patience to last, the real question was how would she deal with it? Would she become more insistent with her inquiries? Attempt to take revenge with her purple toy? Or would she simply become bored and walk away?
For some reason the elemental found himself wishing it wouldn’t be the latter.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Puzzlement, mirth, a funny head shake, elaborated contemplation, and another answer that posed more questions than it answered. Each answer Dio gave added to the mystery surrounding him, and made him all the more interesting. It was kind of like a game to see how much he would give away with his words and how much he would give away with his face. He seemed to have an endless supply of different expressions. Which expressions showed the real person and which ones were the masks?
Katrina twisted a strand of blond hair between her fingers her face imitated his contemplative gaze. Even the answer he had given was curious. How could the knowledge of the old gods, as he called them, cause annoyance? In Katrina's experience not knowing about something was usually the annoying thing, especially when tests came around.
“Hmm,” she acknowledged his answer, then continued, “When I read the stories it seems like the gods are a lot like mutants. Sometimes the mutants here at the labs remind me of the characters from the stories, too.”
What would the odd boy make of that? Katrina was probably the only girl her age that even read about Greek mythology. She knew she was the only girl her age among the Mondragon refugees that spent a significant amount of time in the library, trying not to get a year behind in school. That, and the children's section in the Mondragon Labs Library was somewhat lacking and the young adult section was nonexistent. The stories from ancient Greece were some of the most entertaining in the library, with all the heroes and villains that were all the more realistic for their flaws. Did all people have flaws like that? What were her own flaws? What were Dio's?
Maintaining his contemplative position the elemental’s azure eyes sharpened with interest as he listened to the girl’s reply. He’d long had his own suspicions that mutants, as a specious, were far older than many suspected. Although many, if not all myths and legends were attributed to the human imagination Simon himself though it unlikely that the human mind was quite creative enough to give birth to half the legends which were dotted around the globe. He believed it was far more likely that the storytellers of ages past had based their tales on living subjects whose rarity and unique powers had made them celebrities of their time.
In fact Zephyr was certain that if one actually spent time enough to research the subject suitably they would easily find a mutant ability for each godly and demonic power listed in the annals of history. He himself was employed by an individual who was likely the original inspiration for the vampires, then there was the matter of the crimson skinned juggernaut whose appearance in the past would have easily casted him as demonic The evidence was all around them yet people ignored it, preferring to live in the world as they knew it; seeing mutants as recent additions to the gene pool which should be disposed of as quickly as possible. The old axiom was true it seemed; ignorance was bliss.
In a way it was amusingly ironic, when mutants had been less than a thousand in number they had been revered or feared as gods or demons, yet now that their numbers had grown, they were merely a blight upon the earth. Still, it was no concern of his what people chose to believe, he had no wish to make any sort of mark in history and therefore saw no need to rewrite it.
The fact that Katrina seemed to share at least part of his thoughts though was interesting and Simon found himself curious as the extent of this apparent parallel thought and since she had failed to ask any queries it left him free to voice his own.
“Really? What makes you say that?” a ghost of a smile graced the elementals lips as he spoke and there was a pleased tone to his voice. This was a line of inquiry worth pursuing, if nothing else he could perhaps learn something about a few of the individuals currently in residence at the labs.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Katrina shifted to a more comfortable position in her plush arm chair; turning sideways in the chair in order to face her conversation partner directly. Her legs she folded beneath her, her hands she folded neatly on her lap. She tilted her chin thoughtfully toward the ceiling as she thought of her response to his question.
“Well, In the stories all the gods live together in one special place, separate from all the human and they have their relationships and quarrels with each other just like the mutants at Mondragon Labs. Some of the gods have abilities similar to mutants here, and other times their personalities are similar to real people.”
Katrina stopped to think for a moment about a good example. It would be easier to think of one if Dio knew the same people she did, but as she had no idea who he knew she would just have to describe someone that he probably didn't know. “There is one person here, who is really really fast. He can run so fast he's like a silver blur. His ability is a lot like Hermes' power to go fast enough to deliver messages in a heartbeat. Their personalities are different though.” She had a hard time picturing Kaz as cunning, he seemed more straight forward and seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve.
“A character who's personality reminds me of a real person is from the story of Odysseus. Tellemachus was a young boy who wanted to grow up really fast and be a hero, and he didn't stop to think about all the dangers that there are in the world. There is a boy like that here, all ready to die in battle and he's not very old at all.”
Katrina scowled. Stupid Geo. Stupid upcoming battle. Katrina still wasn't convinced that fighting a battle was the best way to solve the problem mutants were facing nationwide. There had to be better ways to make a point than by wasting the lives of mutants and humans alike. Most everyone who died would be mourned, and the mourners might hate their loved one's killers enough to start further battles. The fighting could go one forever. There had to be a peaceful alternative, but Katrina couldn't think of one that would work, nor could she convince anyone to follow her plan if she did come up with one. She was only twelve, and no one was going to listen to a twelve year old. She couldn't even convince one young rock manipulator not to go off to fight, so how could she stop a battle from happening?
Zephyr watched with a raised brow as Katrina abruptly chose to alter her position, twisting around in her seat until she rested atop her legs in a side on position with her hands crossed almost daintily in her lap. The new pose combined with the thoughtful childish expression almost caused the elemental to laugh; her whole posture was far too feminine, and despite the constant reminders from his more logical side Simon still saw his sister in Katrina, and Sarah had been something of a tomboy to say the least.
Managing to contain his amusement to a noticeable smirk Simon resisted the urge to comment on the child’s fidgeting and instead attempted to regain his stoic disposition as he concentrated on Katrina's explanation. Yet, it was almost impossible; the contrast of behaviours was simply too entertaining and his lips remained lunate.
Loss of composure aside, Zephyr did pay attention to the girls reply from beginning to end and the parallels she managed to draw were interesting enough. He was fairly certain the Hermes’s remark was a reference to a character by the name Kaz Corydon, though he had no knowledge of the individuals personality and only knew the name because Antonescue had mentioned it when the elemental turned down the offer to stand in as temporary head of the labs while the immortal himself was resolving other issues.
As Katrina’s response wound to end with a note about an individual resembling Tellemachus her face took on a marked scowl which became all the more noticeable for the mercs earlier entertainment. Although this new expression would have been far more fitting on his sister the child beside him wore the scowl like an ill fitting piece of clothing. Her physiognomy had the appearance of one who just detected a disagreeable odour and the overall image finally won a suppressed chuckle from the elemental
Laying his hands back upon the armrests Zephyr inclined fully into the seat once more, his eyes alight with mirth as he debated whether an attempt should be made to further aggravate the girl. In truth it wasn’t a difficult decision; the only question was what approach to use. There were a variety of subjects he could select but, given her age and initial entrance into puberty the topic most likely to succeed was…
“Hmm? Having problems with a young suitor are we?”
The simple remark by itself was fairly innocuous, however Simon's tone and overall expression easily managed to communicate the rather blatant and puerile innuendo while his azure orbs continued to dance with the malevolent glee known only to elder siblings.