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.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Mar 29, 2009 17:23:13 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Kealey nearly cursed internally, nearly. It had taken years to perfect that kind of control, even in her thoughts but after enough hours spent praying for the ability to not use profanity Kealey wasn't about to lapse simply because she'd unintentionally given away information she usually gave without a thought. For some reason she'd just wanted to avoid the inevitable barrier her gifts put up between herself and the people she wanted to be friends with.
There was going to be no avoiding it now, though. Kealey could feel the emotions coming from Elle, just as she'd been able to from the beginning. There was more than mere curiosity now. The girl had grabbed ahold of the single phrase with the tenacity of a pitt bull and wasn't letting go.
She still wanted to buy something for her and Kealey could feel the determination there. She sighed, trying to ignore the thought and let ot go. Subconsciously she picked out a cami of her own that she was carrying around. If Elle really insisted, that piece was pretty inconsequential and depending on what the woman had bought herself, could be part of a 4 for 5 deal the shop was running. It'd almost be like Kealey was doing her a bit of a favor. Otherwise, it was still a cheap piece in comparison.
Elle's head poked out of the dressing room for a minute and Kealey looked at her in slight surprise as she spoke, then ducked back into the little room. Kealey could feel it all. The curiosity, almost urgent now and something that felt a little like suspicion, but not quite. Was Lori getting more guarded?
Kealey had been quiet for too long, she realized, especially considering the fact that she'd been chattering like an old woman in a knitting circle the rest of that day. That would be as telling as anything that Elle was on the right track. Elle didn't seem worried, just on alert now, ready.
"Not a psychic, no. I'd never intrude on someone's thoughts that way if I could help it." she paused for another moment, then sighed, "I can, however, tell what you're feeling. That's how I figured you needed help in the first place. I hope you don't mind too much...I've really been enjoying this."
Elle was frowning when she came out of the changing room. "You don't have to be ashamed of who you are, Kealey." She heaved her pile toward the counter, grabbing the camisole from the girl's hand as she passed. It made sense for Kealey to understand emotions but not thoughts, it also made Lori relax quite a bit. She could maybe lie with her feelings right? Right? "Besides, you'd have to be a better liar than that to get away with hiding in plain sight." Lori grinned at Kealey and started digging her pockets for the cash. A sudden flurry of panic hit her that it wouldn't be there, but of course it was. Just not in the pocket she was expecting. Stupid cargo pants.
Elle flipped through the bills after the total came up and lay the green on the counter with the bloodiest bill at the bottom. The woman behind the counter accepted before rushing around to package things up. In the mean time, Elle turned to face Kealey. She had to angle her face up a bit to give the girl full eye contact, but this was something that was best delivered eye to eye.
"You are your own woman, Kealey, or at least you'd better learn to be in this town or you're going to take it where you don't want it." She arched her eye brows poignantly. She was entirely too passive and apologetic for just being who she was. "Those of us who hide what we are are blessed and cursed with the choice to be duplicitous. It's kind of natural to assume what others are going to think or feel about our kind isn't it?" Notice all the uses of us in there? Well, one good admission deserved another. The woman behind the counter was either trying her best to ignore the conversation or really was busy with the ridiculous amounts of wrapping and boxing that was going on.
Lori accepted the first bag of many over the counter and dug through the nice wrapping, messing almost every wrapper in search of the camisole. She handed the colorful piece of cloth over to the girl. "You seriously need to loosen up some. Come grab a drink with me, I still have some cash."
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Mar 30, 2009 18:16:02 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Elle was assertive, of that Kealey had no doubt. She was hitting her stride of confidence too, and it helped Kealey feel a little better about the situation when it spilled over into her. Confidence was a nice thing, Kealey only wished she could produce it in the quantity that Lori was currently projecting. ”It’s not so much that I’m ashamed of who I am. In fact, I think you’re the first person in New York that I’ve talked to for more than a few moments without spilling everything. I’m feeling a little guilty about holding back for so long.”
Liar. Kealey didn’t like the word…that’s not what she’d been doing, was it? Liar was almost a dirty word, liars couldn’t be trusted. Liars said whatever they thought people wanted to hear, no matter the cost. No, Kealey most definitely wasn’t a liar.
They were at the cash register now, and Kealey noticed that Elle had snagged that particular cami she’d resigned herself to giving up if the girl insisted. ”I ‘m not a hider. I’d explain more, but it’s a long story.” Besides, how many people actually bought the story that she was raised to believe she was some kind of gift from God. With as many crazies as she’d seen roaming the streets of New York, Kealey didn’t really think it was many.
Slight panic, Kealey noted as Elle searched in the pockets of her pants, then pulled out what looked to be quite a bit of cash. Wow. That was more money than Kealey had seen in a while. Elle paid, then turned around and made eye contact. She was so direct, Kealey could feel the confidence still, mixed with something of her own. A little jealousy maybe? Then Elle spoke and Kealey’s blond eyebrow rose at the terminology the other woman used. ”Where I don’t want it, huh?” she said, with a slight grin and a shake of her head.
The uses of ‘we’ and ‘our kind’ weren’t lost on Kealey either. Apparently she’d stumbled upon another mutant. That might explain some of the confidence, the bravado. Female mutatns tended to be quite strong. It wasn’t necessarily a pretty word out there for a single woman in normal circumstances, Kealey wasn’t so naieve that she’d mised that lesson. For a woman who was also a mutant, it was even harder.
”Honestly, I haven’t had too many people react to me too negatively…” she said slowly, completely oblivious to the woman behind the counter until she felt the woman’s extreme discomfort. She’d turned around and was offering the bag. ”Most just want to keep their distance, and I can’t blame them. Most people don’t like their emotions to be an open book to anyone. Especially not a stranger.”
They were done. The clothes were paid for and Elle was handing Kealey the cami she’d bought then…asking her for a drink. She needed to loosen up? Kealey thought about that for a moment, looking at Elle with a thoughtful expression on her face. This was what she’d been thinking about in the library. She really didn’t have any friends and after the initial, slightly rocky start, she and Elle seemed to have hit it off pretty well.
”I’m not much of a drinker…but yeah, I’d love to tag along. she said. ”Maybe you can give me some pointers on getting it where I want it.” Kealey didn’t know what she was saying, but it sounded right.
She had thought Kealey understood the delicacies of the phrase "taking it where you don't want it," but when the girl repeated it back to her under different context, Lori couldn't help to laugh. Just a gentle thing, easily tucked away behind the hand and growing to hardly more than a shoulder rolling giggle.
Lori considered Kealey for a moment with new eyes. The girl was naive, sheltered and needed to be rescued as much as Lori had needed to be rescued from the clothing store. She supposed Kealey hadn't had too many averse reactions because the girl was polite at the very least. Lori didn't bother with the niceties... she also didn't bother unnecessarily exposing her gift to others, but Keaely seemed to be at least grasping that it wasn't the best thing to walk around with your most sensitive bits out for the world to see... right?
"Honey, I will help you get it good." Lori winked again and went for the door, her bags and excitement trailing behind her. She held the door for Kealey and made sure to usher her little duckling along. As they walked, Lori was planning how to exactly get this done. Kealey said she didn't want to drink, but there were ways... Lori had been a bar tender! She of all people knew there were ways. Certain drinks boasted infamously slutty names, sure, but the innocuous sounding libations were often the deal makers. Long island iced tea, for one, had helped many a soul find their love for drinking. It didn't even taste of alcohol in Lori's opinion, but was in fact composed of so many DIFFERENT alcohols that it would get a newbie drunk after half a glass.
"I think I know a good place for an amateur. No karaoke or anything embarrassing like that and no imitation Ireland, since you seem to have the real deal all on your own." She nearly winked again in her excitement, but no... she had to contain herself a little. Didn't want to scare her duckling away. No, Lori brought them to a rather elegant looking establishment. It was all grey polished marble, gold fixtures, and tiny round tables for two at the perfect heigh to stand at or, in Lori's case, the perfect height to pull up a tall stool and sit. It was a definite chick place, the only other inhabitants of the locale were three elderly women and a mother and daughter.
"Welcome to the Vision Lounge. Things are a little dead just now since it's before dinner, but it'll pick up. You gals need a menu or just here for drinks?"
Lori looked the question at Kealey and shrugged. "Better leave us a menu just in case. I'll start with long island iced tea." and she hoped her friend would either follow suit or accept a sip or five of her own from Lori's.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Mar 31, 2009 16:03:08 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Lori would help her get it good. Kealey could feel the amusement radiating from her, and suddenly she wondered if she’d been wise to try and reply to something when she wasn’t sure of the meaning. Probably not, but Lori wasn’t mocking her, she wasn’t being rude about it, so Kealey just smiled and blushed slightly. She’d have to ask what Lori had meant at some point. Kealey also planned to ask about that confidence, she’d been impressed before…but as they left the shop…it increased even more. How could a person be so sure of themselves? It really was a little amazing.
Out the door she went, grinning from ear to ear at how natural Elle looked carrying all those bags. She’d done good work this day. It was okay to let Elle return the favor, right? Kealey had been thinking at work the past few days that she needed to do more than just sit in there. Had it been Ash who’d pointed it out or had it been Kealey herself? She was never going to figure out what her place was in New York if she didn’t get out of the stacks. ”Well, I appreciate the help.”
Lori knew a good place for an amateur. Was it that obvious? Apparently it was, but Kealey didn’t mind. What Kealey was slightly suspicious of, though, was the calculation now flowing from Elle along with the confidence and the amusement from earlier. Kealey was starting to feel a little overwhelmed, but happy about it. No karaoke and not an…imitation Ireland? Something else she’d have to ask later.
”Yup. Born and raised on the island.” Kealey said, ”Northern Ireland if we’re being specific.” They walked into the bar and Kealey smiled, Elle really had done a nice job choosing a place. Kealey wasn’t vastly experienced with drinking establishements, but she knew that she wasn’t into the crazy night scene that New York sometimes offered. The type where people spilled into the street or made a lot of noise inside. She wondered what it would be like to be a part of that, but there were usually simply too many people. And drunk was a feeling…being around someone who was intoxicated…or several people who were intoxicated, was not exactly Kealey’s idea of a good time.
The table was adorable, and Kealey followed Elle’s lead and took a seat. The waitress didn’t take long to come and take their order and Kealey smiled as Elle ordered what sounded like a special type of New York iced tea. “I’ll have the same thing.” She said, then waited for the woman to walk away before talking again.
”Yeah. I’ve never really drank much. I tend to be able to feel what everyone is feeling around me…if they’re feeling drunk…I feel it too. The last thing I need on top of that is inhebriation of my own.”
She waited for the drink and when it was sat in front of her, Kealey picked it up and took a sip. It was probably the strangest iced tea she’d ever had, but it didn’t taste bad. ”So…exactly what are your pointers for an independent woman on her own in this city? I’ve only been here a couple of months.” Another sip. Strange iced tea…but good.
"I placed your accent. You've got to be a man-killer with words as pretty sounding as yours." Lori shrugged at Kealey. Only a real Irish gal coulda held out for this long. She would call it an educated guess that Kealey was from Ireland, but it was more just that obvious that Kealey was from out of State.
Elle was pleased at the look on Kealey's face. This establishment was a Sex and the City type place and Kealey was playing the role of Charlotte. Lori mused. Would she be Samantha? That would put the most innocent with the most... experienced. "Like the tea?" She could hardly contain her mirth and so she took a conservative sip on her own drink. Controlling her facial expressions would not be enough.
It was made even funnier when Kealey spoke of her inebriation woes. The typical bar was no good for her, though Lori thought it would make an excellent next stop. "I would think inebriation of your own would eliminate the feelings of most everyone else... though you would have to actually attempt inebriation to test that theory." She tried to be interested rather than amused. If she thought more analytically, perhaps the emotion would be buried under the science. Because really, wasn't that what all scientists hoped and dreamed of? A lack of emotion and an abundance of intellectual stimulation.
Ah except Kealey seemed interested in the emotional side of things, of course. Just as Lori was interested in the electro magnetic side of things.
”So…exactly what are your pointers for an independent woman on her own in this city? I’ve only been here a couple of months.”[/i]
"Honestly, it's all in the hips." She teased. "I'm not sure about pointers. It's not like I've had a class on it." She sipped at her drink some more and perused the menu. "The more you know, the more you can have confidence. You have a real advantage there with the whole emotional thing. Should give you a real insight into how people are reacting to you and their environment and you could really use that to your advantage." She sighed a bit wistfully, but knew an emotional gift in her hands would be more than disaster.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Apr 12, 2009 7:15:41 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
A blond eyebrow rose slowly as Kealey looked at the woman across the table from her over the rim of her glass as she took another sip. ”A man killer?” Kealey said, shaking her head slowly as she set down her glass. ”No, but people do ask me about it a lot.”
The tea was disappearing pretty quickly in her glass, but Kealey didn’t mind. Lori had been so keen on the idea of buying her a drink for her help that it made her even more comfortable. The other girl was amused now, amused and content and she was asking how Kealey liked the tea, ”I’ve never had this kind of tea before, but it’s very good.” She said with a toothy grin at the other blond.
It was an interesting thought, that inebriation would dull the thoughts of the other people around her. Kealey looked at Elle thoughtfully, her head tilted to the side, ”Honestly, I’d never thought about it the way you just suggested.” she said softly, ”I’ve always thought at if I gave up the scrap of control I’ve got, I’d lose my mind. You think it’d really dull my senses? The alcohol can make it it harder to feel?” Kealey was intrigued, she absolutely had to admit it. ”Maybe we should try it.” something in Kealey’s mind warned against this, but so far Elle hadn’t given her any reason for distrust. What could a little experimentation hurt?
Maybe we should try it. Kealey said, another sip. The tea was halfway gone now.
Elle did have pointers for what a woman like Kealey should do in a city like New York. Something new crept into Elle’s consciousness, calculation, wistfulness? Kealey leaned forward and looked at Elle seriously, very seriously, ”Don’t wish for this. It’s impossible to use something to your advantage when you’re feeling it too. I feel everything I recognize. Everything.”
Kealey realized how heavy things had just gotten in such a short period of time and leaned back in her chair, sipping at the iced tea again, ”And it’s only nice to know what someone is feeling some of the time. It almost makes it too easy to tell when someone is a backstabber...at least I know male intention right off the bat though. I can tell which ones are only out for physical congress, and I don’t have to waste my time.”
"I would be honored to buy you your first alcoholic drink. I make a good chaperone too since I used to work at a bar. So now is as safe and controlled of an environment as you may ever get for your experiment."
Lori cherished the last sips of her drink. It took more than that to get her tipsy, but it was definitely enough to loosen her tongue. This was the point where Lori typically loved everyone. She had just enough alcohol in her that everything was golden. Life was good, money was water, and anyone had a chance for a good time, even Kealey. If ever Lori was the sailor scout of love it was with one long island iced tea under her belt. When the waitress came around, Lori prudently chose not to take a refill. If she was going to continue to help liberate Kealey, she couldn't get smashed. At least, she couldn't get smashed first.
"You're right, of course, feeling it would be pretty horrible. No offense." She had enough problems dodging her own feelings. Pah! Hormonal liabilities. "You're the emotional lady, why do some girls get so clingy? It kind of weirds me out to be honest." She'd only seen it from afar really. Her general emotional detachment kept her safe from heartbreak, but in movies and the like the women were the morons eating ice cream and the men were the ones out having all the fun. Sounded stupid to Lori.
She was definitely not a stick around and cuddle kind of girl. If she needed a snuggle, she'd go out and get a snuggle; but if she was out for sweaty congress, the moment it was over she was putting her running shoes on. Relationships were best utilized to manipulating the self-restraints people had imposed on themselves. If you were someone's friend or lover, they were far more willing to make allowances for your deviance.
Unless Lori was going to tell someone the truth, which would never happen on purpose surely, she didn't ever see herself in a real give and tike kind of connection. Her counterpart could be an actual liability if Lori were pulling a long con. What if they picked her out in a crowed and said her real name? No, it was safer this way where Lori did the take and take and take end of things.
"Oh dear, male intent!" She chuckled to herself. "What must that be like? Do you get all hot and heavy just sitting somewhere because someone else is? What is sex like? That has got to be double the fun, right?" She was so casual about her questions that it was obvious that sex was no topic of embarrassment for her. Lori guessed that Kealey might not have actually done the deed, but that didn't mean Lori would shelter her. The idea of chastity puzzled her and amused her at the same time.
"Unless physical congress," she emphasized the word much to her amusement, "is what you are looking for. Where is the harm in a little fun with no strings? Why do the women have to be the ones looking for the stability and emotional attachment?" She bristled a bit. In a way, Lori was more like a man in her understanding of relationships. After all, the main influences of her life had been her dad and brother.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Apr 12, 2009 14:32:25 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Elle would be honored to buy Kealey her first drink. Well, that wasn’t exactly how the woman felt, but she was at least amiable and sincere. Kealey smiled, ”You know, I think I’ll take you up on that.” she said, then took another more liberal drink of the tea. As she got used to it, it tasted better and better and Kealey took another. Wow, that iced tea was going down fast. ”What do you think my first alcoholic drink should be?
This was nice, this was what all the TV shows and magazines were talking about when they did big articles on. Girlfriends going out shopping, then for a night on the time. Kealey looked over at Elle and smiled, ”Thanks for this…really.”
And then…Kealey’s eyes widened as Elle asked what it was that made women so clingy. Elle finished asking, and slowly, Kealey finished the ice tea. Finished the ice tea, then sat the empty glass down on the table. She was a little warm and fuzzy and she looked around to see who had drinks. Whoever it was, they needed to slow down. Back to the question. Elle’s emotions were strange as she thought about the obvious question, there was a little derision there. Kealey’s eyes narrowed slightly.
”No offense taken, of course.” she said, then took a deep breath, ”I couldn’t tell you about the clingy thing…I can just feel it. Women with men sometimes feel jealous, possessive, aggressive?” Kealey paused and sighed again, ”Like I said, I don’t know”.
The questions went on and Kealey’s eyes widened in shock at Elle’s next line of questioning, the girl was amused, iamused by what she was saying, by the things she was asking. For a few moments, Kealey didn’t even know how to respond. Suddenly, though, she realized that she wasn’t nearly as shocked as she usually would have been. Maybe it was because she felt comfortable with Elle, Kealey fought the furious blush creeping up her cheeks, but she answered. Kealey answered and found a giggle struggling to burst forward as she spoke.
”Yes, I feel it.” Kealey said, feeling incredibly wicked to talk about such things in public, ”It’s incredibly disconcerting…can you imagine feeling lust towards someone you haven’t had the slightest inkling of attraction to?” The rest of the question was much more complicated though, much more. Did Kealey want to share that much about herself? Why not, Elle had asked after all, and that genuine feeling of curiosity she emanated was infectious.
”I couldn’t tell you about…sex.” She said, ”I can’t imagine giving that of myself when I’m not sure the feelings behind it are mine.” Kealey listened as Elle spoke about women choosing men for themselves, not leaving it all to men to have numerous partners. Elle was bristling, she was defensive. Kealey had a feeling that at some point the other woman had stopped talking in general.
”I don’t think you understood me before Elle. Honestly, I couldn’t have a hope to tell you how I feel about much of anything. I think I liked the ice tea you got me…but that woman and her daughter over there really like the food they’re eating and it could just be that spilling over. Your curiosity is making me spill my guts like I’m in a confessional on a Sunday morning. If you pressed me though, I’d have to say that each woman’s life is her own to live in the way she sees fit. Each has her own standards of living and they have to do whatever it takes to feel fulfilled.”
Lori debated for a time wether she should confess that Kealey was already drinking alcohol or if she should get her another drink before confessions were made. Yes, another drink would soften the blow, right? Lori ran her finger over the menu with Kealey looking on. "There was a whole fad of slapping the word tini on the end of things. Really alcohol has gone through a mixed revolution, and I think we're better off for it. Look at all this. Some of these drinks are more dessert than alcohol. Chocotini, appletini, the old fashioned... well, you probably don't want bacon distilled anything so I wouldn't get the old fashioned. There are daiquiris and other slush-like drinks. Really if it sounds good, it quite possibly is."
Lori waved away the possibility of any hallmark moments between the two women. "You can thank me after your second chocotini." She grinned and flagged the waitress for Kealey. Maybe she could get away with one of her favorites: a cosmopolitan. That wouldn't push her over too far, would it? Lori continued to radiate extreme like toward Kealey. After a long island iced tea, that was her most dominant emotion to be sure.
After placing her order, Lori returned to Kealey's idea of emotion and sex. "Why does it matter that its your emotion or any emotion at all for that matter? That's my point, Kealey. So what if you don't know exactly what your emotions are? You're still feeling enjoyment from the drink just like you'd feel enjoyment from sex. Doubly so if you really did enjoy it." Lori flipped her hair behind her shoulder and realized she'd stood up when looking at the menu with Kealey. She resettled into her seat at their tiny round table and felt the need to liberate poor Kealey. "You don't have to fight the emotions that you feel." she shrugged.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Apr 18, 2009 10:42:18 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Chocotini? It sounded so fancy and it sounded like it involved chocolate, which was something Kealey was a big fan of in general. Mixing it with alcohol was definitely a good way to learn. Kealey didn’t tell Elle, but she was only going to have one. The thanks would come after that, whether she wanted them or not.
The other woman was so sure of herself as she kept talking. It seemed that Lori just might know as much about alcohol as Kealey knew about fashion. This was turning out to be such a mutually beneficial situation! Kealey listened and Kealey learned. If it sounded good, it probably was good…lesson number one. Lesson number two, Kealey sure as heck didn’t want anything that had been distilled in bacon.
Kealey shrugged her shoulders as the waitress came over and asked if they needed another drink. The word “another” stuck out to Kealey, but Elle was already ordering her one of those chocotinis and she let it go. The waitress left to fill the order and Elle started talking about the emotional side of things. Kealey listened, irritated by the emotions from the mom and daughter as she tried to concentrate on what Elle was saying to her. Leaning forward in her seat, Kealey marveled at how different the things Lori was saying were from the things she’d been taught her whole life.
Elle was so forward, so sure of what she was saying, and the words rang with truth. The woman really believed in what she was saying. When Kealey thought about it the way that Elle presented it, it made sense.
”How are you so sure of yourself Elle? Kealey asked, looking closely at the woman across from her as the waitress came back with the two drinks. Kealey looked at hers, the liquid looked just like hot chocolate, or chocolate milk and she picked it up and took a little sip. It had a different flavor, but the overwhelming flavor was chocolate and she smiled with surprised pleasure at the taste, ”Oh Elle, I think I could really get into this.” she said, taking another small sip, but then it was back to the conversation at hand.
”I’ve just never thought that those things were possible without feelings involved…and I figured that if I was just feeling residual attraction from someone else that would make things weird later.”
Sex purely for enjoyment. Kealey wasn’t completely naïve, but it wasn’t something she’d ever thought would work out for herself, she hadn’t even thought about the aspects of the act that Elle was pointing out. She would be able to tell what the other person was feeling. Just the thought made Kealey blush. What Elle did make a wonderful point about was that just because she could feel emotions from other people didn’t mean that she needed to ignore her own. Kealey thought about this and took another drink of the chocotini, she was relaxed, and curious and feeling incredibly open.
Sure other people’s emotions were a confusing jumble, but she could isolate them and understand them…she also knew which of those emotions she liked and which ones she didn’t. What would be the harm in just accepting some of the ones she liked?
”I think you might be on to something there Elle…it’s hard to think about, though. The way I was raised…well…let’s just say emotional expression wasn’t their forte.”
How was she so sure of herself? "Experience. You've got to go out and experience things or you'll never know anything about anything." She was passionate about her experiences as was evident from her ardent mini-speech.
"Of course you like it! It's chocolate!" Lori clapped Kealey on the back a bit harder than she intended. It was a bartender's pride to be able to pin point a favorite drink, and though Kealey hadn't specifically pegged Kealey's drink for her, she'd guessed it would be one of the dessert types at least.
"Unfortunately, you can't have a no-strings-attacked relationship if you aren't careful, Kealey. You have to set ground rules first. No cuddling, no getting attached, no second dates or maybe no second dates right away at least. You have to protect your heart in these crazy times." Lor realized she was preaching again and again took her seat. "It's only as weird as you make it."
Lori nodded woefully along with Kealey when it came to poor upbringing... or at least, what she thought was a reference to poor upbringing. "You should see the slop I grew up in. At least we made it out, eh?" Lori looked around and realized that she had no drink to toast with. Well, that would have to be remedied. She grabbed a waitress. "Manhattan." She had to refrain from specific instructions that she was sure would never make it to the bartender. Ah well. A manhattan was good enough. "Trade me a sip when my drink comes?" She smiled. What better life was there than corrupting the innocent?
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Apr 19, 2009 16:28:07 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Experience was apparently the fastest way to self assuredness. Kealey was almost wishing by this point that she had a pen and a pad of notebook paper. How was she supposed to remember all these thing without something to keep track of them. She was starting to feel very relaxed though, and as a result the emotions were leaking in a little more easily than usual. Kealey shook her head, then looked over to see the woman and her daughter paying. That would definitely help.
Elle seemed incredibly pleased with her choice of drink for Kealey and when she pointed out the obvious attraction of the drink because it was chocolate, she clapped Kealey on the back. Kealey was taking a drink when she did it ant she nearly dropped her glass with the accidental power behind the pat. Then she went on with the lessons.
Elle was still sincere or Kealey would have thought the other woman was making a little fun of her. No strings attached? No cuddling? No second dates? Elle was talking about sex, was she really one of those women who were so independent that they moved through social circles like men did, having relationships with whatever men they chose? Amazing, absolutely amazing. ”No strings attached?” she said, leaning back in her chair to digest exactly what it was the other woman was saying. Her words rang true, and according to Elle, those steps were the easiest way to make sure that you never got hurt.
”So you’re not looking for something that could be forever?” Kealey asked, switching from the hypothetical and looking directly at Elle, ”What if with all that protection, you miss something…or someone really great?”
Lori seemed to act like she understood something of the life Kealey had grown up in, then spoke of her own upbringing and one of Kealey’s eyebrows rose, then ordered another drink. Kealey looked at hers and saw that it was empty and Kealey caught the girl, asking for ‘one more’ of the same thing.
”You know… she said, feeling genuinely at peace with the world for the moment and expansive, ”It’s amazing how much two people can have common when they have absolutely nothing in common. I’m starting to think I really am glad I got out of there…I was missing out.”
Elle wanted to trade sips of drinks when they came and Kealey nodded her head, ”I’m supposed to be trying new things, aren’t I?”
"Welcome to the new millennium, Kealey." Again Lori rued the fact that she did not have a drink in her hand with which to cheer or toast. The service wasn't slow, no, just poorly timed orders since she'd waited before getting her second. Meanwhile, Kealey was waiting on her third. Perhaps Lori would advise caution... after she'd finished that third drink.
"It's not a perfect system and you're bound to start off rocky, but practice makes perfect." The waitress was back now with another mess of chocolate and a pink liquid with a twist of lemon, both in martini glasses. Lori reached for the chocolate one intending to switch after the first sip. It occurred to her that if she had something bad to slip in Kealey's drink, now would be the opportune time. She didn't have anything and there was no reason for Elle to do so, so Lori thought to caution her acquaintance against such hazards.
"I don't know how much of a bar fly you'd want to be," Lori sipped the chocotini. It was overly sweet and thick as blended cake. Disgusting. "but it's wise to keep strict control of your drink. Just like tourists wear their backpacks on their stomachs to keep people from slipping their hands in to get their wallets, at a bar sometimes people have nefarious intentions. Only take something straight from a waitress or better yet, the bar tender actual." Lori slid the drink across the polished marble table top and held her hand out to accept hers back from Kealey. It never once crossed her mind that Keaely could have slipped something in her drink. "It's probably not an issue here. This joint is classy. Just make sure to look out for yourself."
As much fun as it was to corrupt someone, if she didn't give Kealey a well rounded picture it would be her fault when Kealey's face showed up in the obits. Lori didn't particularly dislike the woman, there was no need to dispose of her. Especially if she was making the world a classier place, one fashion hopeless at a time.
”So you’re not looking for something that could be forever?” Lori smirked. Forever felt like a pipe dream. Lori knew her lifestyle walked a fine line between reckless and just plain dangerous, but it was fun and it was what she knew. Surviving and enjoying the ride were more of a priority than making plans and settling down. "Forever seems a long way off, Kealey."
But she was persistent. ”What if with all that protection, you miss something…or someone really great?”
"Ha! He'd have to be all kinds of special to make me settle on just one." Elle sipped her cosmo. She didn't even have to think about that one. "Besides, you'd think if Mr. Right came along, he'd smack me upside the head and tell me it was him. If you worry about finding one, you'll no doubt miss him in all the worrying." If she missed a good one, he obviously wasn't good enough for her to tell from the first visit on...