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.
Her quest for the bathroom came to a halt before it had really even started, the before she knew it she was bent over with the blonde's arm wrapped snugly around her throat, and the quest started up again with a march. It felt like she was getting dragged into a wrestling ring, one that lacked mud and bikini's. So... the not fun kind.
Megan didn't even notice Lori dragging some man along with them, at least, not until the bathroom door was kicked in and she was able to stand normally again and she was more or less formally introduced. All thoughts of using said restroom flew out the door alongside the girls Lori was throwing out. The spider queen blinked at the older fellow, one eyebrow arched (even though she didn't realize it). [color=skyblue="....Uh... hi there."[/color]
Was this guy important or something? Some kind of friend to the short blond... or (gasp)... Lover? Her inner inebriated wheels started turning, or clanking.. whatever. And she grinned slyly at the man, completely forgetting what she had needed the bathroom for in the first place. color=skyblue]"Nice to meet you, Paulie. Did you say sumthin' about feather head getting taken out? Because that would be awesome..."[/color]
~~~
Lava saw his boss fall, and was at his side as quickly as he could get there. Light show and Steve were gone.. they hadn't heard him apparently. The glowing man hovered over his boss, eyeing the blade embedded in his chest, and the still growing red stain on his shirt. He was dead, that much was for sure. The glowing man reached down and plucked the knife from Bianchi's chest, giving it a once over, before he turned his attention to finding the blades owner... and returning it in more or less the same manner.
Meanwhile, on the very outskirts of the building, a few party goers had stumbled away from the main crowd. Intoxicated and giggling at their friends unfortunate mutation, they staggered arm in arm toward the back door. "Man... Todd, how's it feel to be a yeti? Huh?"
"Shut up mark! S'not funny man.... all this hair is really hot..." Todd scratched at one hair covered arm, and growled at his two friends. Friends who were starting to look more and more maul-able the longer the jokes went on. "Do you know any Sasquatches, Todd? Any abdominal snow men?"
"Shut your hole frank, or i'll shut it for you!" The two non mutated humans cackled to themselves, and pushed the door open out in the back. "Man, Todd... if you know any hot yeti chicks... you gotta hook a bro up! Right Fr-....ohsh*t." All three boys stopped in their tracks, hands flying into the air, at the sight of a squad of swat cops that were currently occupying that particular area.
"We didn't do nothing, I swear!" mark glanced at their taller, white hair covered yeti friend. "T-todd's always like that... right todd!?" Todd bobbed his head in agreement, with a passion.
She was good at irritating. Not paying enough too, considering the amount of free things she managed to weasel out of people. But... she really had to find out how much the guy cost first, before worrying about that. After eyeballing her scooter for a few seconds, she followed after him. There was nothing more she could really do.
His ride was a beauty... not the kind she herself would ever drive, (mostly because of how beastly it was) but the kind that still made you drool a little and gawk. Like most actors... When he hopped onto the Harley, a shiny one at that, she bit back a comment on over compensation. It probably wouldn't do to insult the person driving you off to some unknown place, where no one knows where you are. Still... she had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying anything as she climbed on behind him.
Just as she had the last time she had ridden back seat on a bike, she anchored herself by looping her arms around his waist. She didn't know where he was going to be driving her to, so she sent out a silent call for her children to follow her- however they could. She was sure that she'd more than likely lose contact with them, even if they managed to keep up. A small price to pay, considering the little army she had hiding in her hair and hoodie, and the batch she had incubating across her back. The two that she had told to keep close to her scrambled across the sidewalk, dodging the feet of pedestrians like pros. They clambered up the back wheel of the Harley, up onto the seat, and secured themselves on her back.
“Well…Megan Rova, I sure hope you’re up for this,”
Megan stiffened, blue eyes going wide, and stared at the back of the guys head in surprise. He knew her name... and not just the first part. Her whole name. Bastard probably knew even more about her than that. One long string of violent curses flew through her thoughts, matched by a slightly panicked expression. The engine roared to life, and she shot a glance at the people walking past. Thoughts of running surfaced quickly, and she squished them back down just as fast. She wasn't about to let some nosy jerk scare her away... not with being so close.
“By the way, I hope you have your piggy bank ready…Adonis costs a LOT of money…”
He pulled away from the curb and she clung tighter to his middle, her spiders copying her by hunkering down with all eight legs clinging to the fabric of her sweater. Instead of looking around with her current disgruntled expression, she rested her forehead on his back. This sort of thing was exactly why she didn't play with most of the people she knew. They either tried to get to know her through annoying friendly chats, or they just knew to damn much already. That's why she liked Roach so much, now that she thought about it. He never asked stupid questions about how she was feeling, or about her past. "... How much do you know about me...?" She phrased it bluntly, a question... but not a question, raising her voice enough so that he could hear her over the noise of his bike, without shouting in his ear.
There was only so much he could know... he name, her place of work.... possibly even where she lived, or both places. She wasn't all to worried about facts like that though... names and numbers and such. It was the side she had kept hidden that she was worried about. She had been rather good at keeping her secrets actually secret... save for spilling the beans once, to her newest roommate no less.. but this was the shady side of new York she was dealing with. There was no telling what kind of dirt he had on her, and that didn't sit well with Megan. She was all the more aware of where her various weapons sat on her person... just in case she had to whip his knife out and stab him with it. All sorts of paranoid thoughts crept up on her, as she attempted to burn holes in the back of his shirt with her eyes. What if this was a trap? What if she had unwittingly fallen into his web again, and Mr. muscles was taking her straight to him? She stopped herself as she started to inwardly rant about how Adonis was probably a cover name, and Trent had planned the whole thing. From the postings online, to the boy she had paid in the alley, to Marvin himself. Though her ex was crafty, more than she liked to admit, he wasn't that crafty...
The way this guy said the doctors name made her skin crawl a little. Like he knew the guy, and everything he had ever done. Which, apparently he did. "The sooner the better. I hate waiting." Megan, thy middle name is impatience.
Wait..
Waitwaitwait, Failures? Oh, that totally helped with her nerves and the ever growing pit at the bottom of her stomach. Not only was this man wanted by the cops, but he also had a poor success rate, it seemed. Megan sighed, and covered her eyes with one palm. "...So.. this guy makes a lot of mistakes, huh?" Great, just peachy... She found herself rethinking everything again. Let some monster do a hack job on her face... or spend the rest of her life running. A tough choice... Thankfully she was far too lazy to spend much more time running and she had already paid a lot of money into this little adventure. She couldn't turn tail and run away now...
"... I'm ready. Let's get this over with." She rubbed at her temples for a moment longer, before standing from her chair. Blue eyes determined, she knocked her hood back and turned to slink off toward the door. Her children were still chattering on, informing her of random things. No one who looked familiar, and no one who looked suspicious... just the usual dead beats that hung around inside shops and the regular people who waltzed around outside.
"...Are we driving or are we walking? I've got a bike..." Eying him over, she took in his size and snorted. "... but you're a little bit big for it." Joe had been able to squeeze onto it, but she recalled how awkward it felt sitting behind him with half of her tush sticking off the back of the seat. Her bike would fit him it it had to... but she'd probably be squished up against the handle bars, which would make driving hard.... Not to mention how silly it would look. Ragged looking, hooded blonde poking about on a bike with a badass made of muscles clinging to her seat. She would have laughed and suggested it, if she were in any other mood.
Oooh no! Megan was not going to get pushed off to the side while Lydia dragged Agnes off into some dark corner to chat. Pursing her lips as the girl marched off, she stood from her chair and followed without a word to Thomas as to what was going on. He raised a hand to stop them... of them, at least, before the words died on his tongue and he sat back- utterly lost and confused. He had come to a party with friends, met a woman who was pretty attractive.. then met a girl was was stunning... and had just gotten ditched by both for some other girl? ... he needed another drink.
"Waitwaitwait... you two know each other?" She sidled right up alongside Lydia, with her hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised skeptically, just in time to catch Agnes' badly aimed poke. She raised an eyebrow, but ignored it for the moment. Agnes seemed too sweet to hang out with such a bar hopper, too much of a wall flower. ...and Lyd didn't seem like the type to drag shy girls out anywhere. Unless... maybe they were besties?... or maybe more? Blue eyes shifted from one to the other, taking in the embarrassed Agnes and the flustered Lydia. The boob poke made sense, now that she thought about it. A sly smile curled her lips, and she shot Lydia a look."...ooooh... I get it now.." She glanced at Agnes, and grinned. "You two are girlfriends, aren't ya? I'll go ahead and apologize right now, then. We shared a bathtub, her and I... but nothing happened. Purely innocent encounter.. save for the pant-less man and all that. Scouts honor!" She held up a hand, and winked at Agnes.
"You should have told me you were going out." She glanced around, then leaned in slightly and whispered. "Especially since you're underage!"
She was going to be eaten by calamari! Megan couldn't think of a worse way to go, until she realized why exactly why he had wrapped his arm..... things... around her face. She couldn't breathe! His tentacles had such a firm grip on her that she wasn't getting any air. He was going to make her pass out then drag her over to the bird creep.
...Suddenly, being torn apart face first by a clacking squid beak didn't seem so bad. The armpit mouth opened and a voice blasted out next to her ear. "Ooh, hit me again, sweet heart... that one tickled!" She could hear muffled thumping from the music outside, and a few distant sounding voices... and there were suction cups sticking to her cheek.
She wiggled even more, kicking out with her heel at his legs while her fingers set about trying to pry him off of her. Octo-man chuckled, watching her squirm while he dodged her kicks. "I would'a done this ages ago if I had known it'd be this much fun..." He didn't notice Lori gaining her balance back.. nor did he notice the electric anger in the blondes eyes. Not until it was too late, anyhow. "YEOUCH!" His tentacles jerked away from her like she was on fire, and he turned his full attention to the woman.
Megan felt the tentacles around her face contract momentarily, before a gap opened up and she was able to suck in a breath of air. She also managed to wrangle one tentacle off of her person, and held it at back while she tugged at one holding onto the back of her neck. A few very unflattering swear words left her lips as soon as she could breath again... but Jerry wasn't paying attention. The blonde had zapped him good... he suddenly had a pretty healthy dose of fear for her. He complied with her command, showing he cowardly side while tucking his metaphorical tail between his legs. He let go of Megan in an instant, before jerking back and bumping his way through the crowd... he was going to go find Bianchi and tell him that the blonde had gotten in his way, like the good little tattle-tale he was.
"Jesus!" The spider queen was happy to have a little room to herself for a moment, even if it meant that they were momentarily out in the open. She wiped at her face, thankful that this particular mutant at least lacked slime to go with his tentacles, and sucked in a few lungfuls of armpit-odorless air. "... Thanks... I owe you one... I need to sit... bathrooms?" The room was spinning what with all of the oxygen she was suddenly getting mixing in with her already inebriated state. She looked to the blonde, stepping closer to her with a little bit of a wobble inher knees, and grinned. "...You're the bestest bodyguard ever!"
Nagging little chicken?! Hmph! Megan felt quite brave when it came to that particular night... considering the fact that most other fights ended with her escaping without laying a finger on the other person. She shot a tired glare at the smirking man, and buried her nose in the fabric of her arms.
Marvin looked from one two the other, arching a brow. He had contacted by chance someone who had already met the client? Or, maybe, the older man had tracked her down before hand? The tension behind his smile strengthened, but he kept his lips shut... for now, and let the man speak. What he heard was an underlying threat, and a very clear message to high tail it out of the man's space... before something were to happen. Marvin stared back, long and thoughtfully at the man, while tapping his fingers on the table. The rest of his sandwich was long forgotten, he took to leaning back in his chair gain, stroking the stubble on his chin, until Vicente was finished. It was clear that he was unwanted... by both parties. "Ah, well.. who am I to stand in the way of a job?" Rising from his seat with a grace that most men didn't posses, he rolled up what was left of his food into a napkin and palmed it. "Charlotte, may you find whatever it is you are seeking." He inclined his chin with a little polite bow, before turning his eyes to the man he had hired. "Good hunting to you, Sir. We shall be in touch." He slid his chair in quietly, then turned and sauntered toward the exit, tossing his trash away as he left.
Megan made sure her eyes were fixed on him until the moment he exited the building. Through the window, she couldn't see him out on the sidewalk... but a youth in his twenties strode past and winked at her, nodding his head to some beat that his headphones were pumping into his ears. From under her hood, she scowled, turning back slightly while keeping her eyes on the window. "I don't trust that guy for a second..." Not as far as she could attempt to throw him."...you guys know what to do." She muttered, without really thinking. The back of her hood wiggled for a moment, before five good sized jumping spiders crawled out from the depths of the fabric. "I want three of you out at all times, keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.. The other two, stick by me." The spiders took a moment to separate into groups, before tumbling down her body and off in different directions. With a sigh, she turned back to face the un-named man... the man her knife had once belonged to. Her plopped her chin in her hand and frowned at him, while her spiders radioed in with little bits of useless information, like what some guy was eating and how many dead flies were trapped in the light fixtures over head. She sighed, feeling even more tired.
"It figures... that karma would stick me with you." Maybe she'd manage to piss him of enough to send another knife flying her way, so she'd have a neat little set. Or, said the more sensible side of her mind, maybe you can not goad him into sending sharp objects sailing at your head. Just an idea. "Anyway, I take it you've already been informed about who i'm looking for? Adonis?" Surely Marvin had told him... the man seemed like the type who was incapable with keeping his mouth shut. Her hood wiggled again, and she hissed mentally at her children to keep still. She had a pretty large batch with her this time... just in case.
Stealing a chair from next to Marvin, Megan flipped it around and plopped into the seat. The twenty four year old rested her arms on the back of the chair and her chin on her arms, casting one long look over her shoulder... just for paranoia's sake. "Naw... s'my fault. Didn't account for traffic... so, everything's done and ready then?"
Marvin set his sub down, wiping his ring clad fingers with a napkin as he nodded softly in response to her question. Megan eyed him, not letting his shiny smile fool her for a second. She had already fallen for that trick, and had spent the better part of a night scrubbing her hand clean because of it. "Everything is ready, yes... I have my share, and our friends share-" He motioned toward the man who's arms were crossed- her tracker, she assumed. "-is secure, safe and waiting for the job to be done." The man shot her another sparkling, bleached smile, winking one dark eye her way, and she responded by wrinkling her nose and drawing her hood up over her bleached hair. She turned her attention away, to the other sitting at the table. He looked familiar... and it took her a moment to figure out why. Suddenly, the knife strapped to her calf was burning. She remembered him alright... and the complete lack of entertainment he had provided. Sure, she had gotten a nice shiny knife out of the deal, but she had still been forced to wander off alone, with nothing to keep herself busy. Marvin shrugged in response to her cold shoulder, "...Now, there were a few things I wanted to ask- don't worry, I won't take up much of your time." He leaned back in his chair, smoothing his hair back with one hand while he crossed one finely clothed leg over another. "I know that we had little time to talk the last time we met, but you never did inform me of why you needed my help. Call me curious, or nosy if you will... I just happen to like knowing my clients personally."
Megan's newly pierced bottom lip twitched down slightly. She could feel a scowl forming... It seemed that Vicente wasn't the only who who's nerves were being grated on by dear old Marvin. "...Don't take this the wrong way, but... I'd prefer to not get personal with you. I paid you to do a job, and last time I checked that job didn't involve getting to know me, or why exactly it is that I need you, right?" icy blue eyes clashed with striking black ones. She saw his smile tighten just a little bit in the corners, and the feeling of dread in her stomach grew a little bit heavier. Marvin wanted to pretend to be friends... play the nice card, and she didn't know why. She wasn't going to give up her information willingly.. not when the guy creeped her out so much. Mr. Creep himself, though disappointed, was fine with this. He had only been nice... to both of them really. If they wanted to be grumps and rude, it was no skin off his nose. He'd just have to find his fun some other way... "Alright, alright..." He raised his hands in surrender, and motioned toward the silent man across the table from him. "No more questions. Why don't we introduce ourselves instead? Then we can all go our merry little ways."
Megan glanced at the other man again, the knife throwing one, and couldn't resist smirking a little. "...We've already met, actually."
Red lights could eat her dust, she had an appointment to keep!
..or, at least that's what she told herself as she sat impatiently at a red light, with a butt-load of cars lined up behind her and on either side. The dark haired woman tapped her fingers on the headlight of her ride, short nails clicking on the shiny red paint, and she huffed loudly. It would figure, that on the day she really needed to be on time, she'd hit every damn red light on the way.
Marvin had gotten in touch with her again, to set up an appointment. She was supposed to meet him in some family restaurant, out in the open because 'Slinking around in the dark makes me feel like a rat', or so he had said. Honestly, it made her feel a little nervous. She couldn't pinpoint any real reason... so maybe it was just her nerves. All she knew was she had prepared herself as best she could with what little weaponry she had. Her pepper spray was strapped securely to her belt, her taser sat snugly in her purse, and she had her newly acquired knife stuffed into her boot, under her jeans. The light flashed from red, to orange, to green, and Megan shifted back into place on her seat. The meeting place was only a few blocks away from her now... but she was running a few minutes late. With a glance over her shoulder, she merged suddenly into the lane on her right side, earning a honk and a few angry hollers from the guy behind her. A few minutes later, she had her bike parked and she was sitting and staring up at the building before her.
Marvin had chosen a sub shop.... of course. The twenty four year old glanced back toward traffic, which was crawling lazily to a stop behind her. Another red light. People stalked down the sidewalk on her other side, most to involved in their phones or conversations to pay attention to the woman scowling at them. The feeling in the pit of her stomach wasn't gone... and she was having hardcore second thoughts. On one hand it was completely irrational, and silly. There were a billion voices in her head telling her that this was ridiculous and stupid. But there was just one whispering to her, cooing about what an adventure it would be, and that it would end all of her problems. Trent was more or less a stalker. She could go to the cops, get restraining orders and move from place to place... but there was no real way to prove how much of a danger he was. Her lips pursed and she pulled her helmet off, hanging it from a handlebar as she climbed off her bike and slipped into the sub shop.
Inside she was assaulted with odd smells and elevator music, not to mention very bright florescent lights. Blue eyes squinted, eyeballing the line of people waiting to order in front of her, before she scanned the area. The place was busier than she has expected, but thankfully not packed. She spotted a familiar jet black head of hair, lounging off in one corner with his elbows on the table, and a sub held in his hands. He was chewing heartily, and nodding at another figure. Megan approached cautiously, tucking her hands into the front pocket of her red hoodie. "...Sorry i'm late. Traffic was a b%@*#." Marvin stopped chewing, arching one perfect eyebrow her way, before he reached for a napkin and dabbed at his mouth. "Ah! My dear, I was beginning to wonder if I had given you the wrong time, please, pull up a chair."
Megan struggled against the hand on her arm, until Lori's attacked out of nowhere with a Hiiiitya! straight out of a samurai movie. Hand connected with arm, Arm was impacted by hand, and then suddenly that arm was a mass of writhing tentacles. Terry cackled, not paying attention to the small blonde in the lease, and secures three more tentacles around Megan's arm before she was even finished jerking herself away from the first.
The crowd behind Lori sprang to the occasion, rather than ignoring it. They misunderstood it though, of course. Hands reach out to meet the small woman, helping her back to her feet, even as Terry's tentacle arms were reaching for the blue eyed woman's head. Megan barely had time to curse...loudly, before she witnessed her vision being blocked out by five or more wiggling tentacles. Darkness swooped in, and she heard the ominous clacking of an octopuses beak snapping open and closed in front of her face, before she was able to make sense of the situation she was currently in.
She screamed, but it was muffled in the armpit-turned octopus mouth on Terry's body. The man grinned, and threw his other arm out in Lori's direction, armpit beak snapping, tentacles wriggling. The blue eyed, twenty four year old only barely managed to cock her arm back and send a punch flying for the man's face (purely out of luck), which landed, and sent him staggering back a few steps.
She found herself drawn to staring up at the light again.... and the walls, and her velvety cardboard seat. "...What is all of this? This wasn't here a second ago..." The suited man nodded, and grinned, flashing those pearly whites again. Megan didn't know if it was possible for her to swoon... but this was as close as she was getting. She coughed, and ignored the fact that her cheeks felt a little hotter. "I think introductions should come first, don't you? My name is Marvin. Might I ask the lovely creature sitting before what her name is?"
Oh, he was good. A little cheesy, but good. "My names Charlotte... It's a pleasure to meet you, Marvin." Marvin hummed, turning the name over in his head. Charlotte... charlotte... Hmm, he didn't like it. He'd think of something else to call her. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. Now, about why you are here. I can help you.. but this is how it works. You pay me to hire someone to track this man down for you, and from my fee I pay whoever it is I hire. Regretfully, due to the nature of this work I cannot guarantee that everything will go as planned. Surely you understand what I mean?"
She didn't, in fact, know what he meant. "So... you are saying that I pay you... and then if something goes wrong I'm screwed?" His nose wrinkled in distaste, and he relaxed back in his chair. "Not quite so bluntly. Due to the nature of most of the work I get, I cannot afford to risk putting in the time and effort only to gain nothing at the end. So, to prevent something like that from happening, I must take precautions. There are no refunds after the deed is done, and after finding you a tracker, I will have no part in this job." Megan nodded, if slowly. "Alright... so, how much does this type of job cost?" Marvin's smile returned. "You are lucky you happened upon me first, Charlotte my dear... I only charge a measly five hundred for my part in the task. Others are not so generous. The tracker however, usually gets paid about a thousand. I only hire the best, so quality is assured."
Had Megan been sipping on anything, she would have inhaled it and promptly keeled over dead. One thousand five hundred?! Sweet jesus... that nearly half her savings! She eyed him some more, suspiciously. The fine suit and the laid back attitude made it hard for her to not take him seriously... but that was a lot of money. Fighting back her worries she nodded grimly and fiddled with her hands in her lap. "Alright... how do we do this then? I give you cash, or you like... set up a Swedish bank account or something? ...and seriously, how did you hide this room?" He waved her questions away with a hand. "Don't worry about that, we can take care of those things later, on the day we will set for you to meet your hired help, yes?" She nodded, and shifted in her seat. He was pointedly ignoring her questions... something was up, maybe? "Good. Unfortunately, I have an appointment that I must be off to... How is the, seventh for you? We can meet up again and work the kinks out of our little contract."
He stood and beckoned her to stand as well. Which she did. But she didn't respond, because she was mulling over all of the possibilities of what 'working out the kinks' could mean... "It was a pleasure to meet you, Charlotte, my dear. Until we meet next time." She was at the door before she knew it, and he pressed a kiss to her hand. Her cheeks got just a little bit hotter, and he opened the door and stepped outside...
... and in an instant the illusion vanished. She was standing in a dark alley, surrounded by brown stained boxes and trash... and there was a hunched over old man hobbling off ahead of her, cackling merrily to himself as he limped along. Suddenly... Megan self quite sick. She took one look at the state of his ragged clothing, and his lack of shoes, (not to mention the awful Oder that was wafting off of him) and set about scrubbing her hand off on her pants. God! That thing has kissed her! She watched the balding old man shuffle out onto the sidewalk, before booking it out of there herself.... She was going to comeback, for the job and everything... (if she could even trust him...) but she would be taking a few lengthy showers first.
Broadway. Was. Packed. Never mind traffic, which was unusually clogged today, the sidewalks were crammed full of people. This was why Megan didn't walk around much... so much unwanted bodily contact. Yuck!
Darting around a corner, she eyed where she had come from, before eyeballing where she was going. The alley was deep and wide, and not too far in a number of card board boxes lined the walls. She paused, before taking another step into the alley. What had she been sent to? Was this the right alley? Scratching the back of her head, Megan took another careful steps in. "...Hello?" A soft scuffling sound responded to her, before a shoe came flying out of nowhere and hit her soundly in the nose.
"Ow! What the fu-" She barely ducked under the other shoe flung her way... a complete set it seemed. "Intruder! Doesn't even knock before walking into someone's house!" A deep voice boomed, slipping out from the shadows. "Hey! What's your problem ma-" Yet another shoe, a slipper, of all things, same flying out of the darkness. It bounced off her head and she hid behind raised arms to protect herself. "Go away! You have no manners at all!" Rubbing her nose and keeping an eye out from any more flying footwear, she took a few steps back. What the hell was this guy's problem? The alley wasn't his, it was public property! The other slipper was lobbed at her, but bounced a few feet before her. It landed in a puddle of something dripping off the building next to her. Her eyebrows furrowed and she raised her hand to the wall next to her, rapping her knuckles against the brick softly. "...Knock knock?" After a few tense moments of silence, she heard more shuffling and the voice doomed again. "Ooh! Visitors! Do come in, do come in!"
....really? That had worked? Scowling, Megan trudged forward cautiously. The boxes up front were empty, save for broken things and random junk scattered about.... but the boxes further back were arranged to look like furniture in a living room. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness, so she didn't notice the man sitting to her left until he raise his hands and clapped them together sharply. A light flickered on over head, and a door that hadn't been there a moment before slammed behind Megan sharply. She swung around toward the sound, but stopped when she noticed the man.... and the room she was in. "...Woah." "I know, it's nice, isn't it?"
She merely blinked, and nodded dumbly. The room she was in was small... but elaborately decorated. The walls were being and covered in a delicate wallpaper patters... the ceiling and floor both had elegant white trim... and what appeared to be a small chandelier was hanging over her head. There was tile under foot, and paintings on the walls... and furniture all around. Megan was stunned... nearly speechless. The man simply grinned, and pointed her to a chair. "Please, have a seat." She nodded, and moved over to sit in the chair across from him. The plush velvet that coated the chair felt oddly like stacked cardboard. Her confusion tripled. "...what...is this?" The man chuckled, leaning back in his seat with one leg balancing on his knee, and his hands folded daintily over one knee. It was then, now that she was sitting, that she was able to see him fully.
Man, oh man... was he ever a looker! And dressed to kill, too. A near spotless black suit and tie, fashionable leather shoes and one golden ring on his right middle finger. He smiled and she could swear that she saw his teeth glint like in the cartoons. The guy was tan, and had a square framed face with jet black hair that was combed neatly back. He also had piercing black eyes. She was left speechless for a second time, which earned another chuckle from the un-named man. "I take it that you're presence here means you need something from me?" It took her a moment to process everything, but eventually she caught up. "Uh... yeah. Something like that. I take it you are the guy who can take me to Adonis?" He tilted his head, wiggling hsi fingers ever so slightly, and leaned forward again. "Yes... and no." At her puzzled and slight aggravated change in expression, he continued on. "Yes, I can help you... but no, I am not the one who will take you to find Dr. Adonis."
Having nothing to do brought her to strange places, most of the time those places ended up being fun. This time, it was not fun. Megan sat straddling her bike, one foot tapping impatiently as she stared out into the empty space before her. She was in an alley, a cluttered, trash filled back alley. And she was waiting from some scrawny pipsqueak to run into some building to find his older brother.
Why was she here again? Oh, yeah... she had run into said pipsqueak while puttering though town, in the process of asking around for back alley surgeons. Yeah... she was kind of that desperate. Enough so that the promise of mere information had her pick up a random stranger and drive him to some deserted building in order to meet his brother.
Joy...
She was already in the process of re-thinking her decision, when the back door the kid had gone through swung open and out popped the kiddo, and some other guy. "You're Ross, I take it?" The kid snorted, and looked as if he was about to say something, before the older fellow cut in. "yeah, I'm Rossi." He strode forward, eyes locked on her bike. Rossi looked... average. Peachy skin, freckles, brown hair. Not a damn thing stood out. His younger brother hadn't been as lucky. From the looks of it, puberty had him fully in it's grasp. "Nice bike."
"Thanks..." Shifting, she crossed her arms over her chest, eyes shifting between the two of them. "So, I heard you are looking for doctors?" He copied her, crossing his arms, and slumped over to the alley wall to lean against it. Megan simply nodded. "...You could say that. Someone who won't charge me a damn fortune... and who preferably won't knock me out and steal all my organs. I kinda need them." Rossi snorted and nodded, while his younger brother shuffled off back into the building. "I know a few people... some are doctors, some only claim to be. How much are you willing to pay for this information?" She saw his gaze sweep over her, the kind that you see in movies when the sleazy villain leers at the damsel in distress, but this guy frowned.....
She wasn't too sure she liked the frowning.... Normally when people give you the eye it's because your hot... not because they think you look like something that died when it got dragged behind a car for a few hundred yards. This guys expression made her wonder if her hair was really that bad... ' Jerk.' She frowned in return, tongue playing with her new lip ring.. that still stung like a b@%, and chalked the look up to her figure being drowned in unflattering clothing. Note to self; dress sleazier next time, to avoid wounded pride. "I brought enough... you should probably tell me how much you want, and drop a name... right?" Rossi's frown deepened, and he shrugged his shoulders lazily. "I charge two hundred." He looked serious, but Megan couldn't help but laugh. "ha! That's funny... but really, how much?"
Rossi's frown turned into a full blown scowl. "Listen, it's two hundred. If you can't afford it, go find someone else to get information from..." Her foot ceased tapping, and she sighed. "One hundred." "One eighty five." "What, you think I have change on me or something? One fifty... I'm not going any higher." Rossi went silent for a moment, face devoid of emotion. Megan eyed him back, tapping her fingers on her forearm. Finally, after a few tense moments he pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward her. "Deal, money first, name after." Smirking, seeing as she thought she had just successfully negotiated a good price, she dug for the cash she had brought with her. The moment it was out of her pocket, Rossi's eyes lit up. "Guy's name is Adonis... don't know where he is, or how to find him. You'll prolly be able to find someone to help you track him down if you ask around, though..."
The cash was already in his hands, so she couldn't rightly take it back without a fist fight ensuing. Still... a name, and just a name? For a hundred and fifty bucks? She'd been had... "...seriously? That's it? You can't take me to someone who knows where he is or whatever?" Rossi snorted, and stuffed the bills into his pocket. "Listen lady... it's dangerous enough out here just selling information. You think I wanna get involved with the people who actually take cake of all the dirty business?" She ground her teeth.. but couldn't really argue. He had a point. His younger brother waddled back into the alley then, in the process of shoving a piece of pizza into his acne ridden face. Megan's lip curled, and she started her bike up again. "Can you at least point me in the direction of where to find these people? I don't want to run around the city for weeks... i'm kind of in a hurry here." Rossi didn't really answer at first, merely held out his hand. With the most exaggerated eye-roll she could come up with, Megan dug for another twenty and slapped it into his palm. "Try down on broadway... there's a guy who's always hanging around down there." he pocketed the cash, and without a word more turned and walked back inside the building with his brother.
Megan couldn't help but feel like she had just been played... and probably given false information...