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.
The Sanctuary was an institution that was many things to many to many different people. Having originally been donated by a church of dwindling membership for discount or ‘affordable’ housing it had initially been hailed as a prime example of the charitable efforts of the then local mayor for the unfortunate and destitute.
That had lasted for perhaps a year until it was discovered to be little more than an elaborate embezzlement scheme for the aforesaid mayor and the federal government obliged itself to step in and foreclose the property before then putting it up for auction, at which point it been quietly acquired by one Dorian King who had proceeded to renovate the premises with modern conveniences before renewing its lease on life as a government sponsored homeless shelter though it had been a tad more selective about who it accepted until it quickly became known that those who were truly ‘gifted’ were all but guaranteed a residence.
Of course gathering a large number of mutants in one place tended to have rather predictable effects, primarily property damage, akin to collecting lit matches and gasoline in warehouses across the city. That had been the start of the Order and even though the organization had fallen from recent memory Sanctuary itself still stood as a promised a home to all mutants practically free of charge.
Which was why, when he’d abruptly found himself homeless and facing an invitation to live with his sister and the manifestly awkward reunion that would entail, Simon had felt little to no hesitation in stepping through the iconic golden doors and acquiring his own free quarters with all costs covered by the generous American tax payer.
The fact that Isabel had been, to say the least, immensely displeased to learn that she was not only sharing a roof but also dealing with him on daily basis had not factored into his plans in the slightest.
It had merely been a happy bonus, not to mention an adroit lesson in unintended consequences for the all too blunt brunette, one that was proving rather cathartic all told.
Still, awkward family reunions could only be postponed so long and while Maya had been relieved to learn that he hadn’t been present when his building had been bombed she had eventually insisted on seeing him which was how he’d come to find himself waiting in the Sanctuary’s foyer, tablet in hand as he browsed through various property reviews.
To paraphrase a certain axiom, America might be a land of opportunity, but that by no means meant said land was cheap.
Sho wha' is y' deal wi' Ishabel? I mean, y've clearly known her a whille, th' way y' speak 'bout 'er. Ye' y' say jus' one night. So tha' means y' knew her b'fore”
Zephyr’s eyes narrowed at the question before deciding that Cafas intoxication had reached the point where his alcohol levels had drowned his social filter. “There’s little enough to tell.” Especially to an indiscreet drunkard. “She ran into me a few years ago asking for some change, I obliged and she decided to follow me and help with an odd job or two.” The precise nature of said work would not be specified, Duskmoors ample reputation should be sufficient to connect the dots. Still a little misdirection never hurt. ”I don’t think she’s ever forgiven me for the posters.” Not that he’d actually had anything to do with it, no they’d simply been a happy bonus.
The elemental trailed off at that point, giving a slight shrug at Johnsons skeptical expression, at least he assumed that was what the look indicated. It could have just been the man’s concussion coming to the fore.
Seeing that this further explanation seemed to have failed to shift the metalmancers expression one way or the other the hessian raised an eyebrow before continuing. “What? Were you expecting some sort of sordid romance? I’m afraid my life isn’t a soap opera and despite what the tabloids would have you believe neither is Isabel’s.
"I mean, y' fancy 'er. You wen' out 'f y'r way t' make sure she wasn' in trouble."
The slurred cliché was met by rolling eyes as a small sigh escaped the elementals lips. He’d have to ask Maya if Johnson moonlighted as a washerwoman in his spare time, he was certainly nosy enough. “She gets up to enough trouble when she’s sober, I was hardly going to leave her to own devices when drunk.” That was how massacres tended to start. “And while I won’t deny she’s beautiful a relationship needs more than that.” A lack of homicidal urges for one thing. Still Cafas, and by extension Maya, likely wouldn't leave the subject alone until he threw them a bone. “And in any case, neither of us are looking to make that sort of commitment.”
In most cities a bombed and burning building would drag in gawkers and witless spectators for hours as smoke spiraled into the sky like a flare. In NYC however it was just another Tuesday and as the minutes passed by with no further excitement the flash mob that had originally gathered steadily began to dissipate as their interest waned.
For his part, Simon would have quite liked to join the exodus; even with the heavy smoke he could pick apart a picture of what little was left of his apartment and suffice to say he’d be making full use of his insurance policy. He needed to find somewhere to stay for the night, and on the off chance the bombing had been done by someone competent, that meant he’d have to stay somewhere he’d rarely or never visited.
Losing one safe house was an inconvenience, two would be an expensive irritation.
"Well, giv'n' wha' I'vve heard abou' th' comp'ny you keep, th' guy tha' did it meshed up."
The slight suggestive tone underlying the convicts statement did not go unnoticed and the elemental found himself raising a hand to the bridge of his nose more to mask his annoyance than anything else. So much for small mercies, it seemed Maya had mentioned Isabel by name and that the two of them were both wonderfully naïve about the bone wielders true nature.
Maya he could understand, his sister always saw the best in people even when she shouldn’t, but Johnson? No, not worth the time, he’d just chalk it up to the fact that he’d gotten Duskmoor to behave long enough that people could believe she’d act like a decent human being.
He needed to find some sort of silver lining in this.
Folding his arms as he continued to lean against ambulance Simon met Johnsons gaze with a raised eyebrow. “We don’t have that kind of relationship.” Leaving the drunk Australian with the idea that he was romantically involved with a mass murder was a poor idea on many levels.
“We only shared one night. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if she giggled herself silly over this.” He indicated towards the still burning apartment complex. “Assuming she didn’t have a hand in it somehow, she tends to be rather direct like that.” The hessian could count on one hand the number of individuals who knew where he lived and of them Duskmoor was the latest. Add in that the compulsion prevented her from killing him but was silent on his property and it painted a picture that provided means, motive and opportunity.
Had she targeted anyone else he might have actually been pleased with her. For all that the bombing was attracting news coverage it didn’t include her face which meant that some element of planning had been involved. He was getting ahead of himself however; he couldn’t yet be certain Isabel was behind this and the police hadn’t even started the investigation, it would likely be weeks before they reached any kind of conclusion and it would be at least an hour or two before he had the privacy necessary to ask her himself.
For now though he’d done his good deed for the day in warning Johnson about Duskmoors actual behavior, hopefully if the pink ponce ever met her he wouldn’t try to strike up a conversation based on a nonexistent friendship, or worse make suggestions about her utterly dysfunctional relationships.
Was he being uncharitable? Quite possibly, then again as a newly minted member of the homeless he’d dared say he was entitled to express a fair amount of ill will.
"S'pose y'll need a plashe t' stay f'r a while. I c'ld set u' the gues' room. Prob'ly not wha' y'r used to, but 's there. Plus Maya's ov'r 'll th' time."
Simons other eyebrow rose to join the first as Cafas pitched his garbled offer before he gently shook his head as he declined. “The offer is appreciated but I’m far from destitute, I’ll be fine. Besides I don’t want to force Maya to see me before she wants to.” That and he doubted he’d have the patience necessary to handle a hung over halfwit.
Hmm, being homeless was proving to be surprisingly cathartic.
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."
"Noth'n' t' do with you sleepin' with her frien'?"
Glancing at Cafas from the corner of his vision Simon took a slow, deliberate breath as he tried to process the implications of the drunks slurred statement, before replying without quite masking the note of annoyance in his voice. "I don't see how she can complain about that when she set the entire thing up."
All told he couldn't honestly act surprised, they'd all been less than subtle that night, he actually considered it a minor miracle that the tabloids apparently heard anything because he'd yet to see some tasteless rag proclaiming Duskmoors involvement in a debauched menage trois, which was precisely the sort of thing they'd publish on the faintest whisper of rumour.
Journalists shared a surprising commonality with lemmings in that regard. Ralls was a perfect example.
No, he couldn't say he was surprised but he could admit to disappointment; Maya wasn't really one to gossip but he supposed it inevitable that she would have to tell her beau something about where she'd been. Still it seemed there was a chance she hadn't mentioned Isabel by name which was a small mercy in and of itself.
"Ah, wha'ev'r, sorry, tha' was petty."
'Yes, it was.' Tempting as it was to share the thought the elemental held his peace. Antagonizing the other man further wouldn't gain him anything and he had more than enough experience dealing with childish outbursts to be able to ignore them.
"Yeah, I'll talk t' her 'bout it if y'think it'll help."
"Thank you." Two simple words but they could have a profound effect, especially on those who already felt guilty or remorseful. Case in point, Johnson subsequent apology and excu- explanation sounded unusually sincere for an alcoholic. Who knew? The man might even follow through on his promise, stranger things had happened after all.
The following few minutes were replaced with blessed silence, which the hessian took advantage off to twist the air and eavesdrop on the officers and fire crews across the street. The NYPD, unsurprisingly, knew little about the explosion at this stage aside from the fact that it had happened. The fire department however had already ventured up to the blast site and confirmed what he already knew.
"Sho, who's place go' hit?"
"That would be mine." Congratulations, you tried to assault a homeless man.
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."
Resisting the urge to sigh as he watched Cafas heave his wasted liquid lunch onto the pavement Simon once more found himself questioning what in the world Maya possibly saw in the fuchsia haired fop. He knew for a fact it wasn’t the celebrity status; she hated being the center of attention nearly as much he did nor was it the money, though that likely didn’t hurt given the… unfortunate baggage of her first marriage.
Women, truly alien creatures.
Still, putting aside one of the mysterious of the universe for now, an equally intriguing question surrounding the hunched over drunk was just how many standards had to be lowered before the man eventually managed to stagger into the ranks of not only the ‘vaunted’ Xmen but also the NYPD.
They couldn’t still be that desperate for recruits surely? Isabel hadn’t gone on a proper rampage for almost a year now.
Such thoughts however had to be put aside once Cafas finished emptying his stomach and slumped down against the side of ambulance with the same sullen motion as a magnet down a fence, complete with groaning metal.
"Don't S'pose there'sss somethin' you think I c'ld do?
Letting out a resigned sigh the elemental brought a hand to the bridge of his nose Making use of the fact that Cafas was carefully examining the intricacies of his shoe laces Simons gaze lifted briefly skywards in the silent yet universal gesture of one asking what quirk of karma had caused their present predicament. In all honesty the elemental wasn’t even sure why the other man was asking; the odds of him recalling anything if after he sobered up were about on par with the odds of a reclaiming a wallet left in the company of his crooked countrymen.
Then again, on the off chance the pink poof actually had a pair of brain cells to bash together it wouldn’t hurt to have someone else pestering Maya. The hessian hadn’t seen his sister since she’d woken up to the aftermath of her drunken escapades with Isabel and she’d resolutely been avoiding him since. While he’d initially been more than content to give her some space and let the incident fade from her memory it was getting to the point where she was starting to risk her health if they didn’t resume their previous sessions.
“I’m going to be honest here Johnson, there is little you can contribute directly; you just don’t have the right skills or talents.” It really should have been more satisfying to watch the ape cringe, then again puppy kicking had never been a past time of his. “That said, she enjoys spending time with you for some reason and making someone happy is rarely a bad thing.”
Pointless platitudes so easily to deliver and they had the benefit of being both praise and scorn with the right mindsight. Still he did need to get some use out of the man. “…if you truly want to help though convince Maya to start to see me again. She’s been avoiding me lately and I can’t help her if she won’t accept help.”
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."
In a city such as New York, one of the few things the local bureaucracy handled with any measure of competence was it’s emergency services. Simons personal theory for this inexplicable demonstration of proficiency was that the politicians had quickly realized that, failing to provide law or order they at least needed to keep their voting base alive long enough for re-election.
Which was why the hessian was not at all surprised to find a a number of the cities distinctive ambulances clustered less than a block from his former apartment building. Someone had clearly been expecting bodies but as none had yet to materialize the handful of EMTs milling around had little to occupy themselves with and so had been quite willing to see to Cafas's 'carelessnes'.
All told it took the men in white less than five minutes to clean and then bandage the drunkard head at which point a quiet word had them vacate the back of the area for some much needed privacy.
Leaning against the inside of the ambulance the elemental stared at the floor with a frown as the paramedics left trying to decide how much to say. It was clear from Johnsons accusations that Maya either didn't trust him with the full story yet or she'd simply been too dodging the issue; both were quite and thus rather limited what he could say.
"I'm not certain what my sister has told you Johnson but it clearly hasn't been everything so I'll try to start at the beginning. Her 'condition' is a direct result of her mutation; I trust you've seen her as her namesake before?"
After receiving a brief confirmation the hessian continued. "While she might make it seem as simple as breathing she's losing parts of herself everytime she does it. Like pinching grains of sand from a sandbox, so small as to be unnoticable, but over the years it all starts to add up."
"Maya is well aware of this and while she has tried to cut down on her changes its difficult to stop such a habit, especially when it can happen in your sleep. I think she had almost resigned herself to fading away until she had Rowan."
Pausing, Simons gaze lifted from the floor to Cafas, making sure to catch the other mans eyes before he went on.
"That's when she came to me for help."
"My control has always been better than hers, even if its taken me longer to learn. Its close to impossible for me to restore what she's already lost but I can hold her together, prevent her from losing any more of herself."
At this point the elementals tone grew darker as he finally began to air some of his anger and his hands tightened into fists behind his folded arms. "For almost four years now I've been working against her own nature to keep her one piece, I use to see her every week just to make sure she could continue to hold her own son, so when you imply that I've not done anything to help her try to understand that you don't have a bloody clue."
There are those who might have been intimidated by the site of a 6'4" walking boulder towering over them, veins and muscles bulging with barely contained rage and a twisted snarl stretched across their features.
Such fear would generally be considered entirely normal and reflect that the individual in question actually possessed the increasingly rare trait of not only common sense but survival instincts in excess of the standard lemming for having considered the odds of a confrontation with roughly 250lb of muscle and finding them to be less than favourable.
On the other hand, when you could not only turn intangible but also walk off a mid air collision with a jet, well... suffice to say it took little effort for Simon to appear less than impressed,
"Yesh. We do. Now. Sho how 'bout you luge the attitude."
-which changed to a momentary expression of confusion at the odd vernacular before becoming impassive once more as he let loose a sigh of irritation as he bore witness to the butchering of the english language; it was bad enough that he had to deal with Americans on a daily basis but now he had to filter the crooked colloquialisms and drunken slurs of an aussie as well.
He didn't have time for this, if the pink poof wanted a silent target for verbal abuse he could find a wall, lord knows talking to something on his level might actually teach the fool something.
"We need to talk right now, becaush she's dying and you're not! You're jusht standin' here bemoaning shtuff while she's fading away."
That's what this was about? Of all the asinine, ill informed-
It was the sudden flash which got Simon's attention, a single arm raised over the crowd with phone in hand as some impetuous soul tried to get a photo of the senseless celebrity, but like a breaking damn it was swiftly joined by others as they realised there was something worth taking a photo of, and where there were photos videos wasn't far behind.
"Sho you'll have to excuse me shaying so, but-"
Blessed silence, most people merely wished they could shut up those around them but for an air elemental it was a perk that rarely got old. Even better, judging by his own admittedly amateuer lip reading skills, he'd later be able to claim he was imply trying to protect Cafas' reputation and by extension that of the X-men rather than simply silencing the other man out of irritation or trying to avoid having attention drawn to himself.
Granted it was likely a futile effort at this point, but given his gifts were largely invisible, it could hardly hurt.
Still silenced or not, it didn't change the fact that Cafas had turned the surrounding crowd into an audience, one which had no business listening to private personal matters.
That being said, stopping the proverbial bull in the china shop is always easier said than done, even more so with witnesses. Add in the fact that it was likely more accurate the fool had blood in his alcohol system than vice versa and you didn’t have a bull so much as you did a landslide. Then again why stop what you could simply redirect?
Tripping someone is not a difficult task, most people barely raise their feet enough to clear a flat surface which is why you tend to see more spills on cobblestones. Cafas, while a fighter was rather far from his best at the moment and so it took little to no effort on the Hessians part to create a subtle wall of air in front of his back foot which promptly caused the plastered pillock to do a wonderful impression of a tree with an acute case of lumberjacks.
Kneeling down out of arm's reach from the fallen mountain of a man Simon shifted his features into an expression of faux concern that proved to be rather at odds with his tone. “That’s not how this works Johnson, you don’t get to vilify me and then demand answers. Nor do you have any right to violate my sister's privacy by shouting her problems in the street.”
Pulling a handkerchief from his coat pocket Simon offered it to the prone Xman, continuing the show of concern even as his words barely paused. “Now as it happens I know that Maya actually cares for you so I will give you an answer, but not here. She’s had enough of her personnel issues aired today, so follow me and we’ll get that gash in your head seen to while I talk.”
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."
Insurance companies are one of the few business models, excluding the government, that can honestly challenge law firms when it comes to practicing legal theft and come out on top. After all in a traffic accident a lawyer will generally only get to bill their services to one party, an insurance company on the other hand won't only seek indemnification from the other party (normally their insurer), they'll also go after the car manufacturers, the mechanics who worked on both cars, the company who didn't quite build the traffic lights to spec and even the contractor who paved the road if they can find some tangential link to the accident.
The main reason this isn't more well known, and one of the key differences between the two is that the insurance companies have figured out it literally generally pay to go after the common man who is generally struggling to make ends meet. Instead they target organizations where the only ones who notice the additional expense are at the management level and thus painted as greedy, penny pinching scrooges, the moment they attempt to complain.
It really was an astute business model.
And on the odd occasion where the blame and restitution couldn't somehow be set on a multitude of different parties well, there was always reinsurance; the first port of call for most when it came to acts of god, terrorism, or in this case, general mutant shenanigans.
While such coverage was not the norm in most insurance contracts, in NYC, the self-proclaimed mutant capital of the world, it was generally considered economic, if not very literal, suicide to not hedge the risk that you might somehow be at least peripherally affected by the various X gene related fiasco's that plagued the city on an almost daily basis. Granted the severity of such episodes had decreased compared to the past few years given the marked absence of a certain emerald ribbon wearing...
Hmm, now that was a thought-
'Sir, are you still with me?'
Realizing he'd lapsed into silence the elemental switched his attention back to the matters at hand. "Yes, I'm here. As I was saying I'm not certain as to the cause but it seems to be mutant related and in short I am down one apartment."
Turning his back on the pink haired and blue clad irritants respectively and taking a few short steps away under the guise of attempting to gain some semblance of privacy the hessian carried on his conversation as he placed himself barely outside the diminutive officers 'perimeter' just as her fellow squad mates began to congregate to see what the hold up was.
'I'm sorry to hear that sir, give me just a few moments and I'll see what we can do for you.'
Petty he might have been feeling but that didn't quite extend to antagonizing the NYPD en mass. Right now he was simply a standard civilian vexation, if he continued though he'd become a problem, and problems tended to be memorable, which was rarely a good thing with law enforcement.
Unfortunately while his relocation appeared to have somewhat placated the lilliputian policewoman, the pink haired hooligan was acting like a terrier with its favourite chewtoy and refused to leave him be. Granted, dodging the advances of a drunken buffoon was hardly the most strenuous task in the world; he'd managed to dance half rings around the blonde after all and she'd been sober.
At the same time, it likely wouldn't do him any favours with Maya to purposefully provoke her beau. There was also the fact that, sooner rather than later the rest of the crowd was going to recognize the 'celebrity' in their midst if they hadn't already and while he personally saw nothing wrong with highlighting the foolishness of the famous, getting caught in the limelight himself tended to be something of a bother.
It was during this internal debate, as he tried to distract himself from the loss of his apartment, that he felt Cafas move; lunging forward with greater force than his previous bungling attempts with one hand outstretched as it almost seemed to claw for the back of the hessians head.
Had it connected, the impact likely would have been enough to throw the air elemental flat on his face, assuming the strike hadn't just been meant to get a handhold on him. As it was, Simon had been dealing with Duskmoors tantrums for over two years now and the bone wielding brunette in one of her rages was both faster and far more coordinated than Cafas currently was. All it took was a simple shift of weight, a sidestep and Cafas outstretched hand flew past the side of his head barely grazing his phone-
...which was apparently enough to have it ripped from his grasp and flipped into the pink haired nuisances waiting palm like an obedient puppy.
Well then.
Taking a slow breath Simon slowly counted back from ten in Russian as he fought this new addition to his ire. Russian was an incredibly useful language in that regard as even the most basic words could resemble cursewords to an English speaking native.
By the time he was done Cafas had actually handed him back his phone and was in the process of drunkenly admonishing the gathered NYPD who by the looks of things were not taking his words well but appeared reluctant to question someone who technically outranked them even if he was, as one would put it, off his face.
"As I was shaying, you and me need to have a little chat 'bout your sister."
Narrowing his eyes Zephyr pocketed his phone and met Cafas's dark gaze with one of forced apathy. "Do we now? And you really think this is the best time?" Making an offhand gesture to the still burning building behind the inebriated X-man and the surrounding crowd. "It may have escaped your notice but someone seems to be bombing the city, isn't that something you should be dealing with 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."
‘Please stay on the line, your call is important to us’
Restraining the urge to sigh and the, not insignificant, impulse to hurl his phone into the steadily growing crowd, Simon instead pinched the bridge of his nose to try and ward off the oncoming headache as he gazed upwards at the burning hole that had been his apartment. He knew it was his apartment because a) none of his neighbours did anything remotely interesting enough to warrant bombing, b) he could bloody well count and c) he rather doubted anyone else kept a selection of… interesting, if unstable gases in their apartment.
…and because the elemental was less than enamoured with the idea of explaining to various authorities precisely why he possessed such substances (among other things) that he was doing his level best to subtly fan and feed the flames which wreathed the building before someone competent could arrive. A pity really, he’d been so close to finding a viable solution, perhaps it was time to revisit the noble gases; granted they weren’t ideal but if he used a high enough concentration-
“Sir you need to step back”
Lowering his hand by the smallest of degrees the azure eyed elemental delivered a glance that wasn’t quite a glare towards the source of the voice and found himself looking down at a no nonsense seeming blonde who struggled to reach five feet but was accompanied by several other officers all trying to establish a perimeter around the wreck that had been his apartment.
He’d thought the NYPD new better in all honesty, their city was a living breathing street theatre and its residents were loath to surrender any form of free entertainment regardless of whether it was comedy, horror or, in this case, drama. As such New Yorks finest were roving themselves about as effective as your typical political rally; ample amounts of shoving and shouting, but no results to show for it.
‘Hello my name is Dan. How can I help?’
Which only made it all the more tempting, and ultimately satisfying, to imperiously raise a finger for silence before gesturing meaningfully at his phone and turning his back on the diminutive officer, taking short steps away each time she tried to physically move him.
‘Yes, I’d like to report claim.’
It wasn’t that he was being petty, good heavens no, he was simply embracing the world renowned etiquette of New Yorkers everywhere in an effort to make the officer feel more at home, and if she didn’t look to appreciate his courtesy well, it was easy enough to lose himself in the crowd, or it would have been if someone else hadn’t been heading straight for him.
‘Of course Mr. Smith, what is the nature of the claim and when did it occur?’
"You. Simon, right? We're –“
Who could ever have guessed that finger waving would prove so cathartic? His hand had moved almost on reflex to interrupt the pink haired newcomer, for he had finally passed the automated purgatory of call centers everywhere and reached a sentient soul. Anyone who wanted to interrupt now could frankly go hang themselves.
‘You know, I’m not entirely sure, but I imagine if you turn on the news you’ll find out very shortly.’
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."
Letting out a rueful chuckle at Isabel’s words Zephyr lowered his cup and regarded the soubrette with an arched eyebrow. “I didn’t realize friendships were never allowed to be awkward. I must have missed the memo.”
Seeing that the brunette wasn’t less than convinced he eventually continued. “Ghost has dealt with embarrassment before as have you. Yes it’s uncomfortable but that will fade with time, it doesn’t mean you have to cut all ties.”
Not after they’d already been seen in each others company anyway. He’d have to see if there were any bureaucratic strings he could pull to help ensure Maya was left alone. He doubted anything would come of an investigation on her but there was no need for her to deal with that mess if it could be avoided.
“I know her well enough that if she hadn’t wanted to spend time with you she could easily have left, but she chose to stay; don’t you think that means something?”
He did hope he was getting through to her. Now that they’d already been seen together he really had little to no reservations about a friendship. Like himself Ghost numbered among the rare few Isabel was incapable of killing with her mutation, furthermore his sister was more than capable of not only weathering Duskmoors childish mien but, if past experience were any indication, would be perfectly capable putting the buxom brunette in a much needed time out.
It wasn’t that he was trying to make his sister Isabel’s designated babysitter; it had already happened. He was just taking advantage of it.
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."
Thinking back on it Zephyr could count on hand the number of times he had seen Duskmoor take something seriously. All too often everything that went well for her was treated like a game while those that went poorly were ignored or blamed on the actions of others. Granted this was far from a normal situation, and he was relieved that she was putting honest thought into her answers, but the shift in behaviour really did place the girl under a new light.
Unfortunately he knew it wasn’t likely to last; right now Isabel felt uncertain; vulnerable. So she was reaching out for help, hell he was doing the same in a way. The moment she found her feet and regained her confidence she’d fall back on her old demeanor.
Still there was some silver lining in this whole mess; unless the media had suddenly become inept at reporting mutant related atrocities Isabel had apparently spent an entire night at a non mutant bar getting utterly hammered without killing anyone. What’s more, she’d apparently spent it entertaining perhaps the most caring and gentle person he knew.
Hmm, now that was a thought-
“…what are you thinking we should do?"
Turning his mind back to the matter at hand Zephyr quickly went back over Isabel words. For the most part he agreed with her, though he was honestly surprised at the hesitation in her voice; he’d fully expected the girl to shoot down even the idea of repeating last night yet she almost seemed to be considering it. If he thought the soubrette had even an ounce of tact he’d assume she was trying to let him down gently, but this was Isabel, was she actually entertaining…?
“I do think a relationship would be good for you.” He replied carefully, pausing to take another sip of tea even as he kept an eye on her increasingly crimson features. “But it’s not something you should rush into, nor does it have to be with me. We both have our own issues at the moment that would make a relationship… difficult, so I agree it would be best to hold off. If things change in the future well, we can always change our minds.”
“Honestly though, even if the only thing that comes from last night is your friendship with-” He paused again, trying to recall if Maya had shared her name? He knew Isabel had called her by her moniker at least once, best to be safe “Ghost, than I’d consider that something you should be proud of.”
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."
Good tea could not be rushed. It was one of the fundamental truths of the universe much like how there was no such thing as a pleasant airport and bureaucracies were never efficient. If he’d learned anything about Duskmoor over the past few years she was probably as keen to talk to him as a water logged kitten looking at an ice bath. Even if the soubrette just wanted to get the conversation out of the way it would take her at least 15 minutes to dry off.
More than enough time to start a pot.
As he let himself go through the motions Zephyr found his thoughts once again going over last night in an effort to come up with a new perspective or catch some detail he hadn’t noticed the first time. Given the patches in his memory though he’d likely have more success finding a needle in a pile of shredded tinsel, during a blizzard.
Dismissing his attempts as a lost cause once the kettle finally began to whistle the hessian simply shook his head and poured himself a cup. He’d likely need the caffeine to make it through the discussion he was about to have.
"Your room's kind of a huge disaster.”
Speak of the devil. Turning to face Isabel with tea in hand Zephyr, found himself pausing and arching an eyebrow as he took in the buxom brunettes choice of attire, or rather, the lack thereof. Still this wasn’t last night, he actually had his wits about him and if he couldn’t deadpan something like he didn’t deserve his heritage.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Though his words were dry the roll of his eyes and gesture for the girl to sit let her know there wasn’t any malice meant in the comment. And to the brunnetes credit she barely even paused at his words before continuing.
“…I'm not really sure where my stuff ended up,"
“Yes, it looks a like a few things got lost last night.” He would need to have a few words with Maya when he found her. Inviting known homicidal characters to your brothers home was generally not a good idea, and while Duskmoors circumstances made her the exception that proved the rule she’d still left him with the quite the mess to clean up.
Literally and, as this conversation would not doubt prove, metaphorically as well.
Neither of them said anything for a short time, Isabel taking refuge in the food while Zephyr considered his tea and how best to broach the subject of last night. Duskmoor tended to be rather well, forthright, about most things but he somehow doubted such an approach would work well here. No he’d have to build some common ground, extend some form of olive branch in order to-
"Uh, sorry about that mess…”
Zephyr blinked, had she just-
“…I'll help you put the stuff back where it's supposed to be."
Yes, yes she had. Isabel bloody Duskmoor had just apologized and done so without threats, bribery or any other form of coercion. Most shockingly of all though, the girl had volunteered to make amends and actually sounded sincere.
Slowly lowering his cup the elemental racked his memory, trying to recall any other time the soubrette had been this genuine even as he gave a single nod and carefully chose his words though he couldn’t entirely keep the surprise from his voice. “I… would appreciate that. Thank you Isabel.”
He hadn’t expected an olive branch from her, still he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Lacing his fingers together he waited until he caught her eye before giving her a diffident smile and continuing. “Before that though I think we need to talk about last night, awkward as it may be.”
“We don’t need to go over everything that led up to it.” He certainly wasn’t about to discuss Maya’s involvement, the moment he did that he’d have to think about where she’d been during last night and that wasn’t a thought he wanted to even start entertaining. “ and I doubt our memories would be up to it in any case, but I think it’s safe to say that by the time we arrived here we were quite some ways from being sober. Does that sound fair?”
After getting the girls agreement and taking another sip of his quickly cooling tea he pushed on. “Now… the fact that we were less than lucid doesn’t automatically mean that sleeping together was right or wrong, good or bad. That’s a decision we have to make ourselves, and since we were both equally involved, it’s one we should make together.”
“As I see it we have a few options.” raising a hand he began to count off. “First we can pretend it never happened, essentially hiding from the issue; I honestly think it’s the least likely to work. We see each other too often to keep up that kind of act but it’s still something we can try.” Not to mention what would likely show up in the tabloids in the next day or two; they’d hardly been subtle in leaving the club after all. Personally the hessian was half expecting the NYPD to try and bring him in for questioning. He kept those thoughts to himself though as they’d likely do nothing but embarrass Isabel further.
“Secondly, we can accept what happened and decide not to do it again. That doesn’t mean we tell everyone what we did, just that we don’t hide from the fact. Things would be a little awkward in the short run but we’ll get back to something like we had before if that’s what we want.” Things would never be exactly as they were of course but it came with the fewest complications and so was the simplest solution, for the moment at least.
“Finally… we can also decide that this doesn’t have to be a one time occurrence and let things develop. Whether as a relationship or just as something we both enjoy is something we’d have to explore. It would more complicated than the other options but that doesn’t necessarily mean bad, just as simple doesn’t always mean good.”
“Still those are our choices as I see them. If you think I’ve missed something I’d be happy to hear it. Otherwise I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”
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."
Stirring from sleep at the sound of the shower Zephyr took a moment to simply breathe and stretch before he allowed himself to start focusing on the latest… developments, life had managed to throw his way.
And what a throw it was, just glancing about the bedroom he was fairly certain it contained every stitch of fabric in the apartment which meant the floor wasn’t covered so much as buried. It would take the better part of an hour to sort through it all and he really wasn’t in the mood.
Unfortunately there were a few things he did need to check on; his work was semi legal at the best of times and so he had more than a handful illicit documents and other items. As Isabel was otherwise occupied the elemental took the opportunity to go over the two safes he kept in the apartment and, while one of them looked to have been found neither had been opened and their contents was accounted for.
More importantly he now had his medication, as whoever had torn through his wardrobe and closet had also cleaned out the supply in his bedside cabinet. In all likelihood it was somewhere amidst the mess on the floor but beyond the cursory search necessary to find a decent set trousers and- was that his bathrobe? Regardless, it would do until he had his own shower.
While the thought of sharing one with Duskmoor did have a certain appeal it wasn’t something he was willing to risk until he had a better grasp of the soubrettes thoughts of last night. She may not be able to do him any permanent harm, but she was in his home and he’d rather not pay for any repair bills.
With that said though, he needed to decide how to handle things with her. She wouldn’t be staying in the shower forever, the hot water would only last so long.
Weighing different options in his head the hessian made his way into the kitchen and turned on the stove, feeling a small sense of relief as it looked to have been mostly left intact, even if the contents of the fridge looked to have been resorted.
Collecting some simple ingredients and taking out a frying pan he tried to think things through as he cooked. He’d never planned on becoming… intimate, with Isabel. The thought itself wasn’t unappealing, the girl had posters for a reason after all, and from what he could manage to recall last night had been… enjoyable.
No, the issue was that, prior to last night at least, Duskmoor had always demonstrated what could perhaps charitably be called insecurity or anxiety when it came to displays of affection. He tried to help and encourage her overcome her issues in past and while there’d been some degree of success it was clear she’d still had a long way to go before she comfortable.
Which still didn’t explain last night. Alcohol could lower inhibitions and make you forget consequences yes but if you were still aware enough to walk (which she had been to get to his apartment), and could still talk coherently (he recalled rather distinctly her enthusiasm about his bed), then it wouldn’t make you do something you flat out wouldn’t consider normally.
That being said his own memory wasn’t the most reliable record at the moment. Mixing pain medication and alcohol was ill advised for a reason. Certain parts of last night were crystal clear, others not so much.
He still had no idea where Maya had vanished to, even though he was honestly relieved not to find her here.
Dismissing that thought with a shake of his head Zephyr emptied the two omelette's from frying pan onto a pair of plates and made his way to the kitchen table as he focused back on the matter at hand. No, troubling as this might be, it wasn’t something he should solve on his own.
Using the air to knock against the bathroom door he pitched his voice to carry over the sound of the shower. “Isabel, there’s warm food in the kitchen, but I can’t promise it will stay that way if you use all the hot water.”
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."
Finding himself in the semi lucid state between dreaming and wakefulness Zephyr slowly took stock as he tried to determine what had almost managed to rouse him.
His head ached, but in all honesty that was nothing new and he’d managed to sleep through worse. The sun was up and had been for quite a while judging from how much of the room it had covered but it hadn’t yet reached the bed proper so it wasn’t much of a concern.
Speaking of his bed, it seemed rather warmer than usual which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but it did make him aware of how bone tired he felt when he tried to raise his head. Whatever he’d been doing last night he clearly hadn’t slept enough to recover from it.
What had he been doing last night? He shut his eyes last night as he tried to recall something from the truculent fog of his memories. He’d been downtown, he’d gotten a call? No a text, and there’d been a club; he could still feel the pulse of the obnoxious music and dancing. But who had-
Someone groaned next to his ear, shaking the hessian from his musings as he realized he wasn’t just covered by blankets. There was another body lying on top of him, female… rather distinctly female given what he was feeling as she began to shift and skin moved over skin, but it wasn’t until she lifted her head from the crook of his neck that he managed to catch site of her face-
Isabel.
He was sharing a bed with Isabel Duskmoor.
For a few brief moments panic wrestled with dread in the pit of his stomach before both emotions were blindsided by the immense exhaustion that still held his body and he let out a slow breath as he came to a conclusion.
Yes this was big, and it could be a disaster if he didn’t deal with it properly. He knew that.
He also knew he was too tired to think straight and Isabel herself likely wasn’t much better given how she was trying to untangle herself while desperately trying not to wake even though she looked half dead to the world. No, neither of them were ready to deal with this right now.
So, before Duskmoor managed to get her limbs free he snaked one arm under hers and against her side before giving a groan of effort that his entire body protested as he abandoned any thought of subtlety and heaved so that, rather than on top of each other, they were lying on their sides and staring each other in the face.
“No panicking.” he told her in a bone weary voice, as his arm fell to rest along her spine, not pinning her place by any means but just keeping her close to try and share warmth since he’d just knocked off most of the blankets. “It’s too bloody early for drama. Things happened yes, and we’ll deal with it, but not now.”
Resting his head against hers as his eyes started to close again. “Just relax. We can talk after we’ve gotten some real sleep.”
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."
Kissing was very distracting, specially so when the one you were was trying to hide half their behind their hand. It made finding a position tricky but he didn’t mind because she was warm and soft and tasted like sugar and spice and he liked both those things.
He wasn’t sure when but at some point Isabel’s hand wasn’t in the way anymore because she was using it to grip his shirt and the other to hold his shoulder as she pull herself closer and for a moment Zephyr wondered if she’d even cooled down at all because it really didn’t feel like it, but then he was distracted again by more kissing and he kind of wanted to know what he tasted like because Isabel really seemed to like it.
Asking that question was going to be hard though because he was kissing Isabel and his head was half buried in a pillow so he wasn’t sure how to stop and… why did he want to stop again?
Then Isabel was pulling back and not kissing anymore which made remembering a little easier until it actually wasn’t, because she was leaning over him again but wasn’t wearing clothes this time and she hadn’t stopped swaying which made thinking really hard, so he tried to use his hands to help her hold still-
He blinked as something tugged at shirt, looking away from Isabel’s bare bust he saw her hand tugging at his collar like a kitten with a ribbon.
Then he realized she was talking.
"Why'd I gotta be mossly not dressed and you don't tha'sso nofair."
“Fair?” He paused, trying to scramble his head into something that made sense as he looked down at himself. Having just one of them not naked wasn’t fair no, and it was too hot to be wearing a shirt anyway. But… Isabel wasn’t just missing a shirt so he should make things fair for both of them right, that made sense?
Why had things become so hard all of a sudden?
Looking back up at Isabel and somehow managing to make eye contact he nodded to her. “No, s’no fair.” The air surrounding them shimmered for a brief moment before it faded and what remained of their clothes fell at the foot of the bed. “Much better. Too hot to were t’ings nyway”
It really had been, even now just laying here it was almost like he’d run a mile but he wasn’t tired even if he was breathing harder, and Isabel was same. He could feel her heartbeat in his hands as it danced to a racing tempo and the heat pouring off her just from where she was sitting on him was almost tangible.
Circling his hands to the girls back Zephyr leaned up and began placing a slow trail of kisses back to her lips as his fingers trailed down her spine until they reached her backside and then…
Then the night became far more 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."
