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.
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Becca's Retired Mutation
Mutation description: Magnetic-Field Manipulation
Rebecca can sense the magnetic and gravitational field in her surrounding area within fifty yards, as well as the presence of magnetic objects (metals) within the field. With focus, Rebecca can affect the field around the object, controlling it. With possession of the metallic object, Rebecca can comfortably move up to 800 pounds, and at her limit can push toward 1200 pounds, which can cause mental strain with prolonged use.
Strengths: Rebecca can sense metal in the ground as well as above it, making her a human metal detector. She can extract metal from the ground, though it takes much more effort to move metal through earth than air. With light enough objects, she can move the object around quickly, giving her the ability to throw metal as a weapon or pull it close as a defensive shield.
Weaknesses: Extended or strenuous use of her power leads to mental stress, which can even become severe enough to incapacitate her. Momentum of an object also adds difficulty to controlling that object. If a 1000-pound metal object is thrown at her, she will be able to stop it, but it will not be an immediate stop; it has to be slowed down. The lighter the object or the slower the speed, the easier to stop it. If a bullet is shot at her, for instance, that level of momentum is next to impossible for her to stop; the best she could do is alter its path. Rebecca can put pressure on metal objects to attempt to crumple it, but she cannot alter metallic molecules; she cannot take a trash can and turn it into a sword. She could crumple it into a hunk of metal, but that is as far as shape-alteration goes.
Secondary mutation description: Magnetic Mental Interference Rebecca is always subconsciously creating magnetic interference in her mind. This interference goes largely unnoticed in most situations, but causes a problem for thought-detection or telepathy. Her mental presence and thoughts are obscured by the interference, creating static.
Strengths: Her thoughts are untraceable and unreadable by anyone who is not a high-level telepath.
Weaknesses: This interference is not a conscious choice, so a friendly telepath would still be locked out of her mind.
(Growth Approved: 4/27/2017)Mutation Growth: Communicable Magnetic Charge Magnetism, at its core, is about negative and positive charges interacting. There are only certain metals that have the innate polarity to react to these charges, and up until now, Rebecca has been limited to affecting these metals. In comes the new evolution to Rebecca’s mutation.
Rebecca’s body can generate two magnetic charges, that can be imparted unto any inorganic solid object. These charges can only be distributed via direct contact, and then only through her hands, (with the right hand imparting a positive charge and the left a negative one.) Only two charges can exist at a time, so if a new left-handed or right-handed charge is created, its predecessor becomes uncharged. These charges are temporary, and after an hour of existing apart from Rebecca’s body, they will become inert.
Rebecca can only generate up to six hours of charged energy without requiring a period of restful sleep to regather herself, and this time is split between both charges, so if she has right charges existing for four hours and left charges existing for two hours, all active charges will go inert and she will be unable to use this ability again until after a restful sleep.
The whole interaction of imparting a charge is invisible to standard sight, but a new charge will, of course, be visible to Rebecca, who will sense the innate disturbance in the magnetic fields around the object. The change would be generally unnoticed by others, unless they have a collection of magnets resting atop a recently charged marble countertop.
Strengths: Rebecca can use this ability to affect objects with her magnetic pull that she would not typically hold sway over. The duration of the charge is relatively generous and gives Rebecca a versatility she once lacked.
When creating a charge, the polarity is always oriented the same, with the side she touched becoming the positive end and the opposing side becoming negative. Knowing this allows Rebecca to quickly affect newly charged objects with her primary mutation.
Weaknesses: Rebecca can only have two active charges at a time, so she cannot just go nuts and charge every object in a room, gaining ultimate control over her environment. She has to be selective with what she exerts control over, and if she knows her mission or situation is long-term, she has to be aware of how often and how long she is using this power for, lest she be left without it at a time it might have benefited her.
Her power is also limited to objects that are inorganic. This means no magnetic trees, feathers, wooden tables, and especially people. Rebecca cannot take control of a person like a leaf in her magnetic whirlwind. Similarly, with her power only working on solids, she cannot provide a charge to a lake or a vanilla coke, so there is no pseudo-waterbending to be had here either.
(Growth Approved: 8/25/2018)Muation Growth: Increased Magnetic Force Rebecca's ability to exert magnetic push or pull is heavily increased. At full levels of control, Rebecca can lift and manipulate 5000 lbs, putting a car within her scope of control.
She can exert enough force to crudely push or pull an object of up to 10,000 lbs, but this is not as controlled, and the force is pressed on the general area of the object rather than carefully controlling it.
Rebecca's maximum magnetic strength can only be exerted as a pulse in all directions. The wave is strong enough to push a 25,000 lbs object within twenty feet of her, with the strength quickly dissipating from there, being ineffectual past forty feet.
Strengths: Having this much raw magnetic power at her fingertips cannot be dismissed. Being able to lift and throw a car has many practical and dangerous applications. Her higher level ability to exert a wall of magnetic force in any one direction is taxing but useful in high-stress situations, going so far as to slow down and veer bullets off course.
Her maximum strength pulse can be devastating. Bullets will lose most of their momentum, and legitimate property damage can be done to structures with ferrous elements.
Weaknesses: Beyond higher level use of her power being mentally draining to the point of losing focus or consciousness, the big problem here is control. This sudden boost to her base-level leaves Becca essentially in need of retraining her power. Using smaller applications of magnetism need to be relearned because limiting herself manually requires so much careful control. It is akin to someone suddenly gaining superpowers and having to learn to do anything physical without breaking everything around them.
No level of training will give her precision with her higher levels of strength. The 10K push and pull are not careful manipulations of an object; they are a wall of force shoving the object and nearby objects in a given direction. Even that does not compare to her large pulse, which emanates outward from Rebecca in all directions. There is no avoiding anything near her; ferrous objects in radius will be pushed hard with Becca as the epicenter of the wave. This kind of pulse requires a lot of energy and leaves Rebecca lethargic, sluggish, and extremely dizzy.
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None of this felt real. Minutes earlier, Becca was casually arriving to share a sweet family moment with her sister and daughter. If only she could rewind the clock to that level of innocent naiveté. Her mind was racing, panicked in the face of the uncertainty in her life now. Kalos was not scared, which hit Becca with the sinking realization: she really chose this. Aoife convinced her to change everything about herself.
Kalos called for her mother’s attention and Becca faced her daughter, relearning the new hues and textures of her face. This was the Kalos she loved; the differences of her face did not change that. This was just their new reality and they would learn to live in it.
Once they were free.
Becca felt the soft, delicate young woman’s hand in her own, steading her. Kalos did not want to fight; she wanted a way out of this where their family stayed together, unchanged. Unfortunately, everything had changed.
Even Kalos recognized how wrong it was for Aoife to put her sister in the position of forgoing her mutant birthright and accepting magic. Aoife was ready with another justification. Becca was disappointed, because Aoife really believed she was doing the right thing. ”Her cult isnae concerned wi’ choice, Kalos. They believe some people ur born wrong. It's one hin' if ye choose tae listen tae them,” like Kalos did, and Becca could not hold that against her daughter, ”but they arenae gonnae lit th' 'wrong' mutants bide th' way they ur.”
Aoife appeared outside of the bubble, meeting her sister’s eyes silently. Becca returned the gesture with a look of hurt in her eyes, because her sister had bought into a dangerous ideology and they were all suffering now. ”That's th' kin' ay group yer aunt wanted us tae join.” If Aoife had just taken Kalos, would Becca had lost her daughter to an anti-mutant cult? She shuddered at the thought.
Becca wrapped an arm around Kalos, who was leading her. She did not think about the guidance much; Becca was finally aware of the portion of her focus passively keeping her barrier up. She could feel an invisible tether between herself and the protective aura. She already had the mirror set down on the floor, so she just had to keep the bubble up for a few more seconds. Hopefully. ”Kalos an' Ah didne need fixin', Aoife. Ah’m sorry ye werenae able tae see 'at.”
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Although Rebecca shares details of her spells on a firewall-protected website, she keeps two notebooks. The first is a white-covered college-ruled notebook for experimenting with her spells, test iterations of runes and glyphs. Several pages are scribbled out, burned for safety, or torn out for quick glyph-casting. The second, a bound black leather journal, is where she keeps tested, verified spells. She does leave extra space for potential new casting methods or applications.
Protection Charm
A charm that enchants an item or area with enhanced protection against attack or ill will.
Casting Methods Rune:
Glyph:
Applications
Protective Bubble- Small Radius- Barrier
Protection Wards- General Area- Warning against intrusion
Item Enchantments- Increase the durability against attack or destructive force
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Becca’s vision blurred at the intense pain running through her body. She was being changed on a genetic level, and those changes were rippling through the rest of her being. There was nothing cosmetically changing, so the only sign of the searing pain was Rebecca screaming on the ground.
Finally, after the burning subsided, the Elder pulled his hand away from Becca’s face and stepped away. ”Welcome to absolution.” Now that the girl was human, he dropped the hex disabling the nerves of her limbs.
Stumbling back to her feet, Becca realized it immediately. Since she was eighteen, she had lived with magnetic fields. It was a special sense, not sight but something distinctly her own. That sense was gone, and the world lost clarity as though she was deafened or blinded. Her sister was not lying; Becca was no longer a mutant.
The desire to tackle an old man was strong, but Kalos was more important. Her daughter was no longer balled up and in pain, but she was in the mysterious, swirling energies of the well in the ground. Aoife stood and watched as her niece was going through her rebirth but was taken out of her moment of pride when Becca grabbed her throat. Rather than panicking, she just smiled. ”Ah see The Unmaker has prepared ye. Noo ye’re ready.”
”Hoo could ye dae thes? Ah’m gonna—“
”Ye’ll what, little sister? Ye’ve got nae powers, and we’re tois ay th’ six strongest Mystics in th’ world. E’en if ye turn doon our affer, hoo dae ye plan on keepin’ us from bringin’ Kalos intae th’ fold?” Aoife vanished from Becca’s grasp when she tried tightening her grip, leaving her looking at Kalos.
Becca ran into the pool, feeling the tingling sensation around her ankles, creeping all over her skin. ”Kalos, honey, are ye okay? Please tell me ye’re still okay.” She could only imagine what kind of traumatic experience it could be to look down at your hands only to see something unfamiliar. She had not even seen a mirror yet.
Becca wrapped Kalos up in a hug, surprised by how soft her arms were. ”Ah’m sorry, Kalos. We hae tae gae.”
Only it would not be that easy. Emerging from the shadowy corners of the warehouse, hooded figures were circling the Well. ”Ye’re nae takin’ Kalos, Rebecca. Ye dinnae hae th’ strength.”
She did still feel weakened from whatever the old man did to pacify her, and her powers were indeed gone. There was nothing to push or pull; she was a skilled fighter, but in her state, she could not fight off a crowd. But there was one option. She heard it in her head; a wordless beckoning, calling for her to drink.
Looking at the font of power bubbling up next to her, Becca dipped a cupped hand in, pulling shimmering pool back to her lips. She just needed to be able to protect Kalos. The cool, tingling sensation permeated her body. A handful of the mystery liquid was enough to flood every cell of her body, transforming her delicate genes for the second time in minutes.
Magical energies swirled within her, latching onto that intense desire. Protect.
There was a flash. When Becca opened her eyes, each glowing in its signature color, there was a bubble surrounding the well. Swirling blue and green energy pushed away the hooded figures who came too close, and burnt into the ground at the edge of the bubble was a runic word, repeated: Protect.
Finally able to breathe for the first time in minutes that felt like hours, Rebecca hit the hotkey on her phone—an SOS to her husband. Becca pulled out the mirror she kept safe in her back pocket, opening it up. ”Kalos, Ah need ye tae trust me; we need tae gae. Ah know Aoife is…” She trailed off; what was her sister now? ”Whatever she said, her friends are nae guid people. We can talk when we gie it ay here. Sae please, Kalos…”
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The offer rattled Becca, forcing her to confront who Aoife was. Her sister was in some kind of cult that believed mutants were cursed. She was not a mutant, but she could be in two places at once. Aoife believed there was a "true power," and wanted to give this to Becca and her daughter. That meant taking away her mutation, which... could she really do that? "Aoife, ye cannae dae this. Stop, please," she begged.
"Sister, Ah promise thes is fer th' best. An' we can e'en help Maya when yer ready. An' wee baby Iris."
Becca's mismatched eyes flared. "Stay away frae them. Mah family disnae need fixin'."
Aoife looked back to Kalos and The Unmaker, smiling. "Ah hink yer family's willin' tae see th' truth, little sister."
A hand was placed on Kalos and Becca saw the dark energy flare up around her. "Kalos, nae!" she shouted, running forward.
And then... everything twisted. Becca stumbled, falling to the ground, which did not feel like the ground anymore. Her sense of direction was warped, and even as she tried crawling forward, she could not grasp which was was up or forward, like an intense bout of vertigo. "Ah cannae let ye interfere yet," her sister's voice echoed, though she could not find her now. She feebly crawled toward Kalos, watching in horror as her daughter looked to crumble away. Becca screamed, but if Kalos could hear her, she showed no signs.
It was only when the spell was over that Aoife lifted her hex on Becca so she could stabilize enough to see the final result. The girl balled up was not coral pink. Calcified bits littered the floor, but the dark-skinned young woman left behind was not visibly harmed. And she was Kalos.
A human Kalos.
Becca called out again, trying to get to her feet. The old man, done freeing the young girl, approached the redhead. He raised his staff and Becca felt her limbs go numb like their connection to her brain was disabled. "Ah, die Mutter. You're not willing to see the truth yet. But you will be."
Aoife took Kalos' hand, soft and new, and offered to help her niece up. "Kalos... ye've done weel. Ah know this hasnae been easy. Yer ma is still unsure," she confided, allowing Kalos to see Becca kneeling on the ground, her eyes full of concern. Aoife muffled the voice calling out until it was a faint echo. "She needs tae see ye join me. Then she'll understand. Ah know it. Aw 'at's left is fer ye tae step intae th' Well. Receive your gift frae th' Mystic plane."
As the man approached, Becca panicked, thinking of what she could do now. She could not feel her arms and her legs felt like jello. She had one choice left, even if it was dangerous. Her powers were still over-charged and uncontrollable, but the warehouse was made of metal. Screaming, Becca pushed hard. The building quaked and the ground beneath them rumbled. Screws started popping out of the structure.
"That's enough of that," the Elder barked, placing a hand on Becca's forehead. And suddenly everything burned. Her skin. Her muscles. Her blood. Her soul was burning.
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Becca felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Something about the way Aoife offered her surprise was ominous. Her posture stiffened, but this was Aoife. She had to give her the benefit of the doubt, even as doubt was indeed what creeped into the back of Becca’s mind. ”Ah hink Ah am? What dae ye hae up yer sleeve, sis?”
”Sae many things, sister, bit noo we can drop th’ secrets.” Aoife placed a hand on Becca’s cheek, looking over her shoulder to the fountain. ”Ah hated ye, ye know. Fer aw th’ things th’ world gave ye. Th’ things Ah wasnae allowed.”
The admission was blunt, but there was no malice in her tone. Becca knew her sister had baggage she carried with her as an abandoned child, but she had never said it in so many words. ”Ah gie that. Ah’ve wanted tae be here fer ye tae make up fer it.”
”Ay course,” she responded, chuckling. ”Mah super-powered heroine ay a sister, taught tae help th’ less fortunate. Loch her poor, abandoned kin.”
Becca opened her mouth, but the words were stuck. When Aoife said it, Becca sounded condescending instead of compassionate. Was that how her sister saw her?
”But Ah did nae stay abandoned. Ah was taken in by fowk fa gae me true gifts; showed me th' burdens an' curses ay th' warld. My sister wasnae gifted, she was cursed.”
Aoife waved her hand, and the set dressing—the wardrobes, the backdrops, and even the marble fountain faded away. Becca saw the other Aoife talking to Kalos now, holding her hands, and an elderly man approaching with a walking stick. ”Aoife? Ah’m… Ah’m nae cursed. What ur ye talkin’ abit?”
Aoife stepped away, shrugging her shoulders at her misinformed little sister. ”Th’ mutant curse. Mah new family taught me ‘at mutation was an imitation ay true power. An' Ah did hate ye,” she reminded Beca. ”Ah wanted tae break ye an' take th' false power ye defined yerself wi'.”
Take her power? How did Aoife plan on doing that? Did this have something to do with the two Aoifes? The rumors of cult sightings in the city came back to Becca. They had been hard to believe before, but the way her sister spoke now… and she had Kalos. ”Ye cannae dae thes. Ah thought we were makin’ things better. Ye’re mah sister.”
Aoife’s face softened, warming to her sister. ”Ah am. An’ Ah dinnae hate ye; ‘at’s why we’re here. Ye’ve given me a gift. A little sister who cares an’ a niece Ah really loove. An’ Ah dae thes it ay loove noo.”
Where the fountain once was, there was now a small recession in the floor. From the well, a glowing, shimmering font of light bubbled up. Goosebumps covered Becca’s arms as she felt the energy of the light bubbling up from the ground. ”Ah want tae take yer curse away sae ye can join me, sister. Sae ye can baith taste true power.”
Some of the Supremes could not stand to be so close to someone so cursed, but the Elder Supreme was glad to do his part to cleanse the accursed. This was his gift; this was how he could serve the Mystic Plane. Raising his staff, ”Bow your head, young fräulein. Before you can be bestowed with your blessing, we must purify you.” The Elder muttered an invocation in German. The gem set in the head of the staff, the elder’s eyes, and the palm of his outstretched hand glowed with a black energy.
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Becca laughed, thrilled to see the sense of wonder in her daughter's eyes. Aoife brought out new confidence in the young woman and was not above spoiling her niece. The way Kalos explained things, it sounded like Becca's sister really went above and beyond. A magical moment, as Kalos kept putting it.
"Truly a scene befittin' mah princess. Ye look beautiful as ever, Kalos." Becca's approach was intercepted by a hug from her sister. "Ye werenae kiddin' abit a surprise, sis. Ah hope ye're nae plannin' tae audition mah daughter fer America's Top Teen Model or somethin'," she whispered, knowing the life of a model would be throwing her daughter into the deep end of anxiety.
Aoife shook her head. "Nae, though Ah say we leave th' discussion open. Thes was mostly tae bond wi' Kalos til ye got here fer th' real surprise."
The cameraman smirked, taking out a cane from his case. Aoife walked back to Kalos, but an Aoife Becca didn't see. Instead, Becca appeared to be watching from a distance expectantly.
The Aoife standing with Becca, unseen by Kalos, and the one walking toward her spoke in unison, "Are ye ready for your real surprise?
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The enthusiasm from her niece was exactly what Aoife hoped for. She was prepared for more hesitation; Kalos was right to worry about the world she was poking her head out into. Life was hard for mutants, which was why she told herself she was going to make Kalos' life better. She came with more gifts than her niece could know, but she would find that out in due time.
Aoife offered her hand, ready to lead Kalos into something new. Something better. "Ah'm haur wi' ye every step ay th' way, mah favorite wee lass." Kalos was so excited, and they would have time until Becca was ready to make her appearance, so she would craft up the photoshoot of Kalos' dreams while they waited.
Since evolving into something of a social butterfly, it was not surprising for Kalos to not respond to a text right away. Becca picked out a gourmet chocolate cupcake and was on her way to the Mansion when her phone pinged. At a stoplight, she read the message.
Hi sis! I picked up Kalos and we have a little surprise for you. I'm forwarding you the address, so please come by soon! This'll be a big moment for our family, I promise.
Well, that was surprising. Kalos was not one to leave the Mansion without a good reason. She was learning to push her boundaries and came to the courthouse for her parents' wedding, which signified how big a deal something had to be to get her to breach her bubble. Aoife and Kalos must have come up with something special, so Becca shot back a confirmation text, dropped Praxi off at the Mansion, and set her course for the address her sister forwarded.
The destination was a warehouse, which was nothing out of the norm. Aoife claimed she had tons of shoots in warehouses because they offered open spaces for backdrops, wardrobes, and flexibility.
Stepping inside, Becca saw a heartwarming scene a few dozen meters away. Aoife and Kalos were in dresses posing for a man behind a camera. The photoshoot was staged in front of a gorgeous fountain they must have brought in for the shoot. She noticed Kalos holding her aunt's hand; it was good to see Aoife knew how important her role was in making Kalos feel safe here.
"Weel, if it isnae th' tois most bonnie models in th' world!" Becca waved to get her sister and daughter's attention. "Yoo're reit, thes is excitin'! Are ye enjoyin' yer debut, sweetheart?" Becca still had to find out what Aoife's intentions were for today's photos; Maya would flip if they were going to be public. She would figure out the best way to explain the day's excursion, but for now, she wanted to make sure Kalos was comfortable here.
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Becca was having a fun time bringing a young woman dress shopping for the first time in her life. Praxi's control of her form had improved markedly since she arrived in New York and with Rebecca warding off prying eyes, she wasn't anxious about being around humans. It was a successful adventure and she was in a good mood, which she hoped to extend to her daughter, shooting off a text.
Hey sweetie! I'll be home soon and wondered what you'd like me to bring home as a treat? I was thinking something chocolatey.
-
The young coral woman arrived to the gate with all the exuberance Aoife had grown to love over the last weeks. Becca was right about her daughter; for all her eccentricities and anxieties, Kalos brightened the world around her. If not for Kalos, Aoife knew things would have played out much differently for her sister. Thankfully for everyone, the plans had changed.
"Nae chocolate yit, but Ah bit we can gie ye some if yoo're real guid today!" What good aunt didn't bribe their niece when necessary?
"Ah got ye a gorgeous new dress," she confessed, handing over the bag with a loose, flowy teal dress picked to go with Kalos' unique complexion, "an' Ah was hopin' yoo'd loch tae wear it... out."
This was going to be the difficult sell, and if need be, Aoife was willing to trick Kalos to come along, but she hoped their rapport was strong enough to get her to come along. "Ye said ye left th' mansion a few times noo, loch an adult an' everything." She thought it would be best if she made Kalos feel mature and responsible. "Ye know Ah model an' tak' picters fur wark, an' Ah wanted us tae hae a kind uv a special project together."
Aoife kept her tone gentle and supportive. "Thaur will be only a few people an' ye can brin' yer umbrella tae feel mair safe."
A notification caught Aoife's attention, though she did not show her noticing. It was Kalos' phone. Unseen to her niece, Aoife pricked her palm, dotting blood on her fingertip to draw characters across her wrist. The phone screen would show no new notifications; phones were weird like that and she didn't need Kalos distracted or, goddess forbid, talking to her mother.
"Ah wanted tae brin' ye sae we coods surprise yer mom when Ah ask 'er tae join us. A special family surprise fur th' Grey ladies." Aoife bent her knees to meet Kalos at eye-level and offer her hand. "Ah know it micht soond scary, but woods ye dae it fur yer mom an' Ah?"
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Becca had been nervous facilitating this meeting. Aoife had been kind, if not a little awkward around her, and Kalos was more pure-hearted than a puppy, but there was so much riding on today for Becca. She wanted to show Aoife she had a place in their family, but Kalos was not always comfortable around strangers. She would never force her daughter to welcome a person into her life if she was not comfortable, even if it started a new rift between her and her sister.
Becca was prepared to be Aoife's only family, so she was hit with relief and joy when Kalos showed a sincere desire to be a part of her aunt's life. Aoife was surprised by the question, used to rejection after a life full of it. Rebecca placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. Aoife flinched, caught off guard, but she smiled appreciatively. "Ah hink 'at's yer Auntie's choice, bit Ah know Ah'd be happy haeing her as part of our family."
Aoife looked down at the hand offered, then retracted. A sincerely heart-warmed smile broke through the mask. She responded to the doubt in Kalos's voice by taking the girl's hand, with its unique texture and structure, and carefully held it between her clasped hands. "Ah'd like 'at, Kalos. Ah hink we gie each aither, sae we shoods stick taegether."
She leaned in close, with her sparkling model smile and a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. "We're gonna be thick as thieves, ye an' Ah." Aoife looked back to her sister, and something about her smile felt real. Like she was holding it back until Kalos broke through her shell. Becca understood that feeling all too well.
Two months later...
After the initial period of hesitation, Aoife made an effort to be a consistent fixture in the lives of the Grey family. Mirror was still apprehensive because no one could be a bigger mother bear than the gendershifter, but even they had to acknowledge the way Aoife was becoming a part of their new normal. Becca bought into her sister's good intentions, not realizing how affirming it was to have family around from her homeland. She loved her spouse and her children to death, but Becca and Aoife could slip into talk of Scotland for hours and Becca realized how much she missed that. Maya even noted her accent deepening again, like she was renewing her connection to her lilty birthright.
Aoife held to her promise to Kalos, taking any opportunity to bond with the young woman. She regularly came to the Mansion gates to get buzzed in with a treat or a gift or a movie to watch with her new favorite niece. With the phone her parents entrusted her with, Kalos was able to text with her aunt, who always repled quickly, even with her busy work schedule. Aoife doted on Iris, as well, but Kalos was old enough to spend time getting to know her under the safety of the Mansion roof, where Mirror could okay the visits.
It was another normal day, if not busier than most. Mirror was out in the City on official X-Man business and Rebecca was bringing Praxi, one of her students, to a small dress shop as a reward for her mutation control training. One of their colleagues was watching Iris and Kalos had free reign to enjoy her summer days in the safety of the Mansion Grounds.
And like any other normal day, Kalos got a message from the front desk that her aunt was waiting for her at the gates. She waited for Kalos in a stunning sky blue dress, holding a clothing bag on a hanger in her hand. "Efternuin, sweetheart! Woods ye fancy a surprise today?"
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Aly
Rebecca grew up with love and validation from her parents. With Aoife around, she felt some guilt looking back on her reaffirming upbringing, but she would not have traded it for anything. Her upbringing taught her the importance of parents who supported their children implicitly. Aoife might have missed that, but Rebecca would be damned if Kalos and Iris did not grow up knowing their parents would always have their backs.
That encouragement turned a meek girl into a vibrant, excited young woman, and Rebecca loved her daughter for growing into her true self. Despite the struggles of her childhood, Kalos was focused on where she was in life now and how she could connect with Aoife.
The model was not expecting the Atlantean's traumatic past, but what hit her more was her positivity. How would anyone be so well-adjusted at her age? Aoife was, to be generous, less than well-adjusted and she had decades to process her childhood. "It soonds loch yoo've bin through a lot, wee ain. It was lucky Becca an' Maya foond ye."
"Ah still think Ah'm th' lucky ain," Becca admitted. "Ah've been blessed wi' amazin' new family. An' noo Ah hae a new sister an' Kalos has an auntie. Ah know thinks haen't aways been easy fer ye, bit Ah'm thankful tae finally welcome ye intae our family if ye'd hae us, Aoife." She could not change how they grew up, but Becca wanted to genuinely bridge the gap between her and her big sister. The girls could use an aunt to excitedly look up to, and Becca wanted to have a real connection with the sister she never knew. Maya was cautious, but Becca was ready to offer her love and her family to Aoife.
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Aly
The surprise of her daughter passed, though Becca still noticed the tells that Kalos was nervous. She was comfortable with her family, but Aoife, despite being Becca's family, was new to the Atlantean. She was just as surprised about Becca's sister as Becca herself had been when her mother gave her the news. The way she asked, however, caught Becca by surprise.
When they were first getting to know one another, Kalos struggled to understand Becca's Scottish accent. It was fair, since English as a language was still something the girl was acclimating to in a new setting. Nowadays, Kalos could understand Becca better than most, but the mother was still surprised and admittedly proud of how much of the accent her daughter apparently picked up.
Rather than shaking hands, Kalos curtsied. After a brief moment to realize what was happening, Aoife took her hand back and replied with a curtsy of her own. She knew some mutants bore physical mutations and were not as normal as her sister, but seeing the young woman with her bright pink skin and coral growths in person still fascinated her. "Th' pleasure is aw mine, lass." She passed a glance to Rebecca, asking quietly, "Any chance Atlantis is aff th' coest ay Scotland?"
Rebecca smiled, stepping away from the table to give her daughter a hug. "Nae, Ah jist hink mah dochter takes efter me," she explained, giving Kalos a kiss on the forehead between any protrusions. "Aoife an' Ah only recently foond it abit ain anither. We hae th' sam ma, but we didne gie th' chance tae graw up together, sadly."
Aoife nodded, taking her seat again now that polite curtsies had been exchanged. "Ah was given up fur adoption at an early age, sae Ah grew up withit a mom." It was not sad or angry, because that was never the tone Aoife took, but the way she spoke about being an orphan settled oddly in Becca's head. She didn't know what it was like to grow up as an orphan, so that struggle likely mattered to Aoife when talking about their diverging experiences.
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Aly
The careers Becca and Aoife chose did not come with much overlap, but Rebecca had, as an "influencer" by some standards, done a few costumed photoshoots in her day. The efforts were more modest than her international model sister, but Aoife still got a kick out of the photos from those shoots. They were focused on the phone screen, so it took a few seconds for the pair of Scots to notice a very confused coral girl had entered the room.
Becca looked at the wide-eyed gaze of her daughter, then shifted back to Aoife, worried. She was pleased to see her sister's face smiling politely, seemingly nonplused by Kalos's appearance. As far as her eyes could see, anyway. Returning her mismatched gaze to Kalos, Becca realized it might have been a better choice to warn her of their visitor. Historically, Kalos functioned best in a bubble of people she was familiar with, and humans were wholly unfamiliar to her.
It was best to lead the introduction in a way she could handle. "Welcome haem, Kalos. Ah hae someain important 'at Eh'd loch ye tae meit." Becca gestured to the other redhead at the table, who stood when prompted. "Kalos, meit mah sister, Aoife. Aoife, thes is mah dochter." Becca still felt a swelling of pride thinking of the special young woman as her daughter.
Aoife presented a smile and offered her hand, unsure if a girl with hands like hers shook hands. Those thoughts stayed hidden behind her mask, of course. "Kalos. Ah lovely nam. It's nice tae meit ye."
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Aly
It was important to be cautious and Maya kept Becca in check, but it was hard not to feel optimistic about her budding relationship with her sister. Aoife was so gung-ho about bonding with Rebecca to make up for lost time, so they were texting often and occasionally wrapped up an evening with a phone call. They had a lot to catch up on, and Aoife was very interested in Becca and her family life. She seemed to be trying, which was why Becca was willing to overlook the occasional odd comment about her regretful time as an orphan.
After traveling to South Carolina for a photoshoot, Aoife was back in New York and brought coffee to the Mansion to finally take the next step and meet the last member of Becca's family. Maya was cautious, but Becca thought it was time. The two sisters sat at the table in the dining nook, sipping coffee and talking until Kalos returned from wherever she had run off to.
"Ah still cannae believe ye hae sic' a flawless tan. Ah hae tae be careful nae tae turn intae a lobster if Ah'm it in th' sin aw day."
Aoife chuckled. "Mebbe that's somethin' Ah got frae mah dad 'en. The model looked over her shoulder to the door of the apartment. "Th' skale year is ower, reit?
Rebecca nodded, glad her schedule had paired back down to private lessons. The extra time was a boon as a mother and a content creator. "Aye! Kalos is probably aff hangin' it wi' friends. She used tae be sae closed aff, sae Ah'm glad she's bin social wi' th' other kids."
"Wi' hoo life oan th' mutant islain was fur 'er, Ah'm surprised she's dain sae weel in a mutant mansion."
The topic of Atlantis came up, given Kalos's origins, but Rebecca winced at her sister's intepretation. "Mutants werenae th' problem," she corrected. "Sadly, bigotry toward kids loch 'er was th' issue. But bein' surroonded by fowk fa accept 'er has bin guid fur 'er."
"An' Ah'm sure havin' parents fa accept 'er an' want th' best fur 'er helps a lot."
Rebecca felt a small pang of guilt, knowing Aoife did not have that, but she took the compliment for what she was sure it was; genuine. "We're jist daein' whit we can. An' noo uir dochter micht be a social butterfly fa will hopefully come back haem suin," she added, checking the door herself before they returned to idle chitchat. Perhaps, in hindsight, she should have told Kalos they were having a visitor today.
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"An adopted dochter frae Atlantis," she repeated, evidently surprised by the twist. "Becca, ye really leid a unique life. Usually Ah gie a lot ay mileage frae 'Scottish orphan plucked frae obscurity goes frae local actress tae international model.' Next tae ye, 'at soonds awmost plain!" There was something melodic about Aoife's laughter.
Becca joined in, wanting to downplay what had admittedly been a weird life by anyone's standards. "Aoife, yer special. There's naethin' plain abit ye. Yoo've dain sae much oan yer ain tae build sich an amazin' life. Ah... really wish Ah coods hae groon up lookin' up tae ye," Becca admitted, feeling a slight blush of embarrassment creep up on her cheeks. It was not Becca's fault she did not know she had a sister, but she still felt guilty not being there for Aoife.
The genuine confession caught Aoife by surprise. She softened, taking a deep breath. "It wasnae easy," she admitted quietly. "Growin' up oan mah ain. Ah willnae pretend Ah was happy nae knowin' fa mah family was."
The model brightened, lifting her expression back up. "But that's wa Ah'm glad Ah finally foond uir ma. Glad Ah can meit mah sister an' gie tae ken 'er family. Mah family," Aoife added hesitantly.
Becca felt a tear forming in the corner of her eye which quickly evaporated and joined the rest of the steam piping from her skin. "And Ah'm glad ye asked tae meet. Mah family is yer family, Aoife. Ah'm glad fate put ye back in mah life."
Aoife presented a smile to Becca and her partner, worried a wicked grin might slip past if she did not wear a mask. "Fate indeed, sister."
