The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
A short dismissive shrug and then a surprisingly cynical outlook of the city and life in general was Riley's initial response and Zephyr couldn't help but raise an inquisitive eyebrow; this was different from what he'd seen thus far yet also seemed rather honest. He'd thought the girl was doing rather well for herself to make it to an event like this, quite possibly he'd misread the situation. Asking now though would do little good, better to simply keep listening and so he motioned for her to continue.
"...and half-waiting for my dress to fall apart because a mutant made it.”[/color]
"That would be fitting." He murmured.
Seeing the girls questioning look and realizing he'd been heard Zephyr shook his head briefly before elucidating. "Not in the way you might think. I was referring to your portrayal of Godiva, are you familiar with the story?" Seeing no immediate recognition in the brunettes eyes the hessian slowly shifted his gaze to the remnants of the party as he spoke.
"She was a lords wife whose beauty was said to be unmatched. One day she argued with her husband over his harsh treatment of their vassals and he put forth that unless she were willing to walk naked through the town nothing would change."
He paused in his narration a moment to glance at his companion and judge her reaction before continuing on. "As you might imagine she accepted the challenge and went into the town with nothing but her own dignity. However," he gestured to the remaining guests with one hand. "she was so revered that none dared look at her or even acknowledged her presence."
He turned his head back to Riley with an openly amused expression on his face. "The one poor soul who did look though was immediately struck blind. The parallels are unbelievably fitting wouldn't you say?" He smirked, just slightly. "Much like your dress."
Was he imagining it or was that just a hint of crimson on the girls cheeks? Before he could attempt to comment on it though the soubrette shifted the subject and proffered a question he'd been half anticipating. Namely, who was he?
"I was wondering when you'd ask. I came here from London a year or so younger than you were and spent a good deal of time doing various odd jobs before I somehow managed to get into university."
"As far as a name well... while it's tempting to watch you unravel it would hardly be fair. You can call me Oliver."
“What can I say? I’m an old-fashioned girl. You’ve got to get me down the chapel aisle if you want to see any fornications.[/color]
The hessian lips twitched upwards at that and he made no effort to hide his amusement as he shot the redhead a brief sideways glance. Notwithstanding a few stumbles the soubrette was proving just as adept at the verbal parrying as he’d expected and was clearly enjoying herself. Perhaps it was time to try and take the game somewhat further? A lot could be gained from what one did and didn’t say after all.
“This from the woman who surrounds herself with floating phallic instruments?”
The train signaled its next stop with yet another unpleasant screech of metal on metal as brakes were applied and the gamine took advantage of the abrupt shift in motion to essentially lean across him and stare down at his book. The move momentarily blocked the hessians vision of the pages but did treat him to a not unpleasant view of the girls lower back and somewhat low riding jeans which possibly showed slightly more than the redhead intended.
”Shen mei chi wo min de ting zhi ne?”[/color] 1
Frowning briefly as he tried to assemble some coherent meaning to the soubrettes mangled phrasing he quickly abandoned the effort when he took note of the ingénues tone and instead rolled his eyes as he lifted the book in his hand to lightly swat at her head.
“That was atrocious.” he said simply even as he lowered the book again. “You need to pay attention to accents above each group of syllables. Now…”
What followed was an impromptu and rather bemusing lesson on Chinese which lasted all of ten minutes before the redheads increasingly exaggerated pronunciation finally caused the elemental to abandon his efforts to have the girl embarrass and insult herself in a foreign language. By that time however they’d already left the train and made their way to the chapel just as the hessian placed the phrase book back in his jacket pocket.
---
1 I appreciate bare thunder toads
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 emotions which flared across Ghosts face could have been seen from across the room and to judge by the ambient snickering, the kitchens odd audience had apparently found some amusement in the Sylphs lack of composure, which of course only served to exacerbate the waifs mood leaving her in something of a strop as she stormed from the room.
The current vindictive streak in Zephyr's mind was more than glad to see the girl go. What right did she have to judge his actions? It was his life and his actions affected no one but himself yet she either couldn't grasp that fact or refused to accept it. He'd always known she was somewhat naive for her age but to be that damn blind? It didn't make sense.
Then again perhaps that was the root of the problem. Ghost only seemed interested in pointing out what she felt were his flaws and had stormed off the moment he'd disagreed with her and brought up the consequences of her own ill thought actions. The girl needed to spend a serious amount of time in front of a mirror before she accused anyone else of trying to pass blame.
"Don't blame Ghost."[/color]
Twisting his head to stare down at Katrina as she mumbled her way through another apology Zephyr remained silent. Although he'd managed to reign in his temper the elementals anger had by no means abated. His brush with death and subsequent kidnapping had robbed him of any sense of control and if there was one thing he hated it was being made to feel helpless. Being reminded of the young illusionists role in events was doing little to ameliorate his disposition.
It was tempting, oh so tempting to accept Katrina's offer and begin venting his anger again, however two things made him pause. One was the fact that the gamine was clearly struggling with her current ministrations and her thoughts were not entirely on the present; berating her would be like arguing with a brick wall. Secondly, the minor but frequent slips in her focus was enough for Zephyr to realize that he'd be in little position to do anything if Katrina stopped her efforts.
His indecision lasted long enough that Katrina was able to lean over and wrap her arms around him. At another time he would have greatly appreciated the gesture and easily returned it, now though he remained stock still, his arms by his side until he finally came to a decision, broking the girls embrace with a controlled movement and holding her just short of arms length as he spoke in a barely restrained tone.
"Don't get me started Katrina, just-"
A movement in the air caused the elemental to halt in mid sentence as his head snapped round to stare at the hand that had been about to land on his shoulder before flicking his gaze up to the face of a middle aged woman carrying an armful of clothes. "Can I help you?"
Seemingly unperturbed by the hessians biting tone the woman gave him a simple smile as she let her hand come to rest on shoulder. "My name Maggie dear and I think you'd best come with me."[/color] She nodded to a hallway off the kitchen before continuing to speak in an amiable tone that was less than genuine. "We'll see if we can find you something more decent to wear."
Glancing back to Katrina just once it took little for Zephyr to decide that it would likely be best for him to be elsewhere for a time. After telling the young gamine to stay where she was the elemental rose and braced himself for the absences of the petite illusionists efforts as he followed Maggie out of the kitchen.
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."
Keeping Riley in the center of his vision Zephyr had to restrain the urge to sigh as he watched the girls reactions. The initial amusement which danced across the soubrettes features easily put her earlier polite mask to shame, sadly though it lasted all too briefly as she'd quickly raised her guard again when he'd tried to gauge his luck. A warning perhaps, but her response hadn't been anything which could be construed as a rejection. If anything it was reflection of his own question, a positive comment which hinted but promised nothing. Still though, subtlety was likely the safest course of action.
"Indeed? That almost sounds like a challenge, which I suppose is rather fitting for a gracious Godiva like yourself. Still, it would be rude of me to do all the talking and I'm certain you're far more than a pretty face, tell me a little about yourself. I can't imagine someone with your talents doesn't have a story worth telling."
His tone was warm yet urbane as he spoke, affecting a comfortable casual air which was a mark of any good listener. If his British brogue also happened to become slightly more noticeable well, he doubted the gamine would complain.
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."
Remote? They'd actually been intending to watch tv? That couldn't be right, he couldn't stand America television; far too many commercials and far too little worth watching, especially at this hour. And, not to put too fine a point on it, the living room resembled a tip more than it did its namesake. A cursory exploration down the side of his seat revealed a handful of leaflets and a wadded ball of coupons.
In short the room did not lend itself to guests.
This apparently meant little to Ms. Gage however; the brunette quickly seemed to realize the futility of searching for one item amongst the clutter and had gone where few Americans had dared to tread by going to operate the television directly. Static burst across the screen for a moment before footage from some poor and clearly B rated movie burst into life. Were they actually going to watch this garbage?
Come to that what time was it? Indulging a pretty woman was all well and good but he had a deadline to meet tomorrow. A swift glance at his watch caused him blink before double checking, and then triple checking by verifying the time on his phone. That couldn't be right.
How the hell had it got to 2:34am?
Rising from his seat on one fluid motion the hessian made a brief show of checking his watch again as he tried to subtly clear a path in the litter for his feet. Despite his brief misgivings a moment ago he didn't want to offend the gamine with his exit, she was harmless really, clueless too, but mostly harmless.
"I'm sorry I'm afraid I have to go; it's later than I thought it was. Thank you for having me."
Without another word the elemental picked his way across the living room and then out the apartment door. The cool night air caused him to pause briefly as he stepped outside, a whisper of deja vu dancing at the edge of his recollection before it faded away and he shook his before making his way down the street with one question on his mind.
What the hell had he been doing?
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."
His less than subtle manipulation of English hadn’t evoked quite the response he had been hoping for but had been roughly what he’d expected. For although Ms. Ralls seemed content to play the role of a naive and coquettish gamine she’d still spent a fair amount of time in New York; crude language wouldn’t cause her to bat an eye. It hadn’t hurt to try though.
“Where better?” He asked with an idly amused tone as he treated the soubrette to a raised eyebrow whilst she once again nestled her head against his arm. She really was having entirely too much fun with her little act. Still though, the hessian saw nothing wrong per se with having an appealing young woman hanging off him and he could always get free easily enough if he had to.
“So you’ve a studied knowledge of solicitation. A lady could get the wrong impression, Sir.”[/color]
He didn’t bother correcting her, the misunderstanding was far more amusing and in any case the explanation would have cost him the perfect, albeit clichéd, opening she’d given him. “Ah well, should I ever meet one I shall be certain to conduct myself with more care.”
The conversation reached something of a lull at that point and though the redhead straightened somewhat she made no move to release the elementals arm. For his part Zephyr was quite content to enjoy the momentary lapse his cheap shot had given him and took the time to once again peruse the foreign characters in his book.
Eventually though Maxine managed to rally her thoughts as the train ground to its usual halt and passengers flowed in and out. Surprisingly the redhead seemed quite eager to visit the chapel and the hessian had to pause to suppress the slight smirk which tugged at his lips before he gave his nonchalant reply without lifting his gaze from his reading.
“Indeed? Do you normally include chapels and fornication on a first date?”
Zephyr was generally a rather reticent individual, a trait largely attributable to being raised in a strict environment. As he'd matured though he'd come to appreciate his taciturn nature and the nigh perdurable control it granted him over his composure. It was almost a point of pride for the elemental that he rarely lost his temper and was usually aware enough to take his leave whenever he happened to come close.
That being said however recent events had tested his limits far beyond anything he'd previously experienced, and although Katrina's ministrations allowed him to at least dissemble an air of normality he was still quite shaken. The reality of how close he'd come to death was still sinking in and it was proving a bitter pill to swallow.
Then, on top of it all, Ghost's revelations had proceeded to make an already poor situation all the worse and thus made herself a target for the hessians yet barely constrained anger. Once he'd started on the waif though he'd quickly lost his pretense of calm; there had been a vindictive sort of satisfaction to watching the waif cringe under words, an odd sense of vindication which crushed any murmurs of guilt he might otherwise have had.
Then the pain returned and the next few moments were a blur as he struggled to cope with the thunderous hammering in his skull, oblivious to everything else.
Just as quickly as it arrived though the sensations subsided and the elemental found himself breathing heavily with his head cradled between his hands and eyes clenched shut. He could hear Ghost talking, and from the sounds of it he'd missed a good deal of what she'd said yet the sylphs acrimonious tone was more than enough for the hessian to grasp the crux of her response and it only fanned his anger. He hardly even noticed Katrina's mumbled apology.
"My mistakes? From where I'm sitting my only mistake was ever letting you into my home! None of this would have-"
He broke off sharply as he felt Katrina hesitantly wrap her petite hand around his own. causing his irate gaze to break away from Ghost and settle on the illusionist for a split second, almost daring her to say anything. The young gamine wasn't even looking at him though, but was instead staring resolutely at the nearest wall with her shoulders hunch and her head duck as she gently squeezed his hand.
A silent moment passed during which Zephyr remained visibly tense as his hands tightened into fists and he struggled to regain his temper. Eventually however he released a deep sigh and his posture relaxed as he turned back to the snow haired sylph and spoke in a far lower tone.
“I nearly died today Ghost, nothing you can say changes that. I nearly died because you wanted to play a bloody game, and you have the gall to say it's my fault? I may have my flaws Ghost but at least they don’t threaten anyone else.”
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."
Well, it seemed he'd managed to arouse the brunettes interest, that was both good, and bad. The former because it meant she was less likely to wander off without her curiosity being sated, and the latter because the gamine would now be looking, and likely pressing, for at least a few details about himself. A subject which could be somewhat nettlesome to one in the hessians rather dissolute profession.
Still, he'd handled it before, it was simply a matter of deciding which approach he wanted to take. He couldn't afford to be too callous, yet he still needed to hold her attention.
”Most of the people here only want to talk about themselves, and how wonderful they are.”[/color]
He returned her smile. "If that's the case I'd be quite interested to hear what you have to say. I'd wager you're far more interesting than anyone here."
Her rather pointed reply caused the elemental to chuckle briefly before pushing off the rail and resting his back against it. He then glanced at Riley and paused only a moment before replying with a faint trace of mirth. "What can I say? I'm a good listener and I try to tell the truth when I can."
It was easier, and in any case remembering lies was far too much effort.
"In any case, I'm fairly sure it doesn't count as flattery when it's true. ...out of curiosity though, precisely how far could such truthful statements get me?"
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."
Releasing the bridge of his nose Zephyr lowered his hand and returned his gaze to the recalcitrant brunette before him. He was generally a rather reticent individual, yet the soubrettes words had come perilously close to breaking his composure. As it was though the elemental was able to project a calm, if somewhat icy demeanor, while the girl before him stumbled through her words, clearly uncomfortable.
The hessian cared little for the gamines unease though, he was however rather annoyed that she seemed to be deliberately avoiding his questions. Granted the ingénue likely felt that talking about the ephemeral nature of power would be more comforting but in doing so she was blatantly trying to glaze over the fact that she'd likely wiped the elementals memories without his permission.
Still, he let her talk. She wasn't going anywhere after all and though the hessian did have rough plans for the coming morning he was quite capable of changing his schedule. Sooner or later Ms. Gage would tell him what he wanted to know, she simply didn't have the patience to outlast him
The thought that she'd simply wipe him again hadn't even merited consideration in his thoughts. After all it clearly hadn't worked properly the first time and if she'd had any intention of doing it again why would she wait until now?
As it turned out, the assumption cost him.
A puzzled expression settled across Zephyr features as he blinked and then shook his head slightly at finding himself at an abrupt loss, losing his grasp on the air at the same time. What had he been doing? He raised his eyes back to Noel and found himself fighting the urge to scowl for some reason. They'd been talking about something hadn't they? He felt as though it had been important but his memory was proving utterly silent.
In the absence of actual facts then the elementals mind rapidly attempted to construct something which made sense. He was sitting across from Noel in her rather cluttered apartment. The brunette herself was lying on the couch dressed in somewhat unflattering sleeping clothes while he was still dressed in his usual attire. His wristwatch indicated that it was sometime past midnight.
Had they?- No. Although he wasn't certain of much at the moment the elemental was confident he'd recall any amorous activities. If for no other reason than the still unexplained animosity he felt towards the soubrette, strangely though the more he tried to focus on the emotion the quicker it seemed to fade.
With nothing else apparently forthcoming Zephyr forced himself adopt a neutral tone as he sought answers from the only other person in the room.
"...what were we doing?"
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."
Still leaning against the balustrade Zephyr kept his azure eyes remained fixed on his present companion. His overall posture was casual yet amiable as his mind drifted back and forth between the soubrettes words and the still novel sensation of solace the girls aura granted him. It really was quite pleasant to form thoughts without a perpetual migraine. He hadn't noticed until now just to what degree the constant ache had plagued his mind.
”Not at all Mr. Smith. In fact, this is by far the most interesting conversation I’ve had all night. There’s no way I’d leave.”[/color]
That was an invitation to talk about himself if ever Zephyr had heard one, however the elemental hadn't amassed a small yet comfortable fortune by sharing his life story with every pretty face that passed by. Still, that was no excuse to be unsociable, he could afford to indulge the gamine to an extent. If anything keeping her entertained would only benefit him.
"Indeed? I suppose I should count myself fortunate then, though I find it hard to believe. A gathering of the city's odd and eccentric and you find me the most fascinating? Surely your work can't be that dull?"
It wasn't a complete shot in the dark. The ingénues dress was clearly one of Mancini's creations and given that the man's work didn't officially début until tomorrow it meant that the girl was most likely a model invited to showcase her unique attire to a more select group. She certainly had the looks for it, yet it rarely hurt to double check.
"You are a model aren't you? I hope you don't mind my noticing but you do rather look the part in that dress."
Compliments also rarely hurt.
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."
Ghost, rather fittingly, was an open book. Guilt and regret were splashed across her features like oil over a lake; The hunched shoulders, bowed head gently wringing hands and partially averted eyes made, in all honesty, a rather pitiful image which at any other time likely would have gone a long ways towards soother Zephyr's rather volatile foul mood. Any chance of that however was swept away the moment the snow haired sylph began to speak.
"Zephyr, I'm sorry. When I told Katrina to take you home I... sort of gave her the wrong address."[/color]
A rather poor start to an apology truth be told. The waif was the reason he'd had to be taken home in the first place. Apparently though she didn't feel there was anything wrong with her earlier actions, only the fact that she'd failed in trying to ameliorate events. Which, in short, meant she was both ingenuous and incompetent.
He decided to let her dig a bigger hole.
"Is that so?" His tone was low and dead though his eyes were anything but as he leveled a barely restrained glare at his counterpart.
"We're in England. I tried to call your folks to let them know you were here, but I guess your passport information is outdated?"[/color]
Utter silence was the only response to this statement as the hessians processed the unpleasant revelation.
Zephyr did not get on well with his family. No, that wasn't entirely true, he'd cared and doted on his step sister when he'd been able to see her and he imagined he might have been at least courteous to his mother had she lived. His father however was another the issue entirely. One which the elemental had previously held no intention of revisiting unless it involved a tombstone and a small plot of land.
Hearing that Ghost had tried to arrange an abrupt family reunion did little for his already poor mood to put it lightly. With that being said he managed to maintain at least an outward appearance of calm as the sylph stuttered off to another awkward silence. He even managed another sip of water when the aspirin was finally located and handed to him.
"Also, you have permanent marker on your face." [/color]
A brief glimpse into his cup quickly confirmed this and the hessians icy demeanor finally began to emerge. Giving everyone else in the room a cursory glance a small part of him abruptly decided to afford the waif some minute degree of privacy as he closed his eyes and raised a hand to the bridge of his nose to partially mask the movement of his mouth before deftly constructing a silenced stream of air between the two and began speaking.
"Let me see if I understand this. You broke into my home, stole my gun and passport then goaded me into a chase around the city when I was less than sober at which point I collided with a jet. Do I have that right so far?"
Not even giving the gamine a chance to respond he continued.
"Then, after I somehow managed to cheat death, you decided it would be better to drag me across an ocean rather than take me to the nearest hospital or healer."
Opening his eyes and outright glaring at the sylph he finished. "What the **** is wrong with you?"
Riley's amusement at his current discomfort, while an apt example of schadenfreude, was not entirely appreciated. Still, it was at least an honest laugh rather than one of malevolence or condescension which the hessian had been half expecting. The city's residents were not well known for their courteous behaviour towards others after all, yet the girl seemed to be intent on making herself an exception, even offering to step back in order to allow the elemental a chance to regain his senses.
"Thank you, but no." He replied in a wry cadence as he habitually raised a hand to the bridge of his nose to ward off what was certain to be a lancing migraine. "I'm not certain the reverse would be any more pleasant. I'm... adjusting, it's simply-"
He paused, his azure gaze turning back to the cityscape as a thoughtful frown briefly overtook his features before it was swept aside by a mild expression of astoundment as he blinked and then cautiously lifted his hand to his forehead.
The pain, the incessant dolorific pounding in his skull, had vanished. It hadn't been suppressed or alleviated to the bearable extent his medication generally afforded him. No, this was different, he couldn't detect even the slightest ache which usually accompanied his thoughts. It was gone, completely and utterly gone.
He hadn't expected this in the least.
He couldn't quite find the words to describe it. The closest he could come was 'light headed' but even that was misleading. He was still capable of thinking quite clearly, it was simply that his thoughts were no longer accompanied by the previously ever present shades of pain.
Giving his head a short shake to dismiss the tangential train of thought Zephyr lowered his hand back to the railing. He'd wanted to test the negation effect of an adapted yes, but that didn't require him to act like a dazed schoolboy. This wasn't a private setting; there were still potential clients in attendance and so he needed to maintain the affectation he'd adopted for the evening.
Turning his head back to Riley the elemental was again the image of a discrete gentleman as he offered the girl a small smile. "I apologize, there was somewhat more to this than I expected. Could I trouble you to spend a little more time with me while I gain my bearings?"
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."
It was interesting, almost amusing, to watch the brief and subtle play of emotion which swept across the gamines features. The slight hesitation infecting previously confident steps, a charming smile diminishing to a superficial grin and a guarded, almost frightened light flickering into light behind sapphire eyes. All minor tells, nothing anyone would be able to discern at a casual glance, but for someone who was looking and half expecting them, the signs were clear as day; the girl knew full well what she was… and was nervous about it.
Then, just as quickly as it had surfaced the, the soubrette’s anxiety vanished as the charming mask rose back into place. And it was a mask; he’d not been able to tell initially but after the ingénues slight slip it was easier to spot. Truthfully, he wasn’t surprised. Eccentric social gatherings like this rarely rewarded honest behavior, there was always a measure of cozener, he himself was proof of that. The gamine was simply playing the networking game, albeit with a slightly different approach.
A short moment passed, during which the ingénue seemed to study just as he had her. Having only adopted the most basic of affable affectation he idly wondered what she saw. Whatever it was apparently satisfied her to some degree, making her comfortable enough to offer both her assent and a name.
“Riley…” He pronounced the name carefully. It was unusual, far more so than ‘Smith’. It seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. He offered the gamine a gentle nod before continuing. “A pleasant name, it suits you. You needn’t worry about discretion though, I asked you here with that in mind. Still I’ll do my best to be subtle.”
The he entered her aura.
The effect was instantaneous; a mixture of vertigo, fatigue and, oddly, relief arced through him as his mutation simply shut down for the first time in his life. It was beyond disconcerting, the absence of his spatial awareness felt as though he’d been abruptly submerged as his perception reverted to mere human levels. His sense of balance veered sharply and had he not held the foresight to grip the balustrade he likely would have fallen.
As it was though his only visible reaction was to clench the railing tightly and lean his weight against it for the few moments it took for the world to cease spinning and resolve itself.
“That, was unpleasant.”
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."
While the human mind is an incredible thing it does have limits; attempting to track over 100 independent and unpredictable variables is one of them. Human consciousness simply cannot operate quickly enough to process so many factors in a real time setting. Granted a good number of said factors were confined to beds and thus excluded from the equation but there were far more individuals wandering the mass of hallways and corridors. Accounting for all of them moment by moment would have been impossible.
Zephyr didn’t even try. The elemental knew full well how futile such a task would be. Past experience had taught him that, while his spatial awareness was a most versatile ability, it had an affect akin to overclocking his mind. He could only devote so much attention to his ethereal perception for so long before the usual humming pain which came from his powers became overly inhibiting. Admittedly he could offset and suppress the migraines to a degree but it never achieved complete solace.
This was why the elemental limited his unique ‘view’ of the hospital to his companion’s floor and a handful of levels above and below her. The brief but bloody confrontation between Duskmoor and the Mafia agents had played across his mind’s eye as though it were some twisted shadow puppet performance in three dimensions, complete with audio courtesy of the soubrette’s negligence with her phone.
There had been a handful of bullets tearing through the air were highlighted in his awareness like lingering lightning, each one largely failing to find their mark before the bonemancers shapely silhouette had fallen upon the weapons owners and rent their forms with simple, if exaggerated, movements. Dotsenko himself fell just as quickly though the man managed a somewhat more precise shot before he died which hit the voluptuous gamine at all but point blank range and left her with a worrying posture for a few short seconds.
Eventually though the ingénue straightened and it became evident her condition was copacetic for the moment. The girls typical brash Boston brogue echoed in his ear again soon after as she again asked for instructions. A cursory scan of her floor revealed that a good number of individuals had taken the screaming accompanying Isabel’s actions as an excuse to vacate the area or barricade themselves in a room. As always though there a small number of curiously suicidal individuals who’d chosen to approach the source of the dying screams and were gradually closing in on the soubrettes room.
The girl needed an exit, however the front doors were almost certainly not an option; the distinctive blare of the NYPD’s sirens were annoyingly shrill at this point and only getting louder as they closed in on the hospital. If the gamine was going to avoid another killing spree she needed an alternative exit, preferably one that also wouldn’t put her in the path of the aforementioned curiously suicidal inviduals.
Fortuitously, Zephyr just so happened to have such an exit in mind.
“That will depend on how quickly you can move.” He told her in an even tone as he briefly extended the range of his awareness. “For now, I'd advise locking or barricading the door to the room; a few curious idiots are going to try and get in and they’re not worth dealing with. You can use the window behind you to leave. If you make your way to the back face of the building you’ll be less obvious and from there you can either make use of other rooftops or the back streets.”
Taking a slow, quiet breath, the elemental raised a hand to bridge of his nose and rested his head against the door behind him. It had only been a few short minutes and already his skull had acquired a noticeable pulsing agony. He'd need to stop soon. Preferably before the NYPD made their imminent appearance.
"Will that suffice?"
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."
“Dio, Dio. For a man who lets himself get tied up, I really expected more… flexibility.”
Well well, if that particular grin were any indication then the girl seemed quite eager for a prurient verbal spar. While no stranger himself to the subtle libertine elements of language, it had been sometime since he had found someone willing, capable and agreeable enough to engage in such a game. Given that the redheads occupation was, in some ways, a constant study of the English language, it would be fair to say that she had the potential to be a most interesting partner.
The difficulty in games such as these lay in trying to avoid making ones response overly crass. It had be innocuous at first, and ideally even second glance so that only those who wanted or expected an ulterior meaning would find anything. It wasn't always easy, and Zephyr would, privately, admit that there had been times when his performance had been less than stellar, but the challenge was simply part of the fun.
"Versatility is a virtue"he agreed easily . "However I've found that staying firm can also have its advantages, wouldn't you say?" The elementals features were still vaguely amused as he again raised an eyebrow at the soubrettes open smirk before then accepting her hand even as she once again snuggled against him.
Odd really, one would think the gamine was starved for affection.
“So where are we headed, Dio dear?”[/color]
"I thought someplace quiet might be beneficial, I believe there are one or two things we need to discuss." He paused for a moment as a new thought emerged and toyed with it briefly before adding "Although I suppose we could simply go for a stroll, I understand that St. Pauls Chapel has some impressive fornication which draws a fair crowd."
