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 Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
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.
Time had slowed to a crawl for the impatient air elemental as he waited for his companion to wake from her stupor. He had begun by counting minutes, telling himself that he would contact a hospital if the girl remained unconscious for more than half an hour, yet as the deadline came and went Simon found himself steadfastly ignoring the phone by his side even as he silently berated himself for doing so. The human body could only afford to lose so much blood before it ceased to function after all and if the soaked rags and stained carpet were any indication then the redhead had lost an almost fatal amount. Despite such knowledge though Zephyr was hesitant to act; an unknown certainty had arisen in him that, somehow, Tris would convalesce, that he simply needed to give her time, and so he waited.
At this particular moment in time however patience was a commodity in short supply and Simon swiftly found himself in a state of restlessness. His unique gifts had always afforded him a sense of control, a silent assurance that he could accomplish anything and, more often than not, it was this simple certainty which kept the elemental from abusing his abilities any more than he already did. Here however his talents were next to useless; any first aid he knew was rudimentary at best or outdated at worst and his mutation would impart nothing beneficial. He could do nothing to expatriate the redhead’s recovery, and such knowledge did not sit well with him. He was no longer content to sit silently, he needed to move, had to do something.
Rising restlessly from his seat the lean mercenary paced the living area aimlessly for a few seconds as he sought for some task to occupy his attention. Given the restricted space he had to work with there were very few options available to him; Tris obviously should not be moved and taking into account her current attire there was little point in attempting to accomplish anything nearby, the bedroom was also not worth consideration for similar reasons. That left only the kitchen and the bathroom so it is not perhaps surprising then that the elemental swiftly found himself pacing the kitchen, azure eyes sweeping over pristine surfaces with only cursory glances while his mind entertained a discursive thread of thoughts, leaping from topic to topic as he attempted to analyze events up to this point.
‘Think, how could you have ended up with Evans? Neither one of us remembers what happened so we were either too drunk or too drugged to care what happened last night, but that still doesn’t explain why we would have been in the same area to start with.’
As his mind pondered the possible factors of his situation though his body was left to run on autopilot, and left in such a familiar environment it performed whatever task came naturally. In short order one of his idle hands had accessed an extendable cabinet and withdrawn a colourless container tonic of water, at the same time his other vacant hand occupied itself in procuring a pristine glass from an overhead mahogany cupboard. With both these items in his possession the elemental absentmindedly traversed a short distance to a nearby counter and proceeded to empty the contents of one container into the other.
‘Aside from the Kabal neither of us have any associates in common, but I can’t think of anyone who’d try and drag us both to a bar or get us high. Even if I could think of someone, why would I’d let myself become so intoxicated that I’d take Evans of all people back to my room?’
Placing the plastic container down with an irritated sigh Zephyr kneaded his forehead in an effort to coax his memories of last night into being. As one might expect the attempt yielded no results and he began pacing the kitchen once more before coming to a rest beside his secondary, and far more subtle, cooling unit. Still only half aware of what he was doing the russet haired elemental idly kneeled down and opened the unit and gazed unseeingly at the array of drinks before selecting a bottle at random.
‘Even supposing I did meet her by chance and we managed to stumble back to my room how the hell does that explain the rings? Last time I checked New York was not Las Vagas, they require more than a drunken proposal and a bleary pair of signatures.’
Shaking his head in irritation Simon finished adding the gin to his drink before wandering back to the living room. He still couldn’t make sense of anything and that would likely remain the case until he remembered what happened last night or found someone who could. A scowl tugged at the elementals lips as he resumed his earlier seat; why the hell couldn’t he remember? Even if he’d had consumed his own bodyweight in alcohol he should be able to recall something, yet every time he tried his thoughts collided with a blank wall.
A hint of motion in his peripheral vision caught the merc’s attention and pulled him from his internal musings, causing him to twist his head slightly as his gaze swiftly shifted back to Tris. The girls skin was still an unhealthy pale and she had yet to make a sound but she was shivering. Not surprising considering her lack of attire but when one took into account her weakened state it didn’t take much to realize that it was unwise to keep her cold. Briefly, Simon was tempted to grab a larger blanket for the redhead, however the thought was soon struck down. The two of them had a good deal to talk about and he didn’t need the girl to try and run out on him, an action she would be far less likely to pursue in her current state. Upon seeing Tris shiver once again though he did adjust the thermostat in order to raise the temperature of the room before settling back into his seat and waited for the girl to awaken.
He wasn’t sure precisely how long he waited, longer than it took for him to finish his drink certainly, as the time passed though he was able to note marked changes in the redheads condition; her deep breaths had come with more regularity, unnaturally pale alabaster skin gained a darker tint and her shivers ceased. When at last she opened her eyes though the elemental felt an unaccustomed weight lift from his shoulders; despite what his instincts had said he hadn’t been sure Tris would wake up.
“Stay still.” He cautioned her, “We have a lot to talk about and you need to rest.”
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."
She remembered floating on peaceful and all encompassing bliss, of flying through dreams and desires, of feeling completely and utterly content with herself and everything around her- and like, how extremely cool was that when little Zen monks up in their mountain retreats mediated their entire lives to achieve this exact state…. But now, the bliss was gone, the contentment leeched from her system, and she was left on a dull couch in a dull room …..with Zephyr.
“Stay still. We have a lot to talk about and you need to rest.”
Tris blinked again as the air elementals words echoed in her mind, their meaning at least having the effect of drawing her more into the reality she had taken a short break from. She stirred, the brain unconsciously giving the body a command to lean towards the sound of the voice, to turn so she could see him better, the muscle and sinew of neck and chest responding to the command, flexing and contracting in a matter of moments to turn her head so her eyes may view the object of their displeasure. …..unfortunately, this movement flexed and stretched muscles that had been punctured, nerve ending that had been cut in two, and skin that was torn and broken that had been the product of the ‘attack’. This of course, caused the undesirable side effect of a not small portion of pain shooting through Tris’s body from the region of her neck wound. A low moan of pain escaped the form of Tris that, while starting out an inarticulate utterance, eventually became a coherent “Owwwwwwwwwww”, which ultimately trailed off into silence as the breath that released it drew to a close.
When next she spoke, it was to address the question previously put to her “Yeah, you are damn right we have a lot to talk about…..like for example, why there are these two annoyingly painful puncture wounds in my neck and I’m feeling especially drained right now.” Spoke, of course was alittle strong for what Tris actually achieved, her words came out in a low broken tone with more than a hint of hiss, and while she did a reasonable imitation of her usual ire, the true depth of irritation she was capable of, just wasn’t there. Her mouth felt dry and swallowing hurt, and she was cold and coming down from the best feeling she’s ever experienced, and she really didn’t think she could deal with Zephyr right now. Though her eyes were on him now, raking the galling mask that was his pale and smooth face, taking in the calmness his features spoke of with a glare that, though she didn’t recognize it, was reawakening the coiled and fiery power she unwittingly brought Zephyr down the before- the main thing Zephyr had going for him right now, was she was simply too tired to use it.
Tris lay still again for a moment, unused to, and unliking this restriction that pain placed on her movements- and the act this pain was born from did not help either. She concentrated her awareness on her body, one or both of her hands skimming along her skin to the point of investigation to help gathering a rough list of that might be entitled ‘places that hurt’- hmmmmm, neck (obviously)- as her fingers lightly touched the rough bandaging that had been added to her neck to protect her poor damaged skin and hurting exposed nerve endings, various bruises especially on the arms, lump the size of a coconut on her head, spine that felt like someone had tried to steamroller it, and a growing headache that while manageable now, seemed to be looking to become the king of all headache in the near future. The silver lining to the list, or the while not fabulous news but definitely better than the bad stuff, was that while Tris had a bone weary tiredness sapping at her strength which seemed to be dulling her ability to get in touch with her anger easily, her short sojourn to incredibly heights must have had a nap stop over somewhere along the way, because while she didn’t feel at all rested in body, in mind she atleast felt more alert, which while too tired to try some blasting target practice on the grating air elemental, she could at the very least give vent to some of her sluggish feelings in words.
Although, while more alert, Tris certainly wasn’t up to any epic thinking matches quite yet, which was why, while categorizing her aches and pains, the fact her entire ensemble seemed to consist of a too small towel, seemed to come on as a gradual awareness, and was not entirely recognised until after sweeping fingers completed her examination, she finding their access alittle too free for some reason as tired palms sweep across her cool skin - the reason of course, being she was in a freakin towel, and a fairly skimpy one at that. Any who could view her face could see the exact moment the realization hit as her eyes widened, lips pursed and her expression came to portray a fairly comical version of equal portions of outrage and embarrassment. Tris would have curled in on herself if she could, but as afore mentioned, she was avoiding as much movement as possible to avoid the accompanying pain. The best she could do for her lack of attire right now was tightly fold her bruised arms over her battered chest- and even this small concession frakin hurt. Her thoughts were racing, caught in a sullen, outraged, bewildered track- Like, who did that? Attack a person and then leave them limp and weakened on a couch in a stupid, inadequately sized piece of cloth. Was this some psychy thing- did he have an all-powerful God complexe? Had he been watching her while she’d been in oblivious bliss like a stalker? Was that how he got his jollies or something- was this some freaky fetish thing?
She sighed- the soft sound still managing to convey the dark edge of the emotions and thoughts she was not shouting yet; “Or we could talk about the fact that while you appear to be wearing suitable attire, I am wearing less than before- I mean a towel for Gods sake….you could at least of had the decency to let me keep the sheet or have given me some small concession like a blanket even if actual clothes were too much for your massively superior brain.” She finished, the sarcasm lying heavy in the air.
But now the memories of him charging at her, them flying through the air, her lying weakened on the ground as her blood was sucked from her body were flowing thick and fast, and it didn’t matter that some weird concussion thing had happened because of it and she’d experienced the best high of her life- the point was, Zephyr shouldn’t have done that in the first place. So, in the space of a breath, she moved on easily from sarcasm to straight up accusation
“Or, we could talk about how, when Hunter finds out about the way you assaulted me in every possible way, he’ll drop you from second chair and from the Kabal faster than you can say sexual harassment!” …….okay, okay, trying to threaten your aggressor when you were in not much of a position to do anything about anything wasn’t exactly the smartest plan ever- especially if your words met their target, but Tris wasn’t exactly thinking in a rational direction right now, but pulling out the ‘H’ word was cool, and she was reasonably certain if she worked at it, she could still manage a blast or two if necessary.
Tris had certainly been getting into that last part- her face animated with the force of her anger, her body trying to push her up from the couch, leaning towards a fight…… Of course this put paid to her speech as, with the annoying pain the movement produced, came the remembrance that she was tired, so bone weary tired right now.
Tris sighed again and closed her eyes as she slumped back and let the pillows support her exhausted body, and now she remembered how tired she was, her voice echoed that same weariness in her subdued tone.
“So, if you are not getting me aspirin and something to drink, how about you make yourself useful by getting the hell away from me- don’t you think you have done enough damage for one day.” ….it wasn’t a question.
Still resting within the confines of the leather armchair Zephyr had resumed his earlier pose, elbows upon his knees and his head balanced atop interlaced fingers as he silently watched his crimson haired companion awaken from her unnatural reverie. It was a drawn out process lasting maybe a few minutes as the girls mind battled to retain the thread of consciousness she had encountered, when at last her eyes fluttered open though the merc noted obvious traces of fatigue in the hazel orbs and advised her to rest only to promptly have his suggestion ignored as the weary ingénue attempted to face him and released a pained moan as her aching body protested the movement and reminded the redhead of the wounds upon her neck. The girl was then silent for a moment, perhaps simply waiting for the pain to abate, when next she spoke though it was clear that the sudden sting had not ameliorated her naturally foul mood.
With that being said however it was clear to any who heard the petite soubrette that she was far from fully recovered. Her words held barely more strength than a passing breeze and were spoken without the usual vehemence which normally accompanied them. All indications that Tris had yet to fully recover and it was this knowledge which allowed the elemental to overlook the girls impertinent retort, it was only fair after all; she had been through a highly irregular experience, they both had, yet of the two of them the redhead had undoubtedly come off worst. She was therefore entitled to a degree of outrage and anger and if the glare she directed towards him was any indication, Evans fully intended to use her quota and then some.
Releasing a weary sigh Simon lowered his eyes to the floor as he considered his response, though it was unlikely that she was capable of anything in her current condition it would do no good to cause the diminutive redhead any further aggravation. Better to placate her and attempt to induce a more genial atmosphere in order to engage in the palaver the elemental had in mind. The sooner the better really, the longer he could distract the girl from the reality of her situation, namely her lack of attire, the lower the probability he’d have to sit through another of her tantrums before they finally discussed the issue at hand and came to some type of reasonable conclusion that would satisfy the multitude of questions assaulting his thoughts.
Meeting the redheads hazel eyes once more Zephyr’s features adopted a sincere expression as he slowly voiced his thoughts. “A lot has happened in the past 24 hours, and it may surprise you Evans but I don’t know everything. There are gaps in my memory just as there are with yours. I’ve managed to learn a few things while you were asleep but I’m far from knowing everything.” Taking a brief pause the mercenary closed his eyes and drew a breath as he contemplated on how to explain precisely what he knew thus far.
An indignant gasp intruded upon the mercenary’s musings, causing him to raise his gaze and glance curiously at his guest in answer for her sudden behavior. A drained curse echoed through the Kabal members mind as his azure eyes took note of the indignant and embarrassed expression portrayed on the girls features; it seemed she’d finally taken note of her current state of undress and, evidently, did not approve of her hosts choice of attire, raising her arms and wrapping them around her bust in an effort to protect the little modesty she had left. Forcing himself not to roll his eyes Zephyr straightened his pose and leaned against the back of his seat as he unconsciously adopted his habitual apathetic air in preparation for the redheads inevitable outburst. He’d been half expecting it really; it was fast becoming a rather dull custom between the two of them. They’d encounter each other out of the blue, trade no more than a word or two and then the wench would find something with which to take offence.
“Or we could talk about the fact that while you appear to be wearing suitable attire, I am wearing less than before- I mean a towel for Gods sake….you could at least of had the decency to let me keep the sheet or have given me some small concession like a blanket even if actual clothes were too much for your massively superior brain.”[/color]
Simon blinked once as he took in his companions statement, he’d honestly been expecting something with a good deal more venom, maybe some crude statement about his lineage or an offensive remark about his mother. This retort was practically tame when placed in comparison with the redheads typical conniptions, which was rather odd considering that the current events easily eclipsed anything he’d done to the girl in the past. Whatever the reason though her comments had failed to ignite his usual ire and had left with him with little more than mild annoyance at the tone she’d employed. Staring at his guest with narrowed eyes Zephyr made no attempt to disguise the little irritation he was currently experiencing as he responded in his customary monotone, “I had to use the sheets to stem the blood, you were bleeding quite profusely. After that the towel was the first thing which came to hand, if you don’t like though I have no qualms about taking it back.” With an idle flick of his wrist to demonstrate his intentions the elemental conjured a half hearted breeze which stole it’s away across the prone girls bare body, flowing under the light threads of the towel and causing it to flare upwards, had it not been for Tris’s crossed arms the cloth with have drifted half way across the room, as it was the ends of the material simply flew upwards, momentarily revealing the ingénues lower half.
This was admittedly a rather juvenile gesture, however taking into account how his day had progressed thus far the elemental felt he was entitled to some form of dubious behavior. Even if he wouldn’t admit it to himself Simon was stressed, he needed some type of outlet; he’d simply chosen one of the less destructive, and therefore less costly, methods available to him. Unsurprisingly though the redhead was none too pleased with his childish antics and promptly voiced her displeasure in the form of a thinly veiled threat to their mutual employer. This in itself was not surprising and, if the subject had been slightly altered, it may have actually caused the mercenary to sit up and take notice. As it was though Simon barely did more than raise an inquisitive brow. The Kabal wasn’t governed by any of the laws which affected the rest of the world, its members were not subject to the rules or regulations imposed upon any corporations by political leaders, likewise however they also possessed none of the rights that most individuals took for granted. As long as they completed the tasks assigned to them by their immortal employer the Kabal members were free to do as they pleased, the idea that Antonescue would actually take action against an accusation of sexual harassment was almost laughable.
Just as Zephyr was about to comment upon this fact though his companion suddenly seemed to realize the futility of her careless threat; uttering a worn sigh she collapsed back upon the couch almost becoming limp as her strength appeared to drain away. It was a display Simon found both curious and somewhat unsettling; he was unaccustomed to seeing the girl in such a defeated state, however he couldn’t deny that he found the sight to be at least slightly palatable; the redhead had always been so capricious, so conceited, yet now that fire was gone and the hessian felt a small sense of achievement at having finally overcome woman’s insolent nature, if only temporarily. The truly ironic part however was that, unlike any of his previous attempts to show the conceited ingénue her place, none of the elemental’s actions had been intentional; everything which had occurred had been beyond his control. It was almost as though an exchange had taken place; by scarifying a measure of his own control the mercenary to a gain a limited measure over his companion. It was an attractive theory but Zephyr held no delusions that this was occurrence was anything more than an anomaly, still it left him in a slightly more tolerable, and contemplative mood.
Ponderings aside though he still had a guest to take of, and in light of her comparatively cooperative behavior it would be rude not to grant at least a part of request. Shifting his gaze momentarily the hazel haired hessian silently grasped the empty glass he’d been using earlier and carefully placed the cup on the table between the two of them. Then, with a slight flick of his wrist he sent the container sliding towards the prone redhead until it was within arms reach of the fatigued girl. The young mans eyes then lost focus for a moment, his mind swiftly sifting through the vast spectrum of gases in the surrounding air as he sought to combine two specific elements in a well known two to one ratio and thereby replicate a performance he’d once been shown by a snow haired gamine. To the outside observer it would have seemed as though water had abruptly burst from thin air, filling the previously empty glass at a quick pace before the flow stopped as suddenly as it began.
This concession now made Simon rose wordlessly from his seat, intending to leave the room and search kitchen cabinets for any type of painkiller. As he turned to leave though he found himself looking back over his shoulder at the subdued form lying on the couch and, without thinking, he spoke in a low, almost depressed tone. “Evans, I may have taken the liberty but rest assured, I did not take advantage.”
Tris had of course, known without a shadow of a doubt that Zephyr would again find some way to produce some asininely acidic and reaction provoking response to her last exhausted request (especially after the last completely non humorous, over the top, Marilyn Monroe-esque style wind propelled trickery)….. It was therefore, with a suspicious gaze that soon turned to a rather comical expression of dumbfounded astonishment that the shocked red headed vixen watched as an indiscernible force pushed a glass towards her, water abruptly materializing above, seemingly from an invisible faucet, to fill the clear container with the requested beverage. Tris stared, wide eyed, at the glass and the space above the glass from which the water had appeared as she processed her thoughts. While her time at the Mondrangon labs had been one interesting and unusual experience after another, there was something about this particular act that wasn’t quite right, that didn’t quite add up…. The act itself, while very impressive of course, had become secondary to the bewildering fact that Zephyr had actually done something that could be construed as nice, this thought bemusing as such an act would assume a spark of conscience had directed the arrogant air elemental to redirect his egocentric thoughts for a microsecond to some focus other than his supposed perfection- yep, the idea of Zephyr having such a thing as a conscience, was ludicrous in the extreme. Thankfully, Zephyr hadn’t seemed to notice her ‘stunned mullet’ impression as he rose without comment from his chair. Tris pulled her expression together into an outwards calm semblance atleast, her arm snaking forward to grasp the glass as she watched Zephyr’s fluid strides as he strode away. Tris redirected her thoughts to the present moment, deciding an internal debate about the soulless sods morals could be saved for another time. Tris, though dehydrated and sore, still managed a loftily suspicious sniff of liquid contained within the glass, her misgivings about the venture of actually drinking said contents rather high, yet needing the hydration of the fluid- she sipped, capitulating to the inevitable needs of her body…… It was at that moment the grating youth man paused in his journey across the floor, his flat tone calling in an afterthought kind of way; “Evans, I may have taken the liberty but rest assured, I did not take advantage.”
…..If Zephyr was listening for a reaction from his audience of one, he would definitely have heard a muffled squeal of outraged indignation, the squeal however quickly morphing into a watery eyed choking cough as Tris had predictably choked on her on mouthful of conjured water at said wrath inducing comment.
If Zephyr- the marvelous air elemental, lord of all the particles of the atmosphere which sustains live, self proclaimed master of wit and asteism, and fulltime bane of Tris’s existence (who was ment to be clever), actually possessed the intelligence his supposed persona projected, he might, if he really did want a straight conversation from Tris as he had claimed, have known better than to continue his triad of tried and true combination- deadpan comments and childish pranks…..since however, he had again proceeded with the generic arrangement of general ridicule and mockery, it should come as no surprise that goading Tris had not left her in any particular mood to be articulate, calm, or in any way forgiving of such blatantly biased taunts.
After having worked out how to breath again, and having wiped her watering eyes such choking reactions provoked, Tris’s mutely mutinous glare turned murderous as her sparkling chocolate eyes trained on Zephyr’s back – the comment resounded in her head, relatively mediocre as an insinuation in itself, yet being, in effect, the straw that broke the camels back; everything he had said and done to her every before culminating and causing one big‘ grrrrrrrrrrrrrr, how dare you bring that up’ moment- triggering Tris to snap.
(Besides, she didn’t even want to think about the tragic neuron disconnection she must have had this morning to allow what happened to happen- Tris put down the humiliating purely physical reaction to stress.)
….The familiar annoyance turned rage she felt at the lofty inhuman sod again rising, but now, if at all possible to new heights of malicious intent. There was some small measure of relief as her fatigued weakness fled the trail fiery adrenaline scalded through her veins, lending strength into her flagging limbs, giving her a focused clarity of thought and emotion. Tris, lying there on the sofa, just moments before too fatigued from blood loss and concussion, from bruising and bite mark, to really do any permanent damage to her aloof foe, felt new energy flooding her spirit which she greeted with gratitude- she hated feeling vulnerable, especially with such as he.
Thinking, as she now was, in the calm valley beyond the sparking rage the airy elemental provoked in her, she knew that soon would come the moment when they would both have to calm down and talk this awkward and unexpected situation out like adults. That moment would have to be soon, one- because her new energy boost wouldn’t last long, and two- because her annoyance and curiosity at the situation was even beginning to win out even over the unpleasant, ever-present loathing Zephyr’s presence always generated in her being…..However, that moment was not this moment- adrenaline pounded in tandem with the fiery wrath racing through her veins, her powers at this moment under her focused control despite the extensive injuries……Yes she had realized she needed to curb the retaliate with maximum force reactive response to Zephyr’s words……but her pride would not let her rest until she inflicted some form of vengeance in his person, atleast abit. Immature- yes…..but necessary.
Tris eyed her own personal adversary’s back with calculated loathing. She knew that his prowess with all powers of air were not to be taken lightly, nor was his awareness of the space around him- so if she was going to do something worthwhile, she had better be quick. Hmmmm, what to do while she had the energy and mischief intent to do it. Tris’s gaze was drawn to her glass, and a plan began to form- after all, you had to use what you got. Her twinkling brown eyes slid from the glass, to one of the pillows residing on her couch, to Zephyr’s back, and back again. The third time she completed this circuit of images and thoughts she had a smile on her face and the hand that wasn’t holding her glass was reaching to ease the pillow from under her recumbent form.
“You are one slimy son of a bitch.” She whispered sullenly, her hands raised. Then she struck- her fingers flicking out in her own special little gesture that meant freeze, throwing a spin on her ability to slow Zephyr enough so he would know what was happening, but would be unable to react in time. The water from the glass was next, forced from its clear container with deadly accuracy to soak with a soft thud into the cloth on Zephyr’s form- not for nothing had Tris been able to hold her own in water fights with her siblings when younger, she had a good arm. And finally, the pillow was hurled in Lord Lofty direction- hard, the stuffed projectile flying through the air to reach its goal. It was almost there when, with a slightly different application of Tris’s power, the material mass exploded to cover the soaked man in soft and fluffy feathers.
Tris giggled and sighed in satisfaction at the effect her ministrations had on the air elemental- the damp complexion with feathers stuck on was a definite improvement, and her wounded pride felt soothed as she relaxed back into the comforting embrace of the sofa that supported her weight. Then, with an unnecessary click of her fingers, she reluctantly released the mental command over the sluggishly moving molecules that made up the form of her source of aggravation, the product of which allowed Zephyr to return to the time frame to which he was accustomed. “Nevertheless,” She went on with barely a pause and barely a giggle at the 'new feathered look' Zephyr was sporting. “I’m stuck in this ridiculous situation with you……..so I guess I’ll have to work with what limited supplies I have.” She heaved a deep sigh at the unwillingness of the idea of what she was about to suggest. “So I’m willing to sit down and talk this out now.” Her tone, while unwilling, still uttered in the imperious tones of a queen granting a large favour for an impolite peasant. Her face, while sporting a self-satisfied grin at the sight of the sodden and feathered air elemental, was not the face of that of the profoundly stupid; though immature at times, she wasn’t so suicidal as to completely relaxed her guard just after dealing a blow against Lord Lofty over there- he having a vengeful streak to him that was almost as big as hers. And so it was, Tris lounged on the stuffed cushions of her current perch with apparent languorous ease……but beneath the façade she was tense, more than half expecting the inevitable counter strike to her own pride soothing counter strike….
Treading quietly across the linoleum flooring which marked the boundary between kitchen and living space Zephyr’s customarily judicious mind maintained a rather nettlesome focus upon the condition of his current companion, along with a somewhat disagreeable sensation which left the elemental feeling as though his insides were attempting to tie themselves into knots. Guilt was not something Simon was used to experiencing; his own unique, or what some might term lack, of morals typically assured that he never encountered the emotion however he was capable of recognizing it, though recognition did little to alter the hessians belief that the aforesaid emotion was utterly unfounded. Substantiated or not though it seemed his subconscious had no intention of dispelling the unwanted guilt in anything resembling a timely manner and thus Simon found his hands idly scanning the multitude of shelves and cabinets for some form of prescription painkiller whilst he attempted to ratiocinate the situation and absolve himself of any and all blame.
‘I did not force her into my bed, the fact that the bed still subsists is proof enough of that.’ The cynical thought brought a drained sigh from the merc’s mouth as he idly slipped another cabinet open and gave the contents a brief glance. ‘Drugs aren’t even worth considering, not only are they unreliable in relation to mutants but if I had intended to drug her I would have ensured that she awoke in her own abode.’ Reaching out and grasping an ivory container the Kabal member gave the package a cursory shake and was rewarded with a low rattle which foretold of the capsules inside. ‘As for my later actions the woman only answers to force, she would not have listened to me had I not incapacitated her.’
‘It was excessive.’
‘It worked, that is what matters. Had I done anything less she would have retained an illusion of control and continued to insult me.’ Sliding a thin nail underneath the lid of medicinal jar the elemental popped the top of container at the same moment a somewhat muffled screech emerged from his partners prone position by the obsidian leather couch. Ignoring the odd sound for the moment Zephyr glanced at the contents of the container before insouciantly raising the package to eye level, examining the prescribed directions while his internal altercation continued.
‘You don’t back a dog into a corner.’
Simon paused as the alien thought wandered across his mindscape before kneading placing the medicinal jar on the counter and kneading one of his temples with his free hand as he attempted to trace the origin of unexpected musing. The adage was familiar enough, it was one he had read many times and even used himself on occasion but he couldn’t see how it factored into this scenario; while the merc would openly admit that Evans was a bitch that wasn’t really the underlying point of the aphorism, it was meant to convey the fact that some creatures, humans included, fought their hardest only when they were left with no way out. Still though, he’d hardly left the girl without options when he’d pinned her and besides what could she do to him truly? The ingénue didn’t have the resolve to kill him, she’d displayed that multiple times and the precise nature of her abilities failed to fit the criteria for the tortuous burning sensation he’d felt earlier, ‘more than likely it’s a side of effect of my new nature.’ He thought bitterly as he took hold of the ivory container once more and began to tip two cylindrical capsules into the palm of his hand. ‘I probably hadn’t fed for a while and Evans simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
‘You almost killed her.’
Time suddenly seemed to slow for the mercenary as once again an alien ideation invaded his thoughts, diverting his attention from his surroundings as he furrowed his brow and puzzled over the disconcerting statement. ‘I don’t know that.’ He told himself, though with less assurance than he would like. ‘I didn’t even know what I was doing, hell I barely know why I stopped. Besides I prevented her from bleeding to death, that’s got to count for something.’
Any further thoughts on the matter were abruptly disrupted as a chilling sensation rapidly spread across his shoulders and down his torso immediately causing the elementals body to tense as his eyes widened in shock and his mind swiftly sought the source of the gelid liquid coursing down his form, yet before he could even begin to turn the Kabal member felt something else, a slight force; almost as though he had been struck across the back, and the next instant his vision was obscured by a rapid spray of white, effectively blinding him as he pivoted on the soles of his feet to face his asinine assailant. Before the action was even halfway through though the entire world seemed to shift, or rather, his perception had shifted as he was liberated from the partial stasis which had ensnared him moments before. The effect such a release had on him was substantial to say the least; the surging sea of white which had previously hindered his vision instantly slowed, revealing itself to be little more than a cloud of feathers, a low giggle suddenly reached the merc’s ears immediately allowing him to identify his puerile attacker, perhaps most significant though was the abrupt increase in momentum he experienced as his body completed the turn at a faster rotation than which it had began, causing the vampiric elemental to lose his normally innate sense of balance and stumble into the nearby counter as he attempted, and failed to level a glare at his ailing guest.
“Nevertheless, I’m stuck in this ridiculous situation with you……..so I have to work with what limited supplies I have. So I’m willing to sit down and talk this out now.”[/color]
After placing a hand to steady himself and regaining his equilibrium Zephyr’s gelid cobalt orbs focused on his impertinent companion and narrowed dangerously as he took in the viragos pestiferous words and supercilious manner. The harlot truly had no comprehension of her situation; she was in his domain, suffering from what could potentially be lethal blood loss and she wasted her energy on puerile pranks to soothe her wounded pride?
‘It’s all she has at the moment, everything else you’ve taken from her.’
Once again Simon blinked at he detected the foreign thoughts in his mind, where were these coming from? What was triggering them? They’d started appearing when he’d first woken up but they had been small inconsequential things; informing him of a small scar on the redheads hip or that the girl favoured some strange sparkling apple concoction. Simple facts, admittedly somewhat disturbing in their detail and nature, but simple facts none the less, yet now the thoughts were becoming increasing personal, almost judgmental, and they were distracting him to no end as he had not yet found a way to successfully ignore them.
Realizing that he had somewhat lost his train of thought the elemental inhaled slowly as he felt a tide irritation rise inside him. ‘This is absurd; I am not going to let myself be influenced by voices no one else can hear.’ Dragging himself back up to his full height Zephyr focused once more upon his disrobed guest, urging his anger and aggravation to provoke him into conducting some form of suitable retribution, as the seconds dragged on though the mercenary simply couldn’t find the necessary motivation. The woman was hardly in peak physical performance after all and violence would likely only deteriorate her condition, an idea which did not currently appeal to him, no he needed to cease the petty cycle of comeuppance the two of the had been playing if they were to get anything done. He needed to be mature.
Before that though he needed to change, not simply because of his companions picayunish prank but to give himself a chance to calm down and regain his patience so as to allow himself to converse with redhead as civilly as possible. The last thing he needed would be for their “negotiations” to dissolve into another altercation. He needed to be mature and that wasn’t something he couldn’t do without a few moments to compose himself. Refusing to glance in the girls direction the Kabal member stalked impatiently back to the bedroom, barely murmuring his intentions of changing to his guest before he entered his chambers, moments before the door closed however a surge of wind stole over his prone partners form, snatching the minute towel which acted as her sole covering, drawing it through air and into the bedroom just as the door slammed shut.
He needed to be mature, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
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."
Striding impatiently back and forth across the width of his modest chambers the disgruntled mercenary fought to regain control of the anger which surged all too freely from his bruised pride. The elemental wasn’t certain how he had come to this point, hell he couldn’t even recall his actions from the night before, but this was his life for fucks sake and he had no intention of letting it go to hell in a hand basket just because a certain redhead was overdosing on PMS. Azure eyes closed momentarily as the fair haired hessian raised a hand to his brow, thumb and middle finger spreading to massage his temples in an attempt subdue his ire; giving in to his emotions wasn’t the answer here, Evans was walking testimony to that. No, what he needed was control; a resource which was denied to him due to his current vexation, fortuitously though such an obstacle was easily overcome.
Forcing himself to come to a halt at the edge of his rather disheveled bed the indignant mercenary made use of the of the expansive mattress, turning it into an impromptu seat as he collapsed; allowing his face to rest in his hands and his elbows upon his knees. Allowing his cobalt orbs to close once more the hessian tried to clear his mind of the recent turmoil as he drew breath, waiting until his lungs had filled to capacity before exhaling and repeating the process. The elemental had found long ago that breathing was key to stabilizing one’s emotional state; if respiration was regulated then the stable flow oxygen would dilute the stimulants in the blood responsible for the nettlesome emotion, effectively terminating the root of the problem. However, although such a process was indeed effective its utilization could at times be difficult as it required a the user to realize that their emotions had gotten out of hand, a fact that very few people were willing to accept, as it happened however Zephyr was one of the few.
Once he had calmed sufficiently Simon raised his head and forced himself to reassess his current state of affairs, it was not a pleasant task and consequently the hessian concluded that he possessed no desire to deal with his present situation. The merc wanted answers yes, but not if he was required to deal with his volatile companion; almost any other method would have been preferable…
Zephyr’s cerulean gaze flickered to the corner of his vision as it fell upon the ornately carved table at the head of the bed, more specifically the elementals eyes focused upon the onyx oblong which lay atop the wooden surface and the mercenary’s brow furrowed briefly as he debated whether or not to make use of the device. He had already attempted to contact the labs once before using the landline connection in his apartment, needless to say his attempt had met without success as the Mondragon staff had failed to even acknowledge his call. There was a possibility he had entered the number incorrectly, after all he had been endeavoring to prevent his guest from bleeding to death, still though the hubristic hessian would have thought he’d entered the number enough times to-
‘Screw it, there’s no harm in trying.’ The despondent thought echoed through the Kabal members mind as he stretched out a hand and deftly activated the appropriate speed dial to connect him to Antonescue before then waiting to see if anyone would pick up.
“Hello, Zephyr? What's up?”[/color]
Somewhat shocked at actually obtained a response the aforementioned elemental did not reply immediately, instead permitting his mind a moment to reassert itself and the process the words as well as the undoubtedly female voice which had issued them. It was somewhat puzzling if truth be told as the lean hessian had been assured that only his vampiric employer could access the number which had been dialed. A frown crossed Simons features as another sector of his thoughts clamor for attention regarding the identity of the speaker, the voice was almost familiar… Shaking his head of such thoughts the merc focused back on the present, and the fact that this woman was most definitely not his employer.
"Who is this? Where's Antonescue?"
“This is Katrina, I'm not sure exactly where he is.”[/color]
An expression of surprise once again crossed the Kabal members countenance as the mysterious speaker identified herself, Zephyr only knew of one individual by the name of Katrina; a blonde adolescent who bore an uncanny resemblance to his own sister, however the normally stoic mercenary was unable to fathom how he had been put in contact with the prepubescent girl, he’d entered Antonescue number had he not?
Seeking to verify his suspicions Simon removed the slim cell phone from his hear, bringing the screen into his range of vision as he sought confirm his actions. Fate however appeared to be taking a certain amusement in confounding the typically aloof elemental, as the characters displayed across the LCD screen failed to spell out the nomen of the mercenary’s employer, instead forming the name “Katrina D.”
Disbelief etched itself firmly across the hessians visage as he stared wide eyed at the screen before him, a multitude of questions railed inside his mind; how, why or more simply put, what the fuck? As the phone was once more placed against his ear however the mercenary, still not quite able to accept who he was conversing with and only managed to convey the following;
"Katrina? Katrina Dumonde? Who gave you this number?”
A note of confusion was apparent in the girls voice as she eventually gave her response, confirming that she was indeed who she said before then going to state that the elemental himself had chosen to bequeath to her his contact details. A highly unlikely scenario at best and had Simon not been quite so perplexed at the recent turn of events his reaction would likely have been far more expressive, possibly even coloured with an expletive or two, after all what reason would he have to give the child a means to contact to him? He was somewhat fond of the gamine yes, but one in his line of work could not afforded a distraction while in the midst of an assignment which would undoubtedly occur if a child were to possess his number.
"I gave it to you?- nevermind, I have a few issues to discuss with Hunter and my patience is running thin." As his words implied the merc’s disbelief was swiftly turning to agitation. He could catch up with the ingénue after he dealt with Evans and found out what in hells name had happened last night, in order to do that however he needed to speak with his parasitic superior and the immortal was proving to be aggravatingly elusive.
“Well, I've got Nigel here and I could give you Hunter's number if you don't already have it. What do you need, what's going on?”[/color]
An irritated sigh escaped the hessians lips as he ran a free hand through his hair, he was rapidly becoming drained, both physically and emotionally, and although his patience was deteriorating the Kabal member was in no mood to initiate any form of altercation with his sisters doppelganger. Swiftly weighing his options and the likely outcomes which would arise from each Zephyr resignedly began to describe his current situation, "Evans and I-” only to stop in mid statement upon realizing precisely who was accompanying Katrina, “wait what's Banks doing with you? Where are you?" The girls connection with the labs was sparse according to the elementals knowledge, did that mean the blood sucker was currently visiting the mission with Banks in tow?
“We're in his office, discussing foreign affairs. But, what do you mean Evans? You haven't called her that for years. Oh- and Nigel says Hunter's out of the country on some sort of shady business that I'm not supposed to know anything about.”[/color]
A dark expression dominated the mercenary’s features as he considered the implication s behind the gamines presence at the labs, what the devil was Hunter playing at? Mondragon was no place for a child despite what public relations would have you believe; depending on which section of the complex you traveled one could stumble across an autopsy as easily as a drug trial. In essence the labs were no place for a child.
Just as the elemental was about to make his feelings known however his thoughts were abruptly diverted as Katrina informed him that Antonescue was presently sojourning in another country under the guise of business. “Like hell he is, that bloody parasite...” More likely the immortal had some hand in the elementals current predicament and was wisely lying low. “And I suppose Banks won't give me an exact location will he? Damn it, what about Ingram?"
Surprisingly the young gamine failed to flinch under hessian’s harsher tone, instead his questions elicited an almost maternal upbraiding akin to what one would expect of a fully grown adult, as it was hearing the words from a girl whom he could carry on his shoulders left the fair haired hessian somewhat unsettled; the comment seemed out of character for the child and in any case his language had been mild, containing only one expletive at best.
Censorship issues aside though, Katrina had managed confirmed Zephyr’s suspicions regarding Antonescue, the man wouldn’t disappeared without a reason, he had too much at stake. The fact that he had gone to ground though meant it was highly unlikely that Simon would find him until the immortal wished to be found. That left Ingham, the head of the labs science department was one of the few individuals Antonescue actually divulged his machinations too, an additional benefit was that the reclusive sociopath was a fairly skilled in the aspect of physical healing, something Evans currently required. "Katrina, I don't know how much your aware of concerning Hunter but this isn't something I want you involved with, now do you know who or where Dr. Ingam is?"
“You don't always have to protect me Zephyr. I'm grown up now and I can take care of myself. As for Ingram, he's probably where he always is- in the lab. Not that it will help you, I don't think you're going to be able to find Hunter if he doesn't want to be found. It sounds like... I mean, is there anything I can do to help? Do you want to come to DC and talk about it?”[/color]
Simon could practically hear the eye roll in the gamines voice and had the merc been in a somewhat lighter mood the girls disdain for his sheltering efforts may have provoked a grin. With the way things were though the adolescents words only served to fuel his fluctuating aggravation, likewise her offer of assistance, while thoughtful, was not entirely helpful at this point in time. "You've got a long way to go before you're old enough to look after yourself Katrina and unless you've suddenly developed a healing ability I doubt you can help me much at the moment. I need Ingram because I can trust him to keep his mouth shut, now are you certain Hunter hasn't taken Ingram with him?"
“I have no idea if Hunter took Ingram with him. I'm not supposed to know about any of the shady business, remember? If you need a healer that bad, you should go to Pax and see Sebastian. Actually, where are you? I'll call him and have him go to where ever you are.”
The child’s change in tone did not go unnoticed, however before he could comment upon the girls disrespectful nature Simon’s brow furrowed in puzzlement as the ingénue went on to mention two thing/places/people the elemental had never heard before. "Pax? What is that a clinic? And who's Sebastian? Listen Katrina this isn't something I can take to a public institution. If I could actually get in touch with the labs I would have taken Evans there already."
“Pax is the school where I teach. Sebastian is the headmaster- he's a healer. What happened to Tris? And what happened to you? You're acting really odd, did you hit your head or something? Tell me where you are so I can send you the healer you need for Tris.”[/color]
Katrina’s impatience was far more pronounced as she gave her curt response, the girl was clearly displeased at the hessians unwillingness to participate in the puerile diversion, however at this point Zephyr doubted he could care less; he had no times for games, his tone should have that point all too clear by now, yet the gamine was adamant in her efforts to persuade him. The elemental was only grateful that the ashen eyed prepubescent had concocted such an absurd tale, had her story actually been slightly more realistic it was all too possible he would have taken the girl at face value. Honestly though, Katrina as teacher? The prospect was almost laughable. "Katrina I'm in no mood for games, I'm fine but Evans could stand to have someone look at her, now if you actually know someone who can help I'm at my apartment in New York."
“Okay then, I'll send Sebastian right over. If you're going to pretend not to recognize him, he's the one with the white horn growing out of his head. Anything else? Because I'll need to hang up to dial him.”[/color]
Uttering yet another sigh Zephyr raised his hand and once again began massage his temples. Fine if Katrina was so determined to continue entertaining her imagination then he’d let her, the merc no longer had the tolerance to deal with her. "Fine send him over, I hope he can do something" "In most cases an address is useful or do you have that as well?"
"I'll do that, and I know where you live, airhead."[/color]
The hessians own tone shifted to match the blonde doppelgangers own level scorn before adding a healthy dose of sarcasm, he saw no reason to continue any pretense civility if she were going to behave in such a manner. "Well that's just great, here wait let me guess can you see dead people too?"
“Haha, funny, bye then."[/color] At which point the conversation came to an abrupt end as both parties reached the ends of their patience
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."
Posted by Sebastian on Mar 28, 2009 22:45:11 GMT -6
Beta Mutant
730
0
May 18, 2013 11:53:12 GMT -6
Sebastian was in his office when the phone call came from Katrina. He had been making travel preparations, but he had a few days yet before he had to leave and he'd been mostly ready for quite some time now. The most difficult part of preparing to travel was the mental preparations for flying. He hated the very idea of being suspended in the air so far above the ground using only frail human technology. He just couldn't help but think that he wasn't meant to fly or he'd have been born with wings instead of a hooves.
“Hello, this is Sebastian Csendes. How can I help you?” It was the formal greeting the unicorn man used every time he answered his phone.
“Hi, this is Katrina. Listen, I have an urgent favor. Zephyr needs a healer at his apartment right away. Number 1501 in the Hampshire building across from the park. You know where that is?” The young woman sounded both a little worried and a little annoyed. The headmaster wondered what could have happened to put her into a state that combined both of those.
“I'll be there right away. It will probably take me fifteen minutes to get there.” He would be glad for the opportunity to distract himself from worrying about his upcoming trip. As a healer, he also felt obliged to go wherever he was needed. Even though normal lifespans didn't last very long in comparison to his own, a single human or mutant life was important to him. If he could save someone then he would, with rare exceptions for people that humanity in general would be better off without; Zhang Xiao being a current example.
“That should be fine. Thank you.” Already she sounded slightly more relieved. Who was he kidding? Aside from those perfectly logical reasons he made for himself to go running off across the city to play doctor, Katrina had asked him to do it, and he would be hard pressed to deny her a favor for some reason. The relief in her voice was what made the errand seem like the right thing to do more than any ethical reason.
“No need for thanks,” he replied and set the phone back in its cradle. Without delay, he stood and slung his grey wool coat over his shoulders and grabbed his car keys. The apartment was within walking distance, but driving would be quicker, which was always important in an emergency.
As predicted, it took him fifteen minutes to arrive at the address Katrina had specified. The front door to the apartment building was locked, but there was a doorbell system of some sort. At least, there were buttons labeled for each of the room numbers in the building. It seemed simple enough, so Sebastian pressed the button labeled 1501 and waited.
Tris was tensed, waiting for the inevitable counter strike from her airy antagonist, her hawk eyed watchfulness waiting for a sign of a whirlwind swinging her way, a rainstorm being created over her head, or simply some very sharp teeth with a body full of weight behind them coming at her. ….but no. …..nothing. Zephyr simply stood there, not even turning around but eventually muttering something about changing his clothes.
The sodden and feathery fiend literally stalked back to the bedroom.
Tris grinned, light headed, not just from blood loss, but from victory- he hadn’t retaliated, she’d won… but just before Tris could fully begin entertaining these thoughts, her inadequate covering was abruptly and rudely yanked away from Tris’s reclining form, thrust by invisible force into the bedroom just as the door slammed shut.
Tris's happy face dropped into a shocked expression, before she collected herself and rearranged her delicate features into a scowl.
‘Jerk!’ She shrieked, her high-pitched tones of outrage loud enough to be heard through a wood paneled door. She slumped back against the couch in well, not defeat, it was just the tiredness had crept back up on her from her maybe slightly unwise exertions, and she was again feeling like she was the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz and had just got the stuffing kicked out of her. Not to mention the ouch factor of yelling with a fang punctured throat.
Time went by and Zephyr didn’t return. Tris passed the minutes by idly wondering if she should creep over to the bedroom door and spy on Zephyr or atleast find some clothes, but the whole movement thing decided her that she should stay exactly where she was.
She instead relaxed into the cushioned couch, spending some happy moments daydreaming- the topic of her dreams mainly revolving around the painful things she was going to do to a certain air elemental with fangs when she got better. ……mmmmm, happy dreams.
She was dozing on and off when a buzz from the building intercom system aroused her to a slightly more alert state of consciousness, enough, at any rate to raise her voice and called out for Zephyr in a faux syrupy voice that was infused with more than afew measures of waspish sarcasm; “Hunny, could you get that?” She rolled her eyes at the irony of those words, considering the hugely not funny practical joke that was the matching wedding rings she’d discovered only that very morning.
….I’d get it myself, she thought viciously to herself, but you attacked me this morning and the blood loss is making me feel too dizzy to make it the ten blasted steps to the door. Oh yeah, and even if your sudden blood sucking needs hadn’t completely drained my energy, I wouldn’t…..cause, oh yeah, you even took away my towel. Needless to say, her mental voice was not kind.
She waited, impatient and fidgety on the couch, despite the swooping tiredness that was again trying to claim her, curious to see whom would call at the apartment of an air elemental.
Who knew, maybe Zeph’s subscriptions to playboy and hustler and full colour magazines of that nature needed renewing.
Hehehee, that slightly spiteful thought allowed Tris a small grin.
Perched upon the edge of his now remade bed Simon sat with elbows balances upon his knees and his head resting against interlocked fingers as he attempted for nth time to perceive precisely how his life had managed to deviate to such a point. The elemental had already come to believe that such efforts were largely futile yet his mind seemed resolute in returning to the issue time and time again. In all honesty it was becoming somewhat depressing, continuously pondering his predicament without being able to penetrate the shadowed veil which seemed to shroud his memories. There were, admittedly, brief moments during his endeavors when illumination appeared almost tantalizing close, each time however his skull was abruptly racked with a piercing pain effectively ending his efforts.
It was a frustrating cycle, one which did little to improve his mood, which completely contradicted the hessians purprose in withdrawing to his chambers in the first place. Eventually though the mercenary was able to alleviate his grievances by indulging an ancient past time practiced by many around the globe; he shifted the blame, namely to one parasitic, blood sucking, inhuman, Machiavellian style bastard of an immortal, who did unspeakable things with his anorexic eremite of a head scientist. It made sense if one actually stopped to think about it, how else would the two miserable gits stand each other?
As the reader may very likely be aware venting has wonderfully therapeutic effect on an individual and thus after Zephyr had allowed his protracted internal rant to come to a close after roughly ten minutes of subsistence the British born Kabal member found his mien to be much improved. The mercenary was not happy by any means but a good deal of tension had left his shoulders, leaving him calmer then he had been all day. How long such peace would last however was dubious at best, especially considering the rather uncouth and unrobed guest currently recuperating in his living area.
Shifting his gaze towards to the obsidian oblong atop the bedside table once more Zephyr permitted himself wonder precisely how much truth had been in Katrina’s earlier statements. The girl was victim to flights of fancy now and again, but then what child wasn’t? The gamines tone however had been lacking it typical lackadaisical element and now that he was of a mind to review the conversation there were things that didn’t make sense. Before he could dwell upon such thoughts though a low buzz echoed throughout the apartment disrupting the hessians deliberations and bring the hazel haired man back to the present as his azure eye glanced at the slim silver chronometer besides his phone. Only twenty minutes had passed since his conversation with the blonde haired ingénue, perhaps there had been a grain of verisimilitude in the girls discourse after all.
“Hunny, could you get that?”[/color]
A frown pulled at the elementals lips as he heard the redheads sickly sweet tone and for a moment the mercenary debated on whether to ignore his new visitor in order to further aggravate the petite soubrette. As quickly as the idea arose though it was dismissed; he had already put things off for far too long and if Katrina had indeed sent him a healer then there was little point in procrastinating any further.
Shifting his weight away from the bed Simon rose swiftly to his feet, taking a moment to brush down the front of his newly donned clothes; simple items consisting of a pair of gray slacks and a blue collared shirt. They had been the first things he’d retrieved from his closet after Evans puerile incident with the feathers and so he’d not paid them much mind, merely wanting to distance himself from the aggravating woman and compose himself. It was suitable attire though and therefore left the mercenary with little reason to avoid his oh so sociable partner any longer, thus with a slight sigh the mercenary emerged from the bedroom, bypassing the volatile redhead completely as his footsteps led the slender hessian towards the apartment entrance. Brushing his fingers against an electronic panel built besides the entrance which would unlock the buildings front door and activate a built in communication system Zephyr spoke in a light tone as his other hand deftly worked to release the apartments deadbolt.
“I take it this Sebastian, the doors open, you’ll find us on the 5th floor, make your way up.”
Not giving the supposed Sebastian a chance to response the elemental cut off the speaker and pivoted on his feet as he turned to his drained companion, taking in her rather lacking wardrobe before raising a hand to his temples in an effort to suspend an encroaching head ache as he sojourned briefly into the bathroom, returning seconds later with an alabaster bathrobe which he then offered to the fatigued female.
“I’ve arranged for a mutant healer, he’ll be here shortly, I think it would be best if we held a truce for at least the duration of his visit.”
Posted by Sebastian on Apr 13, 2009 22:31:01 GMT -6
Beta Mutant
730
0
May 18, 2013 11:53:12 GMT -6
A disembodied mechanical voice sounded from the small metal grate near the button Sebastian pressed. The unicorn man only jumped a little. That is, he hadn't left his skin on the floor when he'd leaped away from the talking box.
>>>“I take it this is Sebastian, the door's open, you’ll find us on the 5th floor, make your way up.”
Was he supposed to talk back to the box whose voice sounded familiar albeit a little more tinny than normal.
“I'll be right up.” He had no idea if Zephyr could hear that, but a moment later when he pulled on the door handle it opened. After it buzzed most alarmingly and Sebastian had realized that the buzzing was the sound of the door being unlocked. Going up to the fifth floor meant either stairs or an elevator. Although he could operate an elevator, there was always the chance that some part of the complicated machine could break rendering him stuck in its' mirrored confines until someone deigned to fix the contraption. That would never do in an emergency; he was needed on the fifth floor.
He made quick work of the stairs and found the appropriately numbered door in the hallway above. Since he had already received permission to enter down below, the unicorn man let himself into this second door. The first thing he saw upon entering was a familiar looking young man with light brown hair and blue eyes just a shade darker than his own. He was either handing or had just handed something to a young red haired woman who was seated next to him wearing something less than was perhaps appropriate for a man other than her husband to see. Sebastian turned away politely before his eyes had a chance to take in much more than the textures and colors of white terrycloth, silky red locks, and pale skin.
“I am terribly sorry. I should have knocked. Please excuse my intrusion.” His back still turned, he continued to explain his purpose for being there, just in case the illusionist hadn't warned them that he was on his way. They didn't seem prepared for his arrival, in any case.
“Katrina informed me that you were in need of a healer. Whom is it that needs my services?” Certainly not the fiery molecule manipulator who could weave her own flesh back together as easily as an ice cream float soothed the woes of teary teens. Nor her air bending husband, recently immortalized by the hands of a mad scientist and the blood of a centuries old vampire. Who then was he here to help?
Unreceptive brown eyes followed the return of Zephyr in all his annoyingly non-damp, non-feathered glory, and after all that work she’d put in too- how unfair was that? Oh sure, just cause it was his apartment he gets a change of clothes and Tris was still stuck with less than a freakin towel…. Tris’s thoughts bubbled and steamed in such similar veins as this as she witnessed the wide birthed path the air elemental strode on which to answer the buzzers summons. Tris eavesdropped shamelessly, but the tact didn’t give her much; “I take it this Sebastian, the doors open, you’ll find us on the 5th floor, make your way up.”
Zephyr then pivoted disconcertingly fast to stare at Tris with a guarded expression. Puzzled anxiety creased Tris’s features as she stared back- had Zephyr been expecting to be doing some entertaining today? And who the hell was this Sebastian anyway? And why should this person be allowed to visit when Tris was feeling like shit and not exactly rated to be viewed by the public at the present time?
Zephyr had left the room and returned by the end of her internal rant, and after processing what she saw, wonder of wonders, the sight of Zephyr returning for once caused a spark of relief to escape in the sigh that Tris breathed, not for the odious man himself obviously, but for the contents she spied him carrying. Seconds later her assumption that, since he was already clothed, the fluffy material was for her, was verified as he offered her the cloth robe along with some overdue exposition. “I’ve arranged for a mutant healer, he’ll be here shortly, I think it would be best if we held a truce for at least the duration of his visit.”
Tris took a moment to process this information, weigh up her options and his offer. The bargain was clear- the bathrobe for her silence during the strangers visit. After all, Zephyr would not want to look like the barbaric bas*%rd he was in front of company. And as loath as she was to accept anything from her airy rival at this particular point in time, Tris had to concede that the offer of at least some sort of cover was a big draw. She sighed again, besides, its not like she had any other good possibilities turning up right about now. “Fine….Whatever.” She drawled slowly but still unwilling, the tone slow and languid as it aimed for an ‘I couldn’t care less about you or this situation’ attitude, but the irritation of having to agree to be halfway civil with such a repellent person for any length of time could still be heard simmering underneath to the trained ear. Her actions however, beguiled her fatigued figure and her ‘lazy, couldn’t care less’ attitude as her arm reached up and fairly much snatched the offered covering from the young man, the act itself betraying her need for at least this small comfort to decrease her own sense of vulnerability. To distract both persons in the room of this obvious deduction as she worked to smooth the laid material over herself like a blanket, she added in a sneering tenor; “And since there will be other persons present in the room, you might try drawing upon every little shred of acting ability you possess to outwardly appear to be a decent human being…..I know it’s a stretch and you probably wont quite make it, but at least you wont immediately be marked by the company as the selfish, impotent, chauvinistic, jackass that I have the displeasure of knowing.” Her words were again uttered in that sugary, ‘too sweet’ voice she had employed before, not at all disguising the words spiteful intentions, the tone marinated in ill will- yes Tris definitely found it hard getting past the chip on her shoulder where anything to do with Zephyr was concerned. …And the best part- she was getting to unload all this hostility now, minutes or even seconds before the healer dude that Zephyr had wanted there to be the semi balance of a truce in front of, was to arrive…. which equaled Tris getting to push all the buttons she wanted and Zephyr having to shut up and take it if he didn’t want to be found shouting by their mystery guest.
Tris’s vague prediction that their mystery healer dude would turn up sooner rather than later appeared to be true as the unlocked front door was swung open. Tris’s attentions veered from their focus of the possible repercussions of her words to her lofty rival to be drawn to the slightly stranger then strange stranger who had abruptly appeared in their midst. A mostly normal looking guy with white hair and spiraling horn growing out of the middle of his forehead. Tris had spent enough time around mutants of all shapes and sizes so that her reaction was controlled, but she did blink more than usual as she adjusted to this new information. And whatever right? Who cared if the guy had a horn- maybe he liked a good hat rack, but as long as he could heal her so she could get back to the all important task of getting vengeance on her own personal aggravation of an air element, that was all that mattered.
It seemed that Tris wasn’t the only one who was doing some critical analysis of another’s appearance, as unfamiliar light blue eyes swept over her barely covered frame convalescing on the couch. The polite stranger turned aside in a gesture of modesty that Tris didn’t expect but had appreciated. He spoke, the words earnest and serious; “I am terribly sorry. I should have knocked. Please excuse my intrusion. Katrina informed me that you were in need of a healer. Whom is it that needs my services?”
Tris’s welcoming smile faded a degree as the words came to her from the supposed healer- surely after an urgent phone call, the chic all faded and pale and looking like crap on the couch would be a big clue as to whom healing services were to be directed at. Hoping like hell this guys therapeutic skills were better than his deductive reasoning abilities, Tris responded with a; “That would be me.” And a halfhearted wave of her arm to attract the healers attention when his focus was once more on her- all her fatigued body was capable of at the present time.
Tossing the pale bathrobe atop his discourteous guest the slender hessian quirked an eyebrow wordlessly as the fiery redhead violently snatched the garment from the air; an action completely at odds with her feigned lackadaisical manner. Idly rolling his eyes as the temperamental soubrette hastily moved to cloth herself and regain some false sense of modesty Zephyr raised his arm to check the garish watch placed upon his wrist. If the healer had chosen the lift as his mode of transportation then the elemental would be forced to enjoy his partners company for another three minutes or so, alternatively should this “Sebastian” opt for the stairs he should be arriving at any time now…
“And since there will be other persons present in the room, you might try drawing upon every little shred of acting ability you possess to outwardly appear to be a decent human being…..I know it’s a stretch and you probably wont quite make it, but at least you wont immediately be marked by the company as the selfish, impotent, chauvinistic, jackass that I have the displeasure of knowing.”[/color]
The mercenary’s features darkened as he took in the petites woman’s puerile words, azure eyes narrowing ominously as they fixed the volatile harridan with a warning gaze. Other than that silent reprimand however no alternative response was give, for it was at that very moment Katrina’s healer deigned to appear; ceasing any continuation of the callow verbal battle in order to grant some slight form of civility. If he were to be perfectly honest however then the hessian would likely admit that Sebastian’s appearance alone would be sufficient to give one pause; respectfully dressed in a dark business suit with a long mane of white hair tied back into a plain ponytail the healer in question was one of the few who could possibly pass himself off as an ordinary human… if not for the rather impressive horn protruding from his cranium. Easily several inches long the argent horn spiraled ornately from the center of the man’s forehead before tapering off to a point after several inches.
“I am terribly sorry. I should have knocked… [/color]
Blinking briefly, Simon gaze redirected itself to the newcomers face as his thoughts shifted back to the matter at hand, this was hardly a time to be caught gawking after all, and compared to some of the things Zephyr had seen this “Sebastian” was perfectly normal. “You may as well come in, considering your profession I doubt it’s anything you haven’t seen before.” The elementals tone was dry and slightly fatigued as he ushered the mutant medic inside his abode, deftly closing the ingress to his apartment before pivoting and placing his back against the door as the locking mechanism slid shut with a barely audible click. Although the mercenary’s abode was well kept he had no desire to share its current state with any of the buildings other tenants, the last thing he needed was for the other residents to think he was some form of tryst with the foul mannered redhead.
“Please excuse my intrusion. Katrina informed me that you were in need of a healer. Whom is it that needs my services?” [/color]
A vague gesture was made in the direction of the of the prone female all but passed out upon the couch. “That would be the ah, charming, lady right in front of you. She is feeling rather fatigued and is unable to muster her usual energy.”
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."
Posted by Sebastian on Jun 15, 2009 15:36:25 GMT -6
Beta Mutant
730
0
May 18, 2013 11:53:12 GMT -6
Sebastian turned around slowly and witnessed the invalid on the couch. She was covered with a bathrobe, which was more modest than Sebastian had assumed at first glance. Her face was much more pale than usual, and her husband was absolutely correct that she did not seem to have her usual energy. It was unusual to see Tris in any state that even faintly resembled helpless, and yet, here she was.
Sebastian's eyebrow raised, betraying his puzzled thoughts. What ailment could effect her such that she could not heal herself? Physical wounds should have been no problem. Perhaps she suffered from an infection or an illness that she could not eradicate herself, but why then the emergency? Had she eaten anything that could have caused her to contract food poisoning? She wasn't experiencing complications due to pregnancy, was she? It was not an unlikely scenario, and it would explain why they couldn't go to a normal doctor. These speculations were not particularly important, however, so the immortal didn't waste much time trying to diagnose her by guessing.
“Let me see what I can do,” the healer quickly went to her side and the cause of her distress became readily apparent. Sebastian frowned, not liking what he found. There was an improvised cloth and tape bandage on her neck which Sebastian carefully removed. Beneath it, the red headed woman had a nasty looking bite on her throat that wasn't currently bleeding, but had been earlier that day. It was just barely starting to scab over. She also had finger shaped bruises darkening around her forearm. Many smaller bruises decorated the rest of her currently exposed flesh. Numerous already healed scars matched the wound on her neck.
Sebastian's diagnosis for Tris' current condition was blood loss, and he wasn't at all happy about it. Zephyr had hurt her, hurt her multiple times. His emergency had been that he'd finally carried things so far the pair of them couldn't take care of it on their own any more. He'd finally hurt her so badly she didn't even have the energy to heal herself, it seemed.
Sebastian placed his hand very gently directly on the wound on Tris' neck. The familiar sensation of burningly cold energy poured out through his palm and soaked into her skin. He was dimly aware of the energy's icy progress through her body as it mended the most serious injuries first, like the one on her neck, then moved on to less threatening injuries, like those bites that had already started to heal, and finally ended by mending scars that never should have been there in the first place. After a few moments, her body was as good as new.
Sebastian stood and turned to the auburn haired vampire. His tail thrashed and his clear blue eyes narrowed accusingly at his fellow immortal.
Sebastian was angry. He didn't anger easily, so it had been quite awhile since he had found this much rage boiling up inside of him. What he really wanted to do was punch Zephyr in his perfectly carved alabaster face. Even if he broke his knuckles on the cocky bastard's nose, it would only take a few moments to heal it again. His hand, that was; Zephyr could heal his own damn nose. He restrained himself, and merely clenched his fists instead. He was a gentleman and the headmaster of a school that taught non-violent resistance. He wasn't about to go around starting fisticuffs, but he wasn't about to let things go without saying something at the very least.
“What the hell do you think you were doing? You could have killed her! She's your wife for gods' sakes and you treat her like this? Have you got some kind of predator/ prey fetish? She may be a healer, but it doesn't give you the right to abuse her thusly. Unlike you and I, she isn't immortal. If she dies she isn't coming back, and you'll have to live the rest of your long, pathetic, miserable, parasitic, worthless little pile of manure life with that guilt. That is if a moldy, ignominious, blood bloated leech is capable of such an emotion.”
Provoking vampires wasn't the smartest thing to do, yet Sebastian found himself doing it for the second time in his life. He didn't care if the man attacked him for addressing him with such ire. He'd quite happily defend himself if it was necessary to do so.
Remaining against the cool wood of the door Zephyr's azure eyes tracked Sebastian's movement as the older mutant approached the prone redhead. A moments surprise ran through the elementals thoughts as he caught sight of a slender tail emerging from the base of the healers spine but aside from a slight arcing of his brow gave no overt reaction to the extra appendage; just like the horn which adorned the man's head, the mercenary had seen stranger things and like many who chose to reside in New York had swiftly learned no comment on such evolutionary oddities.
Sebastian's back was towards him throughout the entire healing process and thus Zephyr's view of the rejuvenation was less than ideal, yet the hessian was still able to observe as Evans face and limbs gradually recovered to a healthier shade and his elemental awareness felt her draw deeper breaths as horned healer somehow replenished the blood which had been withdrawn. The entire procedure took less than a minute and Sebastian soon lowered his hands and regained his feet before pausing without apparent reason, yet the abrupt cessation of movement instilled a measure of unease in Zephyr, causing him to gently shift into a more practical stance without moving from the door.
Cobalt eyes swept cautiously up and down the healer quiescent form searching for sign of tension, and though the sable business suit had been designed to cloak the man's form, it could not disguise the healers tightened fists or the vicious thrashing of his tail. Sebastian was not pleased, and the fact caused Zephyr to frown; despite his apparent amnesia the dissolute hessian's intelligence had not abandoned him, he knew what type of picture Evan's injury's would paint for a third party and it would not paint him in the best of lights. Still he'd hoped that Sebastian would be discreet and perhaps turn a blind eye, after all it was hardly any of his business, the man had simply been contacted to provide a service, nothing more.
As Sebastian turned to face him however Zephyr realized such hopes were futilitarian and allowed himself a light sigh as he pushed away from the door and placed his weight on the balls of his feet in an unrecognized but oddly familiar manner for something told mercenary he'd likely need to move somewhat swiftly should the horned healer lose what little restraint he still possessed.
A physical altercation was the last thing the elemental wanted right now; for while he doubted Sebastian would be a threat as long as distance was maintained Evans was presumably healed and the elemental could easily envision the volatile redhead taking an opportunity to exact her own unique form of retribution; which simply would not do, he rather liked his lodgings here and would prefer the place to remain standing if at all possible.
“What the hell do you think you were doing? You could have killed her! She's your wife for gods' sakes and you treat her like this? Have you got some kind of predator/ prey fetish?"[/color]
Zephyr's eyes thinned as he glared darkly at the older man; insults and castigation were nothing new to the elemental and he'd long ago developed a thick skin and learned to ignore the majority of verbal spite which was directed his way, yet Sebastian's bearing and tone awoke unpleasant images within the recesses of the hessians mind father; memories of frequent but ineffective upbraiding's always delivered with indignant, as though his sons mere existence had been an unending insult. Zephyr hands slowly curled into fists...
pcolor=grey]"She may be a healer, but it doesn't give you the right to abuse her thusly."[/color]
A momentary puzzlement shot through the elementals thoughts causing his brow to furrow briefly in confusion. What in the world was Sebastian talking about? Evans was hardly a healer, if anything the girl was a specialized demolitions package, but healing? The seas would likely dry out before the redhead learned to work with anything beyond a basic bandage.
"Unlike you and I, she isn't immortal."[/color]
Zephyr blinked, the confusion on his features becoming more apparent as the healer delivered yet another piece of recondite knowledge. The hessian had no recollection of partaking of an amrita's libation at any point in the recent past, though that didn't necessarily mean anything given the apparent leaks in his memory. Possibly his newly acquired parasitic tendencies would confer some type of regression but unless he'd somehow missed a collection of years it was somewhat premature to say...
"and you'll have to live the rest of your long, pathetic, miserable, parasitic, worthless little pile of manure life with that guilt. That is if a moldy, ignominious, blood bloated leech is capable of such an emotion.”[/color]
Despite the rising tide of confusion within the mercenary's now drifting thoughts anger and resent once more began to surface as Sebastian's final words registered within his mind; again withdrawing undesirable recollections from the vault of his memories. Though it had been years since he'd last faced his father Zephyr instinctively fell back into the behavior he'd long ago discovered most infuriated the man who'd failed to raise him. Outwardly it was little more than a subtle alteration in stance, a relaxing of shoulders and shifting of feet to adapt a lackadaisical posture as an expression of absolute indifference crept across the elemental features. The sense of apathy was what he'd found was key and so it was reflected in his cadence as he uttered his brief response.
"I requested a healer, not a lecture on ethos. If you're finished perhaps you should leave."
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."