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.
He was going on too much. Or, at least going on a lot. Maybe just giving Quin a lot to think about? She seemed like she was about to say things once or twice, and then he kept on going. Hopefully he'd answered whatever she questions she was going to ask, or filled in whatever comment she was going to make. Maybe the day was just starting to wear on her too... it's not as though he hadn't been slipping into little bits and fits of introspection.
It didn't help he felt a little silly too. Talking about his own abilities, even just opening talking about things about mutants felt like reaching to to grasp a hot coal, making him feel tentative and waiting for the worst, only to find there was nothing harmful there at all. That he could talk freely without worry or judgement. But it didn't stop that twist of fear and anxiety in his gut each time. He would have thought he'd be -more- likely to clam up, exhausted as he was, emotionally and physically, but it seemed like he just didn't have the energy to keep his guard up for that sort of thing, or else the idea of comfort from someone else was more tempting than hiding.
Will did have to give a laugh at Quin's absurd question though, as she asked who'd be pestering him with deep and personal questions after the most intense day of his life. "Y'got me there. But, the least I can do is answer a few in exchange for the pepperoni. Pizza tax and all that." Will joked back, falling back into the easy comfort of bad jokes and humor. Quin mentioned that they hadn't gotten into religion or politics yet. Will wasn't sure if Quin was particularly religious or spiritual (though considering the lack of prayers in the chapel, probably not the usual stripes if she was), but he could guess they likely landed in similar political bubble, considering several things that had been said.
Not really the time to bring those up, but in short, he wasn't worried.
"Yeah, I'll prob-" Will started to respond to Quin's offer, catching himself as he started giving her a half-hearted, wishy-washy reply. "I will take you up on that... Soon, anyway. Not exactly the time to be fiddlin' with your senses, I think."
Quin did have a valid point. Even if things were getting uncomfortable, or even painful for the person's senses he was altering, he could always just snip the link and set them back to baseline. Right?
That -is- the way it worked. As far as he knew. But...
There was always that but lurking in the background. Before, it was 'but I don't have anyone to test this with'. Which was true, but also a way for him to shirk having to think further about it. It kept it his burden, sure, but it also made it so things stayed simple. Quin seemed to have a knack of making things complicated. Though he couldn't say she'd made anything worse, just... more.
The 'but' now though was that that's the way it worked, 'but what if it didn't'? What if pushing things too far kept them amped up somehow? Or deadened? What if there we side effects to altering the same sense too many times, like a rubber band losing elasticity, or a material with shape memory, and the persons senses starting laying in the 'wrong' way?
What if he pushed someone's senses too far too fast and he broke something? Will caught his concerns before they got -too- out of hand. He... -probably- couldn't break anything. If he could, the folks he'd zapped before this would be in much worse shape than they would up. And it's not like he'd be so reckless as to do that to someone, short of a life or death situation.
"Yeah..." Will said, after mulling it over, sounding more than a little hesitant, but seemed to either shake it off or push it down. "Guess you've got a point there. Near as I can tell, it's just side effects that linger once I snip the link, and that's only if I'm really hitting someone with it." Will raised an eyebrow at Quin, giving her a playful smirk. "But careful what you're suggestin'. It's not like I've got a lotta folks willin' to play guinea pig." Will held the smirk a moment more before the humorous mask dropped and the smirk turned to something more weary. "It'd be nice to be able to turn it off though." He admitted, quiet for a moment before he continued, his voice picking back up some of the playful humor.
"Not all bad though, right? Wouldn't have run into you the other day if I hadn't made it a habit." Will pointed out, pointing at Quin with the bottle to emphasize his point. "And well, pair of runnin' legs came in handy today too." He wasn't -quite- arguing against practicing his abilities, but there was some clear reluctance that was showing in the way he was defending his prior choices.
Indeed, there had to be -some- reason why running himself ragged helped. The only thing Will could think of was it was something metabolic. If he burned enough energy on other things, his body didn't have enough to keep ramping things up for his powers. It was either that or something far stranger, but he didn't have proof of any of it, so he just kept going with what worked.
Of course, it'd be -much- easier if he'd just use the dang mutation once in a while to vent it, but, his own hangups made that tricky as well.
Will tried to come up with a deflection or defense to as Quin said that he wasn't whining, that she was glad he'd told her, explained things to her. Whatever he'd been trying to up with however, lost it's spark before it could even begin and he just gave a quiet, mumbled, "Thanks," instead, forced to accept her kindness. (How dare she?)
Will listened with interest though as Quin started answering the questions he'd asked about her abilities, leaning in a bit as she started explaining about her powers. It was odd to hear someone say they couldn't really say if it was something they felt, or something they heard. That maybe it was a little of both, or something else? Like a tuning fork, both a vibration and a sound all at once.
Will... sort of got that? Maybe? Like when he used his own abilities, it wasn't -quite- seeing or -quite- feeling things, but it was as close as he could get to explaining.
Quin went on to clarify that it didn't distract her really, that it was just sort of there. That was good. Will imagined that if it -was- distracting to have things like that around, Quin would have a hard time. Plastic was in just about everything it seemed. Quin went on to explain she couldn't feel things through the things she controlled exactly, but could feel the resistance people put against it, even yanking the plastic bottle cap out from between his fingers in demonstration. Probably a little like feeling pushing back against something you were holding, he'd guess.
He caught the cap as she tossed it back, taking a look at it before screwing it back onto the water bottle, listening as she explained about what parts of using her powers wore her out, and telling him she seemed to mostly be limited to what she could carry, or at least that's what it seemed.
As for his own limits? Will shook his head. "Not really, no. Not a lot of active participants." He joked lamely, pausing briefly as though that was all he was going to say, before continuing. He -was- safe here, safe with her, he reminded himself. "Have a -bit- of an idea of how far I can tweak things, but..." Dang. It was hard trying to put it into words, especially when he didn't fully understand it himself. "Complicated." Will said, with a bit of a sheepish grin that he couldn't explain things better. "Like... I -think- I know how far I could push it, but, I dunno how the person would take it?" Will said, sounding a bit unsure about the concept of it all. "Too much and y'could end up like one of my bad days, or even worse. Synesthesia an' stuff if things start bleeding over."
Pizza and flashcards for the view huh? Suppose that -was- the general promises that had been set out before.
Speaking of. "The view". Much as he did like it, it was also just an easy excuse to admit he wanted to come back, without having to say it. To be able to be around someone he didn't have to be careful around, as Quin had put it. And maybe most relationships with people don't start with saving one another from... Whatever today had been, but it was still... whatever it was. Friendship? Allies? Comrades? Probably he was just overthinking things.
Will finished what he considered his rambling and venting, and Quin asked him another question while sympathizing with him. Not used to that either. Combination of embarrassment and appreciation. Will gave Quin a small, grateful smile as he answered the question asked. "Yeah. Well, usually try and run before it gets that bad. Sorta builds up before it gets unbearable." Will's hands squeezed and shuffled the bottle in his grasp. "But, y'know, weather doesn't always cooperate, feelin' crummy some days... figure I've got another day or two sometimes and guess wrong." He explained, one hand leaving the water bottle to gesture for emphasis.
As Quin apologized for 'prying' Will shook his head and waved dismissively with his free hand. "Nah. I can always just not say somethin' if it's a bother. It's all good. Sorta nice bein' able to whine about it to someone, honestly." Will grinned, shaking his head.
Pausing to take another drink from the bottle of water, he held onto the cap, fidgeting with it in one hand. Will set the bottle itself carefully between his legs as he spoke. "How 'bout you? You said you could 'feel' the stuff you can use, right?" Will asked. He was pretty such that's what she'd said, feel or hear or something... "Can you sorta feel stuff through the things you're movin' around? Like..." He held up the little plastic cap. "If you were makin' this fly around, if I grabbed it, would y'know?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not much of a painter with words." Will laughed, swiping at the air as if to swat away Quin's teasing, an amused grin on his face in spite of what was supposed to be someone that was annoyed. "I'll give you a tour sometime, assumin' the place is still there by the time all this is done." If his apartment wasn't still there then... Well, that was another thing for the later. Well, he'd been saying bucket, but it was either a swimming pool or just a head, depending on which way you wanted to extend the metaphor.
"Won't be much of one. One bedroom, one bath, and not near so nice a view." Will said, taking a glance over to the curtained windows that he'd been so enamored with since about 3 seconds after stepping into the apartment.
Quin followed up her teasing with a question that took him a bit by surprise, and then he was a little surprised that he was surprised. It was a pretty obvious question for someone to ask once they knew about his mutation, and he -had- sort of brought it up with the way he'd fumbled about explaining his tendency to be overly fastidious.
Will let Quin give her own example, taking the brief pause before she spoke to try and get together what he was going to say in response. She said that she hear, or feel the things around her that would respond to her own mutation. That she knew she had material to work with in the cafe for exactly that reason. That made some amount of sense -- otherwise wouldn't you just be reaching blindly? He wondered if she got any sort of tactile feedback from the stuff she was moving. How much could she feel through a wad of plastic she threw?
Instead of losing himself in that train of thought though, he answered, one hand wavering back and forth as if to say 'yes-and-no'. "I mean, kinda?" Will said, voice raising a bit as though he were asking a question. "Like, some days, like anyone, enough loud music, or itchy clothes or anything is gonna wear you down, right?" Those weren't the bad days though. Those were just bad days. Subtle, but significant difference. "More though just, if I get lax on keepin' my... energy? Power? Whatever it is, down... Things get a little outta hand. Gets too sensitive, like it's blowin' past all my filters." Will fiddled with the water bottle in his hands, squeezing it lightly with the pads of his fingers.
"Like... Normally a sound that's loud for most people is just loud for me too. I can hear it more but it's not louder, y'know? Bad days it is louder. If that makes sense?" Will paused, trying to come up with a way to explain the rest. "Plus, I can't even tune it out... like when you'd normally get nose blind to a strong perfume, or tune out background noise?" He gave a little shake of his head. "It's all like it just hits for the first time. And it's everything. The scratchy tag on your shirt, the chemical smell in the hallway, the noise outside the window... Yeah, those days are... a lot." Will trailed off, giving her an apologetic smile. He hadn't really meant to vent, but he'd gotten started and it all just sort of kept spilling out.
Quin commented on there needing to be something more to using magic than just... practice, otherwise wouldn't there be a lot more magic popping about? Will just nodded an unconvinced agreement. It made -sense-, but the vague something else was a pretty unsatisfying answer. Was it more common than they'd thought, maybe? A good deal of it could be hidden in plain sight at mutant abilities, but you'd think at some point that someone would have noticed actual magic happening around them.
Well, Michael had, and probably all the people that they worked with in SUPER. So, maybe magic wasn't completely unknown, but... Wait, were they even supposed to know? Hopefully magic and witches mystics being a thing wasn't on some kind of 'need-to-know' blacklist that was going to get him a visit from people in very nice suits or anything of the like.
The ramifications of knowing things and the far reaching effects of what magic could do and what it meant in the grand scheme of things was decidedly too big of ideas for his already overtaxed brain to deal with and so he was happy when Quin brought up an easier topic to think and talk about. Something mundane.
"My place, eh?" Will asked, some small bit of Canadian linguistics still threaded through his speech. "Well, it's not a broom closet like some people have, but it's not like this either." He gestured broadly to Quin's apartment around them. "It's uh... Kinda sparse, actually." He admitted as he tried to think of how to describe his living arrangement. "You'd think I was a neat freak if you came over." He paused briefly, and gave a little laugh, breaking into a grin. "And I guess I sorta am?" Will admitted sheepishly. "Gotta be though, or I can't relax on the bad days. But, it's like.. 30? 40 minutes from Curse? Like, straight east and a bit south from the cafe. Other side of Central Park from it."
Will had heard a little about some of the wilder troubles that had happened. People tended to talk about any big events in the city pretty loudly, and a coffee shop was an excellent place for people to gather and chatter. However, like Quin, any mumblings of magic or otherworldly powers, he'd just put down as either exaggeration or the abilities of some mutant. Will couldn't help a small bit of a smirk from tugging at his lips at Quin's tone as show spoke about the X-men though.
However, if what Michael had said earlier was true, whatever happened, and indeed many of the little funny stories he'd overheard and read about might not have been the result of mutant powers, but actual, real magic..?
Quin continued, almost seeming like he was thinking out loud as she asked if magic and the people who used it were like them, if magic was just a part of some people or if it was something that people could learn. She also said she grew up around a lot of people who thought they were, or considered themselves witches, but that Quin had never seen any signs of real magic from them. She finished by telling him that, realistically, no she didn't know that magic had been real any more than Will had.
Will couldn't help but feel a startled for a brief moment when Quin used the phrase 'like us'. It felt odd to be included in the discussion as a mutant so... casually? She did say that he didn't have to be careful around her, but it was by far not something he was used to.
He recovered quickly though, commenting on what Quin had said. He'd sort of been wondering the same. Movies and books sort of went both ways with that, or even blended it a bit, some people having a knack but everyone could learn. "Hope it's not something you can just pick up. Telling me I could be waving a wand and cleaning my apartment with a little tornado or something if I'd just known the right people?" Will gave a scoff and a little laugh, though there was a bit of bitterness behind the joke. If it was something that you learn, it felt a bit like getting all of the positive bits of being a mutant without the stigma. And if it -did- come with some kind of prejudice, well... It was an active choice.
On the other hand, if it -wasn't- a choice, it didn't really make them all that different from mutants, did it? Just they'd managed to keep a little quieter. Maybe magic didn't show up in a blood test. Still, if that was the case, wizards and witches still seemed to be a bit luckier than the average person with an X gene.
A cold bottle of water and painkillers, and all hand delivered too? Talk about being taken care of. Or at least it almost felt like being pampered after the absurdity of the day. Nothing like life and death to make you appreciate the little things. Will saved his words for when Quin had returned and taken a seat again, giving her a grateful nod. "Thanks. I'm sure I'll need 'em by morning, if not before." He said, twisting the cap off his own bottle of water to take a slow drink.
“So… What now?”
That was definitely a question. Will's eyes drifted briefly to the window, now hidden behind the curtain, to the TV, paused and ready for episode 3 of the show they'd (mostly) been watching, to the silent phone beside him and back to Quin, as though he was trying to pick a thing to comment on or grasp at to help answer that simple, complex question. What indeed?
"I... Pff.." Will scoffed, letting out air like a balloon that was deflating, giving a shake of his head in defeated confusion. "Guess we're just... waiting? T'see how much normal gets put back by tomorrow?" It was strange to think about how much had been changed all at once from normal to not... Though, considering he'd learned today that normal also included actual, real, gosh darned magic, he wasn't quite sure where to put 'normal' anymore.
"Hey, did you know magic was a thing?" Will asked Quin with a curious look, leaning forward a bit. "Because I seem to be learnin' an awful lot today, but I really didn't expect -that- to be a thing." Sure, in a vacuum, magic didn't seem all that absurd or strange standing beside mutant powers. He -was- sitting beside someone who could turn game pieces into silly putty with her mind. But he'd grown up knowing mutant abilities were a thing, he'd -lived- with his own. Magic? Magic was silly words and prestidigitation and misdirection... Or young adult fiction book, maybe one turned into a summer blockbuster movie. "Feels like somethin' I would have liked to have been told about earlier."
"If I'm internin' for you, guess I'll need to figure out how to brew a good cup of tea too, no?" Will joked back after Quin explained that for the first few months that she felt more like a gopher rather an intern proper. Made and fetched coffee, picked up dry cleaning... mostly was sent out on errands that just required a body, rather than someone with her particular skills... but that she -had- been taught everything she needed along the way. And it sounded like she was being treated like a proper intern these days. Hence the laptop and the phone call, Will assumed.
The room grew darker, and Will was able to relax. Hadn't realized how bright the sun coming in was, and it was almost like pressure was suddenly released as the room was plunged into relative darkness. Not -dark- per se, especially with the glow of the TV, but enough that it suddenly seemed a lot cozier and quieter. Peaceful, even.
Weird, weird, weird. Quin had said that it was weird that things were normal outside, but that something being weird was almost normal with the way things had been today. The day was... average, ordinary, normal... At least as far as the weather went. And yet virtually everything in the day had been weird. So did that make the weather being normal make it weird, therefore making it normal?
His head hurt.
Well, his head hurt from the chunk of hair he was missing, and the little nicks in his scalp from Rocky, but trying to keep up with what was normal and what was weird today was an impossible task. He was just going to put everything into the same pile and call it all a weird day.
"Water would be nice. Think I inhaled like a pound of dust back at the cafe." Will replied to Quin's offer. Even without the need for the drink, he probably would have said the same, if only to get something to fidget with. Whether it was just a nervous tic, or something to distract his senses, he wasn't sure, but he tended to prefer to keep his hands busy.
Will didn't exactly know what Quin would be expected to do, but tried to follow what she was saying about what tomorrow might bring for her and her work. Quin explained that the senator she was working for was out of the city. But that there was plenty of staff (Quin included), that would be able to take of anything that needed doing. Whatever that was. Apparently that was what the call tomorrow was likely to be about. Hopefully more of just a call to make sure everyone was okay and planning for the next few days, rather than anything to pile more trouble onto Quin.
It's not like she'd be asked to go into the thick of things to do... Law... stuff..? Will wasn't quite sure exactly what Quin -did- for the Senator, after all.
There was also a bit of concern about the loss of the laptop. Will hadn't even thought about the potential for anything confidential or the like on the laptop. He'd thought it was a personal laptop or maybe a school laptop. Certainly -important- information on it, but not like that. However, it did sound like Quin wasn't too concerned. Proper protocols and all.
Before the call could shift the mood, Quin was already joking with Will, saying she'd get his help to hold her phone for the call if they were under any sort of lockdown. "Ah," Will teased back with a little grin. "Look at me, climbing the ladder. Intern to the intern of the Senator."
Quin was up and moving to close the curtains on the window now that the second episode was over. It would be a relief to get the light cut down on. He would be able to stop feeling like he needed to squint against the sunlight streaming into the apartment. Pretty view though. Will did take the chance to peek out the window from where he sat. Wasn't a great view of The Park from there, but the skyline was still pretty striking.
Will -was- a little surprised that she'd gotten up to close the curtains though. After seeing Quin throw around everything from meeples to zipties to seat cushions, he'd have thought she'd just wave her hand and it'd be done. Maybe she was pretty tapped out? She'd done a lot today. Or maybe the curtains were something she couldn't effect? It wasn't like he was an expert on textiles, or had a list of things Quin could and couldn't manipulate. Could be too that it was tricky to move things without ruining it, those game pieces in the cafe were never going to be the same, after all.
"It's weird. With everything happening, you'd think it's look different out there, but it's the same sunset as always." Will commented as Quin peered out over the park as she worked at the curtains.
Had Quin voiced her feelings on how the day both seemed to be far too long and far too short all at once, he'd had agreed. The sheer amount of things that were teetering in a pile in the back of his head that had happened and that he would have to process at some point felt like the sort of experiences he'd build over the course of weeks, not hours... And yet it all seemed so surreal it was hard to grasp that the things had really happened, like he should still be plugging away at work, in spite of the exhaustion tugging at his body.
The show was good, better than expected, and better than the attention Will was able to muster to it. Though he was staring at the screen, it all sort of washed over him without really sinking in. Will managed to catch some of the jokes, smiled when it felt like the episode expected it, but would have been hard pressed to tell anyone exactly what the episode had actually been about come the end of it. None of it really sunk in, though he had a vague idea of what had happened. Enough it would -probably- all click if future episodes referenced anything.
He was just... tired? That wasn't quite right. Weary? Fatigued? Maybe, in parts, but that just didn't quite click right either. Overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed. It was something he was intimately familiar with, given his issues with his powers, but he was so used to it being something that happened externally, that when it happened inside his own head, it was almost foreign. And it was like trying to show more information in there was a bit like trying to force a stick of butter through a brick wall.
Quin's phone went off and brought Will out of the half-attention he was paying to the show, and he sat up, alert. He knew it wasn't his phone, because he -never- put the ringer on the thing. Haptics only, please.
His expression was concern and curiosity. Might be bad news? Quin clarified it was work, and his expression went to one of less serious concern, but still some amount of worry. Were they really about to call her in or something stupid?
He couldn't help but eavesdrop. Okay, maybe he could have plugged his ears or left the room, buuuut... Well, it didn't sound too private or confidential anyway. He probably would have been able to pick up the most of the conversation just from what Quin said anyway.
Quin explained what the conversation was about, and Will nodded like he didn't already know. "I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for it." He said as Quin hoped that her laptop had somehow made it through all the trouble unscathed. "If we're not locked down in here, we'll try and sneak by Curse and see what's what. If we are locked down in here... uh... Guess we'll figure it out?" He raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's the call about anyway? Assumin' all the everything?"
"Same here... I know what you mean, I've got a bad habit of just watching and re-watching old favorites, rather than checking out something new like this." It -was- easier just sinking back into favorites and trusted standbys rather than stepping outside of your comfort zone, and there really wasn't anything -wrong- with that... But today was a rather extreme way of getting Will to realize that maybe he'd been staying -too- isolated and withdrawn. From the way the world worked to the people around him and apparently even the media he was missing out on. He'd process the rest of that thought later, but for now he was appreciating the new show, at the very least.
Will followed Quin's gaze to the sunlight that was starting to break in through the window. Pretty, but bright. Definitely glad his wasn't running on completely overclocked senses, but he believed Quin when she said the sunset over Central Park could be quite the sight to behold. Maybe he'd try to sneak a peek once the sun got a little lower and the sky got that lovely orange glow to it, but for now he'd just keep his head turned away best he could. "After the next episode, probably?" Will suggested as an option when Quin said they could shut the shades on the windows if it got too bright or started getting in their eyes.
It seemed like Quin had similar ideas of waiting at least a little, as she was already asking about starting the second episode. Will nodded his agreement. "Yeah, definitely. I wanna get into this before my brain realizes how tired I should actually be." He joked, though could definitely feel the tug of fatigue somewhere in the back of his head that grew louder and less ignorable the longer he sat on the comfy couch. Starting up the second episode of the series he set the remote back down between them before settling back into the cushions, sprawling out a bit as he gave into at least some of the exhaustion.
Will felt amusement and fear both as Quin shot him a wicked grin, threatening kindly informing him that she had a fantastic, long memory. Though it -certainly- had nothing to do with the smirk his was still struggling to wipe off of his face. After all, he'd done the polite, courteous thing and admitted that he was kicking her while she was down. There's no way she could hold a grudge. It's not as though they had been making tiny competitions about just about everything today.
Huh. He had to briefly wonder if that was just a thing for them or some kind of bizarre coping mechanism for the insanity they'd been through. Happier to think of it as just a quirk. Plus he -knew- he had a competitive streak, and Quin seemed stubborn as all get out.
Ah. Right. She -was- a professional, educated, arguer. In-training, perhaps, like she said - but certainly more qualified than anyone else he knew. It would be ludicrous to try and go against that kind of logic. Will would have quipped back, but he'd already started the show up again, and it had had plenty of pauses and interruptions within the first five minutes already. They -had- planned to watch some of it, after all. Besides, his starting showed he'd already ceded to her point. Tsk. Gonna have to win one back against her for that at some time in the future... Or, well... This one got a pass. It was just a good idea. Will could let the occasional point slide in favor of mutual betterment.
It was easy, after that, to settle into the humor of the show. The looming threat of Quin's Revenge too vague and too far flung to the future for him to worry much again, and his mind was begging for a break, to grasp onto some mundane thing and just coast for a while. Luckily, vegging out in front the TV to an, admittedly excellent show, was about exactly the thing for it. Almost worth the shrapnel in his back to actually get him to sit down and start watching the series. It was to the point he'd sort of lost track of time, a little surprised as the episode came to an end, Quin's voice pulling him out of his TV trance.
"Good? Yeah. Honestly, better than I've been all day, all things considered." Will said, a little surprised. Sure, he was sore, and tired, and had a hundred things to do and worry about tomorrow... but right now, he didn't have to do anything except keep himself upright. And even that seemed pretty optional, if he conked out halfway through an episode, he somehow doubted Quin would mind or take offense. "And yeah. Sorta wish I woulda picked this up sooner, but... Well, guess we've got a show now."
Will smirked wider, if possible, and had to hold back a cackle, keeping it to a low 'snrrk' of barely restrained laughter as Quin snapped back about being some manner of distress and damsel, but more likely the kind to cause it than be in it. And he was delighted that he'd been able to read that properly from her, not bothering to hide how pleased her was about the jab. "Well, yeah. Figured as much, it's why I'm not about to call you that when y'can fight back properly. I've seen what you can do." Will teased Quin, though, considering the prowess she'd shown both with her martial abilities as well as her use of her powers, there was as much a compliment in there as there was a playful jab.
Still, he wouldn't put it past her to put him in a headlock if they'd both been in better condition for saying something like that.
"But, if your unbiased, professional and obviously impeccable opinion says I've gotta stay here, then who am I to argue?" Will commented, sarcasm woven through his words expertly as a satisfied, smug smirk remained plastered across his face. Trading barbs back and forth like this was much more his speed than hanging off the back of a villain with the intent to crack heads.
As such, he started the episode up again, setting back into the couch with greater ease than Quin. So long as he wasn't lifting anything or leaning on the one arm, it was pretty much alright, and the rest of the bumps and bruises had largely faded into a background ache or otherwise been blurred out by the effects of the analgesic provided by the medic earlier. Right. He'd have to pester Quin for a dose so he wasn't in rough shape come morning, but that... that could wait. Worst came to worst, he was certain he could rummage about the cabinets and bathroom and find it. Most people kept their things in more or less the same place. Might be a bit rude, buuuut if he was hurting bad enough to ignore social decorum, he was sure she'd understand.
Will rolled his eyes as Quin teased him about his actions back at the hospital, claiming that Michael had been impressed and that they weren't an easy person to impress. Will had certain made a choice back there. Apparently there was more fight than flight in his panic response than he'd realized. Mostly he was just glad it had all worked out. Looking back, the metal guy could have been stronger or more capable with his powers and Will could have easily wound up badly hurt or worse. Sort of like Michael had been tougher than Will would have guessed. He couldn't always assume people were running at human level, after all.
"Felt like a car ornament for a bit back there. Just glad it worked out." Will eventually said in response, bouncing between feeling introspective about the even, proud about the accomplishment and bashful about the praise. The medley of emotions had him with a silly little grin and shaking his head. Will supposed if he -was- supposed to be holding the line, he'd have been given at the very least a badge, or more than just a change of clothes, but still...
Quin pointed out though, that regardless of if Will had been brought on with the expectation to help or not, they'd have to track him down in order to have him make good on that expectation. And that he wasn't where they might expect to look, down in the basement. Plus the building itself was pretty large. He particularly liked the way she went on to imply that he shouldn't run off in search of more trouble and heroics, because then who was going to watch the show with her?
Will's grin broadened and he nodded his agreement. "Ah, good point. What you're saying then is the most heroic thing I could be doing about now is playing bodyguard to the poor damsel-in-distress then?" Will teased back at Quin, smirking all the while. Sure, Will in no way thought of Quin as being anything of the sort, but it was a fun way to poke fun back, even if it ran the risk of having a cushion hurled his way.
