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.
Glorious. In all her life, all several years of it that she cold remember anyways, Ashley had never felt more alive. The absolute clarity of her actions made slamming the butt end of the nightstick she was handling into some random cop's chest all that more enjoyable. The crack that resounded through the area made the other two that were standing in front of her wince and take a step back, but the sudden snap of a kick to a jaw and then another spinning backhand (aided by the nightstick) to the others face, faster then they could see)[/i] took care of those obstacles quickly.
She turned on a couple of more radios, her power going into a sort of weird flux as she took care of the occasional stray cop that passed by. In the back of her mind she knew that she should be going faster but paid that no mind. Isabel was taking care of the bulk of the cops, really, and her skills in Muay Thai, coupled with her powers, were taking care of anyone dumb enough to get in their way. Another rounded the corner and this time Ashley lashed out a backhand, sending the poor woman sprawling to the floor. She paused for a moment, loathed to hurt a female, but she shrugged a second later and picked the woman cop up by the neck and slammed her against the wall.
“Evidence.” she said, her voice calm, even. This, probably more then her broken nose, seemed to unnerve the woman more and she pointed in a vague direction. Ashley shoved her aside, letting her fall to her knees before gesturing. “Show me.”
It wasn't far, and Ashley took the liberty of backhanding the woman again to knock her out after she unlocked the cage. Inside was all manner of evidence, and truly Ashley didn't know where to begin. There had to be some way to cause the maximum amount of damage in the shortest time possible, but in truth Ashley couldn't figure out how. Instead of thinking of it herself, she started to rummage through the evidence and, in the back, saw a section titled 'Extremely Dangerous', but all Ashley knew was that it was another room she had yet to explore. The door was open, though, so Ashley decided to take a look to see if there was anything she could use.
Inside were firearms of every possible kind...well, she assumed they were all different, as the redhead really didn't know anything about guns. All tagged and all on various shelves, Ashley walked slowly between them until she got to the back where there were several shelves, all securely closed. She began to open them all, looking inside to see their contents. All had boxes, some latched to the shelves so they couldn’t move. Ashley began to look through each one until she found something even she could recognize.
Grenades.
Three of them.
So maybe the explosions that were happening behind her weren’t that big, but when combined with the various other chemicals and other such things (and the sprinklers that had decided to go off), the evidence that was in that room was now destroyed, or at least badly damaged. That was what Isabel wanted, right? To destroy the evidence? Evidence to what the guitarist didn't know, but if that's what her bonemancer wanted, it's what she got.
And it was with great glee that Ashley rejoined the fray of cops versus Isabel...or what was left of them, anyways.
Ashley felt that familiar feeling of warmth swell up inside of her and the only thing she could do was squeal a tiny but at Isabel's agreement for marriage. She'd never let loose such a noise before, but she found it quite girly and she liked it. She squeezed Isabel tight, her roaming hands now just holding the bonemancer tight. Well, now that Ashley had that particular goal accomplished they could get to the fun part...well, the fun part according to The Gospel of Isabel anyways. Ashley watched the girl drive with a fair bit of panic but also a interesting lack of reaction. She knew that, if she were to screw up, Isabel could kill them both. But oddly enough, she knew that wasn't going to happen.
The crash into the police station was massively grand. The Ferrari stood up to the the double doors they ran into and the reception desk it hit right after. Paper, people and various other debris flew all over the place. Isabel was out of the car like a shot, and Ashley only took a moment to look at the brunette's fine behind before turning the station that was playing the music on the highest setting. Isabel was a scythe of pure drunken power, and Ashley envied her for that. She got out of the car and was instantly set upon by several cops, all who were either very confused or extremely angry. A flurry of movement later they instantly changed their state from emotional to unconscious. Ashley put down the leg she had used to knock them out clean and leaped up behind Isabel and into the fray of cops that were trying desperately to get organized against the assault of bone and fists that were coming their way.
With the riot going on from their previous location and the amount of people needed to retain the peace, Ashley and Isabel were having no problem taking down the people around them. Sure, Ashley was pretty sure she gained a few new holes thanks to some well placed shots, but after taking down an officer that happened to have a bullet proof vest on, Ashley took the opportunity to liberate it from him and don it, nodding how well it fit her. She watched as Isabel tore a swath through the cops before heading to another room, and Ashley bounded after her, her speed and strength increased by the blasting music. She skidded to a halt as she saw another radio and took the opportunity to turn it on as well, cranking it as high as it would go before once again following behind Isabel, licking her lips at the sight of the girl doing what she did best; killing cops.
Did the thought disturb Ashley? A little. But she was much more concerned about making sure their little party wasn't interrupted by one of them being hurt. So she bodily dived into the four or five cops that were behind Isabel, knocking one on the top of a head with a well timed elbow and dispatching the rest with hard cracks form her palms and knees.
Like shooting fish in a barrel.
“Isseh!!” she shouted out a bit drunkenly, taking several nightsticks she saw lying around and twirling them a bit. She didn't really use weapons, but these could be positioned so they protected her forearms, and the bit that jutted out at the end could breaks some sternums. “Where to?”
She only asked because the redhead was pretty sure Isabel wanted to cause some major damage. And since Ashley knew nothing about police stations, she figured the busty bonemancer might know a place where they could both attack to hurt them real bad.
Her companion, on the other hand, had other plans. Ashley had never known someone to be so fidgety, ever, and yet here Isabel was just messing with everything from the locks to the glove compartment. Eventually the bonemancer even decided that she wanted to drive!! Ashley, however, outright refused. Of COURSE she wasn't going to let Isabel drive, the woman was far too drunk. Never mind that Ashley, by her last count, had more to drink then Isabel anyways. Such facts and figures meant nothing when you were driving a Ferrari.
And you know what? Nothing Isabel could do would convince her. Not those smooth, soft hands running through her hair, giving it a small tug (then harder) that sent shivers down Ashley's spine. Not the cutesy baby drunk talk that was so close to her ear. Not the hand on her thigh that she was no using for leverage to climb up onto her lap...
...okay, so maybe she could drive. It was cool.
And since tonight was all about celebrating something (right?) Ashley decided that, what the hell ever!! The person she first fell in love with so damn hard was now sitting on her lap and smelling ever so sweet. Blood, alcohol, sweat...a hint of vanilla. It was all to Isabel that Ashley simply couldn’t help herself. She buried her face in Isabel's back, her hands reaching out in front of the woman to grasp her belly and slowly crawl her hands up to the glorious globes Isabel had no qualms showing off to the world. For the moment, Ashley was in heaven.
“Music...” she murmured, her voice muffled by Isabel's back and neck. “Turn on...”
She vaguely remembered something about Isabel wanting to crash into the police station. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Ashley knew that this was the King Of All Bad Ideas, deserving of capital letters of ever written down. So having music on would probably be cool, since at the moment her powers weren't activated. If they were going to crash into the station, she'd need tunes to rock out and possibly be not as useless for Isabel if they had to fight their way out.
But at the moment she didn't care about it being a Very Bad Idea, because in her arms was someone she had loved from the very first time she even knew what the emotion was until now. Despite caring deeply for Bentley and her deeper, stronger feeling for Agnes, Isabel was the one that Ashley wanted. Right now, Isabel was hers.
“Isabel.” Ashley nuzzled her back and neck some more. “After this...wanna get married?”
And then it was like someone turned the light switch on.
Inside, the redhead knew she was inebriated beyond belief. She knew that walking, talking, or any movement I general would probably be a very bad idea. But at the moment she cared not, because her vision was crystal clear. Even her hearing seemed to be sharper, and it was with great caution that Ashley raised her head up from the bar and looked around the room she was in, taking in the sights like it was the very first time she was seeing it.
Oh. Well. Everyone appeared to have gone crazy.
She saw her chesty companion (who Ashley found out was no novice to drinking) get out of her seat and, like many other women and men, began to gravitate towards a man In the background who was dressed funny and holding a cane. She couldn't fathom why something like this would happen, but apparently many other people in the bar were trying to hold other men and women from going to this man. Ashley sat at the bar with a rather comically blank expression on her face. She really didn't have the slightest what was going on but, with her huge drink of whatever the bartender was filling it with, she walked outside right behind the huge crowd of people, staring at the only place her eyes seemed attracted to; Isabel's behind.
Outside was pandemonium, and more blinking and the loss of sight of Isabel's attractive derriere made the musician look around her, though she wished she could be more shocked. She saw blatant use of powers, people drinking and dancing on the street, looting and vandalizing. Another blink brought her vision to a congregation of pole dancers that were working what their momma gave them (whatever that meant) on nearby light poles. Nearby she saw a fireball come into creation and get tossed, seemingly at random she hoped, right in her direction. Diving out of the way (and losing her drink) Ashley rolled up to a sweet looking car, a Ferrari, slammed her back against it's door. She looked up a moment later, seeing that the fireworks person begin to throw fireballs all over the place and nodded, now knowing she wasn't the target.
And then she spotted Isabel.
The silly little girl was among the many females (and a handful of males) that were attempting to touch the funnily dressed man she saw back in the bar. Immediately Ashley bounded from her safety spot and began walking towards the bonemancer, punching only three people in the face on her way. The crowd Isabel was in was large and not moving very fast, so Ashley had no problem grabbing onto the suspenders Isabel wore and pulling her back. She twirled the Bow Wearer around and dipped, picking her up and putting her over a shoulder before she began walking back to her original position.
The Ferrari.
Because now she had a plan. Ashley's vision and mind were clear. She didn't care how it was going to happen, she didn't care what got in her way. Inhibitions be damned!! Isabel would go along for the ride because Ashley knew how to control the girl. She knew how to make her comply. In the end, it was Ashley's thought that Isabel wanted to be controlled, and she knew just how to do that. Upon reaching the Ferrari, Ashley smashed the window and unlocked it, unlocking the doors. She dumped Isabel inside (accidentally knocking her head a bit, but the brunette didn't seem to mind) and told her to scoot over. She watched Isabel blink a few times before doing so, and Ashley went in right after.
She dug in her combat boots for a bit before pulling out a knife and toying with the steering column for a bit before breaking it in. She found the proper wires, stripped them and attached them together before starting the car, revving it a few times so it didn’t stall out. After determining that the time she took was less then stellar but only because she had a passenger, Ashley was off into the night for the next destination in what was going to be a nice, long night of debauchery and mayhem.
>>”I go to fashion school. The assignment is to draw inspiration from nature. It’s pretty where I live, but I wanted something a little more…New York for this project. You know what I mean?”
Ashley shrugged, not really sure how to respond. To her, new York was just a city that she was searching for answers, not anything that was artistic in any way whatsoever. But then again, she never really took the time to look. She blamed this on the fact that most of the time pre-Bentley she was either searching for food, a place to crash or for the person that had killed Whistler.
>>”What about you? Just out here to relax and play a little?”
“Yeah.” Ashley responded, looking up into the pretty girl's eyes. “Good things happening. To me, I mean. Like...about time. You know?”
She wasn't really sure how to convey those emotions, that finally being off the street and with someone as kind and gentle as Bentley made her feel like a whole person and not some discarded piece of trash. But with how she spoke it was a tad difficult, so she just left it at her vauge comment and said nothing more. She smiled brightly at Kealey, something she didn't partake in often before she tilted her head back down and strummed her guitar.
Ashley finally collapsed against on the ground by the Hedge Maze.
She was exhausted. Mentally, physically, everything-ally. She didn't know what else to do, say...and with this latest failure of her life she didn't even know what to want to do. The redhead felt like a scared little girl, and for the first time in a long time, she wanted to curl up in on herself and just cry. Cry and hope that in the morning everything would be better.
But this wasn't something that her usual anonymity would take take of. Usually when she stole something it could be brushed away because, well, who the hell was she]? Just some random mutant who had stolen a candy bar or something. Now...not things were different. And Ashley had done the first thing she could think of when the shit had finally hit the fan; she had run.
Screw Isabel, screw her own safety. There was only one thing she wanted to do now that her life was essentially over. The musician wanted to get to Agnes and tell her that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she loved the little mutant and there wasn't anything on the planet that could or would make her think otherwise. She knew what she was, what with the constant constant heat around other women and the throbbing in...other places, but Agnes...Agnes was special.
After separating from Isabel, Ashley had booked it to The Mansion, hoping against hope that she wasn't spotted. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't but she was here now and...nothing. There were mutants around to be sure (Edwardo the Slugmancer said hi!), but none of them knew where Agnes was, or were simply too young or scared of Ashley's appearance to stammer out two words, something the tomboy found extremely frustrating but couldn't fault them for.
After all, she was battered. Underneath her clothes were wounds, some that were still bleeding a bit (though not enough to endanger her, just give her a ghastly look) and most of the serious ones were held together by the bone staples Isabel had put on her. She felt one on her stomach, a knife wound she got from somewhere tear open when she collapsed bodily to the floor, the blood more pronounced.
And that was how she lay. She hurt so much in every conceivable way that she didn't even care that the wound was bleeding out. She failed, failed beyond words and the rejection laid upon her from all ends made her mind and soul just hurt.
No Agnes, no Bentley, no Isabel..she couldn't even find Andrew. No pride and if she lived long enough, no freedom.
>> "Nothing in your stomach but a cup of ice cream on top of some blood loss will do that to you if you start drinking. Gets to you all that much quicker.”
Ashley grunted in response, the next drink she took being a mere sip. Okay, maybe she had started off a bit fast but her entire body felt like a ball of pain. Now...not so much. She felt her worries about Bentley and Agnes slip away, and the more pressing matter of Isabel come to the forefront of her mind. She was here, now, with the person that had started the emotional torrent she was now in. Before her, Ashley merely felt attraction to other women, attraction she could easily brush off. Sure, she knew she liked them but...whatever. She could ignore that. Now? Now her body got hot whenever someone in a short skirt passed by and Ashley hated it.
The loss of control was something she wasn't used to, not even now. She still panted at Bentley, and she had molested Agnes to the point of the little mutant running away. The redhead sighed deeply, taking a larger sip before resting her chin on the bar, trying to forget that it probably had all kinds of germs on it. In the end, like Isabel the first time and Bentley the second, it was her dumb ass fault Agnes had run away. Her Ladybug...gone. She was cute, innocent and merely curious, that much the guitarist was sure of. And Ashley had ruined it.
What a bummer.
>> "I can pay for more booze when you finish that, if you want anything else.”
A nod and a sigh escaped her lips as she sat up again, downing the drink and signaling the bartender for some more. Maybe whatever answers she sought, like what to do next, would be at the bottom of the next glass.
Samuel Jackson (no relation) sat at the back of the bar with a smile on his face. In his hands was a drug that would give him what he had been searching for for so long, and today....today was a GREAT day to celebrate his victory. For too long he had worked the streets, pimping out the hoes he had, barley gaining any new recruits, barley making any profit...barley gaining any respect a pimp of his stature deserved.
Well no more.
“My Congregation.” he let out, gaining the attention of the dozen women he had gathered around him, all ready and rearing to get back out on the streets to make that money. He sat up on a cushioned seat, putting a foot on the table and striking a rather impressive and dramatic pose, raising his cane high into the air. “Today is a glorious day. For you see, Samuel Jackson, no relation, will be the only pimp on the block with a way make bitches come to HIM, and not be sought out by his flock or be...persuaded to join...for their own sake, of course.”
A resounded murmur of agreement passed the dozen ladies.
“With the gift that has been brought upon me I will change the very nature of this game!!” he cried out, slamming the cane upon the table, making some people startle while others cheered. “I will shake the foundation of the game and I will reap the rewards and benefits and I will make sure that the name of Samuel Jackson will be on the lips of ALL those mo' fockas out on the field, DO YOU FEEL MEH?!”
There was a moment of silence before a particularly attractive Asian woman to his left piped up. “No relation.”
Samuel Jackson, still stuck in is pose, blinked before he looked down to the woman, his eyebrows furrowed. “What!?”
“Samuel Jackson, no relation.” she said, the people around her nodding in agreement. “That's how you always say your name.”
“Shut up!!” Samuel Jackson (no relation), yelled, bringing his hand back and slapping the woman hard. “I'll say my name how I wanna, and ain't no hoe gonna tell me otherwise!!” He stopped for a moment before looking out at the rest of his Congregation with a curious look on his face. “Is...is that how you all really know me as? Samuel Jackson, no relation?”
More nods.
“Well then, Samuel Jackson, no relation, will continue on with the tradition of that name, if it will please The Congregation!!” he yelled out, his followers all cheering and pounding the large table they sat at, even the woman Samuel Jackson had slapped. He felt bad, actually, anytime he hit a women, but as his father had taught him; pimps don't apologize. “NOW[/i]!! Back to the game, my sheep, and the very next time you see Samuel Jackson, no relation, he will be a whole. New. Man!!”
With a final cheer, The Congregation of Samuel Jackson (no relation) left the mutant bar they were at and went back out into the streets. Once he was finally by himself, Samuel Jackson took the syringe of the drug he had paid so much for, The Mutant Maker they had called it, and stuck himself with it. They had told him to inject himself in a controlled environment, because god only knows what would happen. But Samuel Jackson was a hard ass pimp who didn't play by the rules, and even if his genetic material was going to be overridden, he did his thang HIS way, and everyone else be damned.
It wasn't until maybe an hour later when a very, very attractive mutant (despite the scaly tail, though some people were into that kinda thing, and Samuel Jackson didn't judge) came to him with a offer so ludicrous and sexy that he thought the word had fallen into his lap.
And then her boyfriend came along, fully intent on stabbing Samuel Jackson for his girlfriend's crimes.
And then the entire bar started to go...well, the only way Samuel Jackson could describe it was absolutely apeshit.
He barley escaped with his life, the scaly tailed woman in tow and her boyfriend right on their heels. Outside he was met with more women, more followers (who simply wanted to touch him) and more angry significant others, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. But if this was the drug at work...hallelujah!! The game was his!!
“This is dispatch calling all cars. We have multiple reports of looting and vandalism at 8th and Manhattan. Request all cars to report to the scene. Repeat, we have multiple reports of looting and vandalism at 8th and Manhattan...reports coming of of rioting, requesting all cars...
But with practiced ease, the brunette managed to get the tazer hooks and bullets that had hit her out of body, the suction feeling of Isabel pulling the lead out of her making Ashley nauseous. Still, she hoped that the fact that she didn't cry out would make Isabel impressed...though she didn't know why. The little staples she put over the wounds were just as painful but numbed after about a minute or two, and after she could only feel the dull hum of pain as she stood up.
>>"C'mon, drink time. There's some mutant friendly bars in the area where we should be able to hide out for a while without any trouble."
Drinking...well, at least they were out in public this time and not in the confines of a mostly empty Sanctuary kitchen where Ashley could attempt to make Isabel hers again...not that she intended to now. As far as women she had Bentley and Agnes (mostly Agnes), so doing anything of that nature with Isabel was simply out of the question...and if her body would stop being as hot as it was not she could simply focus on something more preferable, like the throbbing pain her body was in. Ashley growled inwardly. Stupid body.
Ashley's thoughts turned darker as she followed Isabel to the bar they were going to. In Ashley's mind they stuck out because of their battered, tattered and bloody clothing. The redhead was even still bleeding from her shoulder wound, the blood forming a small trickle that ended in her fingers. The amazing thing was that not many people looked their way, or if they did it was simple a passing curious look. The redhead was a bit surprised, but at the same time not. Last time she saw a crowd gathered she was taking on a giant spiky metal mutant with Andrew. A couple of girls walking down the streets and back alleys was nothing special.
They reached the bar (Genetically Superior) and Isabel led the way in like she owned the place. Ashley wasn't too certain but she was pretty sure Isabel walked everywhere like that so she paid it no mind. The bar was...average, really. It was set in a fairly bad part of town but that didn't bother Ashley, and she couldn't even perceive as to why that would bother Isabel. They both took seats at the bar stools as the bartender passed, barley looking at them before putting to huge glasses in front of them.
“Ya both look like shit run ova twice.” he said, pouring some hard liquor on both glasses. “These are on da house. Yer payin' fer everything after.”
He walked away after that and, without even knowing what it was, Ashley pulled up her glass and downed a good amount of it before slamming it down back on the bar. Her vision dimmed greatly at this point, but she fought it and came back. The pain in her body dulled and she now felt pleasantly...pleasant. A silly grin found it's way to her face and she let out a huge sigh.
Then again, she didn't seem the type to dilly dally. If there was anything about the woman that Ashley knew for certain is was that she was efficient and effective at what she did. And while she didn't have the air if a trained professional, she had the bored and slightly exasperated sight and stance of someone who's been through all this before and was simply going through the motions. Those motions were not any less terrifying then the last time Ashley was on the receiving end of them, though.
And now that she witnessed it, she could never say Isabel didn't have an imagination. The shield, the little spindly legs that had once confused Ashley into thinking that Isabel was a spider-woman type thing...it was all very comical in a out of this world kinda way. It was almost like all of this was happening to someone else. But riding The Isabel Express was no dream, and the screams of the officers she stabbed and mauled with those long bone legs was all too real. The sounds made Ashley close her eyes, and coupled with her wound and the dinging of the bullets that were bounding off the shield and thudding into Isabel (a thought that made the gorge rise to the back of her throat) she knew she wasn't going to be feeling all that good for several hours after this whole ordeal was over.
Thankfully, for Ashley anyways, it was over sooner rather then later. The redhead had first hand experience on how fast Isabel could move on those legs, and the busty bonemancer really didn't care who saw her doing her spindly walk anyways. But now, ducking into an alley and spider walking to the rooftop, the tomboy was surprised to find that Isabel had taken them to a secluded spot where they could rest. Given the brunette’s attitude in the past, the guitarist figured Isabel would have said something along the lines of 'Tough shit Sparky!' and moved on. Ashley just hoped that Isabel would help her with her wounds, because in truth she had no idea what she was doing...and those little tazer hook things hurt like a bitch...
“Heh...” Ashley let out a small bark of a laugh as she collapsed on the rooftop. “Least you keep them. In business, I mean. Kill cops, hire more...a cycle.”
It was a morbid thought, to be sure, but Ashley couldn't think of anything else and everything seemed more funny at the moment. Maybe it was because she was feeling numb from the tazer or cold because of the blood loss, but things were a tad more clear to her then ever before. Bentley, Agnes, Isabel...whatever. If she lived through this, she'd do what was right and if that didn't work...well, it wasn't like she didn't know how to live on the streets. Bentley was going to dump her and god only knew what Agnes would do.
Maybe Isabel would slit her throat before then. Given their past, it was a possibility given how ornery the bonemancer was.
“Sorry, again.” Ashley sputtered out, coughing a bit. Isabel saved her, yeah, but she wasn't to gentle about it. “Being useless. Not bulletproof. Can you...fix me? Then drink?”
Ashley didn't notice much after she stopped convulsing, but she did see how easily and efficiently Isabel had cut through the officers of the law and found herself slightly disgusted. It was like her companion was on auto pilot and killing those cops was just something else she had to do on her grocery list of things to do for the day. She could have sworn she even saw her sigh and roll her eyes, though that could have been the blood loss talking.
>>"Come on, Sparky. No ice cream today."
Sparky? A nickname! Her tone was light, easy and conversational and Ashley couldn’t even fathom why. The woman had just killed two people, and while it wasn't in cold blood and more in self defense, inside Ashley knew that Isabel probably wouldn't care if it was self defense or not. And even while repulsed by all of this, she still felt warm and gooey on the inside when Isabel picked her up, helping the bleeding musician to her feet.
>>"No ice cream, but I suppose you've earned a drink."
“Drink...sound good...” Ashley responded stupidly, blinking rapidly as her vision hazed a bit. “Ummm...need to stop. Bleeding, I mean. Can you...?”
Well, she didn't really know what she was asking, because she knew that Isabel was a bonemancer,not a healer. But maybe she could do something about the bullet that was tearing up her insides? Ashley gritted her teeth as they moved away from the scene of the crime, taking note that the officer's that Isabel had torn apart sure bled a lot before they cleared the scene completely. All thoughts about her own safety cleared her mind as she saw the chaos outside, and the tomboy inwardly groaned as several more squads of cops appeared, each cop taking refuge behind their car doors before pointing very lethal looking guns in their direction.
“Ugh.” was the only thing she could say. “Sorry...not being useful...”
Images past her mind, of Bentley, Agnes and Andrew...the people she cared about. She found herself not worrying about any of them, not now, and she wondered why. She looked to her side and saw the look on Isabel's face, saw how fierce and determined (and somewhat scary) she looked and smiled. She wasn't worried because she knew that Isabel, despite her bluster and generally bad attitude, was going to get her through this. So she knew that she was going to see her friends (or in Andrew's case, her family) again because Isabel wouldn't let her die.
Ashley was beginning to wonder if there was anything she could do to make herself look like a not idiot while in front of Isabel.
She didn't usually try this hard. Certainly it had been easier with Bentley. In that case she merely had acted like herself. Bentley had found the way she spoke and acted amusing and cute, and the rest pretty much took care of itself. She imagined that saving Bentley from being mugged was a good way to get on the ballerina's good side, but the redhead liked to think that maybe it was a bit more then that. Like...her looks? Charms? Something, right? So maybe she was a bit self conscience about it, sure. But things had went to smoothly with her girlfriend that she imagined it would be like that all the time.
And then came Agnes. There was an attraction there that Ashley couldn't explain and, at the moment, didn't want to think about. But so soon after her rejection came Isabel, the woman who had started her whole emotional floodgates opening in the first place...she really didn't know how to act. Around this woman, who had now insulted her on several occasions, she felt small and tiny, like a minnow compared to a shark and Ashley didn't like it. Not one bit. She changed her posture, crossing her arms across her ample chest and cocking a hip. Yeah, she didn't have to feel inferior!! In fact, Isabel had done her wrong too!!
She was just about to inform Isabel of this fact, in heated whispers so as to not draw attention to herself or her busty companion, when she noticed that the current situation was a lot more...heated then it was just a few minutes prior. So caught up in her own thoughts that Ashley didn't notice the people outside, or some of the people inside, using some cell phones or whatever other recording objects they had to document what was going on, right under Ashley's nose.
Mainly, Isabel refusing to pay for the ice cream she was given.
It was Ashley's turn to order anyways, but no one was paying attention to the redhead as Isabel seemed to be hell bent on ignoring the people behind the counter, and the people behind the counter refusing to pay attention to Ashley as they (well, one of the women who appeared to be the manager of her name tag meant anything) seemed to be getting a little red faced at Isabel's insolence. In her defense, Isabel was being quite amusing about the whole ordeal, and Ashley really wanted to laugh at the situation.
Until the officers of the law decided to come in.
"Isabel. Resident cop killer." The thought rang through Ashley’s head from the first time she'd ever met Isabel. It was how she introduced herself, even, and the guitarist knew that couldn't be a good thing. Especially at how these particular officers looked. No warning was given, just the look of two people who's faces were contorted with fury and the need to dispense justice that was beyond their station. One pulled a gun, the other a tazer. Neither seemed to particularly care that a dozen or so cameras was pointed in their direction. Their target was the bonemancer, and that was who they were going to get.
Well. This was irritating.
And by irritating she meant painful. For the second time in her life Ashley found herself the recipient of a bullet, though this time it was her left shoulder that was hit. Oh, and the tazer. She'd never been tazed before, but she could honestly say that she never wanted to experience it again. She probably looked like even more of an idiot to Isabel...an odd thought, but she had just fallen back against the brunette and to the floor, convulsing for a moment as the two officers seemed to be too shocked to do much else. It was a few seconds later that the officer stopped tazing Ashley, and her body finally lay still, and the tomboy groaned in pain.
Yeah. She was defiantly filing a complaint this time.
>>"Alright fine. But that's it. Ice cream and then I'm gone."
Ashley blinked, quickly letting go of Isabel before taking an absent minded bite of her ice cream. It worked!! She really didn't believe it would. The bonemancer looked angry, after all, but upon reflection she looked angry the entire time she had last seen her too. Even when they were making out she looked a bit peeved, but in suck a way that it made her all that more appealing. Still, Ashley shook her head and walked to the door of the ice cream joint and held it open for Isabel as they both walked in.
The redhead then spotted the dilemma of the moment; her current ice cream bowl. Sure if was half gone and a tad melted, but she'd look like an idiot if she went up with Isabel and ordered more ice cream while still having the one she had ordered a half hour ago. She looked from Isabel, to the counter where the people waiting to take their orders were, and back to her ice cream before her brilliant mind came up with a plan; eat it all really fast!!
And she did.
In record time Ashley was tossing the bowl into a wast basket and holding her head at the same time as the brain freeze anyone else could have seen coming (but not Ashley) decided to hammer home. The redhead closed and squeezed her eyes shut in pain and held her palms to her temples, gritting her teeth. Okay. This sucked. And now not only did she manage to get Isabel to swear at her after bumping into the bonemancer, now the brunette could see what an idiot she was by her current actions. The moments ticked by and Ashley could feel the amused stares of the people around her and wished they wouldn't do so. But, it was her own fault, really.
So, just to prove she was tough enough to overcome a brain freeze headache, Ashley stood up straight and crossed her arms in a serious manner. Her head pounded but that didn't matter. As long as she didn't continue to make a fool of herself, she was happy. It wasn't until she looked around the ice cream parlor that she realized just how many people were looking at her, and situation just made Ashley's face turn beet red.
“WHAT?!” she barked, her voice loud and stern. Instantly, all heads turned back to their ice cream or drinks, only taking tentative looks at Ashley now as opposed to the all out staring like before. The redhead grumbled a bit, her face still flushed. “Stupid...”
Ashley revved the engine loudly, this time on purpose, as she shot off from the parking spot, popping a wheelie just to prove she could without crashing. With a cry of "Let's rock and roll!" from her passenger, Ashley began to weave through the traffic in a most dangerous manner as she picked her way through New York traffic, grinning madly as she did so. It was times like these that she felt free, but now she felt free and...something. She didn't know what it was, but Charlie being behind her as she was, gripping her toned stomach tightly, made the feeling intensify all that much more.
She didn't think when she rode, not anymore. Instincts guided her like The Force guided Luke Skywalker in the Death Star (one of the few movies she's watched and loved), so she really didn't pay attention to where they were going. She knew where The Mansion was, knew how to get there and the fastest route, but right now she wanted to show Charlie a good time, so she let her mind wander, though keeping it sharp at the same time. She didn't know how it worked, but it did. The things she could do on her bike while her mind was like this was incredible...well, to her.
They'd been riding for a good ten minutes before Ashley noticed the red and blue lights that were flashing behind her. She didn't panic, however, and instead got a feral smile on her face before revving the engine a few times again and shooting off as a much faster rate. The weaving of the traffic became much more frantic, but the manner a controlled manner that Ashley had learned from Whistler. She didn't bother looking back and only looked forward, payed attention to the road and for any obstacles that might appear.
She wished she had her helmet on, though, as her red hair made her stand out like a sore thumb. This thought, and another, more explicit one came to mind as she saw 2 more squad cars appear on the street in front of her. Okay...three cards total. This wasn't so bad, right? Ashley swerved onto the sidewalk and then took a sharp turn to her right, crossing the street and into a parking garage that was spiraling upwards. She got to about halfway up before exiting into the parking garage and heading to the opposite ramp that would lead them down. She didn't bother to decelerate as she spun down the ramp in a tight circle, keeping a foot out to hold balance. It hurt, slightly, but it helped to keep her from crashing.
The sirens were loud around them, but Ashley didn't waver in her determination. She stopped at the end of the ramp and looked left and right (looking for any pursuit vehicles) before shooting out and being on her way again. She needed to get to The Mansion quickly now and stash the Ducati. By not it's description would be all over the cops broadband and she didn't want to lose it. Oh, and her freedom. That too. The last time she had tangled with the cops they shot her, so in her mind those bastards owed her a freebie. Punks.
She heard the sirens fade and, in all honesty, couldn't believe that worked. She pulled off into an alley several blocks away, shutting the bike down and balancing them by putting her feet out to the sides. She sat up, her hands going to grab Charlie's and held them. She didn't really know what to say, but she knew in the back of her mind that maybe Charlie wasn't too happy with her at the moment.
“Ummm...sorry.” she said brilliantly, her head bowed in shame. “For...this.”
