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.
”There’s so much going on that it’s overwhelming and it’s hard to pay attention to anything else. You can’t ignore it, but at the same time it’s almost impossible to focus on just one part of it."
It was a bizarre sort of relief to hear someone put it so succinctly and so accurately. A little like finding someone who spoke your language, when you were sure you were the only one who did. Will wasn't sure if he would have been able to put it into words quite that well himself, even with it plaguing him for more than the last decade.
Looking over at Lee, Will held up a hand as he slowed from the easy jog to a walk and then to a stop. It would have been tricky enough trying to keep focused on the conversation and pay it the proper heed if they were sat down comfortably and talking, let alone jogging through Central Park in the middle of the night. Even without the additional strain of the conversation, Will wasn't able to keep up the pace for much longer anyway, his legs and lungs aching.
Will nodded at Lee as he took a few deep gulps of air, hunched over slightly as he caught his breath. "Yeah." he said, speaking quietly enough it was almost masked by his breathing.
Straightening up, Will met Lee's gaze again, finding his voice again as he spoke up. "Yeah. That's it exactly." the man gave her a grateful smile for being able to explain, to put into words, to understand his situation.
As Lee described the energy from the people in the airport, her emphasis on the word 'everywhere'made him wince in sympathy. While he couldn't guess exactly what Lee dealt with, it seemed like there were enough parallels between them that he could guess at the discomfort that would cause. The noise and movements and smells of hundreds of tired, rushed people would be a nightmare for him. It sounded like having that many people around was a bit of a hassle for her in a similar way.
"Sounds like crowds aren't really your thing then..?" Will half asked, half joked, a small smirk on his face as he attempted a bit of humor.
”My parents are the tree huggiest of hippies and teachers.”
Will had to admit that the way Quin had grown up sounded interesting, if a little alien to the way he was raised. "My folks were a lot more urban. Dad was always trying to climb the corporate ladder. Still is, last I heard. Mom was into the community, PTA, HOA, that sorta stuff." He gave a little chuckle and shook his head. "They took me camping once or twice, but, we mostly stuck to the city."
As Quin talked about how she used to travel all over the country with her parents, Will tried to think back on the fuzzy memories of the camping trips. It'd been long enough, he could remember little more then vague recollections of wood smoke and s'mores and the long car ride there and back. Doing that for weeks or months at a time though? Traveling the country, staying in campgrounds and communes, away from the steel and smog and noise of the city? Honestly, he'd have probably hated it back when he was younger, back when he was still living in Canada, but it had a charm to it now.
His sign? Right. Astrology. "Leo." Will answered, sounding only a tiny bit unsure before adding, "Least I'm pretty sure. End of July's Leo, right?"
Will listened as Quin explained her reasoning for her earlier answer, to go see Germany, visit and tour the castles. Not fantasy, like he'd guessed, but fairytales from when she was younger. That made sense, the things you grew up with tended to stick with you for better or worse. Felt nostalgic, if nothing else. "Be nice to see something more than skyscrapers and warehouses." Will agreed, "Bet it'd feel like stepping into another world, being inside a castle like that."
Will hadn't been many places you could really call mountainous or hilly himself, having grown up entirely in one major metropolitan area or another, but he did have some vague memories of camping trips in northern Ontario that included forested mountains and wide lakes. He was pretty sure at least, no doubt there'd be family photos hiding somewhere on MyFace that'd jog him memory about the when and the where.
"Mountains 're nice. Haven't really been hiking or anything, but... Think I'd go crazy livin' out on the prairies and seeing straight to the horizon."
He shrugged in response to her comment on the arctic being more exotic than mountains. "S'not like I've been anywhere near the arctic. Might end up hatin' it if I ever went. It's just..." Will looked to his left and right, taking in the expanse of the park and the steel and glass of the city beyond it. "Never really been anywhere that's not a city since I was a kid. Place like that, away from all the noise and light and smog... Sounds nice, y'know?"
His tone had slipped into something a bit more soft and serious than he'd intended and he shook his head with a quick laugh, trying to bring levity back to his words. "Probably change my tune the moment it dropped below -30 though."
Will gave Lee a look of mild surprise which quickly shifted into an 'ah-ha' expression of understanding as she explained her particular relationship with insomnia. She had too much energy to even feel tired. It certainly explained why Lee seemed so utterly indefatigable, even after fully lapping him in addition to whatever running she'd gotten in before.
He felt a brief twinge of jealousy, the idea of just being able to not be tired, to just not worry about fatigue after a bad night's sleep or when trying to push through an extra long shift sounded incredibly appealing. But that just as quickly faded, realizing her situation wasn't all that different from his own. Eerily similar in some ways. No doubt that while there were people who'd want the ability to never feel tired, there would be plenty of people who'd love to have sharper eyes or superhuman hearing as well... provided you had some way to shut it either ability off at the end of the day.
The idea of just not being able to sleep, of laying awake, eyes closed, no matter how hard you tried or how long you'd been awake was... unsettling. Will could at least, eventually, fall asleep. Going long enough without sleep, exhaustion would build and build, and it meant that regardless of how loud or bright the world was around him, he'd eventually pass out -- even if it took a couple days.
But it sounded like things had gotten better for Lee in the last few years. But apparently whatever it was wasn't quite perfect. Airports were an issue? It seemed an odd thing to trigger insomnia, and he struggled to draw the connections.
"Hmm." Will mumbled a small sound of acknowledgement before responding further. "Lots of all-nighters before that, then." His words came out sounding as much like a statement than a question.
Will hesitated only a moment after that comment as he considered whether to hold his tongue or share his own struggles with insomnia but found himself speaking up before he could convince himself otherwise. After all, how likely was he going to run into someone who could really empathize with his situation?
"Senses." Will said simply, tapping his ear with a finger as though to emphasize his point. "Everything gets louder and brighter and..." He paused briefly, trying to find the proper words. "Too much. Like tryin' to sleep through a concert."
"Yeah." Will agreed with Quin as she talked wistfully about the idea of the cold, and how she'd probably feel the opposite way come winter. "Grass is always greener, right?" He commented with a chuckle. "But, I think I still like the cold a bit more, y'can always throw on more layers." Will commented, giving his shirt a tug for emphasis before letting the sweat damp fabric fall back against him.
Quiet and cold for him, fairytale castles for Quin. Not exactly trendsetting destinations, nor what first came to mind for exotic locales or vacation hotspots, but that was a bit refreshing.
"German castles though?" Will asked, giving Quin an inquisitive look as he brought her choice back to the forefront of the conversation. "You a big fantasy fan then? Y'know, knights and dragons and princesses?" The man gestured with the empty bottle in his the emphasize the nouns as he spoke.
Will himself wasn't much of a fantasy buff, though had gotten swept up with the occasional blockbuster or media sensation in the genre, like Chess of Crowns a few years back, or the movie series with the magical piece of jewelry, the name of which escaped him for the moment. Even so, he knew the tropes well enough, and working in a cafe as he did caught plenty of the genre through osmosis... especially considering he inevitability wound up eavesdropping on anyone with a habit of reading under their breath, regardless of it he wanted to.
"Yeah, learned to keep my head down and ears open pretty quick." Will retorted with a forced laugh as Quin gave her succinct thoughts on going to high school in NYC. "Buncha tension in the news that year too... Social justice stuff, protesting the police... some riots I think. Not a good time to be an unfamiliar face." Culture shock had hit him hard and fast.
Will nodded as Quin gave her own explanation as to where she came from and why she was here. Seemed education of one sort or another had brought them both to the city. "Illinois? Cool. Can't say I've been much out of New York, besides the trip here... And I think I've been to Jersey a few times? Does that count as leaving New York?" He asked, half-joking.
He had to think for a few moments himself as Quin turned his own question back on him. Where would he go, if he could go anywhere? "Jeez, you'd think I'd have an answer ready." Will said apologetically, giving a small grin as he puzzled over the idea.
It'd have to be some place quiet. Maybe a bit remote. Not the tropics, nowhere with too much pollution, and not too near the sea. And there'd have to be something breathtaking to experience. "Ah, I dunno exactly, but maybe one of those Artic places where the northern lights look completely crazy." Will answered with a small nod.
Standing upright and pulling his back off the trunk of the tree he'd been leaning against, Will tugged at the front of his shirt, peeling the fabric off his skin where it had stuck once more. Looking up through the branches of the canopy overhead, he flicked the fabric back and forth to make a bit of a breeze against his skin. "Or maybe it's just our friend the sun makin' me think that."
So Lee had known he was there before she could see him? At least that explained why he'd been caught out so easily. Will couldn't help but idly wonder exactly what the trick was, but even without knowing it it added to the unexpected kernel of kinship he found himself more and more aware of. Odd senses and insomnia and late night runs were a strange group of things to be able to bond about, but certainly there'd been stranger things had connected people.
"Yeah, don't think I'll be tryin' that again..." Will gave a breathless laugh at the idea of trying to keep pace with Lee again, his tone good natured as he returned a smile. He shook his head in amusement as he pushed his increasingly heavy feeling legs and feet forward. "Glad I could make your run interestin' at least."
Lee wasn't, of course, the first mutant Will had ever spoken with. Plenty of mutants in NYC who couldn't or wouldn't hide themselves. She was though, the first person he'd been so candid with in regards to his own status, even if he shrouded his words to give him an easy scapegoat. Why was that? Will could only guess at first, there'd been the safety of anonymity and after that, an unusual amount of similarities to share.
Will couldn't help but mull over the things she'd said, even as he made light about his attempts to match her run earlier. Was he hiding and doing nothing because he had to? Or had it just become habit? He shook himself mentally before he could fall into another quiet funk, instead changing the topic.
"So, your insomnia..?" Will spoke, a little hesitantly, sounding unsure if he was being tactless or not by asking Lee about it. "How's that work for you? Have to come on these runs often?"
Will nodded in response to Quin's first comment on coffee, confirming that her faintly remembered fact was in fact true. More-or-less at least. "Yeah, cold brew tends to have less acid, more mellow..." Will paused, thinking for a moment. "Guess I've never actually done the science to see if it's true, but..." He trailed off with an unconcerned shrug.
"And yeah, Dalgona's the frothy one. Sorta looks like brown sugar soft serve on milk. Big fad for a bit." Will continued, gesturing with his hands in a poor attempt to try to help with visualizing the drink.
As Quin responded to his question about her schooling, he could almost see the shift in the mood in the air, and Will listened closely to her words as she gave him her explanation. It wasn't quite dismissive, and he'd be hard pressed to say Quin's tone was anything but polite, but it left him with no doubts that there was no further discussion to be had on the topic.
Here he thought school would have been a safe bet for conversation, but well... ”It’s complicated, sometimes I wish it wasn’t.” Quin's voice seemed to stick in his ears, and he simply nodded both his understanding and his agreement with the statement. Things did have an unfortunate habit of being complicated. And it usually sucked.
"Me? Nah." Will shook his head with a small laugh as he replied to her question about where he originated from. "Been here, 10? 12? 12 years now. Don't have much of an accent anymore. Grew up in Canada. Toronto. Moved at the start of high school." Ah. High school. That'd been a special kind of rude introduction to NYC. Not his favorite year by far.
"How 'bout you? New York your whole life? Or are you the globetrotting type?" Will asked, trying to keep the conversation light -- seemed he had a knack for bringing up heavier subjects than intended. "Or any place you dream of going?"
She sounded like she was speaking from experience. Will listened closely as Lee spoke, as she explained that sometimes nothing wasn't just a choice, but the only option, to do nothing and grit your teeth and try to survive. He listened as she went on to say that other times you do have choice though, to try and make something, rather than nothing from the situation you were in. Maybe make things better for yourself, or even for more than yourself.
Will wasn't nearly familiar enough with Lee to pick up on any real nuances of the way she spoke. But none of what she said sounded condescending, nor did any of it strike him as hollow platitudes. It was earnest and direct. And he guess probably learned from personal experience. In any case, it was a lot to absorb, even if the words were simple.
Will nodded as Lee replied to his question, seeming to understand that Lee had simply managed to pick up on what he had been implying with his choice of words, maybe because she'd been through a similar head space herself. However he grimaced in an expression of embarrassment when Lee mentioned he'd given himself away, at least somewhat, by reacting to her before he should have been able to if he were an ordinary human. Whoops.
"Ah." Will said his voice going flat with realization, and he cast a look over his shoulder. He squinted into the dark, trying to mentally calculate about how far back Lee had been when he'd first heard her as she came along the path this time. Huh. Actually... Now that she'd pointed it out that was pretty far back, wasn't it?
"Yeah... Good ears, y'know?" Will turned back to Lee, still looking embarrassed, though the grimace had been replaced with a conspiratorial smirk. "Hard to remember what I'm supposed to notice sometimes." The smirk on his slipped a bit, Will's expression going from mildly amused at his mistake, back to thoughtful as he spoke with Lee again. "It's Will, by the way." He said to her, introducing himself simply. "And, thanks. You didn't have to..." Will trailed off, gesturing vaguely about him, as though to indicate the night in general thus far. Running with him, speaking with him... they had, after all been, complete strangers until about an hour ago.
Will needed a few seconds to think about Lee's answer. She didn't promise that things would be sunshine and rainbows, no reassurances that everything would be perfect. Just that things did get easier. That step by step, the world was getting better, more accepting. At least overall. But there were still bigots out there. Still senseless hatred. And that it'd ultimately be on Will if he was going to do anything to do with the metaphorical cards he'd been dealt, or just let things remain.
Choosing to do nothing, after all, was still a choice.
Will wasn't sure what he had expected to hear. Maybe nothing, which would have been easy. Maybe some saccharine sweet, idealistic spiel, which he could have scoffed at and ignored. But he hadn't expected something quite so... earnest? Real? Will wasn't quite sure the proper word, but it was clear what Lee was saying wasn't just to humor him or some shallow, thoughtless response.
Will watched Lee out of the corner of his eye as he mulled over the words she'd said. She'd spoken about her son and it was only with that, that he'd realized she probably had a few years on him. If that were the case, she'd probably been through some of the worst persecution mutants had had to face, with the Mutant Registration Law. That added a extra weight to her words. He knew about it of course, taught in social studies and law while he was in school, but the details were sanitized, the phrasing neutral and passive, as though it were just a thing that happened rather than a thing that had been done.
"Yeah." Will finally answered, agreeing with her assessment, turning to face Lee again. "Bad hand is still a hand, right? Doin' nothing with it's not the best choice I guess..." There was another pause before Will shook his head as he spoke up again. "Sorry. That was weird of me to ask." He apologized, hesitating briefly before continuing, pushing past the urge to stop talking about this part of himself, to bury his head in the sand. "What, uh... What gave it away?"
”Sometimes it feels like you’re a spectator in your own life and things just happen whether you want them to or not.”
Will nodded his agreement to the statement in response to Quin's words. She'd certainly summed things up better than he'd managed to. Suppose that made sense, you had to be pretty sharp to be in law, right? And present things well. Regardless, her words struck a chord with him. Spectator was a good word for how he felt, more dragged along by the currents and events of life than carving a path. He'd been reactionary at best, passive at the worst.
Heavy stuff, for only knowing someone for five minutes. So he was grateful when Quin seemed to notice the same and offered up another line of conversation, commenting on his job and asking about his preferred choice of coffee.
"You and me both." Will grinned back at Quin, half in jest as she commented on NYC shutting down without coffee shops, "The amount of people in New York running on nothing but espresso and spite is wild." The man gave a small laugh at the sarcastic emphasis in Quin's voice as she asked about his go-to choice of beverage. "Nah, not ever." He retorted, matching her tone good naturedly before he continued. "But, usually people askin' that are actually wantin' a recommendation on what they'd like." Will's expression turned thoughtful for a moment as he paged through the different caffeinated concoctions he could recall, and which would be his favorite or considered a standby.
Will, after a few seconds of thought, provided his answer. "For me though? My go-to? Gotta swear by cold brew." He shrugged and grinned in a vaguely sheepish manner. "I know, not all that exciting. But it's easy to make, can be as strong or weak as you like, y'can make it hot or cold... Just reliable, yeah?" Will paused, one finger tapping against the empty water bottle in his hand idly before following up. "Beyond that? The Dalgona coffee trend was kinda fun, brought instant coffee back into vogue... And shaken espressos are killer on a hot day like this."
"How 'bout you though?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically at Quin as tried to turn the conversation away from him gushing about coffee for the next ten minutes. "What made you decide you wanted to take up a law degree?"
Will, admittedly, hadn't been affected by the Mutant Registration Act. Luckily, he'd been a country away and a fair bit too young for his powers to have yet manifested besides. One would think having avoided the dangers of an oppressive act like that, and knowing that something like that had been pushed back and ruled against would make someone a bit less guarded when it came to secrets of a particular nature.
But it's funny what your formative years can do.
He'd moved to NYC, and only been there a few weeks before his powers activated in a way that made it blatantly clear to him who and what he was. It was also only a few months before a particular event caused relations between mutants and humans to rise. Police brutality against a mutant, blatant as can be, and the fans flamed all the worse when those officers were allowed to walk off scot-free. Even people who only vaguely followed the news were aware of how that ended, in what was now referred to as a week long riot.
So that had been Will's introduction to his new city, new country and new identity. Sitting in a school full of tense and scared teenagers, some trying to be edgy, others simply caught up in the drama of the event. He'd been unable to get away from the groups of students joking that people had been right in 2007, or from the words of those who'd said it less jokingly. He couldn't stop hearing the videos of the brutal attack as people shared them over and over, in the hallways and lunch rooms. He'd been unable to keep himself from overhearing the awful things people said aloud, and the worse things people said under their breath.
Will saw bullying for those who had been open about being mutants, or couldn't hide it, grow worse and worse. They banded together, or fought back, but eventually most of them stopped coming to school entirely, one after the other.
Will learned from that year, very thoroughly, that being a mutant meant being a target.
And sure, once things blew over, things slowly went back to normal. But if he'd shared who he was, what he was... Who's to say how things could have gone? And who's to say another spark wouldn't set things off again?
”...Probably similar to your ‘condition’.”
Will met Lee's gaze as she repeated the word back. 'Condition'. No inquiry to what it was that afflicted him, just an acknowledgement and response that she was dealing with something similar. The man searched for words for a few moments before coming up empty and instead just gave Lee a nod of understanding, turning back to face the path ahead of them.
Will jogged with her in relative silence for a a long few seconds before he spoke up again, not turning to face Lee this time, keeping his head forward. "Well, s'nice to meet someone else who gets it..." He said simply, letting along long pause stretch out as their feet beat a rhythm against the path in tandem.
"Does it get any easier?" Will asked, tentatively looking to Lee over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow, a curious, hopeful expression cracking through the careful mask of indifference he'd been wearing. "'cause it's always felt like getting dealt a shit hand, y'know?"
It was probably an unfair question, but it wasn't one he'd really ever expected to get the opportunity to ask, and so he asked nonetheless, waiting for the answer with anticipation.
Will watched as Lee slowed her pace before she struck up a conversation. He was grateful for it, there wasn't a chance he'd be able to pull off another push to keep up with her. He didn't miss the hint of curiosity or suspicion on her face, but he also couldn't decipher why she kept giving him that look.
Piqued her curiosity? Running himself into the ground? Well, it probably was odd seeing someone try to push themselves to finish the equivalent of a half-marathon in the middle of the night.
Will gave her a small smile in return and shook his head with a short laugh, "Ah, can't a guy just want to run a casual 10k?" He retorted, trying to brush off her question with a bit of humor, but both the direct nature of the way she'd asked, as well as the utter oddness of of the experience encouraged him to continue. "Insomnia, kinda." Will explained, fighting the urge to figuratively bite his tongue as he chose his words carefully. "Got a... thing. Condition." He stated, keeping things intentionally vague as he gave a noncommittal shrug. "Exercise helps."
Will let the words hang in the air for a few moments as he observed Lee as she jogged effortlessly beside him, seemingly showing no fatigue, or, at least far less than made sense to. Even a professional runner would be showing some signs after an hour at that pace, right?
"How 'bout you?" Will questioned her back, trying to keep his voice conversational rather than accusatory or overtly curious. "Don't see many people as fast as you... You on a team, or training for a marathon or somethin'?"
As Will continued at his own slower pace, shifting between an easy jog and speedy walk the and back again as his protesting legs and lungs would allow, he could hear runners on other paths making their own way through the dark. Others made their way alone or in small groups, cutting through the grass and speaking amongst themselves.
40 minutes after Lee had vanished from his sight, he was standing again on the edge of the path, catching his breath and finishing the bottle of water earlier, as he tried not to eavesdrop on a couple that were whispering to one another in the dark of the night as they made their way through the park, coming from some late night venue.
45 minutes after Lee and Will had parted ways, he was back on the path, moving forward once again, one foot in front of the other as he tried not to think too hard about having to be on his feet all shift tomorrow. Hopefully it'd be a slow day.
Some few minutes after that, his sharpened senses could pick up footfalls once again closing the distance to him. And from the sound of things, it was someone moving at least twice his speed. After only a moment, he glanced back over his shoulder, peering into the dark to confirm his suspicions and shook his head in mild disbelief as they were confirmed. There was Lee, running like she'd just gotten started, tearing down the path towards him.
Will raised a hand in greeting, giving Lee a thumbs up as she closed the distance.
Will nodded in response as Lee called back over her shoulder and gave a thumbs up to show he understood, rather than calling back out to her as the gap between them widened. He continued putting one foot in front of the other in an easy jog as she first ran out of sight as the path curved away, and then out of earshot as even his amped up senses stopped being able to hear her footfalls.
Once Lee was completely off his radar, only then did he slow down to a stop, stepping off the side of the path into the grass to properly catch his breath. Will reached back blindly into one of the pockets of the backpack slung across his back to pull out a bottle of water, drinking deeply as he took a few minutes to recover from his ill-advised competition with the other late night runner.
As Will's breathing slowed and heart rate began to settle back into something that didn't threaten to deafen him, he took stock of how he felt. Even with the time he'd spent out before coming across Lee and the hard push to try and keep up, his senses still felt raw and electric. Even with his pulse pounding in his ears, the night around him still seemed loud and bright.
Jamming the now mostly-empty bottle back into the backpack, he dug into his pocket for his phone, the screen illuminating with dim light as he checked the time. Nearly midnight. Central Park closed at 1:00 didn't it? Though... how strictly that was enforced was debatable.
Will let out a low frustrated sigh as he did the math in his head. He had hoped that he'd be able to burn himself out and get back in time to get at least a half decent amount of sleep before his shift in the morning, but it didn't seem like he'd be so lucky.
Will slipped his phone back into his pocket and strode back onto the path, getting back into gear before he cooled down too much, quickly getting back into a comfortable jogging pace. As he moved through the dark, minutes passing by as he struck sneakers to pavement, he idly wondered how long it'd take until he heard Lee's footfalls coming up behind him again. It'd been a brief, strange meeting, but at least the weirdness of the encounter with Lee gave him something to puzzle over, rather than being too stuck in his own head.