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.
"I'm going to touch you and I'm not sure if it will sting or not."
Andrea nodded, curiosity seeping into every aspect of her expression. She had to admit, she was growing steadily more interested in what the woman could could- if anything at all. She wasn't really concerned about pain... the fangs that had been planted in her shoulder blade moments earlier hurt more than a sting. Hell, nothing could be worse than the pain of the darned things coming into existence, right? "Which one of you is the biter? If you like biting people, why don't you try biting me instead?"
Lust tugged at the braid that held him captive, while Sloth watched the woman quietly. His head tilted, one beady eye trained on the blond woman. The other snakes wriggled uneasily, agitated from being cooped up in her hair as well as from the feminine hand that was held out in their direction. Sloths tongue flicked out, while the others struggled, and shifted around Andrea's shoulders so that he could support himself as he reached out to inspect the offered hand.
Was it a food offering? Did that mean he had permission to bite? He angled a little questioning glance toward the girl he was anchored to. She usually stopped him from touching people, and she definitely never let him eat people. Which was one of the reasons he had taken to ignoring the antics of his smaller siblings. She kind of deserved it... for getting in the way of his dinner.
Andrea watched quietly, a little nervous about Sloth eyeballing her, before the white snake turned and continued out toward the hand. His nose brushed fingers, then a palm. She could feel his mass of muscles around her shoulders tensing. He nuzzled the hand, inspecting it in a snake like way... and the Greek raised her own to gently touch the snakes body... if he was going to bite, she wanted to have a purchase with which to drag him back.
Ah... oh god, oh god... fire! What was she supposed to do with fire again?! Glancing around the kitchen, she snatched up an oven mitt and attempted to bet down some of the flames on the counter. She heard a feminine voice behind her and twirled, looking ever the guilty party with her smoldering oven mitt and smoke stained apron. She may as well have been wearing red gloves.
"What?...uh.. Ah!" She watched as the girl joined her in the frantic beating out of flames, and panicked as the towle sh was holding burst into flames like a match- and was quickly tossed across the room. Where it smacked into the wall... and fell into an open garbage can.
...which lit up like it was filled with gasoline.
"Oh god!" Darting to the sink, she reached out and took hold of the hose attachment. Andrea made the mistake of not paying attention as she turned on the faucet, what with nozzle of the hose pointed straight up at her own face. A jet of water shot out and caught her squarely up the nose, which sent her reeling back against the sink, coughing and choking.
The jet of water arched across the room next, first in the girls direction, then over to the oven as she got control. She was drowning from water dripping out of her sinuses... but at least she was going to put the fire out before she died! With a few sneezes and hacks, she cleared her airways in time to see another figure burst into the room, dressed in the reds of a fireman- but without the fancy equipment or skills. The red clothed girl vanished with a shout- something she couldn't hear, but reappeared a moment later... and then the room was blanketed in a thick cloud of white.
Andrea's scream was shrill and filled to the brim with pain. Fire ripped a path up her leg, winding up into her hips and ending at the base of her spine. It felt like all of his weight had landed squarely on her ankle! A clean fracture of her fibula, though she didn't know it. The bone cracked, separated, then settled together again- grinding against itself in a way that multiplied the pain times ten.
The sound produced was anything but music to her ears... a popping crunch that vibrated up her shin bone. She tugged at it, her foot, too intent on escape to care that she could have been doing more harm than good. The pain, coupled with his shadow blotting out the light and her inability to scramble away dragged a frustrated whimper from her throat. She could feel herself tightening up... becoming frantic and careless, and she couldn't stop it. Tears pushed at the corners of her eyes and her throat was slowly closing up. She felt like an animal with it's leg caught in a trap; her eyes pinned to the hunter as he towered above her. His arm rose up with a glinting threat gripped in his hand- Then it plunged.
Andrea had once thought that getting sliced in the arm was one of the most painful things she had ever felt. A half inch deep wound that was barely done needing stitches had left her whining for days, picking at scabs, and bemoaning to herself about getting into such trouble. Now, the Lions blade sank into Sloths flesh like it was butter. She felt the snakes pain like he had stabbed her straight in the chest, and sucked in a breath through her teeth before letting go of a shriek so powerful it tore at her throat on the way out. The blade was sharp, and driven in with a strong hand. Nothing stood in its way and after it had burrowed completely through Sloths meaty middle, she felt the tip carve its way into her shoulder. She screamed again, high pitched and desperate, reaching out with her gloved hand to push at his in the vain hope that he would withdraw the blade. The white snake thrashed, mouth open wide in a silent scream, fangs bared at everything and nothing.
"...Please! Please stop!"
Sloth was pinned to her shoulder though the middle and had never suffered such pain before. He threw his body forward, angry beyond all measure at everything, and in a fit of rage sank his teeth into Andreas coat. Ira reacted in that instant, discharging all of the tension in his curled body as he lunged toward the arm of the attacker. Gula followed suit, half inch long fangs pointed at the man. Pressure built up on the inside of his jaw, where poison glands were hidden, and two streams of venom shot out at Vicente.
At the same time, Andrea was slapping her bare hand against the floor above and behind her, trying to find something- anything- that she could grab a hold of and use to beat at him with. She could feel another shriek building up in her chest and tears had broken free from her eyes, coursing down the sides of her temples. Her fingertips brushed against something solid, something just out of reach... She attempted to wiggle herself closer to it while her snakes went on the offensive, her fingers grasping and clawing at the floor.
There she was, wallowing in her own self pity.. and he spoke again. At first she pointedly ignored him, not recognizing the cue of bookshelf and leaping upon him, but then she heard her name dropped- not once, but twice. He knew her?
But... from where?
It took a moment to sift past all of the muddled emotions and thoughts that question brought up, until realization slowly kicked in and she knew why his voice was so familiar. Martin! Feeling deflated and curiously like a kicked puppy, she stared up at him while he continued to speak. It was Martin... the gardener. Someone she had fallen out of a window on, as well as someone who had helped her when she had stumbled into a patch of very nasty plants. Here he was... in a dark alley. looking down at her with an expression she couldn't quiet see thanks to her glasses.
...and here she was. Defeated by a fence, and looking like she had taken a tumble down a hill. She felt shame prickle at the back of her neck. She was the very picture of a train wreck. Green and splotchy, and now with snakes! Why could she never meet him on a good day? A day when her wriggling head was calm, her clothes fit her right, and she wasn't getting mugged, or jumped in the streets? Quite quickly, the shame was replaced with a flicker of anger. She knew Martin... why had he scared her so? Why hadn't he identified himself sooner, rather than worry her into thinking he was some knife wielding stranger?
Then the anger was then replaced by an uncertain fear. Martin had a knife, and he knew how to use it well. She had witnessed him take people down, in self defense yes, but he had been so quick and so... cold about it. She shuddered involuntarily as he stepped toward her, wondering to herself if she could really claim to know anything about him at all, with her eyes locked on his form as he became clearer and clearer to her sheilded vision. He knelt before her, looked her straight in the eyes.... and held his hand out for her. Which only served to agitate her slithering, hissing companions. The serpents Curled inward, tensing like they were ready to strike and kept all of their little orange eyes on the male. Her fear softened, overshadowed with a mix of emotions she couldn't quite get a hold of. She chewed on her lip, and lifted her hand slightly from beside her. What was she doing...?
He was familiar to her. A reminder of happier times, in a happier place. His voice, his manner, brought with it images of the mansion. He was one of the people she had purposefully left behind. ...And yet, here he was. It tugged at her heart a little, and she desperately held back the urge to lung forward and hug him. No, she wasn't going to embarrass herself even more tonight by leaping upon the first friendly face she had seen in weeks. "...Martin?" Her hand paused uncertainly in the air. "...What are you doing here?" A good question, really.... Blinking, her head tilted ever so slightly and her serpents calmed. She relaxed temporarily, and so did they. She reached the rest of the way up to grasp his fingers gently. It was... odd. It felt like a dream. Maybe she really had passed out, and simply hadn't woken up yet..
He paused, stared at her. Was he thinking? ... Was there hope?
She watched, silent and frozen. The moment ended quickly as another fearsome, savage roar erupted from him, and he ripped a bench from the floor like it weighed nothing, sending it flying in her direction. She barely had a moment to register what was happening before bits and pieces of wood rained down on her, and the beast charged.
A scream left her then, tumbling from her lips as she sank down the wall and hefted her weapon up in his direction, and threw it. She didn't want to get eaten! She didn't want to die!! Andrea flung herself to the side, scrambling for purchase. Her sandals slipped, but she managed to drag herself off to the side and out of danger... for the moment. He was fast, a lot faster than her.
She had been lucky so far... hopefully it would last.
"Leave me alone!" The Greek caught the side of the podium the priest usually stood behind as she flew by, yanked and sent it crashing down to block the path to her as much as she could. Sloth curled protectively tighter around her neck, almost a little too tight and one snake bared it's fangs and sent a stream of venom flying across the gap between her and the man. She spared a second to gawk at the raging lion man, before bolting back towards the pews.
Her venom didn't quite reach the man though, only flying a good two feet before it sloshed all over the wooden podium, turning the light wood instantly a pale gray. Ira hissed next to her ear, Vana copied him, and Hubris turned to keep an eye on the attacker while Andrea tried to put some distance between herself and the monster. Her foot caught on a large chunk of what had once been a bench, and she pitched forward into the floor. Her cheek connected soundly with the stone, and she saw stars for a second.
Her right foot protested when she made to draw it back up and put her weight on it. Her heart leapt into her throat, and with a strangled gasp she attempted to get to her knees. She couldn't afford to sit around.... not with that monster on her heels. Turning to keep an eye on him, she plopped back onto her butt and kicked away the offending piece of wood that had toppled her. One serpent reared back, mouth open wide, and hissed as loudly as it could in the lions direction...
A string of curses flowed to mind. She focused on blending into the wall behind the pew. If she didn't move... he wouldn't find her. Not quickly, anyway.. She slid slowly, like any fast movements would get her caught and killed, and hefted her makeshift weapon with her. His 'it's time to play' jest set her fear ablaze all over again. She forced herself to hold her breath, and inched her way along the wall toward the doorway. She was close... freedom was just around the corner. All she needed to do was-
The lights flickered to life over head, and her held in breath rushed out of her in a short, startled squeak. She had unknowingly run herself over the light switch, ending the game of cat and mouse in an instant. And, as if that wasn't enough, something from a nightmare was standing not far enough away from her with hungry jaws parted, saliva dribbling into his fur.
She damn near feinted right there, but managed to press herself into the wall hard enough that her wobbling legs didn't drop away completely underneath her. That was no man, no alley killer. It was a lion with a man's body, and a black furry arm. Andrea felt suddenly plain in comparison. Sure, she stood out like Christmas against the whitewash wall, small in comparison, and visibly weak due to the way she was barely able to hold up the heavy candle holder. She stared at the man like a frightened mouse, all traces of fight flooding out of her. How was she supposed to even hope to win against that?
Sloth locked his eyes on the strange man, his tongue flicking out to taste the air. He didn't recognize the scent... it was unfamiliar and strange. Yet, oddly exciting. Ira, Vana, and Avarice hissed loudly, fangs bared as they attempted to make themselves look larger and more threatening. Her hair squirmed, snakes raising themselves up from all sides to watch the man like hawks. Andrea meerly stood, shaken so much that if she moved she was afraid she would topple over completely.
"...Why do this?" She heard her voice over the hissing of her snakes, and licked suddenly dry lips.
"I have done nothing to you."
Maybe she could reason with him. Plead her case and convince him to let her go? She was hardly meal worthy to a lion... man. Not skin and bones anymore, but not exactly meaty. Her sandaled feet shifted under her as she tightened her grip on her weapon, green speckled fingers turning nearly white against the dark metal. She felt sweat trickle down from her temple, and chewed on the inside of her lip.
The sounds of crackling wood reached her ears again. She stuffed her fingers into her mouth to keep from gasping. It was much closer... like if she were to peek around the corner of her bench she would see him standing there. Waiting. It forced her to shudder violently. Panic momentarily overwhelmed her and she found herself on the balls of her feet, wanting desperately to bum rush the door and attempt to break it down. Or maybe just pound on it as hard as she could and scream. She knew how old the building was, and that the Priest was the only person who had a key to unlock the door. Which unlocked from the outside, unfortunately.
...maybe.. just maybe she could get around him. Find something heavy that she could throw at him and run back toward the parking lot. Someone had to be around... someone had to help her! She heard the sound of feet, unhurried footsteps. His breathing sounded... primal. Inhuman, and she could hear what sounded like finger nails being dragged along wood. Her eyes shot to her left, towards the wall at the end of her bench, and as quietly as she could she crawled on all fours toward it.
“I know you here.”
It felt like she was stuck in a horror movie. She was the unfortunate soul who died first... or last. The way his voice sounded created horrifying images in her mind. Causes and reasons that she didn’t want to think about... Andrea made it to the end of her bench, her serpents alert and aware.. but more than a little confused. They were smelling something new.. something strong and musky. They didn’t know what to make of it, but they kept their eyes peeled because of Andrea’s fear. Placing her back square against wall, she tried to peer through the darkness to see the man. Her glasses made it nearly impossible...
With only a little light filtering though the stained glass windows, there were only selected patches were she could see anything. She shifted, pushing herself along the wall as quietly as she could. “See…I know you’re here…because I can smell you… You have such a…unique scent, Piggy. So…sweet…delectable…like a rare, savory meat that I simply can’t help but sample. You…You will truly be a delight.”
She stopped breathing entirely, a new breed of fear digging its claws into her chest. What did he want from her? This wasn’t the cliche I have to kill you because you saw me kill someone anymore... this was something more. A numb feeling centered itself in her gut as her imagination picked up where it had left off and ran through a thousand gruesome scenarios before she could stop it. Andrea squeezed her eyes shut, curling up into herself with the cold wall behind her. She didn’t want to die like this... Alone and quite literally terrified out of her wits. She wanted Saph to burst in through the door like a hero, sweep her off her feet and carry her away from danger...
As if.
“If you want to keep playing hide-and-seek, that’s fine, Just…makes me want to find you all the more. Makes…the urge to sink my teeth into your still beating heart grow stronger. So…please……keep prolonging it. I beg you…”
He... he was going to eat her? She felt the world pitch violently as darkness threatened to swallow her, but fought the feinting spell back. If she passed out now, she was dead for sure... It was so beyond anything she could have imagined that it seemed surreal. She was being hunted, not just followed. Hunted.
Her thoughts flashed back to the man who had died in the alley. She wondered if he had been the mans first meal... and promptly wanted to throw up all over again. Another soul shattering roar filled the air, forcing her to cover her ears. She moved then, scrambling along the wall until the bone chilling sound stopped bouncing off the walls. Still on her hands and knees, she felt the cold metal of a candle holder touch her skin, and froze. They were rather large objects. Heavy, but useful if she could manage to use it as a weapon. She decided to take his offer of keeping the game going, though she was seriously going to feint if he mentioned her heart again.
Her un-gloved hand wrapped around the metal base, and she shifted herself onto the balls of her feet. The shadow she was in was fairly dark, halfway between the pew and the front door. Gulping, she forced herself to stand and plucked the heavy candle holder from its spot next to the wall. Really... she should have thought the action through a little more... because not only did the candle topple from the top of the metal structure, but the bottom of it caught on another candle holder and sent it crashing to the ground.
She cursed silently, and darted towards the pew, and more importantly, the only way out.
".. Please... accept the souls of the departed, and protect the meek." She was starting to calm down... she could feel it. Her heart had gone back to a relatively normal beating pattered, and her jello legs had gone away. She still felt stiff and highly frightened, but she wasn't about to start foaming at the mouth and pass out. She had a little plan already forming in her head, too. She would stay in the chapel until the priest came back in the morning, explained what had happened... call Jorge and give him a recounting of what had happened and then go back to quietly avoiding life for a while...
She was getting awful tired of running for her life.. Taking another deep breath, she pushed back the shield of her hood and scratched at the back of her neck. She was alone, it was safe to have them out... at least for now. Sloth curled protectively tighter around her shoulders and she patted the white snake again before clasping her hands again. "..Give me strength and courage. Watch over me and those I hold dear... and forgive the sins of the wicke-" The sound of cracking wood caught her attention. It echoed out into the steepled room and bounced off the walls to mock her. Andrea froze like a deer in headlights, not even moving to look up. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes went wide, she found that she couldn't move.
“Piiiiiiiggy…oink…oink… Time for you to squeal…and squeal…and squeal…”
Her hands clutched at one another, one gloved and one bare. She could feel her elbows shaking against the wood underneath them as fear crept back up her spine and took a hold of her completely. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run... but the front door was locked, and she had nowhere to hide... the building only had a few rooms, one large main room and a few smaller ones. None of the smaller ones had doors, either. She was trapped.... and probably going to die. "o father in heaven..." Her voice was barely a whisper, and she could do little else but bow her head for a moment and press her hands to her face. "...watch over my friends..."
She pushed herself up onto legs that would barely hold her and and darted across the room as fast as she could. The lights in the main room flickered off as she hit the switch. Andrea ducked behind one of the benches near the front doors, and reached back to tug the ribbon from her hair. She didn't know where the guy was... but he sure hadn't come from the front door... which only left the back. Gulping, she pressed herself against the wooden bench and stilled her breathing so she would be able to heard his approach. The hope that if she just kept quiet enough and remained hidden everything would be ok blossomed in her chest, and she clung to it. If she was going down... she would at least put up a fight. It was all she could do...
Only the sound of her heels slapping against the sidewalk greeted her ears as she ran. She felt like screaming, like a ball of shriek was holed up in her throat... but she couldn't get anything out. She ran faster than she had ever run before, and only stopped once she saw the church come into view. The Greek staggered to a stop half a block away, bent over and gasping for breath. A dizzy feeling washed over her and she realized that she may have pushed herself to far... but who would blame her?
ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!
With a shriek, she took off at a sprint again. The chapel stairs were vaulted two at a time, and she pounded on the front door soundly for a minute until she remembered that the priest had gone home. She was locked out, and there was no one around to help. She was starting to feel like the dead man a few blocks back. Turning, she hopped over the railing of the porch, nearly snapping her ankle in two when she hit the ground at an odd angle. There was a little side alley big enough for one or two people to wander through, and she was hoping that there was a side entrance or something in back. Darting into the darkness, she had to hop a small chain link fence, catching her dress some more as she clambered over it. The fabric tore, leaving a triangle section of cotton and lace hanging from the top.
She ignored it and pushed on. Her alley ended in a little parking lot behind the chapel, which a small set of stairs and a second door. She was at it in moments, and was rather distressed to find it locked as well. "...malakia!" Her eyes shot up the wall, to find a little window not to far up. And it was cracked open. Gritting her teeth, Andrea hoisted herself up onto the railing by the door and latched her fingers onto the window frame. She was barely tall enough to reach it... She dug her toes into the wall and pulled herself up with a strength brought on purely by fear. One hand reached in to clutch the inside of the window sill, while her un-gloved hand pushed at the window to make more room for her to enter.
She pulled herself into the room, collapsing onto the carpet, then turned and slammed the window shut. After she had caught her breath, she glanced around the room she was in. An office... probably the fathers. Breathing out a deep, shaky sigh, the twenty three year old got to her feet and headed for the door. Her legs felt like jello as she descended the stairs into the main room of the chapel, and she could feel her heart hammering away inside her chest at a million miles an hour. Flicking the lights on, she resumed her spot from before, kneeled and began to pray. It would calm her down, at the very least... "... Grant me strength in this hour of need... Grant me protection from those that wish me evil..." Ducking her head, she pressed her entwined hands against her forehead and sucked in a shuddering breath before whispering more soft prayers.
She tried to smile, to calm the frightened man down so she could lead him away from the alley. He let go of the fence finally, his legs shaking so bad that she didn't think he'd be able to stand on his own without her supporting him. "Shh.. it is alright, I am here.." Not like that was saying much...
She needed to get him to safety before whatever was after him reared its head. One of his mangled hands flopped onto her shoulder, vying for a grasp that sliced tendons and flesh wouldn't allow it to take. Andre used the opportunity to try and get that hand bandaged. With half of her kerchief grasped between her teeth, she pressed the other half to his...eh... wound. She wanted to get the length of dress she had torn off around it. If what she had in mind was correct, running her hand over the fabric after would create a temporary cast of sorts to keep him from bleeding to death. She supposed she could have just touched the wound itself... but she doubted burning pain would help the situation....
But... before they had so much as moved out of the shadows, the man clinging to her gasped and went completely stiff in her arms. He wheezed, his eyes wide and blank and staring right at her. His legs gave out as blood spilled from his lips, trickling down his chin onto his shirt... and her coat. She stared at him, open mouthed and frozen solid as his legs gave out and he dropped to the sidewalk at her feet. A man had just died in her arms. She had his blood on her.... Her bare fingers twitched in the air where they had been working on him a few seconds ago, and she stared blankly into the darkness of the alley as another man emerged. An older male... ragged and terrifying. She saw the glint of a knife, and officially freaked out.
“Hola, sweetie. Out for a stroll?”
Her body reacted on its own, hauling her back before her mind- or feet for that matter- could catch up. For the second time that night, Andrea found herself slamming her tailbone straight into the pavement. Sloth was jostled from his nap, as were the other snakes. They felt her fear in an instant, and Sloth's beady orange eyes appeared from around the back of her neck. He peeked out from her hood, eying the strange male who smelled... odd. very odd. As well as blood, fresh and delicious on the night air. Andrea was still in shock, and couldn't think of anything to say... or really do... accept run. Running was good. She was good at running.... Running should be done soon. She didn't wait for him to say anything else, turned, scrambled like a dog on four legs, then bolted off down the street as fast as her sandal clad feet would take her.
She would go to the chapel... she would be safe in the chapel...
Her walk ended abruptly as she started past a dark alley. She could hear something inside.. like distant footsteps and hurried breath. Pausing, she stared out into the darkness for a moment, unsure of what to make of the sounds, before she pointedly decided to ignore them. Whatever it was, she was going to assume it was not a good thing... and she needed to keep herself out of trouble as much as possible. Her hackles rose, snakes twitched in her hood and she chewed on her lip as she sped up her pace and passed by the alley. She barely got a few steps away before her conscience kicked in and she was forced to stop and turn to peer over her shoulder back the way she had come.
...What if someone needed help? It was her duty as a human to lend her hand to someone in need, wasn't it? For a few, agonizing seconds she shifted back and forth on her feet, plucking at the bottom of her dress. Feeling like time was an issue, she turned on her heel and sped back toward the alley. She didn't hear that the footsteps had gotten closer, until a shadowed figure lunged from the darkness into her path and connected with her solidly. Andrea bounced back, nearly breaking her tailbone on the concrete as it caught her. She managed to catch herself before cracking her head open on the sidewalk, but was jolted enough that her glasses nearly flew from her face. With a startled squeak, she made sure she was decent before scrambling to her feet and angling a frightened look at what had bowled her over. ... it was a man. A man who was clinging to the fence against the side of the alley in order to remain standing, and who was also praying to god for help.
“Please…love…of God….help me….” He looked like hell. All blood and bruises, and when she caught sigh of his hands she felt her stomach flip a full circle. One gloved hand flew to her mouth, more to keep herself from screaming and losing the contents of her stomach in the street, than anything else. Staring was not going to help the man though... she needed to think. "Hold on.." She whispered, unable to get any strength into her voice at the sight of him. She reached down and took hold of the bottom of her dress, ripping off a length of frill to use as a bandage, then dug in her pocket for her handkerchief. She was at his side in an instant, and used her sharp teeth to rip her kerchief in half. "Give me your hand..." Tugging one glove off, she held out her own hand to grab his, but he had a wild look in his eyes and was staring past her into the open street behind them.
Andrea stared at him, more than a little frightened, and shot a worried look into the darkness. She reached out without asking and grabbed him by the elbow. Someone was going to kill him? Then standing in the dark was not going to help... She needed to drag him out into the open, where someone passing by might be able to stop and help. He resisted her, still locked onto the fence like it was his life line.
The chapel was quiet. It was late enough that most had gone home, and only one solitary father was wandering around the small house of god. With her hood drawn up all the way, head bowed, and hands clasped before her Andrea looked like any other repentant believer. She had tucked her snakes away into the back of her hood, held together gently by a length of red ribbon. Her bare knees had long gone to sleep, pressed against the cold stone floor, and her sandal clad feet were tucked behind her. Her newest dress, which she had spent the last of her funds on sways around her legs as she shifted, the dark cream fabric reflecting the light from both candles and bulbs. She could hear the soft shuffling of the priests shoes against the stone as he moved around closing and locking windows and doors.
Her muttered words were to soft for the man to hear, which she was more than thankful for.With so much weighing on her mind, she didn't want someone else doubting her too. "I...don’t even know what to say, Blessed Lord... I am so confused. I am caught in the midst of a violent crisis of faith... so uncertain and doubtful. I am going through a difficult time in what touches the depth of my belief..." She recited what she knew, pausing only to fumble over the words that she had nearly memorized. Something her mother had sent her, a long time ago.
"I am almost tempted to give in to impatience and despair. Something within me cries out for you, yet you seem not to be there..." Taking a slow breath, she shifted on her knees, feeling pins and needles race down her legs as she moved them. She had been kneeling for hours, thinking and praying. ".. I have broken away from many childhood beliefs. I decided to let me faith pass through the filter of my personal experience. Suddenly, I found myself too far from you... from security and certainty." She could feel Jorge's words weighing down on her shoulders, and bowed her head even more. "...If I still turn to you, Blessed Lord, it is because I have not yet lost the hope of finding an exit door-" A shadow fell over her clasped hands. Andrea paused her self, lifting her chin to spot the priest standing beside her with his coat and keys in hand.
"Child... you have been here for hours. Don't you think it's time to head home?" He smiled politely, but she knew it was just a formal way of kicking her out so he could close up shop. She didn't blame him, it was an hour after he was supposed to have left. "Oh... yes. Sorry father." Unhooking her gloved hands from one another, she pushed herself to her feet and adjusted her coat around her. It was a little chilly tonight... she could feel goosebumps on her arms. The priest held out his arm politely, to walk with her to the door. It was far darker outside than she had expected... which led her to believe that she had been there longer than a few hours. She slipped a guilty smile the kindly priests way, and worked the pins and needles from her legs as she descended the chapel steps. "...Do you need a ride home, child?" The Greek paused, turning to glance over her shoulder at the man as he finished locking up the doors. It was a kind gesture... but it was safer if she walked herself.
"No, thank you... I will be fine. Good night Father." The two parted with that. Andrea made her way down the sidewalk, her head in the clouds more or less as she went over the last little bits of the prayer she had been forced to stop. She had a few blocks to walk. Nothing big, but the area was a little unfamiliar. Houses scattered the streets rather than businesses, with only a few stores here and there to break up the pattern. Street lights cast an ominous glow over the sidewalks, and the barren streets weren't really helping matters... It was a little unnerving, she had to admit.
*Prayer is from the Prayer for Faith in Time of Doubt.*
She listened. Took in his words, and when she had heard what he had to say... she felt like an ass. Sucking in a breath, she held it and reached back to draw her hood up over her hair, angry snakes and all. In confessing.. in admitting... she had pinned him to the spot. She was stupid... So. Horribly. Stupid. Jorge was a cop, an upholder of the law. He had probably been forced to take down a lot of people, bad people, but people all the same. "..I..."
What was she supposed to say now? Nothing in what she believed gave her any answers, and anything she had to say would only make the situation work. Her anger dipped, but her frustration over the situation grew. "I am sorry." She stated, noticing that her voice was flat and hollow. She had nothing left to give but anger, and she wasn't going to repay his kindness with it. "...I should not have spoken, my burdens are not yours."
She tried to smile, she really did. Her backup method of diffusing a situation. But her lips would have none of it. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch, and simply tugged her hood up further until it shadowed her eyes and nose. She couldn't think of anything to say. Everything was tinted with anger, or sorrow... and she could feel a headache building up behind her eyes.
"I do not believe you, Jorge... but I will think upon what you have said." She needed to write her mother... her mother always had answers. Maybe she would stop by a chapel and devote a few hours to soul searching... which she had been neglecting lately. Nearly turning, she paused, a thought coming to mind.
"I know... that a lot of what I say seems wrong. I do... Part of me will always doubt. It is... human nature, as you would say." A mind in doubt often leads to trouble. As her mother used to say. "... and perhaps I have a habit of giving off the wrong impression. God is not unforgiving... but you must earn it. We are cursed Jorge... but that does not mean we cannot be forgiven. You... you fight for what is right. You are a good person... " Ah, she could feel herself starting to get aggravated again. "I will always strive to be a better person, so that one day I might be forgiven to. If that means I must fight for my beliefs, or leave those I love behind to protect them... then I must do so."
With her mouth set in a tight line, she nodded her head slightly, a silent goodbye, and turned from him. She didn't know how to say goodbye in such a situation... so she didn't. Thank you for listening, Jorge... Andrea left him, heading off from the mall to finish her tasks for the day, before she headed him to think about all that had happened... Jorge had said much, and as much as she didn't want to think about it, his words had left her doubting herself even more than before.
“Andrea, hunny, You soul…it doesn’t have anything to do with your mutation. I don’t believe God punishes people with certain abilities. Sometimes… Sometimes the hardest thing we ever have to do in this life in learning to live with ourselves. You have it rough, I can see that, but believing you’re cursed, believing that you are being punished for an unknown crime you committed as child…it’s just not true.”
His hand on her shoulder sent a jolt of conflicted emotions through her body. She could feel angry, frustrated tears building up behind her eyes... and fought to hold them back. "Jorge... It is. It is true." Taking a shuddering breath in, she shook her head at his words and bit down painfully on the inside of her lip. She needed to calm down... deep breaths. Breath in, breath out...
“Honey, it’s easier said than done, but sometimes you just need to live life with the cards you’re dealt. It’s crappy, and extremely unfair, but that does not mean you cannot allow yourself to be happy every now and then.”
She couldn't take it anymore. She flinched away from his hand and Avarice hissed, baring his fangs at Jorge. Her gloved hand was around his neck in an instant, yanking the snake back to her. Angry as she was, she was not going to allow harm to come to Jorge when he was simply trying to help. "I do not wish to simply live with the cards I am dealt! I want to live, actually live... for once in my life." She muttered, standing quickly to put some much needed distance between herself and the officer. "..I was happy... I really was... "
But then she had gone and screwed it all up.
"... I deserved this... I know it, even though I cannot pinpoint why." Turning her chin with her back to him, she stared though her glasses at the cop while her snakes curled up defensively in her hair. "I did not always have these animals, Jorge... As I told you before. I sinned, and in a matter of months I was struck with another curse." Sin, and you shall be punished. It never failed. Her fingers hooked together nervously before her and she paced in a short line back and forth. "I hurt someone... I do not know how badly... but I did it intentionally." It was suddenly a little harder to swallow. She stopped pacing like a caged animal and turned to face Jorge fully, with her back straight and her shoulders squared. If she was going to confess her sin, she wouldn't look like a coward while doing it.
"I was at the park... people started shooting, and there were kids around. I tried to defend them... I really did, but I am useless in a fight. One of the men turned on me... chased me... and when I had the chance to-" She stopped abruptly, her words catching in her throat. She could feel the pressure of his face under her hands again. Squirming. Struggling. "...I put my hands on him." She remembered watching as his skin shifted in color and texture, and could easily recall what his screaming sounded like. "I would have killed him, to put a murderer away... but someone stopped me." Shaking herself, she dropped her eyes to her feet and frown bitterly at the ground.
"Murder is still murder... no matter if you have good intentions... I sinned by attempting to take his life." And because of her actions, she had to live with serpents. It made sense to her, why did no one else see it? She didn't want to think about the alternative... A god who would allow the just to suffer so... or the possibility of there being no god at all.
Silence greeted her, only a moment- but it seemed like enough. She regretted opening her mouth, almost more than she regretted leaving her room today...
“It’s…not a curse, Andrea. I…know that’s hard to see now. Trust me. But…it’s like saying people with red hair, or those with a slightly large nose, or those who are smart are cursed. It’s…a part of who you are. You need to own it, if you want any chance at being happy.”
She bristled before she could control herself, and her serpents hissed softly. A part of who she was? "...This is not who I am..." Her fingers curled in her pockets and she looked away from him. She shouldn't be angry, she knew that... He didn't know very much about her, not many did. He didn't know what she had done, or what had happened to her.
"People with red hair can choose to change it. People with big noses can get them fixed. I have hurt people... just by existing... and there is nothing I can do to stop it." Her dark brows drew together as she collected her hurried, furious thoughts. He was just like Saph... someone on the outside looking in. They would never be able to understand her way of thinking, not unless they stepped into her shoes.
...and honestly, she didn't wish that on them at all. "There must be some reason I am like this... there has to be. Something I did wrong... or something my parents did." Sloth curled around her tighter, on edge due to her growing distress, while Ira and Hubris squirmed in her hair restlessly. The others had retreated into the dark tresses, away from their mistresses discomfort.
"This is a curse, not only for me but for everyone who suffers... God would not do this to a clean soul..." Her voice had taken on a strained tone, and she struggled not to jump to her feet an pace. It was hard enough thinking about such things on her own... Talking to someone about it felt twenty times harder.
