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.
School was out. It was time. To. Party! Rhia had worked hard all semester, physically and mentally, and now was the time to let loose and enjoy herself. Sure, she had moments of fun during the school year, but those always came with the knowledge that she would have to go back to her dorm and study or wake up the next morning to lift.
Not tonight!
Tonight she was having fun. Tomorrow could be an off day for lifting and she had no tests to study for. That meant drinking and more importantly, dancing!
As night fell Rhia got ready. Heels, a short dress with a plunging neckline, and tactical application of makeup to make her look older. Rhia had a fake ID but she had to sell the being old enough. Between that and her outfit accentuating her assets, why would anyone look too hard at her ID?
After stashing her ID and credit card on her person, Rhia was out the door and in an Uber. While she owned a car and had a driver license… No one drives in New York. There’s too much traffic. That and a nice car dropping you off made you feel like a celebrity!
The Uber driver was funny. Rhia gave him five stars and told him he could be a comedian. He said that he was, Uber was how he paid the bills while he gave it his best shot. Rhia wished him luck as she stepped out of his car.
Rhia waited in the line to get into Nightshade. She could hear bass from the building and found herself moving her hips to the beat as she waited. The line was moving swiftly enough. The man who was checking IDs doing a good job. Rhia saw him deny a guy because he was already drunk.
That didn’t bode well for Rhia. Bouncers paying attention was the bane of her underage existence.
When she was left facing the man, who she stood a few inches taller than in her heels, she played it cool. ”Howdy.” She said as she produced her ID and handed it over. She looked away, not wanting to stare at the brown haired man or her ID in his hand. Only the guilty looked guiltily at such things.
The mother and daughter fled. While the mother did not give verbal agreement to Rhia, the speed of her retreat following complete silence seemed to be acceptance enough. Rhia, ever the mature adult, stuck her tongue out at the woman. As the woman didn’t see it the effect was lost, but Rhia still found it fun.
Rhia led Zaid off the main street, one look at Zaid’s face under the hoodie told Rhia how embarrassed he was. Zaid let Rhia know what was going on in his life. Remodelling and a slanted floor. Add to that no coffee that morning and being chased by a crowd and Rhia would be surprised if Zaid even knew which way was up!
”Well, let’s get you some coffee! It sounds like you need some. My treat.” Rhia said with a smile. Though to be fair, she would put it on Daddy’s credit card so it was more like his treat. Coffee was certainly a living expense.
Rhia had to laugh, a gym session with her would certainly be less cardio. ”Yes. Next gym session will be in an actual gym. With weights. I’ll warn you though, I don’t go easy in the gym. I like it heavy.” Both the weights and the workout playlist.
Zaid looked at Rhia before asking if she needed to sit down. ”Oh. Yes, please! I have rocks stuck to the bottom of my foot.” Rhia slowly rubbed the bottom of one foot against the concrete in an attempt to dislodge a pebble. ”And don’t worry about it, I’m just glad I could help. Besides, you’ve seen the kind of bad situations I can create for myself.”
”Let’s find somewhere that serves coffee to sit down. Two birds and all that.” Rhia turned to face toward an intersection. ”This is New York City. I don’t think I’ve ever been more than a block or two away from coffee the whole time I’ve been here!” Rhia said with a grin before setting off in search of coffee and a chair.
”Hey now, flattery will get you everywhere.” Rhia said with a wink and a laugh. Her day was taking a decidedly fantastic turn. Mr. Devil knew of somewhere and Rhia let him lead the way. She was excited to see where Mr. Devil would lead her.
Mr. Devil led them toward an intersection Rhia knew well. Where Les Amoureux and the Spot battled it out for coffee supremacy. A duel where no matter what happened, the drinker won. ”Oh. I know of them.” Rhia looked at Mr. Devil. Good looks and even better taste in coffee. Rhia’s eyes went up when Mr. Devil asked the hardest question. Which did she prefer?
Rhia pursed her lips for a moment. She enjoyed both, but each of them had their own crowd and reputation. One could tell a lot about a person by their preference at this intersection. As much as she enjoyed going out, partying, and being a hellion… She enjoyed the traditional and quaint. ”Les Amoureux.” Rhia said, her decisiveness surprising herself. Normally she waffled on which to go to before patronizing the one with the best sign.
A step toward her coffeehouse of choice. She could already taste her favorite order. It was happiness in a cup.
Rhia and Zaid made their way to where the swapped mother and child were waiting. The child looked mad and the mom was uncomfortable and displeased. Rhia could only imagine the fidgeting and complaints of the child in the mother’s body were really driving home the lesson from Rhia to the mother in the child’s body.
The mother in her daughter’s body gave a sorry excuse for an apology before asking to be swapped back. Rhia Shook her head. Before she could say anything, the child in the mother’s parroted what she had likely heard from her mother in the past about apologies. Rhia did have to keep herself from laughing at the reasoning. The daughter wanted to swap back because… She didn’t like her mother’s choice in ice cream.
It was just too precious.
A second attempt was made at an apology. It was a much better attempt at an apology than the first. And it was none too soon. The child in her mother’s body was interested in Zaid’s ears. She mentioned them and then approached Zaid to pet them. As the ice cream came close to smearing across Zaid’s shoulder, he looked to Rhia.
Rhia smiled back at Zaid and then let the swap end. The mother and daughter returned to their normal bodies. Which left the mother standing close to Zaid, her hand on his ear.
”And remember. Be good or I just swap you right back. If I see any crowds come after us in the next couple days you’ll spend a whole weekend as each other. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Rhia said to the mother as if she was talking to a child as she smiled sweetly.
Holding out an arm to Zaid, Rhia asked, ”Shall we get off the street before other children start thinking you’re the Easter Bunny? We need to catch up. I haven’t seen you since the wedding, and we still need to schedule that gym session!”
Rhia giggled as the mother, now the child, made demands of Rhia. It was just too cute! The haughty attitude juxtaposed with the little body. ”I wouldn’t if I were you.” A look at the daughter now in her mother’s body gave the giggles a second wind. When the little girl told the adult that mommy was dealing with a situation, Rhia crossed her arms over her abdomen and held her sides.
The back and forth continued between the mother and daughter. Rhia let out a guffaw and a snort when the daughter realized she had the magical money card. That was also what it took to change mommy’s tune. Rhia seized the opportunity to demand that the mother, ”Undo whatever you did to my friend and then give him an apology. Otherwise I tell your daughter how to get to the toy store and offer to babysit you while she goes to pick up whatever she wants.” And to the daughter she asked, ”Does that sound like fun, honey?”
The mother said she would not apologize, she tried to blame the whole thing on Zaid. Rhia was having none of that, she started giving directions. It was when she offered to walk the daughter there and then wait with the mother outside that the mother relented. She undid the swap and promised to apologize to Zaid.
”Good. Now y’all wait here. I’ll get Zaid. When you’ve apologized I’ll swap you back.” Then heading off a protest added, ”If he doesn’t want it I’ll release you then and there. Be warned, if you take the chance to sick a crowd back on him or I I’ll swap y’all right back! Once I’ve swapped you I can do it again for the next couple days no matter where you are!” Rhia bluffed.
A nod of the head from the mother.
Rhia walked back toward where she had left Zaid. She had to look around a for a bit before she looked up and saw him, ”Hey!” She waved at him, ”C’mon down. I got her to call off the hounds. Aaaaaand, she wants to apologize. I told her to wait where she was. That we’d go to her.” Rhia grinned a mischievous grin, ”You’ll want to get this apology in person.”
Rhia wasn’t walking long before Zaid grabbed her arm. She stopped and looked at him. He was sniffing the air. Honest to God, sniffing at the air like he really was a bunny. It was rather cute. Zaid then motioned for her to take the coffee he was holding and Rhia grabbed it. Must have been throwing off his sniffer. After a bit he announced that he thought they were around. They being the mother and child caused the crowd to relentlessly pursue Zaid.
”Okay.” Rhia quietly said to him. Well, as quiet as one could be on a bust street and still be heard. She watched the crowd that was milling about, hunting their missing Easter Bunny, ”Just point them out and I’ll take care of this.”
It wasn’t long before Rhia felt a nudge. She looked at Zaid and then to where he had pointed. A mom and her daughter next to an ice cream shop. ”On it.” Rhia said before she started walking toward them. She had to be close enough to use her power and close enough to let them know she was responsible and make her demand.
From behind her, Rhia heard Zaid telling her to hurry before carrying on in Japanese. Rhia quickened her pace and stormed right up to the mother and daughter. They had been watching the crowd, until Zaid got loud. The mother’s attnetion had gone from the crowd, to Zaid, to Rhia. ”Howdy, bitch.” Rhia smiled and brought her power to bear. ”I see you like messing with people.” Her power took effect and the mom and her daughter swapped bodies. ”So do I! I think I’ll keep y’all like this until the crowd leaves my friend with the bunny ears alone.” Rhia put her hands on her hips, it was the swapped mama’s turn now.
Rhia watched as the crowd charged by. They were starting to fracture some. A few were hell bent on plowing forward, a few were looking to the sides wondering where the Easter Bunny had gone, and some were trailing behind looking more closely around them. When the bulk had passed Rhia said through the door, ”Most of them are passed. Still close by though.”
When Zaid rejoined Rhia he had on a “I Love New York” hoodie with the hood over his ears. He said that he would be able to point them out before suggesting just finding somewhere to lie low. He was right about the city being big. Rhia suspected the culprit might want to watch their chaos, but it was Zaid’s call. ”Well if you happen see them let me know. I’ll straighten it all out, Rhia style.” Which meant to make such a big mess of things that people gave up and did what she wanted. ”Otherwise… I think the museum might be open?” She questioned it as she said it. She had never been. She was bad at doing the New York thing. Unless you thought the New York thing was going out to clubs every night. In that case she was a professional at the New York thing.”Let’s head that way, if we find another crowd on the way we can slip into it.”
Rhia led the way as they walked. Her heels in one hand, ready to grab Zaid and run for it if necessary. In a real pinch, maybe she just picks him up and runs. Zaid looked about as heavy as she was. Which was silly. Zaid was a bunny man and Rhia was a weightlifter. Her carrying him was likely the slowest of all possible options. Likely a better option to bully their way out of a crowd though.
As they moved, Zaid explained what was going on. Someone was using Rhia’s punishment schtick. She was more out of line than Rhia had been at the wedding though! Rhia had an idea of how to stop them if they could find that woman and her child again. ”If we can’t get away… Do you think you would recognize them again? I might be able to make her unpunish you.” Swapping a parent with their kid sounded like a good way to have someone agree to what you wanted to Rhia.
Running out of coffee was a good reason to go out. Hell, even knowing it was Easter, the pursuit of coffee alone was worth the risk. Then Zaid had an idea, getting a hat. He looked around, while Rhia looked back behind them. She didn’t see Zaid’s pursuers, but she heard them. If Zaid was going to go in somewhere for a hat he needed to go fast! ”Might work, but get it quick!” Rhia looked back and Zaid was jumping into a souvenir stall. Rhia stopped outside to play look out. ”Might want something to cover the tail too.”
The herd of people came into view and Rhia said through the door, ”Here they come… Keep those ears down.”
The fuss almost collided with Rhia. She had gone around the corner and almost immediately collided with a familiar looking bunny boy. Zaid managed to move to the side to avoid colliding with Rhia. To her credit, Rhia had noticed Zaid with just enough time to try and sidestep. Had Zaid not actively avoided the collision they would have ended up on the pavement, Rhia was sure. There was only enough time for her to exclaim, ”Zaid!” before he was grabbing her arm and asking for help.
Well, when someone asks for help, you help. ”Who won’t leave you a-” Rhia looked to where Zaid had come from and saw a mob of people running toward them yelling about the Easter Bunny, ”-lone?” Rhia looked from the crowd back to Zaid, unsure what she could do to manage a crowd. ”Wrong day to walk while bunny.” Rhia said before grabbing Zaid by the hand and hauling him around the corner.
”Let’s find somewhere to hide you!” Rhia said as she moved down the street. She was not a runner and certainly was not experienced in running in heels. Lifting? Sure. Sometimes you just have to squat or deadlift a couple hundred pounds in heels. Gets people’s motor’s running. Running? Not so much.
Where to hide though? Run into a store or restaurant? Slide into a chair of a restaurant with outdoor seating and have Zaid crawl under the table? Jump in a cab? ”Hang on….” Rhia slowed to yank off her heels so she could move faster, ”Okay.”
Rhia wasn’t a particularly religious person, she was a Christmas and Easter Christian. So on Easter she found her butt in a seat at a church in New York City. She wasn’t picky to any denomination, any flavor of Jesus would do for her, so she went to a little church walking distance from her dorm.
The weather was still chilly by Rhia’s Texan standards, but the sun was out and shining, promising to bring warmth in the future. Rhia left for church in an cream lace knee length dress with three-quarter length sleeves and light pink heels. Normally she wore sleeveless to show off her hard earned arms but it was chilly and she was going to church. She could church it up for Jesus for one day. Besides, she was still showing off plenty of leg.
The church was one that a friend of hers from NYU went to. Rhia had never been to it before and decided she would go to it since her friend had invited her. The church was small, nondenominational, and played contemporary music. It felt like they were trying to make worship a party. Rhia could go along with tha for an hour.
It was on her way home, after saying goodbye to her friend, that Rhia heard a commotion. Curious, Rhia walked a block out of her way following the noise. Finally, she rounded a corner to see what all the fuss was.
Rhia’s swap offering was met by a different idea by Jude. A gym session. Zaid seemed onboard with that as well. Rhia thought about it for a moment before saying, ”Why not both? If I just did a gym day with you… Well, I enjoy teaching people to lift too much. It’s not much of an offering if I would have wanted to do it anyway. I only charge when they want me to lift for them.” Not to mention Rhia felt a swap mistake was best fixed by a swap remedy. A little hair of the dog in that regard.
Then Jude spoke French and Rhia swooned just a little. She took the moment to recompose herself while Jude was looking away. People shouldn’t just drop French like that. At least warn a girl! She did manage to catch a look at where Jude had looked. The old man. His wife was fussing but his touch was all she needed to melt. It was cute and sweet. And Rhia’s attention was drawn back to their little group by Jude speaking in English again, albeit with an accent.
”I guess while I’m apologizing… You shouldn’t have swapped him with him being so old… but… I think you’re right. The moment of youth might inspire him.” You can’t argue with a French accent and not just because it might surrender at the first sign of resistance.
There was the sound of someone tapping a glass with silverware. Someone was drawing everyone’s attention for a speech. Rhia looked around for a moment and caught sight of who was trying to give the speech.
The man looked similar to the groom, and he introduced himself as “Chris brother”. Someone yelled, obviously they were groom side… The pack of hyenas… ”His name’s Graham.” The brother, Graham, smiled at the callout. Rhia guessed it was some silly joke.
From there the best man gave a speech. He seemed the most normal of the groom’s side. More adjusted to civilian life. And he told some funny stories. Everyone was laughing and cheering until the sound of someone retching cut through.
Noel said she would get better at bonking. Ranger nodded. That was good. Bonking heads was a skill they needed to not be stuck as each other. Noel put the straps of the heels in Ranger’s hand and closed her hand around it. Ranger quickly got distracted from the heels and let go. Noel tried again. Ranger asked, ”Wait.. Don’ heels go on the feets… Feet...That’s the one… Well… Two. Two feet t’ a feet.” and dropped a heel gesturing to his feet. Ranger saw the heel on the floor and giggled a little. Noel managed to stop the other heel before it joined its mate on the floor. The third time Noel put the heel straps in Ranger’s hand and closed it was the time it stuck. ”I got ‘em.” Ranger waved the heels around a little, grip staying closed on the straps.
Then Noel said the magic words.
Ranger’s face lit up like it was Christmas morning and someone had put a bow on an Abrams for her. ”Yes!” Ranger used the not heel holding hand to grab at Noel’s. It only took two swipes. Success. ”Never miss an opportunitys t’ dance.” A slight stumble as she tried to pull Noel along toward the dance floor. Then she remembered, ”Phone!” Ranger looked at the ground where there had been bonking. Noel’s phone lay on the floor.
By the time the phone was collected, slid back into the purse, and Noel had slid the purse onto Ranger’s wrist for safekeeping a toast was happening. Ranger pouted slightly at the lost danceportunity as Chris’ brother Graham gave a speech.
Ranger knew it wasn’t going to be a good time when first rattle out of the hat Graham introduced himself with an inside joke from BlacTac. Instead of his name he said he was “Chris’ Brother”. It was something he was known as but not actually his name. Ranger tasted the half truth. The speech kept going. The half truths kept flowing. Those were not so much an issue though. When King was handed the mic and gave his speech it went okay. Until it was disgusting.
Given the type of work Sideshow and King had done, King couldn’t tell a truthful context for his humorous anecdotes. One of the anecdotes got too out of hand. “... when we got on the yacht, Chris turns to me and said, ‘is this the ocean they like?’ I couldn’t hold in my laughter and the uh… staff came in to tell us to quiet down. Michael dealt with them while Chris… I cannot believe you did this… Chirs stands there like a doof moving his hips to the rocking of the yacht. The staff were stunned by Chris’... Movements when they came in.”
The story was proving too much. There was some truth to it but so much was a vaneer spread over the events that it just was a growing foulness in Ranger’s mouth. Ranger grabbed at Noel for a moment and put her wrist over her mouth as she cast her eyes around the room in a panic. The room swam and blurred in her alcohol filled vision. Spotting a trash can Ranger pat Noel quickly on the arm in an attempt to communicate that she was going to run off.
Ranger made a valiant effort sunning to the trashcan. However it was not to be. One last lie hit mere yards from the trashcan and Ranger felt the drinks coming up. She stopped, leaned over, and painted the floor with cosmo and whisky. Party foul. Maybe Ranger could have made it to the trashcan, but maybe not. Stopping was the only way she managed to not get vomit all over herself.
Following Rhia’s apology, Jude ran off. Rhia watched him for a second and saw him heading off to check on grandpa. Which was good. Make sure he didn’t have a heart attack from the swap back to himself. This left Rhia alone with Zaid. Who thankfully seemed appeased by Rhia’s apology.
Zaid didn’t apologize for Rhia’s vomiting, but Rhia wouldn’t have expected one. She had swapped him and then somehow he ended up in her body all the while being overwhelmed by what was happening. Rhia held back her knee jerk reaction to Zaid’s comment about being part prey animal. On the heels of an apology was likely not the best time to preach the gospel of the holy church of iron. Even if doing reps for Jesus helped make sure the predators had to think twice.
”I get that. I will make efforts in the future to limit the fun I have.” Rhia said with a smile. ”To make up for it… You can have an IOU for a swap. I swap with someone, swap you with someone, or swap two other people for you. No questions asked… Just… uh… Don’t use it for something weird. Oh, and if you want two others swapped, you’ll have to wait 48 hours.” Rhia cast her gaze around looking for Noel and Michael. Where had they run off to? ”Can’t cut into the swap time of Jude’s work friends.”
When Jude came back he commented that the old man thought he had just had a dream. ”That’s for the best. Giving him such a brief taste of youth and then taking it away… I’m not sure if that’s nice or cruel."
Ranger’s head hurt and she was sitting on the floor with her. She rubbed the back of her head. It hurt too. Had she bonked the wall as well as Noel? Ranger looked up at Noel. Noel was still him. Ranger frowned at Noel who was frowning at her. ”I’m st’sill you. Bonking didn’t work.”
Noel said that Ranger was going to give herself a concussion as he helped her to her feet. ”No, ist fine. Just have t’ bonk… better. Be better at bonkin’.” Ranger pointed back and forth between their foreheads with one hand while holding onto Noel’s arm with the other. The floor was too wobbly. It needed to stop that.
Noel did not want to swap back. He said that Ranger had done something and could suffer it. ”I didn’t swap the swappin’! Oh, wait, y’ mean the drunk. I did drink the drunkin’. I’ve drunk this much an’ more, I’m fine.” Ranger pat Noel on the chest and then noticed the glass in his hand and reached for it. ”An’ besidses. It makes the head less hurtin’... Head the hurt less… Head. Hurt. Less.”
The deal struck, Jude released Rhia’s power. He could feel it the moment it returned. There was a sensation of swapping bodies, but Rhia remained in Zaid’s body after it was done. All of Rhia’s swaps were back in play in addition to Jude’s power’s swaps. Additionally, Rhia felt the swap on Boots and Michael return. Unswapping back to herself felt like a killjoy, but the thought of that pair reswapping after a moment as themselves made it almost worth it to Rhia.
”Okay. On three, we release the swaps we’re holding.” Rhia said, bringing the swap from herself to Jude and from Jude to Zaid to the front of her mind. ”One. Two. Three.” As he counted, Rhia held up fingers. He was unable to talk without his hands.
When Rhia said three, he mentally released both swaps simultaneously
It was the worst of all possible swaps Rhia had ever experienced. Instead of the stretched moment of incorporeality Rhia was used to there was a long stretching feeling as if Rhia was being pulled to and fro. When she finally settled into herself she felt uneasy from the rocky transition. On top of that, she could taste bile in her mouth.
Rhia’s eyes bugged, and her hand went to her mouth. Immediately she turned to the trash can Zaid had dumped the cup he had thrown up in as her. She all but sprinted to it, making it just in time to lean over and finish what Zaid had started.
After wiping her mouth with a napkin from a nearby table, she slunk back to Jude and Zaid. The good humor she’d had a few minutes ago lost in the trash along with the contents of her stomach. When she returned, Zaid returned Rhia’s drink to her. She wrinkled her nose at the alcoholic drink when she took it back. Suddenly underage drinking had lost its charm. Oh! And Zaid was rightly chastising her.
”I’m sorry, Zaid.” Rhia said, deflated as he was essentially throwing at her what she had thrown at Jude ”You’re right. I shouldn’t have used you to get at Jude… Both the swap and the drinking.”
Ranger went in for a kiss. Noel wrapped her arms around his neck and a leg around his leg. They locked lips. The next thing Ranger knew, the fog of alcohol was back and her body was going through the act of kissing Noel on its own as Ranger slipped into a memory.
A man stood before Ranger, drink in hand. Ranger had met his eyes and was walking toward him. Ranger reached up and brushed auburn hair out of his face. When he did he caught sight of his nails. Incredibly long, drawn to a point, and holo. It was at that moment that Ranger realized he had been expertly walking in heels.
It took a moment for Ranger to realize that he was seeing a memory. Which meant… The kiss had swapped him and Noel back!
Ranger felt like a toddler with an original Xbox controller. The buttons were there but Ranger was unsure how to use them to control anything. Instead she had to ride out the memory. Watch herself flirt with the man. Preening, placing her hand on him, changing her posture. All the cues. As the man was leaning in to kiss, Ranger found the rewind button and got to experience proper heel walking and flirting with the man all over again. As the kiss approached Ranger figured out fast forwarding. And quickly found herself leaving the club with the man.
When they hit the street to catch a cab, Ranger finally found the eject button and returned to the world outside. Where Ranger was clearly Noel again. Her eyes opened and there was her own face. Her arms and leg were wrapped around Noel in her own body.
Ranger broke the kiss, and slid along her arms further away from Noel. Her leg still wrapped around Noel’s leg. So she hang off of his neck.
”Kiss worked… Now bonk!” Ranger said before pulling her head straight into Noel’s. Instead of swapping back, Ranger just managed to give herself one hell of a painful hit on the head. Bouncing off Noel’s Rangerhead, Ranger drunkenly lost hold of his neck and fell straight backwards.
Things went from bad to worse for Rhia. Not only was Rhia now in Zaid’s body and only able to swap back as far as Jude’s… but it looked like Zaid was feeling sick in her own body. Zaid had better not throw up in her body! Rhia really didn’t want to finally get back to her own body and have to deal with a vomit colored dress.
Jude offered Rhia a deal; help everyone get back to their own body and he would keep swapping Michael and Noel for a week. That… Was a fantastic trade! Except, ”I think you get the most out of that trade…” Rhia was prepared to negotiate further but a look to Zaid when she asked if Rhia’s body could throw up put a stop to that right quick. In a different situation she might could have found a deal that was more entertaining, but she needed to undo this before his dress was a different shade of green. ”Deal!” Rhia shoot Jude’s hand, ”Now quickly before Zaid… … Gross….”
Too late. Zaid was spitting bile into a cup. Rhia twisted up his face seeing it happen. At least Zaid had avoided getting sick on herself.
”Okay… This’ll be rough for everyone, but… Give me back my power and then whoever is holding a swap needs to let them go while I let mine go. I don’t know what will happen. I’ve never released two at once while someone else let go of one.” Rhia was the most at risk of having a rough transition. He held two swaps and someone else held one to her own body. Rhia hoped she wouldn’t have to move between them all in a series before settling into her own body.
Rhia waited or Jude to return his power. It would help no one for Rhia to undo the one swap he still had access to. He suspected it would put him back in Jude’s body and he didn’t know how to use Jude’s power to undo it.
Ranger helped Noel up. She stood like a newborn deer, legs and knees going every which way until she came to a rest in a mostly normal standing position. It was a good thing she was not wearing her heels. When she randomly snorted and giggled Ranger gave a small grimace. He had gotten her that drunk and she had to deal with it.
There was only one ‘bonk’. Ranger smiled slightly despite himself. Sure it was his fault Noel was so drunk and he felt bad about that, but it sure was amusing anyway. One bonk meant them hitting heads wasn’t the cause of the swap, maybe just the ending of it? Noel then suggested bonking or kissing again. For science.
Ranger gave an, ”Ehhh.” Swapping again wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time. Yet, they were in a decent enough space to test to see if kissing then smacking heads controlled some kind of body swapping between them. It made no sense… but Noel could do things with memories. Maybe her power had just grown. Instead of just taking memories she swapped them across two minds.
Were people just the sum of their memories?
”We could. Just in case… Uh… Think of grillin’.” Ranger said before placing his hand on the back of Noel’s head and going for a kiss. Kissing Noel was worth running the risk of a body swap… Especially when they had an idea of how to reverse it.
Mr. Devil would meet her outside, he had to change too. That made sense. People normally didn’t just stroll around in their gym clothes… Not in February anyway. And brownie points to him, he was going to help her clean up before changing.
”Oh. Thank you.” Rhia said as Mr. Devil removed a clip from the bar. Rhia took the opposite side and with them each removing weights from one side and moving them back to their homes it wasn’t long before they were done and Rhia was making her way to the changing room.
Rhia hadn’t come to the gym with the purpose of leaving to go get coffee with a good looking man. If she had… She might not have worked up as much of a sweat for one. That and she would have brought cuter clothes. She threw on a pair of light grey joggers, black long sleeve, and a printed scarf. She tossed her tennis shoes in a bag and put on a black pair of ankle boots. Changed, she pulled her hair out of a ponytail before using her hands in the mirror to give it some semblance of a cute shape. Then, bag in hand (not a gym bag, it could double as a cute shoplifting bag if she just wanted to go out with it), Rhia left the gym.
Her coffee date had changed into a nice and pricey looking outfit. Someone who either had money or wanted her to think they had money had asked her out. That was a bonus! He was looking at his phone so Rhia walked up, her legs still wobbly from lifting, and slid an arm through his. ”Where to, handsome?” Rhia asked with a smile. Coffee was its own food group. To Rhia it could replace grain as the base of the pyramid.
