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.
A wager. That actually sounded like a lot of fun. Far more entertaining than just sitting in a small, hipster coffee shop, trying to make idle conversation while one of them just drank water and worried the whole time about ruining the date. Agnes never thought the date would have been ruined like that but she wanted to make sure that Megan had fun too. this was the perfect remedy for both of their issues.
Now as they made their way closer to the carnival, the question came to mind -- what could they wager on. There were so many diabolical things she could ask for but the mere thought of them caused a slight blush to color her cheeks. No, this was a first date and therefore she needed to calm that previous unknown confidence that kept trying to take over.
So she asked...what did Megan want? The pretty Goth thought it over before she replied that she wanted a cheesy carnival picture with props and balloons and silliness in order to remember the date by. The thought of it made Agnes smile all the wider. That was too adorable to disagree with.
”Deal!” she announced with a giggle. ”That sounds perfect to me.”
Before Megan even asked her, she tried to think about what she wanted from the brunette. There were a multitude of things she could ask for. Hell, what Megan suggested sounded amazing. But it wouldn’t have been fair to ask for the same thing. No, she had to think of something else. Something that she both really wanted and was appropriate enough for their date.
They made it to the entrance of the carnival before her eyes lit up. As she peered around the park, her gaze swept back to Megan as an idea formed. That was it. She knew what she wanted.
”Okay, if I win…” she chewed her lip, smiling. ”Then you have to get me any prize I want in the park.” It sounded lame, it really did, but there was another layer to her request. One that she hoped to spring onto Megan when she won. But she would keep her lips sealed...for now. So, holding out her hand, she smiled a bit mischievous. ”Deal?”
Agnes smiled as she took the other girl’s hand and gave it a squeeze. ”Nah, I don’t think you could have ruined it.” She shrugged her shoulders. ”We just thought of something even cooler to do.”
With a nudge she began to steer them back into the park, heading for another section of it. She remembered seeing advertisements for the carnival peppered all over the entrance to the part. It was even more apparent when she walked in and found could see the towering Ferris wheel peeking out over the tops of the trees. It was hard to miss. It would serve as the perfect alternative for their date, rather than upsetting Megan’s stomach.
Megan was too adorable. Agnes blushed a little as they walked, arm in arm, reminiscing about carnivals. She hadn’t been in some time. Agnes, meanwhile, had -- or at least she remembered being at one recently. There was a small pop-up one that she went to with Jasmine that felt like it happened a month ago. However, apparently years passed so it had been a bit longer than that. But this was different. This carnival they were going to was going to be a bit bigger and grander.
Plus, the young woman she was going with actually seemed to like her a lot. With Jasmine there had been a lot of “What if’s” and “Compromises”, but Megan, for as brief as they’ve known each other, really seemed to like all aspects of her. That was a good feeling to bask in.
”The feeling is mutual,” she said, turning to Megan and catching her eye. This was a surprise that she was in no way expecting. But she was certainly glad that it happened.
Agnes nodded towards the distant carnival, the Ferris wheel peeking over the trees like she had seen before, the sounds of laughter and joy passing through the trees. There wa sa riot of colors flashing in bursts of reds, blues, and greens. With every step, the sounds of gears and wheels filled the air, causing the smile on Agnes’ face to broaden. Feeling a nudge on her shoulder, she turned to Megan and smirked.
”Ooooh, a wager huh?” she purred. With an agreeing nod, she continued. ”I’m good with that. Anything...specific you have in mind?” She teased Megan as they drew closer to the carnival entrance. She was all ready for a good time.
Agnes smiled warmly to Megan. ”Only nice things should be said to you,” she grinned.
As the two continued on, arm-in-arm, Agnes found herself marveling at everything that was going on in her life. Just the other day (to her) she was finishing up her last semester at Xavier’s and was going to start looking at colleges. She just had a great date with a wonderful girl, and things finally felt like they were looking up. But then, all that changed as she found herself cast into a time that didn’t feel like hers.
Everything felt like it was going to fall apart. The world she knew was gone and the life she was supposed to have lived she couldn’t recall. It would have been enough to send anyone into an existential crisis. But things seemed to truly be on the up now. Like pieces were fitting together again, one at a time.
Megan was sweet, beautiful, and Agnes truly felt good around her. They just met but Agnes was hopeful to see how things would play out.
Arms interlaced, both girls moved on, a destination in mind. She had heard a couple students at the Mansion talk about The Honeycomb. She had been wanting to try it. Now was the perfect excuse. A place full of yummy treats... she eyed Megan... in more ways than one.
Feeling lighter and giddy, Agnes pursed her lips in thought about what she wanted. However she didn't get to spend too much thought on it. Megan stopped her, looking somewhat embarrassed as she revealed she was having some stomach issues. She explained it could be mutation related but she hadn't figured out yet. Water was okay but the sweet treat Agnes just mentioned seemed to be out of the question.
Oh poor thing. She looked so nervous. Quickly she reiterated how much she wanted to go out with her. It was clear she felt bad, like she put a damper on the excursion. The truth was, it couldn't be further from the truth. Rather then be scared off or turned away, Agnes offered a sympathetic smile as she stopped and turned the other to face her.
"I'm honestly good with whatever you want to do. So long as you're there to hang out with." Her voice rang with honesty. She was genuinely thrilled just to be spending time with Megan, which she punctuated by squeezing her arm. "We don't have to go there if your worried. We can pick something else! Something non-food related. I thought I heard there was a winter carnival in the park today. Maybe we can play some games? Ride some rides? What do you say?'
Agnes was all smiles. She had been hoping this could be a possible outcome. She didn’t know what it was about Megan that pulled her attention so thoroughly but she knew that there was something that she couldn’t quite ignore. She was beautiful, she was sassy, and she just won Agnes over in a fairly impressive way. Honestly she didn’t think there would be anyone after that debacle with Jasmine, but it seemed like things were looking on the up.
So she said yes -- she would love to spend some time with her. Megan looked so cute, blushing and shyly asking, as if there were even a hint of a possibility that Agnes would have said no. But she guessed, if the shoe were on the other foot, that she would have been just as nervous. She said nothing teasing or joking to her, and instead just basked in the happiness that wafted off of Megan and felt her own nervous energy rise just a tiny bit.
She was actually going to do this...she was going on a date with someone she just met. It wasn’t hard to notice little changes like this and it made her wonder about the person that she used to be before losing so much time. But such questions and thoughts were not for a first date. Better save it for one down the line.
After checking her phone, she shook her head. ”Nope, my calendar is 100% clear,” she beamed. ”Beside, even if I had plans, I’d cancel them.”
It was odd to feel this flirty. She never really had this kind of confidence before but it was just seeping out of her pours. The only time she stopped was when she attempted to argue with herself that it felt off. Apparently she was going to have to learn to just go with the flow. Besides, she liked Megan. Why force herself to feel any different?
Megan pulled up next to her and offered her arm. With a warm smile, Agnes sidled up next to the pretty Goth, slipped her arm through the crook, and walked side by side with her. It felt...really nice. And, with the revelation that Megan was new to the city (somewhat) Agnes hummed in thought.
”OH! I know a place. ‘The Honeycomb’,” said with a nod. ”It’s a couple streets over. I saw an advertisement for it and it looked pretty cool. Coffee, tea, juices, etc.. They’re claim to have the best Lavender Honey Frapps in town. Care to be a judge with me?” She grinned as she nudged Megan playfully with her hip.
God things were so awkward and yet so intriguing. Normally Agnes would have had a hard time articulating herself in the presence of a pretty girl, like she did with Jasmine, but things had begun to change. Maybe it was a throw back from those years that she lost but Agnes felt an underlying layer of confidence that she didn’t remember having before. A sort of self-assurance that she knew she was worth it. It was a different feeling but she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Megan was beautiful and while there were times when Agnes felt like her face was going to catch fire, she found the will to press on. She liked talking to her, she seemed interesting, and her abilities were on par with her own; she would have been a fool to not see herself through any awkward.
She grinned as Megan stammered, founding the sound adorable but saying nothing about it as the spider-girl confirmed that Agnes would have never been the target for such an attack. It was aimed more at those people who really deserved it, like Flannel and the rest of his ilk. Her smile grew, looking away shyly as Megan, in essence, referred to her as one of the ‘pretty girls’ that she was attempting to defend.
”My knight in webbing armor,” she teased.
Agnes turned and continued on, Megan following just behind. She opened her mouth as she summoned her hive back. They all began to return, moving back inside of their homes within her body. When the last of flies returned, Agnes turned just in time to hear Megan ask if she wanted to go out for coffee. She stopped, crystalline eyes looking her over for seconds that seemed to last an eternity before she finally spoke.
Smiling, she nodded her head once. ”Yeah...we can definitely do that,” she replied. ”I’d love to go out with you.”
There was that underlying confidence again. With Jasmine it had been all stammers and fear of rejection, but it felt more natural now. She would have to ask Professor Grey if she had been this confident when they last chatted before her change.
Once again she fully turned to face Megan, walking backwards, hands stuffed into the pockets of her leather jacket. ”When and where, cutie?”
Agnes wasn't sure what to expect. Megan had seemed pretty chill about her powers so far, but everyone had their limits. Would Megan find hers now? As much as she didn't want to jeopardize spending time with her, she steeled herself on the possibility of things getting awkward. After all, Megan showed her hand...so should Agnes.
The swarm was impressive. Seemed to have grown since she last summoned them all. The added ants definitely increased their overall numbers and made her appear all the more malevolent. Realizing this, she hazard a look to Megan.
Agnes was truly learning to enjoy the sight of that smile. Megan was grinning from ear to ear, head turning in an attempt to catch sight of her entire, mixed swarm. The sight of it lightened Agnes' heart considerably. Even Jasmine was usually a little ambivalent about her insects, but Megan seemed to find them outright beautiful. A new experience, one that she was enjoying.
Her hands were suddenly seized and Agnes felt her pulse quicken. She looked at Megan as she held her hands and praised Agnes' gifts. The touch and kind words immediately caused a blush to color her cheeks. Suddenly she felt very warm in the face. All she could do was smile shyly, sapphire eyes shining with appreciation.
"Megan...you're just...too sweet for words," she said as she squeezed her hands.
Megan continued to praise her insects, calling the swarm beautiful. Agnes lifted her eyes, watching the swarm turn and buzz through the air, catching the cascading sunlight in a riot of sparkles and colors. It really was beautiful.
She looked down when Megan pulled part of her shirt aside to reveal the scars on her skin. It was a sight that made her pause. Without word she reached out, her fingers grazing the scarred flesh. She knew all about scars...or she used to. Her body was different than how she remembered it but while she didn't bear them anymore, sometimes she could still feel them. But Megan's were different. Those were not made out of malice, but of creating something beautiful - her spiders. It was a thought that brought joy to her eyes, not sadness.
"So they truly are a part of you," she mused, still touching the scars. "That's so gorgeous." She smiled but then realized her fingers were still stroking Megan's skin. Instantly she pulled her hand back. "Oh... I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without asking." she smirked slyly. "I'd hate to get tased."
Her smiled widened when Megan confirmed that her spiders liked her. She didn’t know why but for some reason it really made her feel good. She loved her insects and all creatures that were downtrodden and treated like pests. That was her life for so long. Thrown away, treated like trash, it was not a fun life. Through those traumas she found a bit of common ground with the insects and arachnids; those that lived within and out.
After her new friend took the bugs back, letting them slip inside of her hair, Agnes realized it was her turn to share. So, taking the other girl’s hand, she lifted it and summoned one of her own little friends to skitter out from her arm. She was still getting used to them, apparently a product of those memories that she lost, but things were working out well so far.
Things were especially better after Megan’s reaction. She had been prepared for the worst. Not a lot of people could handle giant, hundred-legged bugs visually, lest of all crawling on their skin. But, sure enough, Megan was all smiles and cooing as she leaned closer to inspect Agnes’ latest addition.
Watching the brunette’s expression, Agnes felt a small tingle within. She was just far too adorable. The way she smiled and stroked the centipede’s head, how she chattered in baby talk to her, and the absolute fearlessness she showed to something that could strike fear into most anyone else. Megan really was a special girl and the thought of her made Agnes’ smile grow larger.
When Megan backed away, Agnes straightened up and mentally called for her centipede to scuttle back into her arm. ”You’re welcome,” she said with a grin. She nodded as Megan explained her spider-related powers, to which Agnes could only reply with a ”Thanks for showing me yours,” she replied, adding a teasing wink.
She thought for a moment. Again, she didn’t want to scare Megan but she wasn’t going to lie about her abilities either. Especially since it seemed that she was enamored by these things. So, she gently shook her head. There was far more that she was capable of.
”I actually have a bit more than just centipedes…”
She leaned in a little closer to Megan, pressed her lips together into an “O” and blew out some air. A strong scent of honey wafted across Megan’s face before there was a buzzing. First one fly, then a wasp, then a roach, then more and more of them began to fall from her mouth, flying past Megan’s head and hovering around. At Agnes’ feet, roaches and ants began to circle about, forming lines, but not at all appearing threatening to Megan. With a final puff of air, the last of her insects flew out and joined the cloud that hovered in the open air. She shrugged her shoulders, looking sheepishly at Megan.
”I’m...a living hive…” she tried to catch Megan’s eye but looked down out of fear. ”Too much?”
Agnes marveled at the strange looking spider that was sitting in Megan’s hand. She had never seen one like it before, with the multiple blue eyes peering at her. She smiled sweetly, looking it over, asking about its origin. While it would have been surprising to know that it was just a pet, New York was a strange place and she wouldn’t put that past anyone. But, as it turns out, the truth was far stranger...and far more interesting.
Megan was a mutant. She crafted this little creature that waved at her with it’s little legs. There were others that stayed hidden within the Megan’s hair, causing Agnes to look up, peering at those ebony tresses before she looked back down to the one she held. Before she knew it, more eight-legged friends joined the others, scooped up by Megan as they crawled out of the dark recesses of her hair.
”Oh hello sweeties,” she said as Megan held out the three spiders towards her. With the assurance that they wouldn’t bite unless told, Agnes easily held out her hands, waiting for them to crawl on.
Agnes wasn’t shy when it came to multi-legged creatures. After all, she was a living, walking, talking hive of them. When she got upset she could feel them crawling about within her body, ready to leap out to her defense at a moment’s notice. So she wasn’t shy as she held up the little spiders, grinning and watching as they sat in her hand. With one finger she carefully stroked one of their heads. So adorable.
”They’re such cuties,” she said with a smile. Her wings involuntarily fluttered, catching the light of the day, at their adorableness, for which Megan commented upon. Agnes turned back to her and grinned. ”Thank you. I wish I had better control sometimes. They’re easily excitable.”
Her wings fluttered once more, as if to prove her point. At this she handed the three spiders back to her. Seeing as this was show-and-tell, she may as well offer up the rest of what she could do. So, she smiled and held up her open hand, palm up and winked.
”Wanna see something cool?” she said. She closed the gap between them and get gently took her hand, holding it under hers as she lifted her own.
With a thought the skin along Agnes’ forearm began to move and undulate until a previous unseen seam suddenly split. From her forearm a long, sectioned, multi-legged creature crawled out. A deep read, at least a foot in length, the armored creature curled around Agnes’ arm before the head settled upon her open hand. The giant Amazonian centipede lifted its front, peering at Megan, antennae waving in the open air.
”Feel free to pet her,” she said. ”She doesn’t bite either. Unless I’m threatened.”
She could feel the heat behind her ears. Megan said she liked her name. It was such a small compliment but after the tremendous amount of crap that had apparently suddenly been piled in front of her, it was exactly the kind of thing that she needed to hear right now. It made her feel good in this maelstrom of existential terror and she was all the more thankful it came from a pretty girl like Megan.
A side smile was offered to the other, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket as they put more and more distance between themselves and the wannabe lothoria. He should probably be recovering by now, but not in any capacity to really be a threat. He’d be lucky if he didn’t twitch so hard he’d dose himself taking a piss. Again, Agnes hoped he learned some kind of lesson.
Feeling the air get a bit lighter, Agnes slowed so that Megan was at her side so they could converse more easily. Megan shared with her the personal tactic she employed, a means to both deliver justice and protect herself from reprisal. It made sense to a survivalist like Agnes. After all, with the number of years she spent on the streets, she knew above all that a girl had to protect herself by any means necessary.
”Preaching to the choir,” she grinned. Though she looked a little shocked at her other comment about being punched, shaking her head. ”Ugh. Ridiculous. Who would hit such a pretty face?”
Megan came from a small town, one where people like Flannel would have probably been eaten up alive. Oh how Agnes wished she could have lived in a town like that. It had to be better than the city, a place she had known the entirety of her life. Then again, she was only saying that because she never lived in one. Small towns could probably be just as bad, maybe worse than the city.
But you know what they say, the grass is always greener.
With a sigh she snorted as she glanced back to the other. ”Being eaten alive is the least he probably des--” She stopped when she saw the spider sitting on Megan’s palm. Grinning she edged closer, the scent of honey coming off her hair as she peered at the spider. ”Cool. Is that your pet? Where were you hiding it?”
Agnes didn’t bother to look at the redhead again. Crystalline eyes locked ahead, she found herself staring off into the distance, trying to process everything that was happening. It was so mind blowing still, hard to wrap her head around. She had an entire life that she got to live, that she achieved so much with, and yet she gave it all up, due in no small part to her abilities. It was saddening to hear that she lost so much even before this mishap.
Because of that, she was at a complete loss. What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to move on? Everything that was most important to her had been completely taken away and now...now she was left standing in the crater of a life that didn’t make sense anymore. To her, yesterday was just another day. But to everyone else, she was an adult with her own life. Now what?
The redhead did what she could to make her feel better. Telling her that she could start over, offered her the idea of returning to Julliard and doing things all over again. The very notion that she accomplished so much and had to do it all over again was...sickening to be honest. She didn’t want to think that far ahead. Instead she was in survival mode and all she could focus on was the here and now, namely, food and shelter.
But here? Professor Grey said that she could continue to stay here? Or, if not, the staff at the mansion could help her find something out in the city. That was at least one thing that didn’t change. The mansion had always been helpful. But should she even trust it now? They were supposed to have helped her control her powers and look what happened.
Her head hurt. She was tired of thinking about it. Tired of trying to process it. Tired of...hearing her. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes again and just stared mournfully out across the mansion lawn. She already had an idea of what she would do to deal with the now, but she didn’t want to tell Ms. Grey.
For some reason the bitterness swelled near her. Maybe some part of her blamed her for this. Maybe if she had been a good person she wouldn’t have drifted away from Agnes and allowed this to happen. Or maybe it was just irrationality. Whatever the case, she was tired of hearing her talk, of listening to her attempts to soothe her. Of the scent in her hair. The soft appearance of her skin. Everything just burned the insect queen, like she was staring too long at the sun.
She needed space. Without looking at Rebecca, Agnes’ wings drooped. ”Go...away...” She mewed like a sick kitten and buried her face in her arms to quietly continue sobbing. ”Just...leave me alone...please? Just leave me alone...”
Agnes had to smirk a little as she watched the other brunette holster her self-defense weaponry and hurry to catch up with her. Though she didn’t often like to take a firm hand against anyone, when it was a jerk-off like that, she was more than happy to watch them twitch in agony for a bit. Truly she hoped that he had learned a lesson from this, at least long enough to give him pause against treating any other women like this. Every female spared such harassment was a win in her book.
But, beyond that, she really wouldn’t have minded taking another look at the young woman who bounded after her. The black dress with the faded print, the leggings, and boots all managed to catch Agnes’ eye. She was rather attractive, rocking that quasi-goth/emo outfit but brimming with danger after immediately tazing someone without a second thought. Certainly enough to hold Agnes’ attention.
When she caught up to her, Agnes smirked and turned back around, walking side-by-side with her until they were a good distance away from their harasser. Introductions were in order…
”Megan,” she parroted with a smile. She gave her a nod as she looked ahead. ”Pretty name.” Clearing her throat, she spoke up. ”Agnes. Or Aggie. Withever you like.”
She was still grinning at the sight of Flannel being laid out by a taser. She had to admit that Megan certainly had the right idea about guys like him. Whether wealthy or poorer than dirt, they all had the same ill manners when the blood rushed the wrong way in their bodies. Agnes had her fair share of experiences with them while on the streets so she knew that necessity of shoving them back into their place by any means necessary.
”No, you handled it perfectly,” she grinned, wings fluttering excitedly before settling on her back again. ”I probably would have just kicked in him nuts or something...equally as painful.”
A few wasps in the face. Flannel wouldn’t have forgotten that by any chance.
”Anything to keep guys like him from harassing girls like us? I’m one-hundred percent on board for.”
She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there. With the way time was being screwed up around her, it could have been anywhere between a couple of minutes to several years. A jumble of anxiety and nerves ran through her mind, resulting in any coherent thoughts to be cast away like so much dust in the window. Everything she remembered and everything she had just been told, simply couldn’t coexist. It was an absolute mess.
How could this be true? How could any of it be true? it was like something out of a bad comic book series. A plot device used to shake things up in a dying franchise in hopes of reinvigorating interest. Now that she had much interest in comics, but it just seemed so...fanciful.
Staring at the mansion grounds, she merely continued to softly mew to herself, wiping tears from her eyes in some vain attempt to make sense of her world, or what it used to be versus what it is now. She wasn’t 18...she just looked 18. Her dream job, her love life, it was all gone and now she just had no idea what to do. Did she stay here? Where else did have have to go? She was at a loss.
Agnes hugged her knees close to her chest, sniffling as she wiped away the tears from her cheeks. This was the face of absolute loss. Her mind continued to reel, trying to find some kind of solution to this mess, but there was nothing. Just, absolutely nothing.
A voice cut through the screaming in her brain. She turned her eyes upon the newcomer that hovered into view. It was Professor Grey again. She was standing on some platform which allowed her to hover close to the rooftop where she sat. Another sniffle and she turned her cheek towards her, not wanting to see her anymore. It was almost like she wanted to blame her personally for all this but knew, deep down, that wasn’t going to do any good.
”It’s not fair…” she whispered in a low, sad voice. ”I...I...don’t even know where to go now…”
Agnes could feel her mind spinning. She stared at the redhead. She wasn’t unattractive but she certainly wasn’t the type she imagined being with. A big part of that was because she still was coming off the high of her time with Jasmine and she was having some trouble letting that go. Just yesterday (to her) she imagined what her life would be like with her, and now, knowing time (and their affections) passed, made it all the harder to swallow.
But Ms. Gray? She had been with her? Agnes sat absolutely still, listening to the tale that she wove. A tapestry of relationships where Agnes dated several women, names of which she didn’t recognize, in places she couldn’t imagine. It would have been easy to dismiss it all, proclaiming that it was fake, but the social media accounts that were pulled up and shown to her, those were much, much harder to ignore.
She gulped, looking at how happy she seemed with Becca, the engagement with River, and the eventual rekindling and final separation between her and the professor. In all of them, Agnes looked...happy. Like she had found what she always wanted. And yet, at the end of the day, looking at herself now, she lost all of it. Due to their separation, Becca couldn’t tell her anymore and Agnes’ eyes seemed...wild.
She turned, her gaze sweeping across every item in the room. She looked everywhere but Ms. Gray’s face, until there was no where else to look. A panic swept through her, one that moved her onto her feet. She stared to pace, breathing deeply, hand at her forehead, tears on her cheeks, before she shot her another glance.
”I...I’m...gunna be sick…”
With that she turned and headed out into the hall. She knew where the bathrooms were but she didn’t head there. Rather she ran for a side door, dashed out of, and immediately beat her wings as fast and as hard as she could. Taking to the sky, she caught isolation and fresh air, the likes of which she only found on a spot that used to be her favorite -- a worn space of shingles that used to be not too far from her window.
Agnes hovered down, landing on the roof and sat with a tearful sob. This was hell. She had to be in hell.
It hurt to hear this. It hurt to hear all of it. But it was particularly hard to hear that she had willingly given up everything she worked towards because her mutation reached levels she couldn’t control. What was even worse was knowing that everything was also now void because she was forcefully shifted back to a younger version of her herself while the rest of the world marched on.
She may as well have been black bagged and ditched in some random, foreign country with nothing on her but the clothes on her back. And, even then, she couldn’t help just how naked she felt right now. The Urge to scream, to rant, to accuse this woman of lying was...hard to ignore. But she stifled it, internalizing all her bitterness and disappointment and pressed on. How much worse could the news get?
Really, the way she said it could have been taken as more of an off-handed, rhetorical question than one she really wanted an answer to. But there was enough curiosity there that she had to ask, even if it was laced it annoyance. Was anyone waiting for her? Deep in her heart, there was the smallest bit of hope that someone was there, but the look on the professor’s face said it all.
Even before Ms. Gray spoke, she closed her eyes, shaking her head and stared at the ground. What in the living hell? It truly felt like she had died and was in some nightmarish landscape she couldn’t make heads or tails of. Maybe this was hell, or purgatory, or some other in-between that was built to torture her. Wouldn’t that be the way…
But, Ms. Gray continued, stating that Agnes had her own string of relationships, some of which she knew, others that she didn’t But what was most surprising were the woman’s last words: she was one of them.
Agnes raised her eyes, slowly, as the words sank deeper into her brain, settling into spot of confusion and uncertainty. She looked upon the redhead’s face, as if trying to pull a lie from there but, everything in the professor’s eyes showed she was telling the truth.
Her expression was unreadable but she stared hard at the professor before speaking. ”W-What? H...How? Why?!” she asked. For as...offended as she sounded, she was essentially giving the redhead permission to continue. After all, you can’t make a revelation like that and just stop.
There were still questions that poked at her about this woman, this stranger that she didn’t recognize. She said she knew a fair bit about the time that she was missing but, sure enough, she dropped was names and instances that no one else should have known. But it was still hard to swallow. Exactly who was she to her? Why did the professor know so much? Agnes never thought these were things she would tell to anyone.
But she didn’t want to spare too much thought on it at the moment. Rather she wanted to test the water, see how much she had apparently accomplished in her life. She didn’t have much hope for herself until recently (to her memory), so it piqued her interest to know what she had been able to do. What the professor said was...surprisingly.
Julliard. An orchestra. Even the Philharmonic. It was absolutely everything that she could have dreamed of. Her hands cupped over her mouth, holding her smile hidden in the shadows as she tried to keep herself in check. She had done. Despite everything, she had actually done it. But...Becca had to keep talking. She stopped, gulped, her eyes misting as she turned to look at her.
She stepped down. She left the orchestra for some reason because of her powers and worked in a flower shop the last that Becca had seen her. That was...utterly disappointing. The whole reason she had agreed to stay at this school was because she had been promised she would find some kind of control. What could have possibly taken that away from her?
Her heart sank, deep in her chest, and she felt a pang of anger and jealousy. Life was cruel. Only the malevolence of existence would allow her to achieve her dreams and then snatch it away from her. Even if she had only exited them temporarily before, they wouldn’t accept her now. She was a teenager again, by the looks of it. She couldn’t even remember her years of education after 18!
With shaky knees she slipped into her seat and hung her head. ”Of course,” she said mournfully. ”Of course I can’t keep what I want.”
Her eyes misted again, her hate for the life she had been dealt growing all the more. First Jasmine...then her schooling...now the career of her dreams? What else had been taken away from her? Her jaw clenched as she tried to keep her anger calmed. The buzzing filled her ears and insects began to respond, wanting to seek out whomever was making her feel this way. But it wasn’t that easy. It never was.
She gulped before her eyes settled on the redheaded professor again. ”Obviously I wasn’t with Jasmine anymore…” she sniffled, wiping her eyes. ”...so, let me guess, there’s no significant other worried sick and wondering where I am right now either, is there?”
Bitterly she stared at the professor. This was turning into the shittest day she could imagine. After all, what’s crueler? Having nothing? Or having something only to have it taken away?
