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.
Will nodded his agreement at Quin's statement about the armed guards that were in the lobby downstairs and standing out front of Haven. He might did have qualms and hesitations about the group and who they were connected with in a big picture sort of way, but it definitely made him feel better that if another dude with hammers for hands decided to make trouble, there was a lot more than a glass window standing between the trouble maker and him. Maybe that made him a bit hypocritical? More likely things were just more complicated than that. Few things were black and white. "Yeah. Feel like I'll actually be able to sleep without jumpin' at every creek of the floorboards."
Quin thought she'd have class tomorrow? In the middle of all of this? Jeez. Rough course load, but she was obviously pretty dedicated. Will thought briefly that maybe she could do the class online before... well, she'd need her laptop for that, now wouldn't she? Oof. Not having much to offer in comment there, he just made a face about her having to go to school while finishing his slice.
"Not much more of a problem than anyone else, really." Will said as Quin expressed some concerns about a fresh slice from her favorite pizza joint being too hot for him to deal with, with his amped up senses, and then proceeded to worry about the tea being too hot too. Felt to him like she was fussing over him a bit, which was sweet, if a bit embarrassing, and he tried to laugh it off before he got too self conscious. "Most of the time anyway. More sensitive, not more delicate, y'know? S'long as it doesn't actually burn me, I'll be alright." Will brushed the crumbs off his hands idly, having finished his second piece of pizza. "And the tea was fine, I'm no so polite as t'hurt myself for courtesy sake."
Quin agreed to keep his dastardly pizza secret, and he nodded in return. "Of course. All the gold in land won't be enough to get me to talk." Will quipped sarcastically, leaning back a bit in the chair.
It was weird. The day had been hell, but some food and a friend and things somehow didn't seem all that bad. He'd probably change his tune once everything had time to sink in but... it almost seemed like a reasonable trade at the end of the day.
"So what was it you were dyin' to catch up watchin' that day we ran into each other for the first time?" Will asked, trying to keep the conversation on lighter things. Heavens know they'd have enough weighty conversations to last the rest of the night at the very least.
"More than a fair trade." Will said back, accepting Quin's teasing deal for borrowing the view as he made a point of taking a look towards the windows before turning back to her. "Wonder how long we're gonna be quasi-neighbours here?" he thought out loud between bites of pizza. Sure, Michael had sounded pretty confident. Said that they and their allies were going to be dealing with the troublemakers and Akh herself. But... How long was that going to take? A day? A week? More? And that's presuming the good guys won. Even then, how long was a good word going to keep him in here?
But... Things couldn't be -that- bad either. The city looked pretty much like it always did, maybe a few more flashing lights here and there, but it was certainly no wall of flame and smoke and destruction.
Worry later. Pizza now.
Speaking of, Quin gave her own opinion on the best place in town. Somewhere on Bleeker street, apparently. "Haven't had. Presumin' it's still there, maybe that'll have to be what I bring as a peace offering for the first storm watchin' session." Will suggested, going back to what he'd said earlier, bringing dinner to watch a thunderstorm together. Quin -did- however go on to imply something that would probably get her thrown out of a good many houses in New York. Stating that her parents lived in Chicago. Meaning she maybe, just might, could even be hinting at suggesting that deep dish was the superior pizza, when it could be considered blasphemous to be thought of as pizza at all.
Luckily, Will wasn't native New York, and his heritage brought along it's own pizza sin.
Will gave Quin a look of mock indignation before breaking into a smirk and nodding. "Never had -proper- deep dish, but growin' up I did have a thing for pan pizza." He admitted, pausing to take another bite of the pepperoni slice in his hand before putting it down. "Don't worry though, your folks might be from the region of deep dish, but at least they don't have to be from the country that brought hawaiian pizza into the world." Will joked back. Worse still, if pressed on it, he'd have to admit he didn't mind it. Pineapple had it's place on pizza, but he'd never said it aloud within NYC. Maybe that's why they got along so well, dark pizza secrets that they couldn't share with anyone else.
Jeez. The day was really starting to catch up with him wasn't it?
"Not too worried, honestly." Will commented on Quin's concerns about his current rocky employment situation. "I'd be off for a few with my arm like this anyway. And, well... With the city like it is, if what Michael said is happening. Probably better to keep safe for now." Will took another bite, using the time chewing to think, before continuing, a little more cheerily, "Besides, I'm sure there's some kinda workman's comp for bein' assaulted at work an' the place getting wrecked. And worse comes to worse, my folks can help out." It felt like forever ago he'd tried to get in contact with his parents, trying to reassure them he was safe. Well, at least that part was true now.
Will held the mostly eaten slice between his teeth before grabbing a second of his own, carrying his plate back to the table as he followed Quin. "First storms, now snow. Keep braggin' about the view and you're gonna have me knockin' on the door every other day." It wasn't really about the view, he knew, and presumed Quin did too. Not that it wasn't great. But having someone he could actually talk to... And who'd been through the same scrapheap of a day that he'd been through.
Getting settled back into his seat, and taking a sip of the near empty mug of tea, he raised an eyebrow at Quin as she asked him what his favorite pizza place in the city way. Dangerous question, some folks took New York pizza very seriously. Will -did- feel a little safer answering though, since neither of them were New York native. Less likely Quin would take any answer as 'wrong' in that case... and he could fall back on his ignorance of being from north of the border when he was growing up. "Scary question. Make or break a friendship in New York answerin' wrong." Will teased, smirking as he drummed his fingers on the table in thought.
"Probably Joe's Pizza?" Will answered after thinking about it a moment. He grinned and shook his head. "Don't even remember which one exactly, but it was the first 'Real New York Pie' I had." Will said, making air quotes with one hand. "Business buddy of my dad's insisted we go. Probably half nostalgia as anything, but it's good." He picked up his second slice, gesturing with it as he turned the question back to Quin. "And you? 'less you're gonna say something crazy like you know a better regional pizza or somethin'."
Will snagged a piece of pizza for himself as Quin talked. She seemed aware that her goals were lofty, but was undeterred. And, yeah, like had crossed his mind, her reasons for doing it sounded awfully noble. Didn't want anyone else up against something too big to fight. Didn't want anyone else feeling helpless, since she knew how that felt. Will couldn't help but be impressed by the way she laid it all out like that. Modern day knight in shining armor. Or whatever she wound up wearing to the courtroom, anyway.
"Well, considerin' I don't have a first job at the moment..." Will said, giving Quin a little smirk. Not until the cafe was fixed up at least. -If- it got fixed up, he supposed. He was gonna have to figure all that out at some point. "Keep me from jus' moping around at least. Plus, I think you underestimate the view you got. Only shame is bein' so into the city, the lights'll make for poor stargazing."
The conversation went onto less pleasant things as they touched on SUPER. At least there was a small comfort in that they both seemed to be on the same page about the group. Neither of them much liked the idea. Maybe not so much the idea of people out there being ready to fight against preternatural things, but, rather who's thumb they were under. "Yeah... Just takes one domino to set things off. From a group ready to respond, to trackin' folks with special ablilties 'just in case' and then suddenly we're right back..."
Will shook his head. Not really polite dinner conversation was it? The idea of being collared was a horrifying thought. What a barbaric way to go about it too, that had been an intentional choice. And much as he bemoaned his enhanced senses, he'd feel blind and deaf if he suddenly didn't have them. Scary thought.
Will took a bite of his own slice, tentative, making sure not to scorch the roof of his mouth. Oh yeah, Quin was right. Pizza was -definitely- a very good idea right about now. Almost better that it was some grocery store, out of the box frozen thing. It was familiar it a way some fancy place wouldn't be. A bit of normality. Mundane in a good way, bringing things back away from all the weirdness of the day, fighting for their lives and sorceresses and time shenanigans.
It didn't hurt either, that he was hungrier than he'd realized. "No kiddin'." Will agreed with Quin simply, talking around a half finished bite.
Will didn't exactly have a glowing image of just about anyone in or around law, for the most part. Formative years showing how easily the system would protect it's own and find a group to make lesser or outsiders will do that. But... Quin's explanation of what she planned to do with her degree sounded like the sort of thing he could get behind. Sounded noble, even. It wasn't like you could fight the system without people -in- the system to make those changes, to protect people from the worst parts of what that sort of system could create.
Not without tearing everything down, anyway, but he wasn't quite as radicalized as that.
"Big goals." Will said in response as he followed Quin's directions to where the plates were stashed. Least he had the one working arm, and thankfully he was right handed to boot. "Sounds a long and tough road, too." He said, a little distracted as he fished a pair of plates from the cabinet, stacking them together and carrying them back to where the pizza was sitting. "Well, if y'ever need someone to test you with some flash cards or somethin' you just bribe me with that view and I'll scurry over." Will gave a nod towards the bank of windows that took up the one wall of Quin's apartment as he handed her one of the plates.
As Quin talked about Michael and the pizza got dished up, Will listened closely. He hadn't been about to blatantly ask about if Quin knew Michael was involved with SUPER. Be a bit of a rough thing to ask. ("Hey, how long has your buddy been an anti-mutant cop, anyway? Did you know?") But he was glad that it got brought up. More so when she clarified that she had no idea that Michael, and/or Black-Tac had any involvement with the group.
The rest was good to know as well, though tangled up with the weirdness that Quin seemed to have wrapped all around her like a ball of twine. He was getting far too used to just nodding when she said something incredibly bizarre when it came to the way she knew people or places, or people knew her. They'd knew each other before Quin had been de-aged, Michael told her she'd been a terrible fighter... And apparently Quin had been getting a lot of practice in fixing that -- and from the sound of it, also her rear neatly wrapped up and handed to her.
Jeez. If Quin was considered a lousy fighter, he'd hate to see the results on his score sheet.
"Yeah, the whole SUPER thing is..." Will trailed off, leaning back against the countertop with his plate in hand. "I mean, I guess I get it. The whole Akh thing, and people like that metal dude, but..." Will again didn't know where to go with that thought. It was tricky. And he wanted to avoid speaking badly of Michael, as well. Will had nothing against the Action Hero, but the idea of a group of behind the scenes mutants and mystics (right, magic was a thing, apparently), making sure all things preternatural were kept under control felt... sketchy.
"Only really learned about the camps and everything myself because of the riots." Will admitted, after Quin brought up that she'd remembered the Mutant Registration camps being a thing. Apparently they hadn't made headlines where she lived. It was much the same for him, though admittedly he wasn't sure if that was because the idea hadn't spread past the border, or if it was just young enough for it to have slipped his attention at the time.
"And I didn't move, like, during during the riots... Couple months after I got here, but... Still pretty much the welcome wagon though." Will clarified after she'd stated that it made for a heck of an introduction to New York. It had, but he'd managed to keep his head free and clear of the most of it.
So Quin was studying criminal defense. Had she mentioned that? Maybe..? Even if she had, he felt like he had a pretty good excuse with the way the day had gone to forget the minutia of her degree. Even if he was likely to have forgotten it regardless. "Criminal defense sounds like a tough gig." Will left it at that, though he had a few thoughts on the matter. What if she had to defend the sort of people who'd attacked them today? Or what if there were less than savory types on the law's side, twisting the story or pinning the blame on the wrong person? Seemed like things could get complicated, even outside the difficulty of the job itself, real fast.
Will pushed himself up to his feet, following Quin to the countertop as she pulled the pizza out of the oven, giving a sympathetic wince as he heard her hiss at the movement. Not surprising. Part of him was kind of astounded she was even up and about. Either tougher or more stubborn than he'd expect of most people. Well, definitely the second, from what he'd seen so far, and there wasn't much reason to doubt the first either.
"NYC might have a heckuva pizza culture, but I'm guessin' the little frozen circles like we got here fuels more of the city than anyone would like to admit." Will said as he watched Quin start sectioning the pizza into portioned slices. "And, no. It was everyone was talking about for a bit... and I could probably playback the audio of that one video from memory, how often kids were showin' each other in school." Will shook his head to emphasis his next point, "But, like I said, no. I kept my head low. Good eyes and ears, right? Helps to keep me outta trouble." Will gave a little snort of laughter, "Most days, anyway. When it doesn't come find me."
"Plates?" Will asked, scanning the kitchen area with his eyes, glancing over at Quin for directions. Might as well turn many hands into light work. Plus if it was overhead, be rough to reach with ribs like that... though he supposed he'd have to do with just the one arm. "And speakin' of trouble, how do you think Michael's doing? How'd you end up meeting them?"
Will was halfway though talking before he realized he was answering a pretty simple question with something that had turned into a ramble, but it seemed like he was blessed with a good friend in Quin, as she listened attentively regardless of how much he went on. Eventually, he did get to the end of it all, and Quin replied, saying that she understood, that his choices made sense.
Will smiled awkwardly as Quin said the now he had someone he didn't have to be careful around. That... was a weird feeling. Good, but not something he was used to, and he was grateful as she joked about being easily bribed, while also giving an implied offer of help if he was ever having a bad time of things. Joking would keep him from making a fool of himself, blushing or crying, or at least he hoped it would. "Yeah, just need to getcha a drink, bring some takeout and save your life once or twice. Easy as anything." Will smirked, and then realizing he was still clutching her hand, let go and pulled away, bringing his hands back around the mug of half drank tea.
"Thanks, though." Will said, quieter, and he kept his eyes on the mug. Being genuine didn't come easy to him, allowing himself to be vulnerable less so. Looking up, he found his voice again and a small smile as he gestured to Quin. "You should be good there. Or back t'normal, anyway."
Will went back to what Quin had said, that she hadn't grown up here in New York. "Was only since high school for me here. Canada before that, like I said back in the park. Just happened to get here at a real bad time." Will hesitated at speaking on exactly what it was that made it such a bad time, it could be complicated bringing up the riots when Quin had been a cop. Except, she hadn't. The 'Quin-that-was', had been a cop.
Archer. He decided, giving the name the cop had called her back in the church to the 'other Quin' (sure, it was just her last name, but...) to keep everything straight in his head.
"Twenty-twelve riots." Will explained simply, idly wondering if Quin would even have memories of that year. 2019, minus a decade... Probably not then? Might have been something brought up somewhere in her law courses though? Would there be specifics on mutant law and things of that sort? Why not ask then, self? "Anything about 'em come up in your studies? Or the Mutant Registration stuff? Guess I never really did catch exactly what sorta law you're gettin' into."
Will made a bit of a face when Quin asked why he didn't use his powers more if it helped him deal with his senses being overly sensitive. It was an easy enough thing to answer, but he hated admitting that it basically boiled down to 'because I'm scared'. "I... don't really make it a habit of telling people." Will said at first, trying to brush it off. He paused, mentally scolding himself. She'd been honest and upfront with him about everything he'd asked, and it wasn't like there was anything let to hide. Half-truths were hardly fair.
It could wait, just a minute though. Will instead turning his attention to Quin as she laid her hand in his and he gingerly wrapped his fingers around hers. "Well, it's not like I move anythin' doing what I do... And zapping folks takes a lot more outta me than I remember." Will admitted, taking a slow breath in as he tapped into his powers, seeing Quin's sensory threads once again spread over his mind's eye. It was a little easier to undo the work he'd done initially, the strands that had been moved out of place jumped out to him, and it was blatant to him where his powers were holding them off where they 'should' be.
Will talked as he worked, staring down at their joined hands without really seeing. "Well, for starters, I can use 'em on myself, so I'd need a volunteer." He sounded a little distracted, voice a bit low. But it was easier to not have to think too hard when talking about something he was sort of embarrassed about. "And... I can probably count on one hand the amount of people that actually know. And that's includin' you and Michael. Maybe two hands, if the people I've zapped remember what happened."
While talking, Will nudged Quin's sense of touch gradually back to where it belonged, undoing the mental stitches that held them off their usual map and slowly bringing her back to baseline, for better or worse. "Things were tense for mutants when I was in high school, when I sorta found out I, y'know, was one. Targets on their back. Lotta ugly things said out loud. Kids. Parents. On the TV and in the streets."
That was probably good? Seemed like most of the changes he'd done were changed back. Will cut the link, feeling the little tug vanish as any changes left to Quin's senses snapped back to normal. He imagined it might be like feeling your ears pop and the world sounding proper again, but for your skin.
"And... I never really stopped hearin' folks mutter those same things under their breath." Will finished, looking up from the table to meet Quin's gaze. "Just been tryin' to stay outta sight, outta mind."
Willl fidgeted with the mug in his hands, drumming his fingers against the ceramic as the conversation went back and forth. He seemed to be getting the gist of what he could do across, or at least Quin didn't ask too many clarifying questions -- about what he could do at least. She did ask about some of the ways using them affected him, and that he'd said he hadn't really used them in years.
"Well... I hadn't done any of the fine tuning type stuff for years, at least." Will admitted, giving a little guilty smile. "Couple times between then and now where it was use 'em or wind up with a busted nose, or worse." Running around late at night was great for burning off calories and energy without people around, but sometimes meant that the company he -did- end up with wasn't the most savory. "Exercise helps too. Running myself ragged, at least. Doesn't seem to get as bad if I'm sick, or if I'm barely sleepin'." Will took another sip of tea. Yeah, this was the right call for drinks right now. He'd have to figure out where Quin had gotten it. Nice to have another thing added to the list of things he could drink safely.
"And don't worry. Neither of 'em had a good time. Pretty they'd have rather have one of those flash bangs Michael was totin' around go off inside their head, rather than what I did." Will gave a little smirk at that. He probably shouldn't be happy about causing someone that sort of discomfort, but neither of the two garnered much sympathy from him after what each of them had done. Not like Knives was going to be sore for the next couple weeks, anyway. Jerk got the better part of the exchange for sure.
Quin mentioned she was surprised what he did was still working and Will just gave a confused little shrug and shake of his head. Was it weird he could hold something that long? Guess that was the downside to hiding away, you didn't get the viewpoints of others when it came to these sorts of things. Will almost protested, saying he was fine, before realizing he actually was feeling a strain at keeping the link with Quin up. Normally, something like that wouldn't have been much bother, even been welcome, like allowing a clenched muscle to relax. As it was now though, he could feel it tug persistently at a part of his brain, and he had to keep consciously tightening his grip on it.
It wasn't surprising, once he thought about it, the day itself had been exhausting, his body was battered, and using his powers to inundate people was a lot more draining that he'd remembered. Then again, he'd never had to use it twice in day before. "Like I said, it doesn't take much... But I think it is startin' to catch up with me." Will extended a hand, laying it palm up on the table. "Here. I can cut the link without contact, but everything'll snap back like a rubber band all at once that way."
It'd been... a while, a good long while since he'd just sat and enjoyed a storm. It -was- one of those things that almost made all the headaches his senses brought along otherwise worth it. And Quin was painting a pretty evocative picture, lightning flashing through the sky, world pulsing like a drum, heavy enough to feel it... Definitely sounded like a treat. "Dang. You must have one of the best seats in the building if it's like that." Will replied, a little hushed, a bit awed at the thought of a wild storm just outside the windows. Be a nice way to wash away the craziness in the city right now.
"Yeah, honey'd be nice." Will replied with his preference as Quin inquired. He wasn't much of a tea drinker, but lemon and honey was something he'd remembered liking. Pretty classic pairing after all.
Quin went on to comment that it he must have a lot to think about, dealing with his preternatural senses, and Will just gave a little shrug at that. "I mean, I guess?" He hadn't really actively thought about what he did to mitigate the worst parts of his mutation for years, it was all sort of habit by now, thought at points he guessed he had to come up with all the ways to make things better for himself. "Adapt some routines. Learn to avoid the worst things... At this point it's less havin' to think about things so much as... stuff just gets to be a lot, y'know?"
Quin apologized for bringing up the deaging thing, after Will apologized for having so clumsily asked about how long Quin had been living here, and he decided not to comment, just giving a nod of understanding, lest they get caught in some back and forth apology loop. They did seem to have a habit of saying sorry to one another at the drop of a hat after all. He instead used his energy to find a seat at the kitchen table while Quin was finishing up with the kettle and mugs.
Will took the offered mug from Quin as she brought over the tea, curling his hands around the ceramic. There was just something cozy about a warm mug like that. She asked him to explain more about his powers and... well, yeah. Fair. "I probably didn't. Probably barely told you what I was doin' at the time... Cagey about it. Sorry." Will said, with an apologetic smile. Though, after learning there was a team out there specifically out to target people with preternatural abilities, he felt a bit less silly about his precautions and paranoia.
"Honestly, turnin' senses up and down pretty much sums up the whole thing, far as I know." Will said, running a thumb along the rim of his mug. "Well. And my own are always cranked up to eleven... maybe an eight right about now. Presumin' normal is 5, I mean." Will had to guess a bit at that, he didn't really have a baseline for human normal anymore, save for how easy signs were to read and how loud most people listened to music. "It's complicated though. I mean, it's complicated to explain because I don't really have the words, and it's complicated to do because... Well, I don't really have the words." Will gave a flustered little giggle at that, some combination of amused and nervous and mildly frustrated coming out in a brief bit of hysterics, and he sipped at the tea gingerly to give his mouth and brain a brief break.
It was nice. Much as he probably would have gone for coffee at his own place, (and a different tiny part of him still wished they were throwing responsibility out the window), the tea was warm and soothing and just sweet enough. It he were more poetic, he'd probably have a balm joke, but all he managed was a quiet, content, "Mmm," in comment, before continuing, speaking a little more calmly.
"Lotta little things you gotta move just right, basically, give 'em just the right amount of energy." Will said, after he'd put the mug back down. "One way, dulls things, another, makes 'em sharper. Wrong way? Things get disorienting, weird. S'what I did to the guy in the cafe, and the metal jerk too. They could probably smell sounds and taste colour for a few minutes there."
"Oh yeah?" Will sounded genuinely interested, excited even as Quin agreed to the offer, even adding that the thunder got so close some storms that she could feel it in the apartment. She was even thoughtful enough to add that it would probably be particularly interested for his enhanced senses.
That was an odd feeling. Being grateful that someone was taking that into consideration. Nice though, even if it made his cheeks heat up in a flustered blush. "Well, I could always amp you up too." He mentioned off-handedly. Wait, had he ever really explained what he could do? Should he..? Cat was mostly out of the bag now anyway, and... well if he couldn't trust Quin, he wasn't about to be able to trust anyone ever. Either way, if he had, nothing to be worried about, if he hadn't... conversation over tea, he supposed. And with that in mind.
"Lemon balm. Peppermint would blow my nose out, I think." Will gave Quin an apologetic smile and a little shrug. "Senses... makes me a lot pickier about food and stuff than I'd like." He admitted. "Like, have it yourself, if you had it in mind, I'm not that bad... promise. But drinking it and I won't smell or taste anything else for a bit." Will -did- actually usually carry a pack of gum for exactly that reason. A head full of peppermint or spearmint was better than tasting car exhaust, but he'd forgotten to grab it heading out the door this morning. At the time, he figured it's be the worst part of his day.
Quin gave him an answer on how long she'd been living here, even giving him a word to use to reference the event. "Deaging". That worked. And she'd been living in this, very nice, apartment since 2019. New Years, or rather, a few weeks later. Let's call it February then.
"Just curious, mostly... Askin' how long someone has lived somewhere is usually small talk. Words got moving before I realized everything that's tangled up in it." Will said, his tone apologetic as he spoke, trying to get away from the topic. "Nice place though. Gonna be jealous of those windows for a long time." Will picked at his left palm absently, half to distract himself, half to fruitless try to get a lingering bit of glass or stone out of his skin. "As for clearin' things up..?" Will -did- have a few things in mind, but shook his head for the moment. "Ah, feels a bit lopsided right now, honestly. Feel like you should be takin' a round or two of questions at me."
Will kicked off his shoes as after he managed to stop gawking at the windows, pushing the dusty sneakers to the side with a socked foot. It wasn't as though his socks were all -that- much cleaner, but it still felt impolite to track shoes through a person's apartment. Especially one this nice.
Quin brought up that she was living here since she couldn't stay where she'd used to live. Right. Of course she wouldn't have been able to stay in her old apartment, after everything that had happened. At least, Will figured it had to do with the... enyouthening? Whatever the term for the turn-back-the-clock type stuff she'd gotten tangled up with. At the time she... Well, not her, her... The Quin that was, had been a cop, got caught by some sort of human trafficking ring. They'd definitely be after he after that. Unless it had something to do with her previous relationship with, or against Michael? But Michael had been the one to get Will a spot in here, so...
"Yeah, I can imagine... Next time there's a good storm, I'll spring for dinner if you let me borrow the view." Will replied, opting to answer the cheerier, more light hearted part rather than mulling over the questions that the first brought up. Felt like when he wasn't fighting for his life today he was stuck in his own head. Will had wound up unconsciously walking step-by-step closer to the view, peering out the bank of windows into Central Park. Weird to think a chance meeting there led him to where he was now.
"Pepperoni's great. And uh..." Wil shook his head at the suggestion of the last drink, giving a chuckle as he thought about taking her up on the offer. "Pfft, much as it's real tempting, think I'd keel over wakin' up with a hangover ontop of how I'll be feeling tomorrow. Tea'd be nice, if you're makin' yourself some too. Water otherwise." Maybe he'd regret not taking her up on the offer of trying to blot out some of the day with a few stiff drinks, but it probably wasn't smart to be blotto with the threat of ancient Egyptian gods on the horizon. And, anyway, if he later decide against being so responsible, he could always change his mind. Right?
Will peered about the apartment, sneaking a peek as politely as he could. Some printed pages with dense writing on them on a kitchen table, a nice looking L-shaped couch that faced a sizable, wall mounted TV. Presumably the couch on offer. The glorious windows, of course, and the neat little kitchen area. "So, you've been living here since... then?" Will asked, stumbling a bit at how to address the incident that wound up with Quin living here, both due to not exactly knowing -when- it had happened, and just the general awfulness of the event itself.
And quicker than he would have thought, there was a message back. Quin hadn't hesitated at all to get back to him. Seemed like maybe he wouldn't be a bother then.
Ew. Will made a face as he started to stuff his feet back into his socks. That was one thing that he hadn't been given a change of. And thanks to Rocky, there'd been a fair bit of and and grit that had wound up in his shoes, and therefore, his socks. Shaking out both socks as best he could, and then his shoes, he made due with just a little sand in his shoes and made a mental note that if he ever needed to pack an emergency bag to include a change of socks.
Though, considering how he'd wound up here, that wouldn't have helped anyway.
Getting his footwear on, he left his own ruined clothes on the floor at the foot of the bed. Wasn't really sure what else to do with them at the moment -- probably too far gone for laundry, and he didn't see a place to throw them out. Something to figure out later. Not wanting to miss the elevator, Will quickly plodded though the halls, tugging at and smoothing down the borrowed shirt as he went.
Will made it back to the elevator, and soon after, the doors opened a familiar face inside. Though cleaner than he'd last seen.
"Hey. Long time no see." Will joked weakly. stepping into the elevator as Quin did something with the controls to make it go up, instead of down. Come to think of it, had they even pressed any buttons to get to the floor he was on with the card? Maybe it just went between there and the lobby. Guess he'd better not lose it.
The elevator was quick, and before he knew it they were at their destination. Will followed Quin as she led to way to her apartment, unlocking the door via a fingerprint scanner.
And well... dang. Will had to, once again, wonder what sort of place this was. Just the furniture he could -see- stepping into Quin's apartment probably cost more 3x more what his entire apartment was decked out with. And that was without peeking into any rooms, or considering the view. Because, once again, dang. The wall of windows that peered over Central Park was something else. Huh. Wonder if he'd be able to see where he'd run into Quin that day. It'd be a funny sort of way to bring it all full circle.
Will had to admit, the situation down here was remarkably calm and well in hand, considering everything that was going on outside. Sure, he'd seen a few worried faces and a couple of upset whispers back and forth when he'd been getting into and out of the shower but if even half of what Michael had said was true, he'd have thought the place would look like a warzone. Seems Haven took care of things proper.
Even so, even feeling freshly clean and safe and sprawled across something several orders of magnitude more comfortable than either the cathedral's pews or the folding chairs setup in the hospital tent, it was still hard for Will to actually relax.
Just as well, he supposed. With how tired his body felt, if he relaxed he'd probably conk out on the spot, and it'd be rude to stand up someone who'd saved your life when they invited you over for dinner.
Pulling out his phone, which was starting to get lower on power than he'd like with no charger in sight, he flipped through to his contacts, pulling up Quin, starting to write a text. He paused, went back, and appropriately updated her name from "Quin Park" to "Quin Archer". He'd thought about sticking Sagittarius in there, as a middle name for fun, but held off.
Going back to writing a text, he tapped out a message, read it back to himself silently, erased half and then wrote again. Looked at it, scoffed and erased the whole thing and then put his phone down on the bed beside him. Part of him told himself that he shouldn't bother her, she'd been through enough today, why put her up to taking care of him when things could be taken care of down here. But... Quin had seemed sincere. Actually, she seemed truthful to a fault, now that he thought about it. Hadn't even lied by omission when it came to the weird... timey-wimey stuff that'd happened to her.
>>> "hey no rush, but that pizzas starting to sound better and better. Let me know when and i'll meet you at the elevator."
Will hesitated, before just sending the message. Huh. Lucky his phone still got reception down here. He wondered if Haven had some sort of setup to boost signal all the way down beneath the building, or if he wasn't as deep underground as he thought.
"Yeah?" Will replied when Quin remarked if Will hoped too hard for one of the patches that they were liable to put him to work. "Didn't figure they'd have a beverage division, but I guess everyone's gotta eat. Think if the choice is the patch or a night's sleep though, I can go without fashion."
"Besides," Will continued, having finished his quick peek around the room. There really wasn't much to see, but it seemed more than enough as a safe place to crash. He knew it was too much to hope to get the whole room to himself, if they were spreading folks into the gyms and classrooms, (classrooms? what sort of place -was- this anyway?) but he hoped at least the others in the room were the quiet type. "Don't wanna reflect poorly on you or Michael. Best behavior an' all that."
Quin thanked him for the reminder, that she had some wounds of her own to tend to. Jeez, she must either be more exhausted than he was or a little less banged up. Or maybe he'd numbed her a bit more than he first thought? Either way, she seemed almost surprised when he brought it up. Quin went on to explain to just give her notice whenever he wanted to come up, since she doubted the card he had would get him going upstairs. Made sense, if those were more private living quarters and the like. Will guessed he had something like a public pass to the general areas and his temporary lodgings.
"For sure. It'll gimme the chance to update your name proper, too." Will gave Quin a little smirk at that, and then she was off, heading for the elevator.
Alone. For the first time in hours but that felt like days. It gave him the chance to take a deep breath and try and gauge how he actually felt. Terrible, mostly. Overwhelmed, sore, scared, but... still standing, so that counted for a lot. The one positive seemed to be that the use of his powers today had toned his senses way down, far better than even the most aggressive run could do. It was actually a little odd, made everything feel fuzzy in a way, like he was still wearing his earplugs that... he guessed wound up somewhere in the wad of plastic that got wrapped around Hammer's head at the start of all this.
Unusual, and almost frustrating, but a lot better than being overwhelmed in -that- way on top of everything else.
Grabbing the change of clothes that'd been left out for him, Will made his way to the public showers, following Quin's directions and the signage that stated as much.
The showers weren't as empty as he'd hoped, though luckily they -were- available, and there wasn't a wait, but he wasn't able to just stand under the hot water for half an hour either, like he'd been day dreaming of. Still, he felt worlds better as he washed away the sweat and dust and blood and far too many little bits of ceramic and rock that'd been in his shirt and skin. Will hoped the next person wouldn't complain about all the little pebbles around the drain.
Reluctantly leaving the comfort of the warm water, he dried off, changed into the unfamiliar clothing and headed back to the dorm number stamped onto that little card he'd been provided. Flopping onto the bed where the clothing had been left (he assumed that would be his spot, anyway), he took the chance to just lay there for a few minutes, appreciating the simple comfort of feeling clean and comfortable and safe. Things he'd apparently been taking for granted up until now.
