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.
Restrained though his amusement was Zephyr’s subdued chuckling persisted for some time as Duskmoor’s flustered features grew increasingly crimson as the girl struggled, and ultimately failed, to find the words for any form of retort. When at last she did scramble to her feet it was only to stalk across the room and confiscate the elementals own duvet which she then promptly cocoon herself in before offering a muffled, largely incoherent, yelp and falling silent.
She was well and truly sulking.
Entertaining though it was Zephyr had rather been expecting, and almost counting on, one of the soubrettes more habitual homicidal outbursts. What he had in mind would be far less effective if he had to carry it through without appearing to defend himself, and while he could appreciate the irony of the situation it didn’t make things any less inconvenient.
Drawing a slow breath the elemental regarded the huddled pile of blankets which was Duskmoors sulking form contemplatively before finally shaking his head and choosing to abandon his efforts for the evening as a lost cause. As she was now it would be all but impossible to raise the girls ire again short of physically assaulting her and that would be more counterproductive than anything else.
There were still a few things he could get done however.
“Pizza it is then.” He announced to the room at large as his fingers swept across the touch screen of the tablet. It was what the city was known for after all.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
There was something supremely satisfying in hearing the drawn out growl of frustration which escaped Duskmoors lips when he thwarted her childish, though violent, antics. When the girl then threw herself backwards onto her wet bed Zephyr allowed himself a small grin as he used the tablet to bring up a list of potential dinner options as he waited for a reply.
The elementals amusement faded rather quickly however when the brunette removed her still sodden boots and threw them onto his own unoccupied, and hitherto dry, bed. Fortunately though, if that could even be said, the girl had thrown her footwear with just a mite too much force and both boots merely bounced across the bed before falling to the floor.
“Duskmoor…” He spoke the name in a quiet, chiding tone as he dismissed the urge to fling the girl boots back. That would only encourage the soubrette to repeat her behavior and she was being puerile enough as it was.
"Your head on a silver platter,"[/color]
Zephyr blinked.
-had she truly just?
Lifting his gaze from the screen the hessian stared at the girl’s prone form with an incredulous expression which was steadily shifting to one of amusement and he could quite prevent himself from voicing the question in a low tone of disbelief and mirth.
“…did you honestly just imply you wanted to eat me?”
Although the shapely soubrettes figure and current position made it difficult to see her expression the hessian was able to glimpse just the hint of a blush which spread across her forehead and the stammered denials which quickly followed as her head snapped up soon broke the elementals stoic countenance as he began a quiet chuckle and his shoulders shook with suppressed amusement even as he waited for the inevitable backlash.
Of the various facets of Zephyr’s mutation his spatial awareness was perhaps the most passive and subtle. The ability was not without cost however and there had been numerous times when the elemental would have gladly abandoned it if he could, simply to avoid the nearly crippling pain it caused.
In times such as this though, when his medication was at full strength and he was in full command of a situation, the hessian couldn’t deny an intense satisfaction in being able perceive, and thus react, to his surroundings without actually having to look at them.
Never lifting his eyes from the device in his hand Zephyr knew the precise moment Duskmoor rose to her feet, felt the shift in the air as the jacket fell from her shoulders and the small blade appeared in her hand. For the barest of moments he considered giving the girl another disdainful warning, yet before he could form the words the soubrette had already hurled the weapon at him through the air.
Through the air.
Keeping his gaze firmly locked on the screen before him the elemental tilted his head to one side, resting it in his free hand and looking for all the world as though he were utterly at ease even as the bonemancers weapon sailed within an inch of his skull before burying itself to the hilt in the wall directly behind him.
The hessian truly did wonder at times to what degree the girl actually thought her actions through, if she ever did. She knew the nature of his mutation and the limitations of her own; she needed physical contact, the moment she lost that anything she created was no longer under her control, yet she had chosen to throw her weapon without even attaching a tendril as she had done in the past.
That said, she hadn’t rushed him like a charging bull, which was something at least.
After a moments further thought, Zephyr briefly raised his head from his hand before lifting the coat he’d draped across the half of the table and deftly hanging soaking garment on hilt of the soubrettes embedded weapon as he decided that a change in pace might be in order.
Rather predictably, when faced with an obstacle she couldn’t threaten, maim or kill the buxom bonemancers behavior regressed to that of a sullen child as she all but stomped her way to the unclaimed bed neglecting to remove either her drenched coat or boots. Briefly Zephyr thought of drawing the girls attention to the growing wet spot on her bed but he quickly thought better of it, in her current mood the gamine would likely just move to the other bed and ensure it was equally soaked.
"I hate you. So very much."[/color]
In the process of retrieving a small tablet computer from his belongings Zephyr merely sent the girl a short withering look, considering his next words for a moment before he made a show of dismissing her as he rested his feet on the other unoccupied as he rested his feet on the unoccupied chair.
“Stick and stones Duskmoor. I couldn’t care less if you wanted to f*** me or kill me…”
That wasn’t entirely true, but the statement served his purposes well enough for now and he rather doubted the soubrette was even able of recognizing the slight deception.
“because the way you are now you wouldn’t be able to manage either.”
This was actually rather more accurate; one of the key things the elemental had realized upon reflection of their last meeting was that, for some inexplicable reason, the girl had veritable mountains worth of insecurities regarding almost any sort of intimacy, almost to the point that it was a phobia. As for her mutation, well… lethal though it was for most, and the NYPD in particular, Zephyr’s own unique talents all but negated the risk of death.
That being said, deliberately provoking the girl was rarely wise. She might not be able to kill him but she could still inflict a severe amount of pain if she were lucky. However he needed her to realize something and it was better to start forcing the issue now, while his medication was at full strength, than under less ideal circumstances. Therefore he was being purposefully crude, overbearing and essentially bullying his partner to the very limits of her restraint even as he quietly exerted his influence over the surrounding air, prepared to use it at the slightest hint that he had pushed just a little too far.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Placing his belongings down before seating himself on one of the two threadbare chairs within the room Zephyr cast an idle glance about the room as he waited for his companion’s inevitable litany of complaints. The motel was by no means in the best of neighborhoods and so the decorations were sparse to say the least and the lack of windows lent the place the air of a prison cell.
Still, while it might not have had as much space as the elemental would have preferred it did at least have all of the essential furnishings; a small table with chairs occupied one corner, a poorly painted door off to one side likely led to a bathroom while a worn and somewhat outdated television rested atop a weather beaten chest of drawers opposite the most important feature of the room, namely, the two beds.
He’d initially hesitated at the thought of procuring just a single room, because while Duskmoor was undoubtedly easy on the eyes anyone who had actually spent any amount of time with the soubrette knew her habitual demeanor had all the appeal of a black widow, and even that was being generous; the arachnids at least waited before they killed.
"No way! Not fair! I want my own room!"[/color]
Caught between the urge to smirk and sigh Zephyr instead removing a small cylindrical capsule from his pocket and emptied out two small pills into the palm of his hands and quickly swallowing them to mask his minor, but noticeable, amusement at Duskmoor’s petty diatribe. It wasn’t that the girls argument was unfounded or illogical, quite the reverse really given how he’d been forced to deal with her in their last meeting, no the source of the hessians amusement stemmed from the sheer ease in which she was allowing him to rile her
“That isn’t going to happen for three reasons.” He informed her with one of his more authoritative tones as he somehow managed to look down on her despite the fact she was standing.
“The first of which being that I don’t trust you not to cause trouble the moment you’re out of my sight. You’ve proven time and time again that you cannot control your impulses or your temper and I have no intention of letting you run amok until we’ve found our targets.”
“Secondly, we have spent the entire day asking about a number of influential people who are suddenly missing. While we may not have been recognized under our coats, those type of questions are noticed and rarely for good reasons. Staying together allows us to better deal with anything unexpected as well as giving us a useful, if trite, cover.”
“And finally…” Zephyr paused and glanced back at the pair of beds before the second abruptly dragged to the opposite of the room by an unseen force.
“You’re just being difficult, I’m well aware that you’re more than capable of creating your own privacy. In fact for tonight I’d recommend you go a step further and reinforce the walls floor and ceiling. We are not dealing with nice people, in fact they will be rather impolite and as such and they are rarely subtle.”
"This is bull! I'm so not staying here with you overnight!"[/color]
Zephyr’s azure gaze narrowed irritably at the girls impudent the impudent retort but otherwise he didn’t respond, instead merely matching the soubrettes irate hazel eyes with an unimpressed expression before he spoke in the same cold and confident tone as before.
“I’m not going to repeat myself Duskmoor and since you have no intention of listening to reason I’ll go with something even you can understand.”
Withdrawing his phone the elemental placed it on the table and quickly pulled up one of the more… revealing, images which had initially persuaded the girl to follow him in the first place.
“If you take one foot outside without my express permission than not only will Wolf News be a receiving one of the most scandalous images of the year but I will do all I can to ensure that every police force, mercenary group and military outpost within five states knows exactly where you are. While you might be able to deal with a few small skirmishes this isn’t New York and you no Sanctuary to run to. You’d be overwhelmed and no one would help you.”
“Now either sit down or start working on the walls.”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
For all that Zephyr was beginning to reach his mid-twenties he had never once considered or even entertained the notion of having children, and after having had to essentially babysit Duskmoor for the entirety of the thirteen hour journey to Chicago the elemental believed himself to be fully versed in the numerous arguments one could give against the idea of progeny beginning with “No, we’re not stopping to get a happy meal” all the way to “We got on the road less than five minutes ago and Chicago is eight hundred miles away, so no Duskmoor, we are not ‘nearly there yet’”.
In short, the less said about the trip, the better.
That had only been the start of things though; Chicago truly was in a state of uproar. Oh it wasn’t evident on the surface, the everyday resident likely wouldn’t notice anything more than the odd business suddenly closing down and perhaps a few more thugs on the street.
Those who had the proper connections knew what was truly going on, or rather only that , only that something was very wrong. Connections after all were only valuable as long as both party’s were alive to do business and suffice to say that in the past few weeks a good number of otherwise influential individuals had been… disconnected.
That wasn’t to say they were all dead, the grim reaper himself wouldn’t be able to eliminate every aspect of organized crime in a city like Chicago in just a few weeks. No, it was just that, like rats, many criminals had a penchant for abandoning a sinking ship, and while the city itself was in no danger of capsizing it was still considered advisable to give the metropolis a wide berth until the waves settled.
While this was undoubtedly a laudable strategy for those with a more cautious frame of mind it left Zephyr with no contacts and thus no convenient way to locate the illusive Biggs who’d placed the price on his head. That didn’t mean it was impossible, far from it actually, it just meant he’d need to improvise far more than he’d initially intended if he wanted to meet all of his goals.
Still, as he stalked back to the motel with Duskmoor in tow the elemental reflected that those were details he could flesh out in the morning. For now he needed to rest, a luxury he’d only be able to enjoy after he’d dealt with the shapely yet sullen brunette behind him.
Emerging from the rains wept streets mere minutes after thunder began to echo in the sky Zephyr all but kicked in the metal plated door in order to get inside before shedding his drenched overcoat and shoes and making stepping into the single living area, trying to guess exactly what his comely companion would whine about first.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
“Who sent you?” The elementals voice was surprising calm, almost bored, as his azure eyes slowly took in the varying degrees of damage which had been dealt to his apartment. Glancing from the decimated kitchen which had taken the brunt of the initial gunfire to the unsightly soup stain he’d created on the opposing wall to buy himself the bare moment of time he’d needed to deal with his… guest.
“Fuck you! You’re dead anyway.”[/color]
Ignoring the urge to sigh at the all too trite response Zephyr lifted his gaze to the figure still struggling futilely against the force which held it to the ceiling. The would be attackers expression was one of poorly disguised fear and Zephyr easily ignored the glare which was sent his way, merely raising his hand and making a pinching motion as he applied pressure to figures throat in order forestall further vulgarities.
“Believe me, I’ve lived through far worse than a bullet wound. What you did barely counts as a scratch, less than actually. In fact, I don’t believe you appreciate your present position.” The elementals words were still cool, almost lecturing, as he moved to a nearby couch and seated himself without shifting his gaze. “There are two ways I can deal with you. There is the hard way which, as you can see, is trying my patience but gives you a chance to keep your limbs, or there is the easy way, which shall be far quicker and requires less effort than any trigger. Think carefully about which method you want me to use before you say anything.”
Zephyr then released the pinching gesture and, as his ill fortuned assassin descended into desperate gasps for air, took the opportunity to retrieve and idly examine the man’s wallet, carelessly scattering the few notes and coins of currency as he searched for anything of relevance.
By the time his attacker had subsided into pained wheezing the elemental had defenestrated the wallet and his fingers were toying with the stub of a greyhound bus ticket while his thoughts wandered down the various paths of implications.
“I find it difficult to believe that a hired gun would take the bus for work, even more so when it implies you came from Chicago. That’s Jarcones territory and he has no reason to want me dead, quite the opposite really, yet I’m being pointed in that direction…”
Trailing off Zephyr glanced back up at his captive with an expectant expression; however whatever minute amount of optimism he’d possessed was swiftly crushed.
“Screw you, fuckin mutey freak. I ain’t saying nothing.”
With an all too weary sigh Zephyr rose from his seat and slowly began to wander towards the shattered remains of his balcony door. “Tempting as it is to point out your double negative, I think what’s needed here is a change in perspective...”
“H-Hey what’re you doing?! Let me go! Don’t!-“[/color]
--- “Alright! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Jarcones gone, no one’s seen him for weeks and Chicago’s turning into a f***ing free for all. Biggs just told me to get you out of the picture.”[/color]
Annoyingly that raised more questions than it answered; mob bosses didn’t simply disappear, or if they did the chaos was normally kept to a minimum purely because it was too costly in the long run. However, if the thugs increasingly pallid features were anything to go by then he was likely telling the truth; viewing the Hudson River at 37,000ft without an aircraft tended to make most individuals surprisingly honest.
Unfortunately it also indicated that the man knew nothing else of relevance, and while this also was irritating it did make his next choice rather simple. After all holding ones grip required effort, pulling a trigger required effort, but letting go, letting go…was easy.
A short while later, after having rid himself of his burden Zephyr paced back and forth across one of the many innumerable skyscrapers which dotted the cities landscape as he considered the situation before him. Like it or not, he had a price on his head and while it was possible that the present chaos in Chicago would resolve the situation for him it was equally possible that his bounty would simply increase. It would be better by far oo simply nip the situation in the bud with a suitable display of force…
The elemental paused, a contemplative expression crossing his face as one hand absently traced the bullet wound he’d so recently received and which was now covered by unblemished skin. If, and it was a rather large if, he could lines things up properly it was just possible that he’d be able to deal with a great deal more than one upstart gang leader.
He just needed the right people to see the right things.
Withdrawing his phone from his pocket Zephyr pulled up a number he’d avoided using for months. When the call finally connected he kept his message simple and to the point.
“Grab your things Duskmoor, you’re going to Chicago.”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
One of the better kept secrets of Zephyr’s mutation was his ability to recognize and track the various elements of air around him. He could see a summer breeze from almost a mile away and distinguish the subtle currents brought about by mere breath. It was almost akin to having his own built in radar, the elemental knew where the air was and where it was not.
Which was why, when he entered the Sanctuary’s black marbled foyer, the hessian took care not to open the aureate doors too harshly and so avoided crushing the unknown figure lurking in the doors shadow. Sanctuary’s administrators were a frequent, if indirect employer, and so Zephyr saw little point or profit in causing an altercation which could be easily avoided.
Sadly though the elemental hadn’t managed three steps past the shelters threshold before the same unknown figure chose to make a nuisance of himself, announcing his presence with a high pitched puerile whistle, which immediately grated upon the ears and earned the man a disapproving frown from the Sanctuary’s blonde receptionist even as Zephyr turned to regard the stranger with a dry look. and his mind the possible meaning behind his words.
The most salient stranger was young, perhaps later teens to early twenties, boasting a build that was neither imposing nor belittling but simply average. In contrast to this though he possessed should length sable hair which was shot through with crimson and contrasted sharply with the plain blue shirt he wore beneath a black leather jacket which black jeans and trainers covered his lower half.
All in all the young man looked like a slightly flamboyant street thug, an impression which was only reinforced by the faint, but noticeable, Canadian accent which lent a somewhat ungainly tone to the boys words though he was perfectly intelligible. "I must say, you are the spitting image of your photograph. Even fully dressed, it would be easy to pick you from a crowd. Zephyr, I take it?”[/color]
Hearing his moniker and the words preceding it, the elemental quickly reevaluated the situation. He did not make a habit of giving out his name, he was far too fond of the protection his relative anonymity provided him. The fact that he was apparently not only known t this stranger but had been recognized from a photo raised a number of worrying possibilities, not least of which was the fact that Duskmoor was conspicuously absent.
Still, Zephyr was nothing if not adaptable and so he gave the stranger a polite, if disinterested look, as he subtly began to exert his will on the surrounding air should he need to defend himself. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
New York possessed a good number of homeless shelters, no real surprise when one considers the city’s size. There is only one however that can boast gold plated cathedral doors and the means to keep them, where any other institution would have been robbed blind long ago.
It was known as Sanctuary, a rather fitting title for an establishment which catered primarily to mutants who felt they had nowhere else to turn. Upon proof of an active X gene, and the filing of proper paperwork, residency was all but guaranteed, no questions asked, no judgments rendered and no payment necessary. The Sanctuary seemed to only have one golden rule; “What is ours, we keep”. Any who infringed upon this maxim with malice aforethought invariably failed to last long within their new home.
Rationally it was a system which simply shouldn’t have worked. Given that the vast majority of disadvantaged and homeless mutants were quite often those with the most destructive capabilities any attempt to house them all in one place should have been a spectacular failure resulting, at the very least, in a new ground zero for the city.
Yet somehow the Sanctuary not only survived day by day, it thrived. Growing in numbers and turning society’s most dangerous and unpredictable undesirables in too a cohesive, if not altogether organized, group. For the right kind of mind, a developing institution such as this displayed… potential.
Indeed one particularly infamous resident displayed a good deal of latent potential; one Isabel Duckmoor, a femme fatale who had risen to prominence in recent times and whose kill count would not have seemed out of place in a phone book. The girl was virtually an arsenal in her own right and had come out the better against both SWAT and NYPD on multiple occasions. According to popular opinion, she was, essentially, untouchable.
Which was why Zephyr had made a point of laying the girl out in less than five minutes when he’d first met her. Granted it hadn’t enamored the gamine to him but it had earned him a measure of respect and had, for a time, the formed the basis of a profitable, if not entirely stable, working relationship.
It was in the interest of this relationship that Zephyr had made his way to Sanctuary through the city’s crowded midday streets. Their last assignment had ended on a somewhat… tumultuous note and the elemental had fully intended to leave the buxom soubrette be until she’d had some time to clear her head. Surprisingly though, and for the first time the hessian could remember, Duskmoor had chosen to contact him, sending a simple text message requesting that they meet just inside Sanctuary’s golden doors.
He was quite curious to hear what the young woman had to say.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
As Isabel snatched the bag from his grasp and quickly retreated to examine her prize like the distrustful child she seemed so intent on being Zephyr simply waited, his eyes briefly roving over the room and noting the conspicuous absence of ivory rubble before his gaze flickered back to his companion and a faint smirk tugged at his lips as the girl gave her rather reluctant thanks.
“You’re welcome. I’d tell you not to mention it but-”
"You can leave now,"[/color] The words were accompanied by a sudden hissing as a sheet of white shot from behind the bed and rose to the ceiling, neatly dividing half the length of the room and blocking the soubrette from the elementals sight, if not his other senses, causing him to raise a questioning brow as he adopted a dry tone.
“Was that truly necessary?” After all, by this point it she couldn’t really show him anything he hadn’t already seen. The hessian kept that thought to himself however as he quietly strode to the all but forgotten assortment of scrap fabric which had been the two mutants clothes. After sifting through it for a short time he quickly found the remnants of his wallet and, surprisingly, the entirety of his phone which seemed to have somehow managed to survive the ethereal shift.
Not one to question his good luck Zephyr simply pocketed the few cards and other useable pieces he could from the scraps of his wallet and idly powered up his phone as he turned to leave. Pausing briefly as a grin tugged at his lip when he noticed that he’d received a small collection of images from a rather… familiar, contact.
“Don’t forget your phone Isabel, you’re going to need it in the coming day daresay you’ll need it in the coming days." He chuckled briefly, “I’ll be in touch.”
The future, it seemed, was going to be quite interesting.
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
The bitter, grudging tone Isabel used as she bit out the words between clenched was almost, almost, enough to make the elemental smirk. It was immensely satisfying to see the girl humbled after dealing with her normally brash and belligerent personality for so long. Things were still in a delicate stage however and so the hessian kept his expression blank and his tone neutral as he inclined his head towards the girls back and replied.
“I’d be happy to Isabel, and since you asked so nicely you may have this back.”
Waving his left hand in a cursory manner the elemental stretched out his will, sending a single claw of wind through the remaining rubble of Isabel’s osseous fort to snag the somewhat moth eaten blue blanket he’d given her earlier. The cloth twisted in the air for a brief moment before it unfurled as Zephyr flexed his fingers and gently draped itself across the shivering soubrette’s bare shoulders.
“I’ll be just a few minutes; I’ll knock when I return otherwise I’d suggest you keep the door locked.” So saying the hessian took a slow, deep breath; holding it for just a moment before he allowed the air inside him to spread and expand as he forced flesh and blood into the uncomfortable, but manageable, ethereal state and drifted out of the room through the air vent.
Finding Isabel’s room was not precisely difficult, even for one who was technically blind. The bonemancer had gone out of her way to decorate the door and surrounding wall with numerous ivory thorns to ensure that her abode was immediately recognizable and thus likely deter unwanted guests. Still, Zephyr rather doubted Duskmoor would mind his brief presence in her room, especially given the favour he was doing her.
Drifting in through the ventilation system the elemental allowed himself to glide silently to the floor and briefly examine the room for any other signs of life before gathering his essence and becoming tangible once more. He blinked in the sudden darkness which met his eyes momentarily disoriented before his mind resettled itself and he flicked on a light and glanced around the room.
He hadn’t been entirely certain what to expect and thus could not truthfully say was he impressed or disappointed with what his companion had done with her living quarters. The sight of the chipped, and in some cases bloodied, NYPD badges pinned to one wall surprised him not the least whereas the strangely made nest of blankets and pillows resting in one corner room and covered in red fur was utterly unexpected. He’d had no idea that Isabel possessed the self-discipline or tolerance needed to care for a pet, especially one which would need a bed so large.
Curious though the discovery was however Zephyr soon pushed it to his mind; he wasn’t here to spy or meddle and if he took too long it was possible Isabel could lose patience and attempt to leave. No he’d needed to be quick, and as he opened the soubrette’s closet and saw the rows of green slacks and buttoned down white shirts, he realized that Isabel was roughly the same height, if not build as himself and that she likely wouldn’t miss one of her ‘uniforms’.
A minute or so later Zephyr had dressed himself comfortably, if not fashionably, in a set of Isabel’s every day attire and was in the process of folding another set into a green duffle bag he’d found discarded in the back of the closet. A few additional moments were then spent examining the wardrobe and removing strands of what appeared to be cat hair from a set of undergarments before they too were added to the duffle bag.
When nothing else of immediate need came to the elementals mind, he slung the bag over his shoulder, undid the lock to Isabel’s room and strode barefoot back to the infirmary. If anyone found it curious that a relatively unknown young man had just left the bonemancers room wearing her somewhat recognizable attire, they wisely did not comment upon it.
Upon returning to the private ward room he’d left Isabel in, the hessian rapped his knuckles across the wood once to announce himself before he flexed his will and the door seemingly unlocked itself, allowing him inside before deftly closing behind him as he stopped a few feet away from Isabel, and offering the bag.
“This should have everything you need, is there something you’d like to say?”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
Despite the poorly chosen cadence, the moment the magic word left Isabel’s lips the painful pressure on her ear vanished, allowing the brunette to collapse onto the bed as she tried to steady her slightly shaking breath. Although he couldn’t be certain since her back was to him, Zephyr was fairly sure he’d managed to incite a spark of fear in the girl given that her lungs had all but stopped when the air had begun to caress her lower body.
Fear wasn’t the elemental’s preferred tool; unless it was taken to extremes having people fear you only meant they were constantly on their guard. The hessian would much rather reason his way out of an argument and thus be underestimated in the future, rather than showing someone what he was capable of and leaving them alive to talk. Unfortunately though Isabel couldn’t be reasoned with; the only thing the brunette respected was brute force and so that was exactly what he’d given her, along with the threat of something worse.
So she’d been cowed, how long that would last however was not something the elemental cared to speculate on. Still he’d managed to make the girl comply, if unwillingly, and it was a step in the right direction. He could build on that, and as his eyes once more trailed over her appealingly bare skin, he knew precisely what his next step needed to be.
“There, was that so hard?” His words were calm now, not warm by any means but certainly not as cold as they had been and they were in no way mocking. “Now that we’ve established you know how, I will get you some of your own clothing, if you ask me politely, and promise to make an effort to be polite in future.”
Zephyr’s expression clouded in annoyance as he listened to his companions jejune retort and saw her foot lash out in impotent anger towards the remnants of her bone walls. A part of the elemental was simply amazed that the girl could be this dimwitted or, possibly stubborn, after what she’d just been through. The brunette had to have realized she was in no position to argue yet that was exactly what she was doing and the behavior frustrated the hessian to no end.
As it was there were only two things preventing the elemental from bending the shapely soubrette over the bed and repeating the lesson he’d just given her. The first being that he was still, in a manner of speaking, getting his breath back and likely wouldn’t be able to hold the gamine down for more than a few moments without obvious effort and would thus rather undermine his small psychological advantage. The second was that, without the element of surprise he doubted the same trick would work Isabel again so soon.
He’d simply have to be creative.
Allowing his gaze to rove over the soubrettes hunched form the elementals azure eyes finally settled on her head before he spoke in a cold and distant voice. “You don’t seem to realize the kind of position you’re in Duskmoor, so allow me to spell it out for you.”
Keeping his arms folded, and thus his hands hidden from view, Zephyr made a pinching motion with the fingers of his right hand and compressed a patch of air surrounding the soubrettes left ear. Ordinarily he wouldn’t have needed to rely on such gestures but, in his current state, he needed the extra focus to ensure he merely pinched and didn’t pierce as he slowly pulled the girls ear upwards until the pain forced to her knees on top of the bed.
“You cannot bully me, you cannot threaten me, and we’ve seen what happens when you try to hurt me. In short you are in no position to argue, and if you continue to act like a spoiled child then I will take… measures.”
As his words trailed away a slight but noticeable breeze wound its way across Isabel’s neck, drawing a short and startled cough from the girl as a tiny but noticeable patch of air within her throat froze and hindered her breathing ever so slightly. The breeze then snaked down the shapely soubrette’s chest and torso, dragging the tiny frozen patch of air with it; highlighting precisely how vulnerable the gamine was until the solid speck of air vanished in the pit of her lungs.
The whispering breeze however merely drifted lower, reaching the band of bone which wrapped the brunettes hips, circling it once and drawing the slightest twitch from the girl before the wind finally dissipated, though the hold on her ear remained.
“If you wish to avoid that however, I suggest that you ask me politely to let you go, and in case you’ve forgotten, that normally requires the word ‘please’”
With complete disregard for his current state of dress Zephyr silently stared Isabel down as he released his hold on the girl, breathing an inaudible sigh of relief as the humiliated soubrette resolutely refused to meet his gaze. Keeping her head low and her shoulders hunched as the bone partition she’d been bent over slowly dissolved, lowering the gamine to floor and allowing her to get her hands and knees before she pulled herself somewhat awkwardly onto the bed where she sullenly turned her back on him and crossed her arms beneath her chest.
“I hate you”
The breath of relief which had escaped the elemental became a resigned and irritated sigh the moment the words reached him. He could all but see the pout on her lips just from the tone she’d used. The girl was actually sulking, sulking after having what was possibly the first spanking of her life. A small part of him was simply incredulous even in spite of all he’d seen; after all she was an adult for pity’s sake, easily in her early twenties and yet she was acting as though she were only in her early teens.
The more rational part of the hessian however soon reminded him that while Isabel Duskmoor may indeed be a grown woman, she had never actually grown up.
It was about time that changed.
“No.” He stated simply, his voice cold and stern. “You just hate not having your way; you’ve become far too use to always getting what you want. Part of life is learning how to deal with disappointment, and from what I’ve seen you are in sore need of a teacher.”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
One of the reasons Isabel was able to live as she did was because her mutation rendered her almost untouchable. However, Zephyr had noticed that, unlike certain facets of his own mutation which were always active, the soubrette had to consciously keep hers working and only did so when she felt there was a genuine threat.
In short, this meant that not only could the brunette be taken by surprise, but if she were kept from gathering wits then she was just as vulnerable as any other girl her age.
At least, that was the theory, and while Isabel’s immediate reaction to her sudden disrobing lent the idea a certain amount of weight it by no means confirmed anything. With that being said though, the rather rough plan the elemental had in mind only needed the soubrette off balance for a few seconds, just long enough to prove his point. After that well… he’d deal with that when he had to.
"I'm not a child! Leave me alone!"[/color] The words were quickly accompanied by an abrupt lancing movement as the ingenue brought her mutation to bear and a mass of ivory thorns sprouted across her improvised barrier in the blink of an eye.
It was actually a minor, yet impressive display of control, to consciously generate what had to have been at least 300 individual spikes and force all them into being simultaneously wasn’t a small thing. Most minds had difficulty tracking just five variables concurrently. Notable though the action was, it was rendered quite futile the moment Isabel foolishly raised her arm.
The instant the offending limb came into view Zephyr seized it; making a fist with one hand he crushed the air around the gamines hand and turned it into solid vice with nearly enough strength to crack her wrist.
Once he had a good grip it was simply a matter of strength, and even in his present condition strength was one thing his mutation had in abundance. Wrenching his closed fist upwards, back towards him and then down, the shackle of air mirrored the elementals movements. Isabel was abruptly hauled up into the air by her captured arm, her blanket tearing away in the process as it caught on the freshly made thorns, which seemed to otherwise leave her alone.
As soon as her shoulders and most of her torso rose above the top wall of her enclosure her arm suddenly jerked towards the front of the room and then down, leaving the brunette almost horizontal for a split second before gravity took hold and she fell non too softly atop her own barrier.
The end result left Isabel draped over her own wall, forced to bend over at the waist and pinned there by her captured arm, leaving her long auburn hair to fall over her crimson features, revealing the pale skin of her back and just a hint of her lower callipygian figure before it was masked from view by the thin band of bone which snaked around her hips like an ivory miniskirt.
It should be noted however that this lower band did not behave like cloth and as such rather failed to follow the contours of Isabel’s body. Thus, while it would have served its purpose had she been standing or even sitting, her current position left her lower half… framed, instead of covered.
This meant that there was nothing shielding the shapely soubrette’s derriere when hardened slices of wind began to audibly slap across it, each one drawing a short shriek of surprise and pain from the girls lips in time with the sharp decisive motions of Zephyr’s remaining free hand.
One, twice, three times.
In the new and strained quiet which fell in the wake of Isabel’s last wail Zephyr took a deep breath and allowed himself to rest nonchalantly against the front wall of the room in an effort to mask the sudden wave of weariness his powers had cost him. He wasn’t about to let Duskmoor think it was beyond him to ‘discipline’ her a second or even third time.
“Shall I keep going?” He asked with the same note of ire as earlier. “I can keep this up all day.”
