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.
This was really a lot to take in. Vicente stood just inside the doorway as suddenly the large roach, apparently named Greg, skittered off to take care of a kitten that Megan had dragged with her all the way back from the warehouse. As he did so, the assassin paused and surveyed the rest of the apartment. It was absolutely a mess. Trash seemed to be everywhere, food was where, and the TV blared in the room. But before he could get a glance at it, suddenly he saw Greg move out of the corner of his eye.
Vicente blinked as suddenly the large roach had forced its way into, what he could only assume, was Megan’s room. At least he was able to guess as much thanks to the copious amounts of cursing he heard coming from it. But it quickly ceased once the bug had decide to vacate that space again.
Only, this time, the large blessed, spirit creature, demon, whatever he was…was adorned with a certain female’s undergarment.
>> "So tell me, Estaban, Have you an interest in my daughter?"
Vicente heard the question, but he paused because he was still took awestruck as he started at the bra that the creature wore upon its head. It was just too odd of a scene to simply gloss over. It was not that the bra was particularly attractive, it was just odd seeing it sitting atop the large insect’s head so casually, as if that was something it did every day. Maybe it was a rogue mischief spirit. That would make the most sense since he doubted any spirit animals or demons would have wasted their time with such foolishness.
But the question rebounded in his head and Vicente shook his head.
“Um, no,” he said earnestly. The woman was attractive, but unfortunately he had more important thoughts floating around on his head. “I…just need her assistance.”
>> "Put my bra back! ...color doesn't suit you anyway.."[/color]
He actually sighed a little in relief at the reappearance of Megan, this time wearing clothes that were drastically different than what she had been wearing previously. Though her outfit did nothing to quell his initial thought about her being be prostitute, he did have to admit that it looked good on her. But again, those were thoughts he didn’t dwell upon.
His memories, those were the most important thing to find.
Again, he gave the extra large roach a quick and respectful nod.
“Um…it was nice to meet you,” he said to the roach and then glanced to the kitchen and the mewing he heard from within. “Enjoy your dinner.”
His mandibles clacked slowly as he stared at Vicente, opening and closing in time with some imaginary beat. "Assistance... is that what they call it these days? y'know I was a kid your age once... I know what you think li-"Put my bra back! ...color doesn't suit you anyway.."
His mouth closed, and his eyes wandered over to Megan. When his woman-ee room mate demanded that he remove the bra from his head, he considered it. He really did. And then he realized, no. And then he didn't do it.
No was always fun...
Before he knew it, though, they were on their way out.
"Have her back by ten thirty!"
No fun at all. He turned and eyed the apartment, sighing deeply. He decided that it was best not to watch the television alone... Perhaps he would find something heavy to throw at something fragile. In the kitchen he heard a loud crash; his antennae bolted upright...
It appeared his furry little meal to be was causing some mischief...
"Well then... It appears the hunt is on!"
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
Blinking, she raised one dark brow at the cockroaches words. She hadn't the slightest idea of what he was talking about... but felt it best to avoid asking questions. Instead, she shot Gregory the finger, and marched toward the door. She had a task to complete. So she'd save retaliation for later.... Pausing at the door, she swallowed the unfamiliar feeling of guilt, and sucked in a little breath. It was time to put the Chelsey face back on, and be someone else until she fulfilled her promise and went home. Swinging the door open, she felt the night air hit her face and started off down the stairs, throwing a goodbye over her shoulder as she went.
Have her back by ten... god. Silently, she thanked her lucky stars that he at least hadn't launched into a monologue, or tried to eat Rafael. She didn't need a body in her apartment... well, not one she was familiar with, at least.
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she turned and pinned her gaze back on the assassin. She didn't know the first thing about tracking people. Half the time she couldn't even find her own keys in the apartment... but she was going to have to play along with the lie she had started, or else the story would implode on her. Thinking back, she remembered his apartment. He had to have some sort of information locked away in there... it seemed like the most logical place to start.
...of course, she would need to play an entirely different role to get back in there. And from the way he had acted that time, she wasn't sure how both herself and Rafael were going to get past the Clerk. With a frown, she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her dress. The only other option she could think of, was heading back over to the warehouses, and trying to track the guy from there. She knew a few places scattered close by, where people gathered to have fun. She doubted the big guy was a dancer... considering the moves he had used the last time she had met him... but she knew for a fact that he at least visited bars. Only problem with that, was she only had a vague description of the kid, and Rafael didn't remember anything at all. Dragging him out there before finding information would poke glaring holes in her story, and she'd come across as the silly little liar she really was.
"We should probably start at your apartment. Bet we'll find a lot of useful information on this mystery guy of yours." Stopping by his ride, she waited for him to climb back on and dragged up where his residence was located in her head. It was fuzzy... as she had been drunk, but she could still remember enough to get them both there.
If he didn’t know any better, Vicente could have sworn that the creature that was talking to him was jealous that Megan was not going to be there. Odd. Maybe the spirit, demon, whatever it was, had some type of connection with her that he simply could not decipher. If that were the case, then yes, it is understandable. Bonding with humans, even blessed ones, was bad for such creatures. But, Vicente was not here to judge. He simply wanted to leave and find out what the hell happened to him.
With her return he finally felt like it was time for them to go. Though, as curious as he was about the strange creature and its habits, he really could not afford to waste the time.
>> "Have her back by ten thirty!"
“Um, okay,” was all he managed to get out before he turned to follow Megan out the door.
In silence the pair of them walked down the staircase. Vicente did not mind the silence. As a matter of fact he reveled in it, especially right now. His mind was a blank haze as to what happened and every second he could get to try and pierce through that fog was a godsend. But it was also the most frustrating thing he ever experienced. It was a pain to know that you lost time, that you were unable to account for your own actions for any length of time. No amount of thinking was going to change that. He would only hope that by sticking with someone who was supposed to be his ally that the truth would eventually be ferreted out.
Descending onto the ground floor, he squinted as he looked into the light of the day. He wanted so badly for something, anything to make sense in his world right now…
>> "We should probably start at your apartment. Bet we'll find a lot of useful information on this mystery guy of yours."
He blinked when Megan finally addressed him. He arched a brow as he looked at her curiously. She knew where he lived? Part of him wondered then why the hell didn’t they go there in the first place? It would have made this whole situation a lot easier. But he was not going to go and get bent out of shape right now. Megan was really the only link to who he is and he needed to keep that connection fostered.
With a sigh he nodded and climbed onto the bike.
“Well, I’m going to have to trust you to lead me there,” he said as he revved the engine to his motorcycle. Muttering a tiny prayer that they would at least find SOME kind of answers, Vicente tore off into the streets.
She barked out directions again, only screwing up a few times, and before she knew it they were at the curb the limo driver had let them out on. His building was within view. She could recall stomping along behind the older version of Rafael, helping him along at one point, and then the excruciating way she had been smuggled inside.
It was... not a nice memory.
"I would suggest leaving any easily spotted weapons with the bike. The last time we had to get in past some bouncer dude." She didn't want to get tackled to the ground, or dragged off into some dark interrogation room because Rafael looked as dangerous as he was.. With a trade mark scowl on her lips, she hopped off the back of his bike and started down the street, her mind plotting out a viable course to take. She had been forced to play a role before, one she didn't necessarily want to play again... but she knew there was a chance she could have too. "It's right down there..." Pointing at the building, as well at the guard stationed outside. "We have to get past him first... so...eh, just play along, I guess..."
Keeping her hands out where they could be seen, she strode on up. She slipped an arm around the younger mans waist, tucking one hand casually into a pocket, and painted a cheeky smile painted on to her lips. She needed to look comfortable, even used to such bodily contact... and unfortunately, she didn't have any alcohol in her system to make it easier this time around. From the outside, it was nearly impossible to tell how nervous she was to an untrained eye. She kept her emotions reigned in, nervous twitches to a minimum. She was betting a lot on the guy being less than attentive to such things, to go and screw it up by chewing on her lip nervously.
Pausing before him, as she had when the older Rafael had brought her, she calmly waited while he looked them over. His eyes stuck on companion and her smile widened slightly. "The gentleman I was here with last is waiting for me... He wanted his little brother here to join in on the fun tonight."
The large man eyed her again, thick arms across over his chest, before returning his gaze to Rafael. She felt her lip twitch, and crossed her own arms. "What, you can't see the family resemblance?"
With a sneer, the guard stepped out of the way. Thanking her lucky stars, she stalked on in, heading toward the counter the clerk was hunkered down behind. It was the same man, she noticed. Unable to control herself, she went ahead and blew him a little exaggerated kiss as she walked past, throwing herself into a full on strut as she headed for the elevators. The doors only took a moment to open when she jabbed the up button, and as soon as she was in, with Rafael beside her, did she drop the act and breathe a sigh of relief.
"...that... was easier than I had been expecting." She remained close again, unwilling to drop her arm from around his waist until they were in his apartment. Gods only knew if there were really cameras in with them, or not.
Vicente was caught in a whirlwind of confusion was he was led up to the very fancy looking building. What followed next only added more to his inability to make sense of the situation. If he lived here, why was there need for subterfuge? Why was he being paraded as a younger brother? And why the hell was Megan acting like a cheap floozy when she had already attempted to convince him that she was not a prostitute?
In silence the young assassin merely watched and remained silent was he was presented to the bouncer, then led through the lobby (where a receptionist eyed him curiously), and herded onto an elevator.
Confusion wracking through his brain, he waited until the elevator doors closed behind he turned slowly and tilted his head to face Megan with a look of complete bewilderment.
“What the HELL was that all about? If I live here, why are you saying I’m a younger brother? Megan, what the fu--?”
The elevator dinged. Vicente looked up just in time to see a heavyset man, who looked like another guard, ready to step on. Attempting to keep up the charade, he sighed as he suddenly leaned over and kissed Megan…hard…
…she told him to play along…
The guard eyed the two of them, chuckled and pushed the button for his floor. It was short ride up before he stepped off, leaving Vicente alone with Megan once again. The assassin sighed as he stepped back and eyed her.
“Sorry,” was all he said about the kiss. It was best they forgot that ever happened. Finally, in frustration, he slammed his fist against the wall of the elevator. “Now what the hell is going on?!”
Someone else boarded the spacious elevator, and Megan found herself pinned against wall, with Rafael's lips firmly pressed against hers. It caught her off guard so much, that she could do little more than utter a muffled cry of surprise and simply go along wit it.
It... felt pretty good, anyway.
While the heavier man rode with them,she got to wondering about how long it had been exactly since the last time she had kissed someone. She couldn't pinpoint a time past leaving Oregon. Not since... not since Trent.
It was nice. Like the warmth of a pleasant memory.
Her cheeks flushed red, she virtually melted against him before she could stop herself, and all thoughts of retribution faded quite quickly away. When the heavy man left, and Rafael stepped away, she found herself quiet speechless. Her lips were still warm, and she needed to lean against the wall to keep herself up straight. She was left in no condition to answer his questions.
".... I... uh..." Megan blinked, palms flat against the wall behind her. The elevator dinged a few moments later, signaling that they had reached their destination. She took the given chance and stepped forward, past Rafael, marching awkwardly on toward his apartment. "...c'mon."
The kiss threw her for a loop. She didn't know how to deal with such a thing. She had only ever kissed one person... and that had been many, many years ago. Her mind flew back to Trent, and she stopped before Rafael's door, all the while actively trying to avoid looking at him. "You... should have a key... I'll... explain inside."
Caught up in a whirlwind of confusion and frustration, Vicente had damned an answer to his question: what was going on? Why did he have to parade himself around as a younger sibling? He had turned to Megan, the only source for answers right now, and found that she was unable to make any motion of answering his questions. Whether it was because of maliciousness or simply not know, all he could see on her face was a wave of her own confusion.
He narrowed his eyes as he watched her.
>> ".... I... uh..."[/color]
She really did seem like she had been floored by that kiss. Whatever the reason, he simply didn’t know, but she definitely seemed as if her head was swimming. As flattered as he would have liked to have been, Vicente merely took the silence instead of questioning her further. She was of no use right now so that most he could do was wait until she was able to talk for herself.
Sighing, he resigned himself to leaning back against the wall of the elevator and waited for word from Megan.
Ding![/b]
>> "...c'mon." [/color]
As soon as the doors slid open, Megan seemed to take it as her only means of escape. She stepped out and Vicente quickly followed behind her. The silence was awkward as they strolled down the hallway but Vicente said nothing to shake it. Instead he spent the time trying to figure out the rest of this mess he had gotten into.
But he had to admit…she was a pretty damn good kisser, on top of being very attractive. If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn that she was just a little into it. He felt the curves of her body pressing against him, the quick beats of her heart, and the complete breathlessness which she seemed to be trying to shake off, all of it invaded his mind at an extremely awkward time. He did his best to shake it off before they finally stopped at an apartment door.
She avoided eye contact and directed him to the door.
>> "You... should have a key... I'll... explain inside."[/color]
He arched a brow. Reaching into his pockets he pulled out the motorcycle keys and found another set of keys attached to it. He should have figured that he would have the keys to his own apartment there. Moving to the front of the door, he avoided looking at Megan as well as he flipped through the few keys on the ring. He only had to try a couple before he finally found the correct key that would unlock his door.
A glance at Megan and he turned the knob before he walked in. He really, really hoped that there would be some answers…
She moved on inside, eyes unconsciously drifting to where she had last laid down silk. He had mentioned that it had cost him a fortune to repair all of the damages she had left behind... She would have smirked, if she had not been actively gnawing at her bottom lip. She needed to get her mind off of sorting out the alien feelings brewing inside, and come up with a decent explanation.
But...what was she supposed to tell him? Hur hur! You're an old Fogy, and you more or less hate me! I only know you because it's fun to get on your nerves! In fact, I ruined your apartment last time I was here, isn't that great?! ... yeah, that wasn't going to work. Stopping behind the couch in the living area, she tapped her fingers on the fabric and glanced around. However he had done it, he had cleaned the place up really well. There wasn't a trace of damage left on the ceiling, and corner where she had set up her hammock was good as new. It was almost a little sad, in her opinion... that all traces of her had been removed so easily.
She'd have to try harder next time. If there ever was a next time. "...So, story time, I guess..." She started, turning around and plopping down daintily on the back of the couch. She was going to have to spill a little bit more of the truth... which was going to be tough, because when she told herself the story of what happened, it sounded like complete bullhocky in her head. "Last time I was here I had to act like a call girl in order for you to get me in. Figured since they already knew me as one, I might as well play the part again, as it worked before..."
Peeking at him sheepishly from under the cover of bleached bangs, she was reminded of the kiss and felt her cheeks grew warm. God! Why the hell had he done that?! Last time he had just groped her a little, which while annoying, had done nothing to screw with her head! Or... maybe that had been because of the booze... Maybe she just hadn't felt anything because of her inebriated state? Wrinkling her nose in frustration, she raked a hand through her hair, then reached back to scratch at the edge of her tarantula wound. The idea that someone touching her in such a way, or even a little kiss for that matter, would cause such a ripple through her was... unnerving. She didn't like it. Feelings like that reminded her of what she was running from. Feelings were what had gotten her into the mess she was in. She considered herself better off without them.
"As for the whole brother thing, I did that because you look almost nothing like the man who owns this apartment. Like you're a younger version of him, I guess. A little brother was all i could think of on the spot." Against her will, she suddenly recalled leaning against his older self in the elevator. The body heat on her cheek, his heart beating. She felt her teeth clench together and she hopped from her perch, marching angrily away into the kitchen. She needed a damn drink, to drown all the vicious little voices in her head and make her stop thinking about things.
Halfway there she stopped, eyes locked on the floor, and frowned. Her solution was to cover the problem up, rather than solve it. The nagging little thoughts quieted momentarily, leaving a hollow silence behind. ...What was she doing? She was running... a never ending cycle of running away from things she didn't like. From human emotions, from happiness... from life. And it all was his fault. She couldn't even kiss someone without panicking. Because of him, she had cut off all ties with anything remotely considered a relationship. She didn't hug, didn't kiss, didn't go on 'second dates'. In fact... ken had been the only person she had 'dated' since fleeing from Oregon... and even that had been fake. Trent had put a lock down on her emotions without her even realizing it. The anger she felt surge through her at this realization dwarfed the anger that had led her into the kitchen in the first place. Continuing on, she set about searching cupboards high and low, for what she desired.
She'd solve her problem eventually... but currently, she intended to bury it again. At least until Rafael was far, faaar away.
Vicente was actually shocked by the interior of the apartment that he walked into. It really was quite opulent, but looking at the exterior of the building, he really was not all that surprised. After all, Vicente learned from the best. Reaper had told him that if he was going to stay anywhere, especially to blend in, then you might as well make it count. Vicente was sure that there had to be some backstory to his persona of living her. On top of that, he was also certain that none of the furniture was really his. Or, if it was something he paid for, he really didn’t care anything about it. It was all for the cover. All to simply present himself as someone he really wasn’t.
But his eyeing of the luxurious apartment eventually stopped as he realized that absolutely none of it looked familiar to him. This was supposed to be his apartment? It might as well have been a complete stranger’s. Not a stick of it looked familiar, he had no ideas where hallways led or which room was where. This place was a mystery to him.
It was the realization of that that made him turn his attentions back to Megan. She said that she would explain things so, as he watched her leaned back against the couch, he crossed his arms over his massive chest and simply watched her, waiting for her to talk. She had to know something.
>> "...So, story time, I guess...Last time I was here I had to act like a call girl in order for you to get me in. Figured since they already knew me as one, I might as well play the part again, as it worked before..."[/color]
He nodded curiously as he listened to her. Though, he had to admit, that a lot of what she was saying sounded completely off. After all, why would he need to sneak her in here in the first place? Just what kind of place was this?
Questions would have to be saved until after she was done talking. The last thing he wanted to do was to derail the conversation back into an awkward silence.
>> "As for the whole brother thing, I did that because you look almost nothing like the man who owns this apartment. Like you're a younger version of him, I guess. A little brother was all i could think of on the spot."[/color]
Looked nothing like the man who owned this place? But, that didn’t make any sense. He had the key! This was supposed to be his apartment. Vicente knew better than to squat in some unknown persons apartment or buddy up with someone. That part did not make any sense at all and it forced the assassin to just tilt his head oddly as he looked at her. What was she talking about?
But before she could elaborate anymore, she turned on her heels and left him behind. She was somewhere in one of the other rooms, a place that he heard cupboards opening and closing in a frustrated manner. She was searching for something. But he was not going to just let her leave him dangling like that. Instead the assassin marched after her. He nearly passed her position until he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. There he saw, Megan, searching through the cupboards of his kitchen, in pursuit of something.
He sighed as he leaned against the counter and just watched her as she glided back and forth, digging for food, drink, whatever and ignoring him completely. As he watched her, his mind raced as he tried to make connections. She said that he looked nothing like the man that owned this apartment, yet he was able to pass off as the “owners” younger brother. On top of that, he was already in possession of the key and he knew he would never share this place with anyone.
Eyes raised, he eyed Megan closely, finding that she found a cabinet filled with booze. He walked up behind her, easily reached over her head and plucked up a bottle of rum. He held it out for her to take as he watched her eyes.
“Megan…did…something happen to me, didn’t it?” he asked, obviously not referring to the memory loss. Something physical happened and he needed to know what…
Rafael's shadow fell over her, and one arm scooped up a bottle she had been reaching for. She was mildly annoyed at first, and then appeased when it was held out for her to take. She hesitated for a moment, before accepting it.
“Megan…did…something happen to me, didn’t it?”
Her lips twitched, and she stares at the bottle in her hands. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated? Why did he have to act so... so nice?"...I like you better the way you were before. It's no fun picking at you when you're all... confused." With a heavy sigh, she tried to get some distance between herself and him by climbing up onto the counter.
"...I... I don't know what really happened to you. I wasn't there to see what was done. All I know is that whatever that guy did, it changed you. The you that I'm used to picking on is a lot older... and you're a serious jackass." She frowned at him, eyes narrowing for a moment like it was his fault.. before she remembered that it wasn't. With another sigh, and a tiny bit of a groan, she ran a hand through her hair and opened her bottle, because it was her's now, to take a sip of the strong liquid inside.
"Look... the truth is... I don't know anything about you. We've only met a few times, mostly by chance... and i'm sure I annoy the crap out of you. I wasn't on any kind of job with you... I was just there by chance." The truth was no fun... In the true story she was just some side note, who had gotten involved on accident. It was bland, and served no purpose for her imagination. "...The only reason I know where you live, if because of the last time I met you. You were on some job, you told me you were at the party to assassinate someone... I guess they figured out you were coming though, because you got slipped something. Well, either that or you're a total lightweight."
She shifted a little, letting her head rest back against the cupboard. Her eyes focused on him finally. She wasn't about to apologize for lying... she doubted he would have believed the real story anyway. "I had to help you back here, and when we got here you told me to play along, because this place is heavily guarded or something. I'm pretty sure there are camera's in the elevators.... " Which... she was kind of pissed off about, now that she had made out with him in said elevator. "...I'm sure there is some kind of proof hidden around in here somewhere to show you what i'm talking about. I was too drunk the last time to properly snoop around."
>> "...I like you better the way you were before. It's no fun picking at you when you're all... confused."[/color]
Vicente narrowed his eyes in confusion. She had liked him better before? Before what? He knew something had happened to him but as to what it was, he really had no idea. All he knew was that something was different about him, something that she was not letting on about. He hoped that by confronting her now, gently, that she was able to actually open her mouth and tell him exactly what was going on.
He hoped…
>> "...I... I don't know what really happened to you. I wasn't there to see what was done. All I know is that whatever that guy did, it changed you. The you that I'm used to picking on is a lot older... and you're a serious jackass."[/color]
Huh? he wondered in bewilderment. Older? But…that would mean…
>> "Look... the truth is... I don't know anything about you. We've only met a few times, mostly by chance... and i'm sure I annoy the crap out of you. I wasn't on any kind of job with you... I was just there by chance...The only reason I know where you live, if because of the last time I met you. You were on some job, you told me you were at the party to assassinate someone... I guess they figured out you were coming though, because you got slipped something. Well, either that or you're a total lightweight."[/color]
He must have indeed been drugged. Vicente knew that he could hold his liquor so whatever happened on this job that she was telling him about, it was obvious that somehow he nearly slipped up. He could have died and yet here he was, alive, and with this young woman.
But even as he tried to focus on this, he could not help that his thoughts kept reverting back to her last words. He was old? The idea made the man glance down at his hands. They were young, strong hands. He was sure that his age was that of 25 but Megan apparently knew him as much, much older. The whole idea was completely ludicrous to the point that he wanted to accuse Megan of making up another store. But there was something in her face that told him that she was indeed being earnest. Whatever was happening here, he simply did not have a clue.
>> "I had to help you back here, and when we got here you told me to play along, because this place is heavily guarded or something. I'm pretty sure there are camera's in the elevators...I'm sure there is some kind of proof hidden around in here somewhere to show you what i'm talking about. I was too drunk the last time to properly snoop around."[/color]
He sighed and he shook his head. He knew that there was be nothing actually here to give clues to his identity. Rule number one of being an assassin, never leave trails. It would have been foolish of him if he had left anything pertaining to his identity here at his own home. None of the furniture was here and it was only here to complete a façade. Little else.
But as he raised his eyes to look at her, he found that Megan was looking particular irritated, upset, sad maybe? He didn’t know what was running through her head. Why would he hate her? She seemed to be rather useful, if just a little too brash. He doubted that whatever misconception she had about him hating her was right.
He turned is eyes back to her as he reached over and took the bottle from her hand, gently, after she already downed a drink. Once he had it, he took a long sip of his own, letting the liquid burn his throat before he handed it back. The alcohol did little to quell the thoughts in his head about his real age, about Megan’s factoring in all of this, and who had done this to him.
Locked onto Megan, he moved closer until he was directly in front of her, pinning her slightly on the countertop she sat on. Dark eyes sought and searched her’s, watching her closely, trying to ignore the fact that he was close to her, trying to forget the memories of kissing her lips, of feeling her skin brushing against his, of the obviously flusteredness that had taken over her.
“Megan,” he said, in an actually, friendly-like manner. “I don’t find you annoying. Thank you…for helping me…even if you did lie about 80% of the time.”
Her bottle was thieved from her in such a way that she nearly snatched her hand away like she had been burned. Who took things from someone gently like that? Gah! It was an action steeped in.. things she stayed away from. Niceness.. gentleness. Icky, Icky things. She didn't know how to handle it, save for shift uncomfortably and ignore it.
Eying him, before he handed it back, she shot him a slight frown and wiped the mouthpiece off- just because he had stolen it from her- before taking another sip of her own. A sip meaning a greedy gulp, that is. He was acting strange.. and not just questioning and confused strange, either. They way he was looking at her made the hair stand up on the back of her neck, and her heart started beating rapidly. When he approached, bumping into her knees and cutting off all hope of hoping down from the counter without having to crawl across it first, she had an inward mini freak out. Enough so that the handful of spiders she had hiding within her hair abandoned ship in blind panic, tumbling down her shoulders and up the cupboard behind her to safety. All of the anger and mixed feelings inside her boiled over, and she felt her cheeks heat up again.
He was in her bubble... ohlordy, he was in her bubble and he was touching her and he was looking at her... and she couldn't do anything. All of the thoughts leaked out of her head through her ears and she found herself unable to move, just staring at him like a rabbit staring down at coyote. Megan opened her mouth to reply, to say something so as to not remain sitting there like an idiot... but all that came out was, "you.... you're touching me."
She informed him of this, as if he didn't already know. Licking her lips and gulping, she tried to force her sudden case of nervousness away and found the label on the back of the bottle suddenly intensely interesting. Thoughts of the kiss just would not leave her alone and the more she tried to bury them, the more she got upset at herself for doing such a thing. Other people kissed whoever they wanted, right? There didn't have to be attachment in a kiss... or a hug, or even other things these days... right? So why was she freaking out over one little peck on the lips? (peck, being an understatement) Besides... he had apologized for it anyway.... It had clearly been part of his role.
She shifted again, unsure of what to say.... or do for that matter. Her brows drew together and she glanced back up at him. As close as he was, it wasn't hard to find his eyes...or his mouth... It had been so long since she had even thought of such things... yet here was the perfect chance. A chance to prove to herself, and to her past, that she had successfully moved on. She had escaped. Her heart beat sped up a little, she shifted forward without warning, eyes slipping closed swiftly. She was headed in for the classic movie peck on the lips, the kind her and Roach made fun of alll the time, but chickened out at the last second and pressed her lips to his cheek instead.
"You don't owe me any thanks..." She added lamely, her voice easily betraying her.
Feeling very much like a clumsy tween, she raged at herself inwardly, inventing new cuss words and creative ways to use the old ones. She had played this part many times before... Hell, Rafael had punched her last 'boyfriend' in the mouth because of her acting... Why the hell couldn't she manage it now!? The flash flood of mixed feelings washing through her left her trembling slightly. The more awkward the situation got, the more out of place she felt, which led to raging on the inside about why she wasn't dealing with it properly, which led to her stumbling over herself on the outside. She knew very well that doing this was a mistake... it was always a mistake... but she felt inclined to let this one slide past her... and she wasn't really entirely sure as to why, yet.
Vicente really didn’t know why he was following through with this. Confusion still muddled his mind, he had little sense of who he was anymore, but for all that, Megan still proved to be a plague to his thoughts. That first kiss in the elevator, yeah, it was simply for show. At least that was the intention driving the action. Now though, the assassin, still young, still a little green behind the ears, found himself actually noting just how attractive the young woman was.
Though that is not to say that the man was in love. Vicente had always doubted that the emotion truly existed and a majority of the time it was foolish emotions like that that got a man in trouble. But, that was not to say that there couldn’t be a sort of…animal attraction.
>> "You.... you're touching me."[/color]
He glanced down and noted that indeed he was , in a way, touching her. In his process of locking her on the cabinet, he had blocked her and inadvertently was pressed against her knees. But no look of recognition of this flashed across his expression. Instead, Vicente merely continued, enamored with her eyes as a look of uncertainly and fellow confusion swept across the young, spider-queen’s face.
She leaned forward, eyes closing with an intent to press her lips to his. But before Vicente could kiss her, she suddenly switched up her directions and placed a kiss on his cheek. The sensation burned a little, like something that he truly was not used to. In a way, he wasn’t. Reaper was never tender, and any other young lady that managed to catch his eye was usually done in a celebratory, drunken stupor. Besides, the majority of his time was spent doing jobs for Los Lobos, he rarely really had the time for women.
But now, considering how drastically things had changed (according to Megan), he really could not make himself focus on the strangeness of what was happening. He couldn’t focus on the idea that he was actually supposed to be an old man, or that Megan had lied to him the whole time. All he could really think about was the here and now…
>> "You don't owe me any thanks..."[/color]
Her words were meek, almost scared. It was obvious that this whole thing was making her uncomfortable, but at the same time, he could see the struggle in her eyes. It was almost like she was trying to convince herself that it was okay. Or so he thought. He could have been completely misreading her.
Really there was only one way to test it out.
Fears and confusion melted away for thoughts focusing only on the moment. His hand raised, he very gently touched her chin to lift her gaze up. When their eyes had met again, he leaned in and, softer than he really thought he was capable of, he kissed her again. And this time, it was not a kiss for the cameras…
It was different from what she was used to. Gentle... patient. Her past experiances hadn't been like that at all. Trent had been too authoritive. So very straightforward and mechanical in such things, that this new approach was more or less throwing her for a for a loop. It was sweet... and despite not being able to return the same tenderness, she found herself enjoying it.
Something about the connection between two people, however different those people were, made her feel less alien. Like she normal, if even just for a little while. The heat of anothers body was relaxing and exciting all at the same time. Megan leaned into the kiss a little, bringing a hand up to draw him in closer and let herself get lost in a momentary lapse of control. It occured to her just how much she remembered liking kissing someone, as well as how much she missed it.
It brought back memories of the pleasent times in her past... waking up with sun on her face, laughing with friends... the first time she ever kissed trent...
Off in the livingroom, a clock chimed with the changing of an hour and a hideous song blared to life from the little speakers within, echoing out into the rest of the apartment. Megan's eyes shot open, and she leaned away, licking her lips and eyeing the man before her, before dropping turning her gaze away. She scratched at the bandage on her back again gently and huffed, wrinkling her nose in distaste as the song winded down and finally died, leaving behind an akward silence.
"....Really?" She questioned, before lifting the bottle in her hands and stealing another fiery gulp. Clearing her throat a little, she attempted to straighten herself back out and brought her eyes back to his.
"...You should probably look for info on your mystery man... right?" It was probably best that they had been intterupted anyway. She was starting to like the face smooshing just a little too much. Picking at the hem of her dress, the rum was brought to her lips again for a third helping, before she held it out for him to take, if he wanted too.