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.
Site adaptation by Sen, Lix, and Tempest. <3
The Cause, and Solution to, All of Life's Problems
An angel whispered in her ear. He was telling her something about moving. Did she need to pick up and move out to California? Why would she do that? Her home was here and she muttered some response to him about needing to stay in New York. Really. Why would an angel need her to go to California? He tickled her and left back into the bright beams of sun that he came from.
Ghost rolled over and her arms felt empty. She was also fairly certain someone had stuffed cotton into her mouth. Gross. Her forehead scrunched down to meet her wrinkled nose. It didn't help. She stuffed her face into the pillow and rolled up into a little ball.
She wasn't quite sure what woke her up. The thumping echo of a heartbeat in her forehead or the smell of bacon. Bacon. It always smelled so good. Ghost sat up slowly, the unfamiliar sheet sliding off her less than clothed person. Why... did she have no clothes? In fact... where was she? She pulled a Whinny the Pooh and tapped on her throbbing head as she thought back. She went home with... Zephyr. So this had to be Zephyr's home. That made it a whole lot more interesting to her. every color choice, furniture style, and wood type suddenly meant something to her poor throbbing head.
First order of business, water for her dry throat and mouth. Second order of business, clothes.
She had no trouble with the first. The bathroom was readily visible from the bed. She scooped up a towel --that must be why she lacked clothes-- and sated her thirst from a faucet. It was nice of Zephyr to take the couch. She would have to apologize for taking up his whole bed and thank him for taking care of her. Alcohol was a tricky thing, not to be taken as lightly as Sam suggested.
Her second task was a bit trickier. The door to the closet was hidden rather well. Had she not her subtle air sense, she would have walked right past that section of wall. It was almost like he didn't want anyone to find it. Ghost had no clue where her clothes went, but they weren't anywhere obvious so she went for a fresh pair.
Another thing she would have to apologize for. She took an older looking pair of khaki slacks and an undershirt and a solid colored button up. There wasn't a whole lot of selection there, but luckily they were about the same size. It all fit a bit too well, though she had to roll up the cuff of the pants and could have honestly used a belt.
Properly clothed, Ghost went back to the bathroom to try to figure out someway to freshen up. A toothpasted finger was better than nothing at all.
Finally there was no excuse left to her except to find her host and make her apologies.
If her head hadn't been in a sort of vice she wouldn't have been that apprehensive about it at all. "Ah. Good morning?" It came out like a scratchy question though she hadn't meant it to and Ghost dipped her head politely. An action that cost her in comfort. Her cool hand did much to soothe the pounding.
"I'm sorry to borrow clothes. I'll wash them before I return them." From behind her hand, honey eyes flicked to a plate with a completed omelette on it. There was another in the pan, but she really didn't want to assume anything. Suppose he ate two omelets himself everyday? "May I have a glass of water?" Ghost took a careful seat at the edge of a kitchen chair.
She tried to memorize everything. From the music notes on his mug to the small diner set in the small tidy kitchen. "I didn't know you could cook..." The table was looking rather nice right now. If she lay her head against the surface for a while it be cooler than her skin, she was sure.
Zephyr’s gaze wandered over his shoulder as the mercenary heard the shuffling of feet emanate from the corridor, considering that the sound managed to remain audible of the constant sizzling of meat it indicated that Ghost was likely in no better state than the Kabal member himself had been when he had first regained consciousness. Still there was little that could be done for the suffering sylph; he wasn’t a healer and humans had yet to create a timely cure for the more insidious affects alcohol often left behind, the girl would simply have to grin and bear it until she got her hands on aspirin or some other artificial pain reliever. Idly returning his attention back to the frying pan before him, adroitly shaking the strips of bacon to the outer edges of the pan as he set about flipping and then folding the eggs, adding various pieces of cheese, tomato and leftover ham as he did so. Omelets were one of those convenient utility foods which could be made with virtually anything one hand and was something the elemental often cooked when he had leftover food nearing its expiration date.
“Good morning?”[/color]
The greeting came out sounding like question and caused the hessian to abandon his current endeavors as he turned to examine the snow haired female wearily entering the kitchen. Azure eyes swiftly swept up and down the waif’s figure, noting with momentary surprise that she’d donned some of his own attire instead of the clothing she’d worn last night before then recalling that said garments had failed to survive the flight from the club. Still no real harm done, it wasn’t as though he was hurting for money and the clothes seemed to fit her just fine, perhaps a tad on the long side but they were more than adequate considering the situation. Speaking of which it appeared as though the girl was taking things quite calmly, something which caused a measure of tension to lift from the hessians shoulders as he returned his attention to the stove and the half cooked meal sitting in the frying pan.
“Good morning, have a seat you likely feel worse than I did.” Considering that last night had been the sylphs first time drinking it was more than likely to be honest, she probably trump his earlier discomfort by a factor of ten at the very least. Still she wasn’t complaining or whining and that was always a good sign.
The sound of a chair scarping over tiles was heard as the weary waif accepted his offer to rest whilst apologizing for wearing his clothes and then requested a glass of water. The mercenary simply shook his head and allowed an unamused to chuckle to escape his lips. “You didn’t have much choice, our clothes didn’t survive the trip if I recall, and though I wouldn’t be opposed to having you walk au natural as it were I’d rather not give the neighbors anything to gossip about, well done on finding the closet by the way, most people don’t.” Not that many people had the opportunity Zephyr’s typically rented out a hotel room for events such as this, last night however had not gone precisely as planned, had he been thinking more clearly he never would have brought the waif to his primary residence, still what was done was done and there was little point obsessing over it.
In reply to the girl’s request for water Zephyr hand released the spatula it had been holding and leaned over to the sink to grab an upturned glass which had been set out to dry. The glass container was swiftly righted and placed on the counter adjacent to the sink and next to a bottle of aspirin. “Help yourself, the sinks right here and I left the aspirin out for you, if you want tea though I suggest you grab a mug, they’re in the overhead cabinet to my left.” A hand was then used to gesture to the covered teapot on the Kabal members left before then going on to withdrawing a ceramic ivory plate from a mahogany cabinet on the hessians right which was soon laden with a modest sized omelet as well as a generous serving of bacon.
“I didn’t know you could cook.”[/color]
The hessians brow rose in response to that particular comment as he pivoted on the on the balls of his feet and carefully walked backed to the kitchen table, an ever so slight look of bemusement on his features as he watched the waif rest her head on the wood of the table. “It’s somewhat difficult to live on your own if you can’t, you should go ahead and eat by the way; although not the healthiest meal in the word it should ease the hangover.” It was something the British elemental had learned when he still resided in London, fry ups were common enough breakfast dish and after one day asking why it was so popular the hessian had been informed that it was a household hangover cure, the grease from the bacon as well as the yolk of the egg forced the body to cease working on alcohol in favour of the aforementioned nutrients, thus allowing the alcohol to pass through the body without being processed. It wasn’t a complete remedy but it certainly helped.
As he resumed his seat the kitchen table Zephyr took another brief sip at his tea, pleased to find that it was still a few degrees above tepid. The dissolute mercenary then set about dissecting his breakfast once he saw that Ghost was ready begin and so the meal proceeded in silence for a few seconds however humans are naturally social creatures and small talk was sadly a way of life for them thus even though mercenary was typically rather reticent by nature he soon found himself venturing forth a question.
“So, what do you think about your first night on the town?”
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."
He was nice. She wasn't quite sure why she was always so willing to believe Zephyr was anything but polite. He had always been polite to her, kind even. She just kept waiting for him to be mad for some reason.
He mentioned their ruined clothes and it sounded right. "It is not my habit to prance about in the nude." She briefly remembered them pressed together and the panic she felt when her clothes peeled away. Had her face not been pressed against the wooden table, she was sure the blush that crept up from her neck would have sent her reeling. They had gotten rather... close... last night. Her back stiffened, but Zephyr continued to be the perfect gentleman and host.
"Aspirin and food helps?" Neither sounded very appealing, but once it was clear that some of the food was for her, she really couldn't let it go to waste. He had done all the work already after all.
Begrudgingly she got to her feet and made her way to the sink. As wonderful as tea sounded, she was just so thirsty. Nothing but water could satiate her this morning. As she ran the faucet an image of water pouring out of a bigger tap than that came swimming to the top of her mind. Ghost fumbled the glass in the sink. Luckily it wasn't a very far drop and the glass only bounced once before settling in the basin of the sink. She muttered and apology. She certainly wasn't feeling 100% yet.
She then groped at the child proof bottle, but was successful in the end. She took three. She never took medicine if she could avoid it, but for some reason two did not seem like enough. This after alcohol ouch was powerful stuff.
Very carefully and with both hands she set her glass of water down at the kitchen table. How did people do this? How did they... be in the same room after being intimate when the steamy goings on of last night didn't mean anything. Ghost watched Zephyr eat for a bite or two before taking up the mantle of her own fork and knife.
Of course it was after she had put a rather large bite in her mouth that Zephyr decided to ask a question.
“So, what do you think about your first night on the town?”[/b]
She tried to chew and swallow fast and that lead to coughing, extra head throbbing, and the need for more water. In the end her eyes were a little watery, but she was able to answer his question. "No one told me it would hurt the next day." Ghost touched her forehead with the back of her fork hand.
"Also... I didn't plan to visit anyone's... home." She was very interested in her omelette then. No need to tell him he was still in her friend category, right? That was sort of... understood? She felt the need to apologize again, but stuffed it down with another bite of egg. She had to figure out what she was apologizing for before she'd let herself do it.
"It is not my habit to prance about in the nude."[/color]
The azure eyed hessians brow rose at that particular comment as he glanced at his pale guest, her head was still resting against the table yet he could pick out a faint shade crimson colouring her otherwise alabaster skin, a mischievous glint surfaced in the Kabal members eyes as he noted that the girl was not quite so comfortable as she first appeared, unlike a certain redhead however it was rather unlikely the slender sylph would destroy his property or attempt to threaten his life, therefore he afford to have a least a little amount of.. fun, at the waifs expense of course.
“Really? You didn’t seem to mind last night.” The hessians tone was as casual as could be as he continued to prepare the food, one hand darting out blindly to grab a nearby salt shaker and add just a pinch to the gently cooking egg while his argus gaze remixed fixed on the girls hunched over form, noting with no small amount of satisfaction the way her back suddenly stiffened and how she seemed to take a sudden interest in the pattern of the varnished oak table before abruptly attempting to redirect the conversation to somewhat safer waters.
"Aspirin and food helps?"[/color]
“Assuming you would rather do away with the pounding in your skull then yes.” These words were delivered with the same skeptical tone ad raised brow as his first comment. Was it possible for the girl to actually be quite this naïve in the area of intoxication? Surely she’d managed to pick up something from the media, be it through the internet, tv or otherwise, yet although the girl seemed utterly clueless she proved more than willing to learn as she swiftly took the mercenary words to heart and went to fetch a glass of water and, after a few moments struggle, a small handful of white tablets which were promptly consumed before she then returned to the table and began her meal. She seemed somewhat reluctant to eat but it was entirely understandable, no doubt her stomach felt anything other than agreeable, but in the long run it was the best thing for her.
After they had both managed to make a decent start into their food the questions began and it seemed as though the mercenary had chosen a somewhat inopportune time to stage his opening gambit for the sylph began to choke on her meal almost immediately as he endeavored to answer his query, causing her eyes to water and her skin to flush as finally managed to swallow and deliver her response, emphasizing her discomfort by pressing a hand against her head which was likely still aching quite keenly. The sylph then elaborated and went on to discuss her… surprise? At the way events had played before suddenly falling rather silent and quickly focusing her gaze back to her plate as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world, a rather poor move really considering the hessians current mood.
“One of the dangers of socializing I’m afraid, you get to see a entirely different side of people, I for instance had no idea you could be quite so affectionate, it was something of a struggle to pry you off this morning.”
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."
Zephyr didn't seem to mind casually mentioning their mutual lack of clothes last night. Her ears burned red. "I don't think this alcohol business is worth it..." She sounded just about as miserable as she felt.
“One of the dangers of socializing I’m afraid, you get to see a entirely different side of people, I for instance had no idea you could be quite so affectionate, it was something of a struggle to pry you off this morning.”[/b]
A sliver of omlette fell from her fork to her plate with a splat. "I uh... sorry." She jabbed at the fallen morsel and put it in her mouth dispite her lack of enthusiam to eat. "I don't usually-I mean- yeah..." Coherency just wasn't up at the top of her list right now. She'd already tried the I'm not usually that kind of girl bit and it hadn't helped her much.
She saught refuge in the details of the apartment. Unfortunately there wasn't much to see in such a spartan environment. The fridge was bare. Everything matched in a way that had the word 'professional help' subtly woven into it. There wasn't much evidence of life here beyond the cooking utensils.
"Are you sure you live here?" The whole place had about the same depth of personality of a plank of wood. Not that her room was too much better. She'd avoided decorating hers beyond a smattering of 4x6 pictures and shoes. "It seems kind of lonely." Though something he had said earlier made her think he brought women here sometimes. She worked hard to find that fact uninteresting and normal... somehow.
"What do you do for a living?" Somehow the place didn't carry a flavor of any particular profession except maybe one that required traveling.
"I uh... sorry. I don't usually-I mean- yeah..."[/color]
A murmured chuckle echoed from the base of the mercenary’s throat as the corners of his lips lifted noticeably in a characteristic smirk; was this really the same woman he’d taken to bed? What had happened to the wanton waif who’d accosted him back at the club? Admittedly the sylph’s quotidian demeanor had shifted after the first few drinks, causing her to become rather forward while at the same time retaining an element of uncertainty, or had it simply been inexperience? The hessians azure eyes blinked as his mind pondered such a consideration; it would explain a good deal of the girls behavior, especially the puzzling dissonance between her words and actions. Fleetingly the British elemental mused over whether it would be wise to raise the subject but eventually decided against it, he doubted he’d get a correct answer in any case, still something needed to be said.
“You didn’t break any ribs” he told her bemusedly as he lifted a glass of water and watched her pale skin gain several shades of scarlet, “under other circumstances I may have enjoyed the attention.” Another chuckle escape the mercenary as he watched the waif’s embarrassment mount further, this was almost too easy; clearly the girl had grown up as an only child, those with siblings tended to be somewhat more renitent towards teasing than those without.
As Ghost hesitantly placed down her fork after taking an enthusiastic mouthful of her omelets Zephyr idly took a sip of his drink without removing the waif from his peripheral vision, allowing him to monitor the ingénue as she silently scanned his apartment, amber eyes gradually circling the room, no doubt taking note of the rather spartan environment for despite the funds at his disposal the hessian typically kept the furnishings of his abode to a minimum, here and there a painting lined the wall and the large windows allowed a rather impressive view of the city but in terms of decorations well, the place was somewhat lacking to say the least. In spite of this though the mercenary saw little need to change things, he rarely spent any significant length of time in his quarters beyond what was required for sleep, and even then he had several apartments across the city.
In the mercenary’s mind there was little sense in spending money on aesthetics if no one was present to appreciate them. However as this was his primary place of residence the apartment and was registered on a handful of governmental documents and as such possessed a few additional items, none of which were visible from the kitchen, should the hessians guest venture beyond the cooking area however she would stumble into the living area and no doubt notice the mahogany bookcase situated against the far wall containing a variety of academic texts along with a modest collections of maps and atlas’s. Resting against a neighbouring wall was a somewhat elaborate television which had collected a slight layer of dust to disuse but was otherwise in pristine condition. An ornate leather couch was positioned a few feet away facing the TV while a matching pair of armchairs sat on either side effectively encircling the obsidian coffee table in the centre of the room, atop which sat a slim argent laptop currently closed and in an unpowered state.
"Are you sure you live here?"[/color]
The Kabal member blinked as he was broken from his thoughts and slowly placed his glass back upon the kitchen table as he regarded his ivory haired companion with a bemused expression before he began to formulate his response. “Not quite, I sleep here but I like to think that my life occurs beyond this room.”
The waif’s follow up question was only given a shrug of dismissal, for in the hessians mind his initial response had already addressed that issue; he rarely spent any time here thus it was only natural that the place would convey some element of isolation and loneliness.
"What do you do for a living?"[/color]
This query earned the inquisitive ingénue a raised brow; they were moving into personal details now were they? Mentally the hazel haired elemental sighed as he began to compose his thoughts; he’d need to be careful with what he said, most people tended to have a stricter set of morals than the mercenary himself and thus were somewhat inclined to look down upon his particular line of work. Fortuitously however the Kabal member had possessed the foresight to contrive a convincing background which was, at least in part, completely authentic.
Thus it was only with a minimum of hesitation that Zephyr was left silent before he adopted his most veracious affectations as he calmly replied, “I’m a student.”
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."
Ghost supposed it wasn't all that bad to say that life went on outside of a place. But it was also sad to not really have a home, a place of comfort and safety, a sanctuary. Even more lonely that there was no one to come home to, in Ghost's opinion, but some people were solitary like that... or was it just psycho murderer's that were okay with the solitary uni-bomber lifestyle?
“I’m a student.”
"Oh." She was... surprised for some reason. It was a nice looking place in a nice part of town... what kind of rich parents did he have? Ghost assessed Zephyr as best she could. He seemed to always be surrounded by nice things. Nice towels, nice sheets, nice clothes.
They were about the same age and really, she should (under normal circumstances) be a full time university student by now too. He must have been getting his social interactions filled while at school since this place was so drab. No doubt that was where he spent most of his time and where his friends were.
"What is your major?"
She was really just poking at the omelette now. It wasn't that the thing wasn't wonderfully greasy, but her throbbing head made swallowing feel like a dangerous trip down a two way street.
"I was majoring in education administration, but recently I've switched to business. Well, to be honest I'm sort of taking a break from school right now because I sort of fell into a bookstore." It was just an opportunity she couldn't seem to pass up when the old owners announced that they would be closing shop.
"You should visit it some time. It's called the Full Circle and it's in Manhattan. Sort of hiding at the southernmost tip of Central Park. On the corner of 6th and 56th." If she had her wallet on her she would have given him a business card, though it didn't exactly say "Ghost" on it... nor did it say her real name. Wow. She was feeling a little devious about that just now.
The waif seemed surprised by the mercenary's response and the hazel haired hessian frowned in puzzlement for the briefest moment as he conducted a cursory mental audit; it was a perfectly tenable claim, the state of new York possessed an array of higher education institutions within its domain and the Kabal member himself more than looked the part, easily being able to pass for any age between 20 and 25 at least, possibly more if he ever neglected to shave. It was possible that the submissive sylph believed he had already obtained his degree, either that or the girl simply found the notion to be utterly foreign, a notion which could be interpreted a variety of ways, most of them negative, however a confrontation was not what the mercenary needed at this particular moment and so he remained diplomatically silent, taking the opportunity to finish another section of his meal before his azure orbs flickered back to his pale companion.
The submissive sylph was wordlessly playing with her food, honeyed eyes slightly unfocused indicating that the waif was either lost in thought or unsure of what she should say next, either way a momentary lull entered the conversation and though silence was something the hazel haired was quite comfortable with it seemed his partner was not for after a few seconds of contemplation the slightly sylph finally raised her gaze to meet the hessians own as she launched her follow up inquiry with a for the mercenary to elucidate upon his specific area of study. It was a perfectly reasonable query and one which should have needed no hesitation, yet Zephyr was in no rush and so he calmly took another bite of his breakfast before deigning to respond.
"I'm a business major, tax specifically, I'll have my undergraduate degree in two more years, after that who can say?" The words were followed by a non committal shrug as the hazel haired elemental reached for his drink and swiftly drained the contents before replacing the glass back on the table as Ghost initiated her own didactic monologue, describing her own college career and how it fell into sudden suspension upon her acquisition of a book store. At the mention of the establishments name however something within the recesses of the mercenary's memory and his cobalt eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled something about a riot and a shooting, not particularly unique events given they took place in New York but some element had caused the story to rise from obscurity...
"You're the owner of that establishment?" There was a tone of mild surprise mixed with skepticism as Zephyr leveled a curious gaze at his snow haired guest before continuing, "If you don't mind me asking how did you manage to get shot?" One would have thought her ethereal mutation would have made such a wound all but impossible for the soft spoken sylph.
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."
He sounded as surprised as she had about him being a student. It was a fair turn. And she had to get used to the idea at first as well. "Ah. Yeah. That's me." She felt the urge to squirm but... really, there wasn't anything to be ashamed of there. Ghost made sure to sit up straight in her chair... until he asked hi next question.
"If you don't mind me asking how did you manage to get shot?"[/i]
She sighed and slumped giving the impression that she had deflated. The omelette was abandoned all together now.
"I was busy keeping two sides of a battle apart with a wind barrier. No one ended up fighting flat out, but I think a few people got skewered, I caught the bullet ricochet. The bullets weren't aimed at me in the first place, but they should have known not to shoot a force field user. Not too many people got hurt in the end." And no deaths had been reported in connection with the incident. By Sebastian or the paramedic's hands the people that the pink girl, Aura, had stabbed made their recoveries.
"Did you say tax? Business tax?" It was sort of catching up to her now and she re-inflated by siting up in her chair. "Would you like some real world experience to put on your resume? I would really like someone to check over the books before tax time."
"I'm just worried that something might be missing, you know? It'll be my first year's worth of business. Since the establishment is sort of well known and the policies are so not in line with the norm, I'm afraid some nut will convince someone important that The Full Circle needs an audit just so they can try to shut it down."
Where before she hardly uttered a word through the throbbing mist of her headache, now that it was business (and all the grey area of personal life had been put behind them) she could probably talk Zephyr's poor ear off.
With his meal devoured Zephyr idly moved his plate and utensils to one side of the table as he placed his elbows upon the varnished surface before him, raising his hands up to his face and interlocking his fingers so that the lower portion of his face was partially concealed from view. It was more habitual pose more than anything else and one the hessian often adopted when contemplating a subject. In this particular instance the judicious mercenary was attempting to assimilate the information Ghost was somewhat reluctantly providing him. It was understandable that the waif would not wish to revisit a memory which had caused her pain yet the fact that she had consented to do so indicated that she had moved beyond the incident, which in turn signified an acceptance of some of the evils in the world. In short the gamine had matured to some degree, something the hessian approved of for he privately felt the girl was excessively jejune and as the aphorism goes " a little childhood trauma builds character."
Still though something didn't seem quite right; becoming involved in a minor riot was nothing extraordinary, not in New York at least, mutant and human extremists engaged in conflicts everyday in this city. There were very few safe havens in this segment of the country and many mutants simply managed to survive, a few by living in obscurity out in the country side or, by attempting to conceal themselves within capacious cities possessing a plentiful population, a needle in the haystack strategy in essence. This did however lead to an increased agglomeration of the X gene within urban areas which, consequently raised the odds of mutants meeting others of their kind. Thus the fact that the battle itself had occurred was not unusual, nor was the presence of firearms particularly remarkable, this was America after all; the law itself gave citizens the right to arm themselves and it was hardly surprising that extremist would elect to equip themselves with such weapons.
No, the peculiarity with this situation was the fact that Ghost had managed to be injured during a battle she was actively participating in. The girls spectral form would have easily allowed her to avoid any physical damage, ricochet bullet or otherwise yet for some reason the waif had chosen to remain in her physical body, did that indicate the ethereal transformation was too draining a process for her to use it during a conflict or was it possible that the slender sylph had believed her role of mediator rendered her impervious to harm? The hessian hoped hoped it was the former even if the negative implications pertaining to the ethereal form were somewhat disappointing, however from what he knew of the waif's personality the Kabal member would be none too shocked if it proved to be the latter. In any case the easiest way to find out was...
"How did a ricochet manage to harm you? I was of the understanding that your ethereal form left you all but invulnerable to such attacks. Is the transformation simply too draining? Or does it hinder your ability to use other aspects of your mutation?"
Somewhat abruptly the topic of conversation was overturned and Zephyr once more found himself the centre of attention as his snow haired guest attempted to clarify the hessians fabricated concentration of study. A single blink and a slow nod was the only response the taciturn mercenary managed as he endeavored to follow the ingénues trail of thought before she completed whatever request she clearly wanted to make. Irritatingly though the waif was a fast talker when she wished to be and succeeded in issuing her offer before he could organize a counter argument, fortuitously though the slightly sylph felt the need to justify her proposal, thereby granting the mercenary precious seconds with which to compose his thoughts. In all honesty there was no reason he couldn't do the shops tax return, for although his placement at Yale was a deception for the most part he was still required to take exams in order to retain his student visa and so he had studied the material. Still though the mercenary valued his time and he highly doubted the sylph would be able to meet his usual compensation...
The British elementals eyes narrowed as he contemplated the woman before him, thoughts darting back and forth as he reviewed the slight information he held on her. It wasn't much admittedly, but it was sufficient for the mercenary to reconsider his initial opinion. The sylph was polite, supportive, kind if somewhat naive and, if last night were any indication, rather submissive, all in all it was quite propitious combination.
"...how precisely would I be compensated for my services?"
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."
Well, she did it. She asked for his help. She got a glare for a response. Ghost wilted in her chair and ran her fingers through her unruly hair. Sleeping on wet hair had been an unfortunate idea. One of many things she hadn't thought through all the way last night.
"...how precisely would I be compensated for my services?"
Hark! A glimmer of hope shone in the distance.
"Well, what do you want? I do make a profit... I'm pretty sure I do anyway. You would be able to tell that. Maybe I couldn't pay you a lot but..." Couldn't even finish the statement. She would have to do research on how much tax people got payed. She would have had to hire one anyway...
But Zephyr's apartment was a nice one. He lived alone. He had eggs in his refrigerator. None of those were typical for a penniless college student. His parents had to be loaded. She was going to have to get creative.
"Look, we're friends... I think. Is there something I could offer you? Like a trade of services? Do you need next semester's books? Or I could teach you to ghost..."
Though he seemed so uptight about everything that ghosting lessons would have to be like pulling teeth.
"You asked about the specifics of ghosting earlier. It doesn't fatigue you to ghost, that wasn't the issue with the ricochet. It's quite the opposite, actually. Like a burst of energy after you ghost and it feels sluggish to become solid again. And it couldn't be that I'm devoid of other powers while ghosting since that's how I get around in that form."
"No, I got shot because I was trying to do too many things. Keeping the sides apart took a lot of my attention. I was talking to both sides and people usually respond better to someone with a face. Talking to someone without a body just freaks some people out."
She shrugged.
"And it wasn't like someone announced it. 'I have a gun! Make sure you become impervious to physical harm if you can.' It all happened fast. There were a lot of people everywhere. The mutants wanted to keep hostages. The hostages thought they were on fire... Someone actually threw a shoe at me." She was still pretty miffed about that. More so than the bullets since the bullets had sort-of been an accident.
"So, yes. It was my fault I was shot. And it was a mistake to remain solid in hopes of convincing either side to back down. Things had escalated too far beyond that already. But if given the chance to do it all over, it would probably end up the same."
Zephyr's features shifted to one of partial puzzlement as the guileless gamine began to sink into her stiff chair, her shoulders hunching into a diffident pose as she abruptly broke eye contact to stare with apparent fascination at the varnished wood of the table while anxiously running a hand through her short ivory locks. It was a mildly fascinating transformation truth be told; the self confidence and enthusiasm the waif had presented mere seconds ago had all but vanished as she silently adopted her defensive pose... and it had all been caused by nothing more than a glance which, sadly, could not be solely attributed to the Kabal members own intimidating presence; the sylph was simply exceedingly pusillanimous, it was a rather curious affair for British elemental and it caused him a moments pause as he rifled through his memories in search of anyone quite so servile as the ingénue before him, at length however he managed to voice his query regarding compensation.
The moment the words left his mouth however it was as though a spring had been released for the snow haired girl immediately sat straighter within her seat, raising her honey coloured eyes to meet his own azure gaze as she timidly set about making an offer which, rather predictably went off down entirely the wrong track. Money was not something the hessian desperately required at this particular point, for although his salary had been rather severely cut since Hunter's reign it was still sufficient for him to live a lifestyle of relative comfort. Before Zephyr could point this out however the sylph swiftly fell silent, her gaze darting outward momentarily as she took in her surroundings once more before abandoning her current course of conversation for another, thereby demonstrating that despite her timorous traits she possessed a fair amount of common sense; something which was rather rare these days.
"Look, we're friends... I think. Is there something I could offer you? Like a trade of services? Do you need next semester's books? Or I could teach you to ghost..."[/color]
Cobalt eyes blinked as the first statement was registered and eyebrows rose at the second sentence which swiftly followed before a subtle grin crept across the hessians lips. The slender Sylph would have to learn to watch her words more closely, the potential for amusement here truly was tempting however the mercenary succeeded in holding his silence as the girl went on to outline her proposed methods of compensations; successfully hitting the nail on the head when she offered "ghosting" lessons. However the hazel haired Kabal member remained mute as the waif went on to deliver her response to the mercenary's earlier queries regarding her ethereal abilities which then segued into an elucidation about how some simpleton with a two digit IQ had managed to injure her. After that point the girl seemed to run out of things to say and so the floor was open once more to other voices.
Maintaining an austere affectation the cerulean eyed mercenary slowly lowered his arms and folded them on top of the table as he spoke in a mildly august tone. "There was little you could have done to be honest, the sensible thing would simply have been to walk away but I gather that wasn't an option for you was it?" A brief sigh escaped the hessian as he lowered his gaze and shook his head briefly before making eye contact once again. "As for the shoe, it seems to be something of a fad these days, ever since that once incident in the middle east..."
Zephyr allowed himself to trail off and made a cursory show of gathering his thoughts as he stared pensively at his pale companion, and for the briefest of moments the hessians lips curved upwards slightly before becoming solemn once more. "As for my compensation well, you've already recognized that money is not a dire constraint on my life at the moment. And so I suppose it comes down to precisely what you're willing to offer. Last night was rather enjoyable after all..." Once again the British elemental permitted himself to trail off as he gauged his partners reaction the grin on his features become somewhat more noticeable until he continued. "However I must say I would be rather interested in learning to "ghost" as you put it, and so if you are willing to teach and I would be willing to learn."
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."
One moment Zephyr was shaking his shoulders as if something were funny. The next he was telling her she did the best she could given her lack of sensibilities. Why did she always feel like he was five steps ahead of her?
"As for my compensation well, you've already recognized that money is not a dire constraint on my life at the moment. And so I suppose it comes down to precisely what you're willing to offer. Last night was rather enjoyable after all..."
Blink. Jaw drop.
"You're not serious. You wouldn't accept..." What had they even done? "...canoodling for taxes." She was so incredulous that her questions came out like statements. And she actually said the word canoodling.
"However I must say I would be rather interested in learning to "ghost" as you put it, and so if you are willing to teach and I would be willing to learn."
"Hey now. You need to answer the question. What if wanted to pay you in canoodles?" Ghost crossed her arms in Zephyr's shirt. She was just so affronted by the idea that he was willing to accept sexual favors for tax returns. Was he really that desperate?
The Kabal members shoulders trembled in barely contained amusement as the hazel haired hessian watched his companion through narrowed azure eyes. The wearied waifs response truly had been picture perfect, in fact it was something of a shame he didn't have a camera to hand; the distance between the sylphs lower jaw and upper mouth would likely break a Guinness record. A rueful grin etched the mercenary's face as he took in the girl's flabbergasted state, she actually seemed to have been rendered speechless and once again the British elemental was reminded just how sheltered the ivory haired gamine was as she turned a rather bright shade of scarlet and attempted to stammer out a comprehensible response.
"You're not serious. You wouldn't accept... canoodling for taxes."[/color]
Zephyr's brows rose as he shot his pale partner a skeptical look, she hadn't really used said "canoodling" had she? When precisely had this girl been raised? 1950? The hessian considered himself somewhat adept at using obscure and archaic lexemes but there were some datum's even he were reluctant to use due to their utter lack of cultivation and finesse, certain words after all carried certain connotations outside of their true meanings which linked them to other subjects or age groups. In this particular case the idiom had connections to past generations which brought to mind castigative grey haired elders whose knowledge or acknowledgement of "canoodling" should never be recognized. The mere fact that the ingénue had selected such a datum truly dated her knowledge of the overall subject and once again left the Kabal member to wonder how someone residing in a city such as New York could remain so ignorant and innocent at the same time.
Surprisingly though the snow haired gamine overcame her initial shock rather swiftly and soon endeavored to take an offensive in the verbal teasing the hessian had initiated with a rather timid attempt to call the mercenary's bluff. Not a very wise move all things considered, especially the events of last night, however if the guileless gamine wished to continue the pursuit of puerile pretenses who was he to deny her?
Silently shooting the girl a questioning expression Zephyr wordlessly pushed himself up from the table and walked around to gather up both his own plate and the witless waifs. As he reached for the gamines plate however the hessian leaned down and arced an arm around the slender sylphs shoulder, thereby putting his own head level with ingénue's and allowing him to whisper freely into her ear. "Well, if that were the case, I suppose I'd ask for my payment in advance... so, what do you say?" The mercenary's words possessed an evocative undertone that was all too clear, however the grin which dances across his lips indicated that he was not entirely serious, a pity Ghost couldn't see 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."
Ghost frowned when Zephyr stood up. He was going to do something. He was. Her chest squeezed tight and her fingers gripped the edge of the table. She could outlast him, surely. Because he was an upstanding citizen, a student, and a nice man, he wouldn't accept payment in that way and he shouldn't be expecting her to offer it.
Surprisingly, he just picked up his plate and reached for hers. Ghost relaxed a fraction too soon. His arm snaked around her shoulders and what warmth was fading from her ears and cheeks started anew as he put himself close enough to whisper in her ear.
"Well, if that were the case, I suppose I'd ask for my payment in advance... so, what do you say?"
She wouldn't ghost... that would have been cowardly and far too sensible. "I don't know if you're trying to teach me a lesson or what, but I can't believe you put so little uh-meaning into personal affairs." She ducked her shoulder to loosen his grip and used her fingers to peel his hand away from her. It was a good excuse to look far, far away from his face and focus on the task of extricating herself from his spider's web.
So what if her pulse jumped in her throat and her chest tightened with thoughts of last night? She didn't particularly like or dislike the man named Zephyr. And that was the problem. Shouldn't you love the person you give yourself fully to? Or at least commit to spending your life with them or something of the sort?
Back on task and with as much decorum as Ghost could muster... "I would teach you to ghost, but from the first day I met you I thought you might be too..." anal retentive "precise for such an inexact art. I don't think my teaching style and your learning style will mesh." She swallowed her nerves before continuing. "If you're so desperate for personal contact maybe you should pick the canoodles... I'll schedule you a hug once a week." But that was all he'd get. Canoodles. And... uhhhh a little shower time apparently.
E-gads, he was trying to kill her via embarrassment.
On the plus side, all the extra blood flow to the head had mostly cleared out the hammering between her ears. The hammering had mostly moved down her neck to reside in her chest where it belonged.