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.
None of that was a real answer. He supposed it meant tearing was rather off the cards. He'd have to control that urge, however strong it might get. "Everything? Only since I ran into this drop dead gorgeous brunette at the airport. She could take my breath away in a heartbeat." He gave Maya a very serious look, so so serious, hiding a smile as best as he tipsily could. Naturally, all dimples and grin. He'd lost the facial discipline somewhere around the second glass. Amazing how fast that happened when you gave your liver a chance to forget its tolerance.
He wasn't convinced it was just love. Love looked amazing on Maya, with the blushing, the smile, the crinkled eyes. Perhaps it was just the solidity actually allowing him to see her properly. "It looks best on you." Cafas dodged a man completely absorbed in his phone, and waved happily to someone excitedly pointing at them. New York never ceased to amaze him. Ignored but for the tourists. Just how jaded was the average New Yorker?
"Most things look better on you though." He'd have gagged if it weren't his love struck self saying it. Actually, maybe not, he did have a soft spot for romance. "Or off. Can't decide." There, balanced.
It really was a short walk from Rothy's, but it felt like an age, despite the mild weather and pleasant company. The issue probably lay in the company. Cafas had to fight not to skip. As they approached, the tension was getting unbearable. She was right there. He could smell her, feel her, hear her breathing. She held his whole attention, which made weaving through the stream of people difficult.
"So, while the elevator is great and all, what say we take the express up? Oh man, you still can right? Or is that off the cards if we wanna stasy all solid and stuff?"
"Sword sword. Jedi get lightsabers, but I'm like, this Mandalorian fanboy with a vibrosword. I fight a guy with a lightsaber though!" Because of course he did. It just wouldn't be Star Wars without a bounty hunter fighting a Jedi. Not that Luke vs Boba Fett had been much of a fight. Come to think of it, Jango vs Mace Windu hadn't been much better. Cafas fared a lot better. "And while I can't tell you if I die or not," The wine dragged an exaggerated wink out of him, "This probably isn't my last Disney pay cheque." So subtle. A master of implications. "Also only Jedi get ghosts. I'm one of the bad guys." She was so close. So lovely and close. Close enough to boop noses. The sound effect was another side effect of wine. Him waving off the technicalities of which account was being drawn from was just Cafas being Cafas.
>>"Hey, stranger. Would you walk me home?"
Cafas regarded Maya as if actually considering the question. As if it weren't the easiest question ever. legs to face, face to legs, back once more. "You know, I think I will." He'd have walked her anywhere. She made him understand Orpheus, Romeo, and The Proclaimers. The metal manipulator offered his arm and set off at a pace far more casual than either really wanted it to be. Still, something something delayed gratification. Not that further delay seemed necessary. "How much do you like those clothes?" The most innocent and subtle of questions. Perhaps the longing in his eyes would betray him. At least it was no longer the colours.
Calley was so right, Christmas colours just aren't that sexy.
They were pretty close to home, but still with time to kill on the walk. Cafas gave Maya another proper checking out. His approving sounds were perhaps a little loud. "So, in all seriousness, is that new make up. I can't put my finger on it, but you just look a little different, and its not just the hair."
Posted by Cafas on Aug 29, 2017 20:57:51 GMT -6
Jude likes this
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Member of AV!Haven
Hetero with notable exception
Cafaya
1,571
114
Mar 7, 2020 21:43:37 GMT -6
Cafas
A different New York? All different but just the same. Well there were certainly worse things. Cafas could already imagine the complaints about trans-dimensional immigrants. How long before that was the political subject of the day? He gave it six months, tops.
"Well, you'll have to show it to me in spatial. I'm starting to actually be able to interpret the information it gives me. Still gives me a headache, but this may just be worth it." It was still by no means easy, but he could do it. The real trick was in learning to see the negative spaces, at least for Cafas. He still couldn't see the air currents in it or whatever, but then, he was usually a bit distracted to even try.
"It's a crazy time to be alive, isn't it?"
"Crazier with every call out."
Clink.
Oh, filming, like they hadn't just been discussing a temporal rift that for all they knew could spell the doom of their whole universe. Sure. Cafas took a moment to recover from the mental whiplash. Mac and cheese helped. Carbs and fats always did. "Well, yeah, like I said it was a lot like that last one, though a lot less in the way of practical effects. I've never seen quite so many green screens arrayed in an outdoor scene." There had been some in Mad Max, but nothing like Star Wars. One for that star destroyer in the background, one for the weird alien animal, one for the ball robot. The actual film looked honestly ridiculous. The finished product would be amazing.
Always is.
Cafas tore a strip off a wing with his teeth. He wasn't a talk with his mouth full sort of guy, but he wasn't a completely stop eating just to tell a story sort of guy either. "Speaking of, we did so much green screen work I had trouble actually seeing green for an hour after filming from the eye fatigue.You lose all track of time in those massive hangar studios too. Makes it so much harder to get into the scene too, but that's part of the skill I guess. Plus, how are they meant to actually film me jet pack intercepting an X-wing in space? Ooh, actually probably shouldn't have said that so loud." Not that it wouldn't make the trailer. It was going to be far too cool a scene not to.
That harness was so uncomfortable...
"The helmet made emoting interesting, and I'm not sure if it's going to make looping easier or harder. Don't really have to match mouth movements I guess, but it's going to be every single line. Hope they're willing to do it in New York." He shrugged, taking a mouthful of greens in the pause. "If not it'll be L.A." Which was hardly his favourite place to visit. The traffic was awful, and unlike NYC you had no choice but to drive. "Can't see it taking more than a week or two." The directors had been great up to that point, he saw no reason for that to not be the case in the studio. He doubted it would be Rian for the ADR, but he could hope.
Cafas practically bounced in his seat while he finished a mouthful in a convincing, if accidental, imitation of Rowan, remembering something he wasn't sure how he'd forgotten. When he finally swallowed he couldn't quite get the words out fast enough, and had to be careful to keep them hushed. "Oh dude, it was awesome, I finally, finally got to use a sword on screen. The choreography was totally unrealistic, but who cares, it's a movie. It was just like being in all those scenes that made me pick up a sword in the first place. Actually I nearly cried, though I don't think anyone noticed. You should have seen their faces when we turned up to rehearse it. Rian actually added me to the fight choreography team as a consultant! Some of the moves in there are from me, how cool is that?" Actually, he may have already told her that. Yeah he'd already told her that. Months ago though. He felt it was fine to talk about ti again after that long.
Acting had been such an accidental discovery for Cafas. Literally, one poorly timed joke. He'd never really considered it before that, but actually immersing himself in the world... It had its boring bits, all jobs did, but he could ramble on all night about it if Maya didn't stop him. He hadn't even gotten to the shenanigans the cast and crew had gotten up to in their down time, the training, the awesome costumes, who he'd met, who was a mutant...
Posted by Cafas on Aug 29, 2017 11:52:25 GMT -6
Ghost likes this
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Member of AV!Haven
Hetero with notable exception
Cafaya
1,571
114
Mar 7, 2020 21:43:37 GMT -6
Cafas
Cafas gladly accepted the wings pushed towards him. He hadn't really expected Maya to want any. Actually, he'd sort of been counting on it. He was tearing into the smokey meat of a second in the time it took Maya to clear her cucumber. A third was having dip spooned on to it shortly after. No sense meating up the dip, wings always came with celery and pickles, which last he checked were vegetarian.
Raises questions about the dip though.
Maya's description of the initial event lined up with all the news that had come out, though she didn't posit any culprits. Cafas chewed thoughtfully, nodding to confirm he'd received the call. Not that he could have done much from the other side of the planet. Even if they'd directly called for back up, he'd have been at least a day. Even the X-jet couldn't have gotten out and back much faster. He scooped some poutine into his mouth while at the mention of side effects, then had to hurry through the chewing process as Maya wrapped up the sit rep faster than he'd expected.
"Sounds like a real mess. Just glad no weird alien army spilled out of it honestly. Can you imagine the damage?" A war in the middle of New York City, it would run into the billions very quickly. The death toll would be unspeakable. "Sounds like it's become just a part of life now though. Trust the government to make a rip in space-time so boring and bureaucratic." The first real chance for adventure and exploration since satellites and they had their official channels on it. Official channels were the worst. "Still, stable is good news. I'd hate to have to run out on our first night back. Stable sounds like we have the time to spend together."
I'm going to end up going through, I just know it.
Cafas took a long draw from his wine glass, trying to figure out if he cared enough to discuss work on their first night back together. His sense of duty was really conflicting with his senses of romance and getting laid. Had to be done though. "Do we have any confirmation what's on the other side? It's been hard to sift speculation from reality." He pulled his phone from his pocket to show her the frankly useless news articles, but it refused to start.
Charged it all the way from London, how it is out already?
Cafas tossed it on the table, just a little frustrated at it. He put aside the frustration, he just wanted to be happy for a night. He'd show her later. Some of it felt like people were deliberately sowing misinformation.
Jude moved? Huh. Well, the kid did have some problems with authority, and living at the mansion meant constantly dealing with authority, especially when your legal mother happened to also live there. Well, sometimes. Actually, Cafas wasn't entirely sure where Maya had been living while he was gone. He would imagine the mansion, given that was where Ro was. Ro who would get to see again the next day. Hopefully Abby too, but she was harder to pin down. Had her own life. Seeing the kids again was just another wonderful thing to look forward to.
"Two months? Man those re-shoots really did drag on didn't they?"
"Probably was about time Jude got out and started living like an adult. He's what, eighteen? Seventeen?" Cafas shrugged, not unsympathetically. Either way the kid needed some experience with reality. Not the ugly, frightening, violent part. They dealt with that all the time. Jude needed to experience the mundane. Bills, rent, taxes, feeding himself. It really was the only way to truly understand why your parents made the decisions they had to. "Be nice if he'd mentioned it at all, maybe given some warning, but you know Jude."
Hates hearing opinions he doesn't agree with...
"I'm sadder you didn't mention that, really. Two months isn't that long to wait for better timing, and this was an amazing homecoming surprise. Better saved than wasted on a phone call." Whereas now Cafas had two months of worrying to catch up on with Jude. He put it away for later though. Priorities had to be kept in order. Maya, kids, At least for the night. "And don't be too worried about the cake, I've never been able to make one work either. Seems a lot of work for carbs." Delicious carbs. Wonderful carbs. So full of happiness.
Speaking of ca...
True to Rothy's form, food was arriving just as he was starting to look for it. And it kept coming. And coming. Enough that even Cafas, a seasoned big eater, had to take a moment to appreciate the challenge it presented. "We may have made an error in judgement..." He cast a wide eyed glance at Maya and laughed. They'd maybe both gotten a little carried away. The sheer volume left Cafas wondering if he'd be able to walk when it came time to leave. He knew they didn't have to actually eat it all. He understood the concept of doggy bags and he had heard of admitting defeat. He'd even seen other people do such things. Ultimately though, there was a reason Cafas carefully measured his servings.
"I should have listened to your arched eyebrow when I ordered, huh?"
Cafas eyed several chicken wings, mac and cheese, "collard greens" that he'd never had satisfactorily explained to him, poutine which he had ordered knowing he would regret in a mirror, fried brussel sprouts that had finally convinced him to try the much maligned vegetable, salad he was pretty convinced didn't truly count as such. "Well, I'd say we're gonna be here a while. What's this I hear about portals to other dimensions?" Frightening news was always best received with food to dull the blow.
"Don't threaten me with a good time, Miss Swift." He leaned in, further, further, until he could taste her breath, feel the warmth of her ever so faintly, their lips all but touching, "But Rothy's is my favourite place, so, probably better not to risk it." Their lips brushed ever so slightly as he spoke, hushed voice carrying cheeky mirth. With a tiny peck he pulled back and turned to pointedly watch the lights passing by, chuckling and thinking himself very clever. He couldn't keep his eyes off her for long, but long enough for the joke.
Rothy's really was his favourite place. It was extremely hard to beat. Cafas took a deep breath of the homey, savoury air and leaned back further into the booth with a contented sigh.
"Welcome home!"
Cafas raised his own glass and clinked merrily, having to use his left hand to manage the angle. "Good to be back." He sipped, his first alcohol in months. Longer perhaps. Wine really did feel necessary for the occasion. Who celebrated without champagne anyway? "Life just isn't the same without you." She brought a certain lightness to it all that made everything so much easier.
Wind beneath your wings? Eh? Eh? Yeah, there's no need for anyone else to know I even thought that.
"So how long you been keeping this," He indicated he hair, then her wholeness, with a somewhat awkwardly angled swirly hand motion, "As a surprise? And how'd you manage it? The actual fix, not the surprise." He clarified, then adding jocularly, "Though that's almost as miraculous." Cafas aimed up a few playful jabs in the side, only hard enough to tickle, or so he assumed, he was used to a fading Maya. He took another sip of the wine that was already going to his head, regarded the glass briefly, very self aware, and set it down for the moment, returning his eyes to Maya, who they'd hardly left all night.
Food. He hadn't thought about food, surprised as he was to realise it, in hours. He'd barely thought of anything but his much delayed reunion with Maya all day. He'd barely been able to eat before the flight, excited butterflies had been fluttering in his stomach, and he'd slept most of the way from Heathrow to pass the time faster. He had an in flight meal, but that was more of a snack by his standards.
"While I have to say, I'm very interested in these plans of yours," He cast a glance down to where he could feel the heat from her flush radiating through his shirt and arched an eyebrow, "I think food would be a good idea first." His stomach murmured its agreement, eliciting an awkward chuckle from Cafas. "Yeah, okay, food." Because that was going to get distracting later. "And, for what it's worth, you're not ruining this. You're you, and you're here. Nothing's ruining that." Which seemed like a perfect line to continue some unfinished business on.
Good a time as any.
This kiss was not short. Quite the opposite. It was a kiss trying to make up for everything they'd missed while he was away, though slightly awkward to angle belted in the back of a car. In other circumstances, he'd probably a have pushed his luck with it a bit. As it was content to enjoy the new warmth, and enough solidity to squeeze her into him.
Cafs would have stayed in that moment forever if it were possible, but time moved forward, and so did cars. If he didn't speak up soon they'd be home, where he doubted either of them would be willing to leave. All Maya's planning would be for nought.
Maybe not all of it.
Reluctantly, Cafas leaned forward, breaking the embrace only when it was clear he couldn't reach the dividing panel while wrapped up in Maya. Initially, his hand slipped on the tinted glass privacy screen, but he found purchase on the second attempt, rolling it open. "Hey dude, uh, change of plans, could you take us to..." Oh right, these weren't his plans. Cafas cast a curious glance at Maya, waiting for her to finish the instruction.
Posted by Cafas on Aug 25, 2017 1:48:35 GMT -6
Sennyo likes this
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Member of AV!Haven
Hetero with notable exception
Cafaya
1,571
114
Mar 7, 2020 21:43:37 GMT -6
Cafas
If it was important to him. That was tricky. He actually wasn't entirely sure it was. It certainly had benefits. Several he could think of off the top of his head, and he was pretty sure there were others. Cafas' brows tugged inwards into the tiniest of frowns as he retreated into his own mind to try and figure out his own priorities in life. Marriage just hadn't ever come up before. He'd never really been in a relationship long enough before, except Calley, and that wasn't legal at the time.
"I don't know if it's really important. I mean, it's really just a legal thing, right? I mean, it's just what you do though right? But you proved right there, you can commit to someone forever without it." His eyes flit around as he thought, barely registering what they were seeing. "I mean, it might be good for the rights it conveys, we hardly have the safest lifestyles. Plus there's Ro, though I don't know if step parents have much in the way of rights and stuff there, I'm really just making an assumption." The X-man extracted himself from his own brain and found Maya's eyes, startlingly blue.
That'll take some getting used to.
"Still," He began, smiling a smile just for her, "I think I can promise to not change without you, and offer my forever to you as well." The flush of excitement and happiness that he'd left at the airport caught him once more. Because, honestly, forever was all he needed. Marriage was really more of a formality. Easy as that, he knew where his priorities lay.
"So, you still feeling like home? I know you, you had plans."
Yeah, hugs was the direction he was going. Cafas tucked an arm around Maya, wiggling as close as the seat belts would allow without digging into hips. "I don't want to not be us either. Us is the best." Cafas paused to wince at his own grammar before continuing, "We can be us without being married though." He wasn't sure that was as reassuring as he'd wanted it to be. He was more or less just flailing with words. "I just. You know. I don't know, I just... I love you. I wasn't really thinking. I got caught up in the possibility of an actual forever..." They'd never had a forever. He'd never had a forever. Everything was always so uncertain. The concept of an actual forever hadn't really been a fantasy he'd indulged.
"Forever with you. Us."
Earnest emotional discussion was not how he'd foreseen his arrival home. Celebratory dancing, dinner, other things. He was all off guard. The X-man took a breath and wrangled his thoughts into something comprehensible. A gentle smile broke across his face looking at Maya, teary but solid, all brown hair and corporeal form. She looked like a woman that needed a kiss, and who would he be if he didn't oblige? That was how they'd started this whole thing after all.
He kept it relatively short, though despite the circumstances it sent a thrill through his body. He pulled back with some effort, taking Maya's hand in his free one. "I'm sorry I asked in those circumstances. But I'm not sorry I asked. I love you, and I think it's a discussion we should have. Not having thought about it is a perfectly valid answer, and I'm not at all upset by it. We're adults after all. Wildly screamed yeses and cheering crowds are for fictional people and fools. You are neither."
At first Cafas thought he'd gotten away with it. Maybe not the best case, but certainly, he'd made the mistake of thinking, it could have been worse. The paparazzi didn't even seem totally sure what to do with it. Really it was just the beginning of a proper adult conversation about their future together. The wasn't going to sell photos. Really, they'd all been denied a headline.
If only that had been the end of it.
Confusion and concern stopped his agreeable nodding and imposed themselves upon his features. Something was most certainly very wrong. It wasn't Calley throwing a tantrum and fleeing, but it was as close as Maya ever tended to get. He was already trying to pick a path as Maya found her voice again. "Sure sweetheart, come on." That got the paparazzi going again. Now that was a good scoop. In a move his publicist would later certainly call "a ridiculous overreaction" the X-man sent a pulse through the crowd as far as he could reach. Cameras suddenly shut down, a massive, simultaneous malfunction as every tiny piece of metal within them turned to liquid. At least that would spare Maya a front page photo.
The confusion, he knew, wouldn't last long, so he capitalised. Cafas ushered Maya through the crowd and out the door before the first cries of outrage rang out. Straight to the car. He recognised the driver. Also the placard. He waved the man off as he tried to assist with luggage, simply lobbing his suitcase underarm into the open door. "We gotta get out of here nowish. Take us home." He waited for Maya to get it and jumped into the car himself, shutting the door a little too hard. The engine purred to life and the car merged into the traffic with practised precision.
With the situation passed, Cafas could finally be flustered. Words spilled from his mouth at breakneck speed, each as poorly thought out as the ones that had landed him in the situation. "Hey hey hey hey hey, I'm sorry I... I really didn't think that through. I didn't mean to embarrass you or... I dunno. Maya, hon, please don't cry. I shoulda broached that better. This is meant to be happy! It is happy. Well, clearly not the whole proposal thing, apparently." He didn't know what to do with his hands. Was hugging her okay? Would that make it worse? Surely not.
Seatbelt first, buy time to decide. Oh damn that didn't help the decision.
Yes hug, just go with it. No, that's how this happened. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
It took a moment for everything to sink in. The words just echoed around his head, trying to find a place to settle. He vaguely registered the comment about the car. The clamour of questions didn't even make it that far. Happy tears welled up and overflowed. The metal manipulator quickly hid them in the crook of his ever so corporeal girlfriend's neck. His suitcase stood forgotten as he pulled Maya straight off her feet and twirled her around the tiny bubble the paparazzi had left them. If not for careful he had needed to become with Maya in their time together, he may well have hurt her with his enthusiasm.
Cafas pulled back beaming, controlling his silly tears as best he could. An actual, real, possible, wonderful future lay before them, both of them, together. No more waiting on a lingering farewell, no more having to wonder how he and Ro would cope without her, no more... No more tea with breakfast! "I can drink coffee again!" Cafas bounced, and held back the happy tears once more. His whole world seemed that much brighter, and he wanted to share it with the blue eyed brunette in his arms.
"Maya Swift. Will you marry me?"
Uh oh...
Sure as the sunrise, and emotional Cafas will lose control of his mouth. He'll say that thing he really should have saved, and planned, or just never said. Ask Calley. One would think he'd learn to preempt it, to stop it happening. No such luck. All he'd learned was how to recognise such occasions after the fact. The realisation raced across his face, shock, fear, nervous anticipation, finally coming to resolute sincerity. Okay, maybe there was some nervous there too.
It's not like he could take it back though.
His whole world stood poised on a precipice, frozen between heartbeats, in a moment of infinite potential.
There was a Maya practically welded to his body. Except not. Well, maybe, he wasn't actually sure he could tell if he were. She was certainly holding onto him hard enough. Cafas' free arm automatically shifted to support her. "Blue..." The stupor was properly on him. His brain was yelling commands at itself, but ignoring them. This was Maya, he was sure of that. She smelled the same (Was that weird? It was probably weird), She sounded the same, the features were the same. But blue eyes, brown hair, and certainly not as translucent as he was used to.
Help?
It was her. It was his Maya. Even if he didn't quite understand what was happening. "I thought... Wait.. What? Dye? No it doesn't take, but..." The X-man felt something bubble up inside him that he hadn't felt in a good long while. Something warm and... Hopeful. Legitimate hope, not the vain hollow hope he'd been clinging to. but the proper, uplifting kind of hope. Maybe he should have squashed it down, it had been how long that they'd been trying? And he'd supported a few businesses he'd rather have shut down in the process.
But this was much more likely. Right? The physical evidence was there right in front of him. So, jaded as he should have been, Cafas Johnson allowed himself this hope; His gaze trying to bore the truth from Maya's eyes.
Posted by Cafas on Aug 23, 2017 17:03:24 GMT -6
Ghost likes this
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Member of AV!Haven
Hetero with notable exception
Cafaya
1,571
114
Mar 7, 2020 21:43:37 GMT -6
Cafas
Five minutes before they were due to begin descent, Cafas would much rather have been asleep. Several joints cracked and creaked as he stretched in his seat. The flight attendant returned with his requested grooming kit and a wonderfully hot towel. He set to making himself camera ready as they descended, made final approach, and touched down. He stopped short of the recommended make up, slammed an orange juice that wasn't the coffee he wanted, and packed up as they taxied into the gate. One final yawn and he was up and moving, the smile his publicist loved so much firmly in place.
Please let customs be short...
A little under an hour later he was through. A couple fan selfies were probably already hitting twitter. Possibly instagram, could even be tumblr. Honestly he hadn't quite heard in the excited babble. He'd just smiled, laughed, and given the requested hugs, flexes, and the one bridal carry. With one final deep breath, and a quick once over in a window reflection, Cafas strode into the paparazzi crossfire. The flash was borderline dazzling, the clamour was playing havoc with his ears, and the sudden movement really made picking individuals difficult. The actor simply smiled, waved, and otherwise ignored them. There was a shock of white hair to be found.
... Or was there? His quick scan turned into an actual visual search, though the smile never slipped. He made another full sweep of the waiting before it was starting to take awkwardly long. The flash really wasn't helping, and he could feel his temper rising. He had to get somewhere to compose himself. He stepped into the crowd, luggage in tow, trying to blink away the black spots on his vision. "Excuse me ma'am." He applied gentle pressure on the woman's shoulder to stop her potentially moving into the gap he wanted, but faltered in his stride before he could slip by her. Something familiar. Something he couldn't quite place... No, there it was, the smell of ozone. His eyes flicked down his arm, to his hand, lingered on some unreasonably long legs, skipped the sign and found the face, though there may have been a brief pit stop between.
His composure cracked, his eyebrows knit with confusion, and as much as he'd have liked to make some pithy remark such as "Is that a new shirt?" none of his wit could make it through the mental block that was this new development. He'd been staring for way too long, confusion had rendered him dumb as his mouth tried to work. All he managed was "Brown?" and eye contact with beautiful eyes that he hadn't seen in far too long. Beautiful eyes that hid secrets.
Cafas scrabbled backwards, trying to get his feet, and his ego, back under him. He kicked the bottle as he did, sending it skittering and tinkling across the concrete. The beast kept advancing, crushing his cigarette and clicking ominously. He understood enough of it to take away the implication. He'd had these sorts of deals before. Well, the threat of being eaten was new. Normally he was just staring down the barrel of a gun.
"Well, when you put it like that." He smiled nervously, slipping into his most sycophantic demeanour like a jacket. "A cat or something else, I can manage that for you." Cafas slipped a still bare foot into his shoe. Then the second. Then he paused to do up the laces. "Just gotta put on some shoes. Pretty sure I saw some broken glass around here." He pulled the last knot tight and pulled his feet under himself, standing. "Alright, shall we get started?" Cafas' smile broadened, and he held his arms out as if excitedly posing the question.
The mutant slipped a foot behind himself and braced against it, making it look as natural as possible. Then, without warning, slammed his hands together, eyes pinned shut. Plasma arced out around him, then, as it always does, thunder followed the lighting. Cafas stumbled backwards under the shockwave and the sound. Ears ringing hard he turned and ran, unable to hear his own footfalls down the alley, afterimages of the arcing electricity burned into his vision despite his closed eyes.
He had no idea if he was being followed, he did know he had one of those left at best. His eyelids felt heavy, his legs leaded, his reactions sluggish. He dodged as best he could past dumpsters. He turned a corner, losing his footing briefly and slamming his shoulder blade into the opposite wall. A few yards further he threw himself into the shadows of a doorway and pinned his back against the door, trying hard to hide.
Cafas seemed to have touched a nerve. It appeared Isabel didn't have a funny bone when it came to... At least one of the things he'd hurled at her. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure how he'd let this all get so out of hand. Adrenaline had a funny way of turning nervous into angry, but he would have thought he'd be better at controlling that. Then again he was rarely nervous about fights.
I rarely find real threats...
The lattice wall of bony spines marched closer in time with Isabel, each step bringing new threat of painful death. The cuts Cafas had sustained from the initial assault were starting to really burn despite the numbing adrenaline coursing through him. The X-man was smart enough to know when he was beaten. In a different environment, free of bone infused walls, he could see himself having the upper hand. The Sanctuary was not such an environment.
He kept backing away, always a few careful steps away from a new role as a pincushion, eyes everywhere, scanning for traps. A door opened behind him, a head peered out. Whoever it was retreated back into their room. He'd almost forgotten the ever present danger of less reasonable reinforcements. The very concept was crazy, but he knew they existed.
How long can she keep this up for I wonder. Could be good to find out.
Cafas maintained his cautious retreat, steadily more impressed by how far down the corridor Isabel could keep producing the spikes. "Seriously? Still going? What, did you paint the walls with bonemeal? Dude this must have taken months!" Not that Isabel hadn't had years. Still, the amount of work it would have taken just seemed... Kind of beyond her. She seemed to chaotic to hold herself to such a tedious task for long.
