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.
One moment he’d been trying to browbeat the petulant soubrette into doing what amounted to her homework, the next a wall of white had swept by like a speeding car and he’d found himself in darkness which, while an improvement in some ways, was still decidedly irritating.
That being said though, part of the elemental couldn’t help but be impressed, Duskmoor had locked him in and she’d accomplished it with none of her usual drama; no rage filled rants or flailing arms, no invectives or death threats.
For Isabel that was positively subtle.
Unfortunately, much as he’d like to encourage this (relatively) restrained line of thinking he couldn’t let the girl completely off the hook. Without abusing the compulsion the authority he held over was tenuous at best. If he let walk away now she’d be all but impossible for at least a week and it would be back to running drills in the warehouse.
He needed to change the playing field.
As with most things though it was easier said than done; Duskmoor had created walls on three side that were, for all intents and purposes, airtight. While he could likely break them down without too much effort , any act of destruction on his part would simply invite the girl to respond in kind, or rebuild the walls in a revolving game of cat and mouse.
No, a physical fight wasn’t called for here there was another way out, he simply needed to play for time and the best way to do that was to get Isabel talking or ranting, or gloating, there wasn’t much difference where she was concerned honestly.
Leaning against the unaltered wall at his back Zephyr folded his arms and adopted a long suffering cadence tinged with amusement as he twisted the air so his words traveled clearly to his unwilling protégé. “…you know, if you wanted to keep me all to yourself you could have just said so.”
Cafas: "Zephyr is the king of bad decisions, but if Sebby being weak to ghost is anything to go by, not so amazing at follow through."
As Jude made a halfhearted attempt to elucidate the specifics of the future vision power, the elementals drumming fingers slowed and then stopped as he started parsing the implications of the teenagers words and his brow once again creased in contemplation.
By the time his nephew trailed off Simons gaze had wondered to a spot above the boys head and he gathered his thoughts after only a moment or two of silence. “That is…. Interesting. If what you’re saying is accurate, what you see isn’t the future so much as a potential sequence of events.” It was a difference most would consider a minor technicality but one which could have quite significant repercussions. “But if you try to act on information it seems you cause a divergence from the path you saw, though the degree of divergence would vary.”
Brining his eyes back to the ashen haired boy Zephyr frowned for a moment as he considered how best to proceed. “I can’t be certain but, a power like that sounds as though it would really only be useful on a larger stage; for events where your own actions are unlikely to have any impact, playing the stock market is actually a perfect example. If you try to use the visions for anything more… personal, you’d likely end up with a butterfly effect and a notably different future from what you saw.”
“I almost think I’d prefer not knowing, but if you find yourself with that power again let me know; there are a few things I’d like to try.” Because honestly, who in their right mind would turn down an opportunity to play the markets like that?
Realizing they’d taken something of a tangent Simon steepled his fingers and took a deep breath that wasn’t quite a sigh. He had a clearer picture of what Jude was capable of but there were still a few specifics that needed to be addressed.
“Going back to your mutation, how long can you hold on to a borrowed power?”
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."
"You try it and I'm not putting another damn bit of bone into these walls." And just like that the girls attitude drained any potential amusement from the situation.
A barely audible sigh escaped the hessian as his shoulders fell in slight resignation. Duskmoor had been doing so well lately and he’d dared to hope she might have reached the end of her jejune rebellious phase. Annoyingly though that didn’t seem to be the case, still he wasn’t so much surprised as disappointed; the soubrette had dealt with him for over a year now and she knew her truculence wouldn’t get her anywhere, yet she persisted.
Frustrating didn’t begin to cover it,
Temptation rose and, for just a moment, Zephyr toyed with the idea of simply compelling the buxom soubrette back to work. It would take so little effort, just three simple words and the gamines petty recalcitrance would vanish like smoke in the wind.
The moment passed as quickly as it had come though as the elemental grounded himself in the reality of the situation. The compulsion he’d placed on the soubrette wasn’t something that could be used casually. Give the wrong command at the wrong time and the girl could easily kill herself trying to accomplish something impossible without having any say in the matter.
No the primary purpose of the Promise had always been to give the girl a set of tenets; something to compensate for her severe lack of foresight and common sense. Without them she’d been little more than a bloody psychopath killing indiscriminately at every insult real or perceived for almost half a decade. While such prowess was valuable, without restraint it quickly became more trouble than it was worth and in most cases a rabid dog like Duskmoor was simply put down.
Fortunately for the soubrette her mutation had just enough potential to warrant a salvage effort instead of a bounty. Over a year later however and the elemental still found himself questioning the wisdom of his decision. The soubrette had power that wasn’t in question but she lacked imagination and her attitude made her difficult to work with at the best of times.
Still, one reaped what they sowed; he’d see this through to the end, one way or another.
“You know, I really thought we were past this.” His tone was a mixture of weary and resigned as he lowered the tablet and met Duskmoor’s glare with his own condescending gaze. “Tell me Isabel, is there any part of you, any part of all, that doesn’t believes I can damn well make you do this?”
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."
Regarding the ash haired boy pensively Simon ‘s fingers idly drummed against the armrest of his chair and his free hand rested on his chin as he mentally catalogued Judes laundry list of abilities and sought for some suitably menial yet productive task. Despite what the Order’s occasional marketing/recruiting efforts would have you believe, the vast majority of young mutants could not just go out one day and begin raiding banks and assaulting police.
Well they could, provided they were willing to end up in either a cramped concrete box, or a snug wooden one six feet under.
However distant he might be though Jude was family, or at least, close enough for Maya to consider him so. It wouldn’t do for the teenager to end up in dire straits so shortly after speaking with his ‘dear uncle’. No, something subtle was needed.
“Telepathy,”
Quite possibly one of the most valuable abilities it was unfortunately in rather short supply. Simon himself had only encountered two during him time in the city and both had been his employers at one time or another which spoke volumes of what such power could achieve financially, never mind politically. Unfortunately Hunter hadn’t been seen for almost half a decade and Slate’s intermittent morality made him an unwise source of power for anything he’d want Jude to attempt.
A pity really but one couldn’t have everything.
“aeromancy,”
Masking a slight frown at graceless epithet for his own power Simon nonetheless considered the possibilities. There was little that couldn’t be achieved with sufficient mastery of the air, the only question was how much his nephew already knew and could be safely taught; air blades were rather useful in less diplomatic situations but it wasn’t a skill he was willing to hand over to a teenager if the boy couldn’t figure it out himself.
Ghosting however, was another matter entirely. Maya’s own personal forte, the ethereal state was surprisingly versatile with advantages in both reconnaissance and combat provided there was no source of fire nearby. Unfortunately the technique was rather detrimental to one’s health, at least as Maya practiced it and Jude would likely need weeks of practice before he was adept enough to change states without losing pieces of himself.
“power boosting”
An… interesting claim, and one that caused the elemental to arch an eyebrow despite himself. Magnification of other powers was a rarer ability than telekinesis and a good deal more valuable. The city had nearly been torn apart the first time an amplifier had happened to wander through and the only one Zephyr had met had left him with a migraine roughly the same size as the crater he’d put in Mondragon labs.
Phenomenal cosmic power was highly overrated.
“future vision,”
“I’m sorry, what?” The words cut through Judes preamble like razor wire through freshly fallen snow. “Future vision? Please tell me you haven’t found a mutant with precognition.” If he had well, disappointment wouldn’t begin to describe how he felt about the boy’s lack of initiative.
Still, he’d have to believe it before he could be disappointed; family or not Simon had heard his share of tall tales and this one reeked to high heaven.
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."
"Why don't you put your lips to use and kiss my ass,"
Pausing in mid article Zephyr slowly lowered his screen until he caught the soubrettes eyes and raised an eyebrow in equal parts surprise and bemusement, uncertain if he’d actually heard her properly. While Duskmoor was capable of making the odd retort or two, the slightest innuendo typically left her blushing and stammering like a schoolgirl which was a feat in itself.
Still, if she was actually going to start playing along…
“Come now Isabel, business before pleasure you know that.” His gaze drifted back towards his tablet whilst keeping the gamine in the corner of his vision, once a minute had passed though and the girl gave no indication she was returning to work. The hessian continued in a deceptively mild tone, “You know if you aren’t interested in earning your keep we could always go back to our usual routine, we can even start by having you cry ‘uncle’ again.”
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 Sanctuary was, against all odds, rather aptly named. While its public persona merely served as a shelter for the downtrodden and destitute among mutant kind, that was merely the tip of the iceberg. Once one delved beneath they would find facilities and infrastructure more in keeping with a military base than the charitable organization Sanctuary claimed to be.
That being said though, the buildings lower levels were in a blatant state of disrepair and had been ever since the place had been raided during the mutant registration act. It was a galling but undeniable fact for the Order that they’d been unable to handle the governments Stalker machines, rather than learn from their mistakes however the old leadership had apparently been content to merely sweep history under the rug and pretend it never happened, much like a child unwilling to admit they’d lost a game.
"This is so stupid,"
‘Sweet vindication.’ Resting just a few feet away on an opposing wall Zephyr managed to keep all but the barest of smirks from tugging at his lips as he heard the girls words and instead raised a skeptical eyebrow at his pouting protégé who wasted little time in expatiating her reasoning… such as it was.
By the time the buxom brunette had finished her habitual kvetch the elementals attention had already returned to his screen. He’d long since learned that her whining was little more than a cry for attention, and while he indulged her from time to time, this was a task that actually needed to be finished in a reasonable time.
Still, he wasn’t above some measure of idle banter. “Remind me Isabel, how did the Stalkers manage to get down here during the camps?” When the soubrette failed to come up with a suitable retort the hessian merely nodded to himself.
“That’s what I thought. Now unless you intend to put those lips to use I suggest you stop pouting and get back to work.”
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."
‘I rather doubt that.’ The thought came with no small amount of hauteur yet the elemental managed to refrain from rolling his eyes at his nephew, instead limiting his expression to a skeptically raised eyebrow as he tried to recall if he’d ever been quite so cocksure of his own abilities at Judes age.
There was a world of difference between having a tool and being able to use it effectively. Duskmoor was a prime example; her mutation allowed her to generate and manipulate any osseous matter within reach. It was a power that could potentially change landscapes, destroy industries and forever shift a balance of world power towards mutants… and what did the girl do with it?
She used it to poke holes in people.
Giving himself a mental shake Simon dismissed that train of thought, he was here to deal with Jude, not Duskmoor and focusing on the latter was unlikely to improve his mood towards the former. “I know you can copy mutations Jude, it’s part of what makes you unique, even among your peers.” Read; royal pain because the staff never knew what to expect and couldn’t always adjust on the fly.
“What I’m asking is which mutations you have the most experience with as that will likely indicate how well you can use them and from that I can try to gauge the work you’d be best suited for.”
“Think of powers as video games.” Seeing the question look on his nephews face Zephyr did at last roll his eyes, “Yes I do play them on occasion, so don’t begrudge me the metaphor.” The last was said as the elemental stared Jude down, almost daring the boy to make a half-witted retort, thankfully the mischievous mimic kept his silence and the hessian continued..
“As I was saying, think of every mutant as getting one game and they play it until they master it, or become good enough to get by. You on the other hand, are a console and can pick up any game you see, however that doesn’t mean you can just start playing and be as good as someone whose been working at it for months or years. It takes practice.”
“So I want to know what your best at, do you have any kind of shapeshifting? Something that would allow for intimidation or surveillance? Powers that let you create or build even if it’s as simple as landscaping? What about mutations that grant you toughness, agility or anything else that helps you handle situations that would be dangerous for others?”
“I want to play to your strengths Jude but I can only do that if you tell me what they are.”
Not really knowing the boy, Zephyr had half expected him to be as straight-laced as Maya; ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ is an aphorism for a reason after all. That, and being a little punk didn’t always necessitate the disregard for rules that a more dissolute mind frame allowed. Sometimes it simply meant being a self-entitled brat who would bluster but was too apprehensive to carry through.
Not so with Jude apparently, if one could take him at his word. Still, the kid recognized the value of education even if he didn’t enjoy getting it which suggested a level of maturity beyond most of his peers. It also poked a hole in the boy’s future memories claim but that was beyond the scope of their current discussion.
Annoyingly, none of these insights truly helped divine an answer as to what precisely should be done with the child that would keep him from further mischief, honestly it was almost as if-
"If you have suggestions, I'm all ears."
And just like that an opportunity threw itself at his feet.
Shifting his eyes from the window he’d been staring at Zephyr met Judes gaze with a bemused expression, torn between seriously considering the boys question or simply pawning him off onto someone else. It all came down to a question of time; how much he was willing to spend and how much he stood to gain.
“I might have an idea or two.” He began slowly, watching Judes face for any telltale expressions. “I assume you wouldn’t be opposed to a paying job?” Without truly waiting for the boy to respond he continued on. “If so I’m aware of a few opportunities, but I need to know what you’re capable of first, granted I don’t expect you to tell me everything, but if you can give me a flavor of what you can do currently, or perhaps I should say reliably, then that will help narrow things down.”[/font]
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."
Aside from offering a slight shrug at Judes flat rejection Zephyr offered no real sign of disappointment. It had been something of a long shot but at least the kid was smart enough to avoid empty promises.
The comment on reliving puberty however did give the elemental a moment’s pause until a half forgotten conversation with Maya came back to him. Some time ago Jude had claimed he held memories of his future life, or a future life if the hessian recalled correctly. It wasn’t the most absurd story Simon had even heard but nor was it the most believable.
In either case the boys less than amicable retort did provide a convenient segue to a half interesting conversation. “I take it then, you feel your time is being wasted? That your efforts could be better spent somewhere else?”
When that was immediately followed by a straight refusal to join the Mansion’s junior spandex faction Zephyr merely rolled his eyes. In his opinion the ‘Xkids’ and official ‘Xmen’ groups amounted to little more than glorified community service. And as much as he was tempted to share such thoughts doing so while in said Mansion would be something of a solecism.
Instead he tried a different track. “Whether you join the junior Xmen or not isn’t really my concern. However you’ve made it rather evident that you have too much time on your hands. The routine response to this is to find some way to keep you busy which is doubtless why you’ve been told about the… ‘Xkids’.”
Giving the boy a moment to absorb that Zephyr debated sharing a piece of his own less than ideal childhood before ultimately deciding against it. “Have you thought about you’ll do when you finish your education Jude? Or even what you could do now if you didn’t have to ‘do the school thing’?”
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, at least the boy was practical and willing to conciliate, that already put him several steps above Duskmoor. It was actually a welcome change, unfortunately though this didn’t make Jude any less recalcitrant than the Orders bone mistress.
“That depends, what assurances can you give me that you won’t do something foolish if I say we’re done here?” There was a note of honest curiosity in the elementals tone as he posed the question; while teenagers tended to be impulsive and foolish as rule they weren’t always stupid. He was willing to give Jude a chance to put his mind to work.
“If you can’t then we need to keep talking, there’s little point in blowing off this meeting if we simply have to repeat it next week. So tell me Jude why should I let you go? You made a good start appealing to my short term self-interest, see if you can build on that.”
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."
If he’d expected Jude to actually be on time the elemental might have been somewhat annoyed when the boy made a rather unenthusiastic showing around 10 minutes late. This however had been tempered with the knowledge that if the boy had been the sort arrive timely they likely wouldn’t have needed to meet in the first place.
As such Zephyr merely withheld another sigh and began to shut down his tablet as he sent his response on a thin stream of wind to Jude left ear. “In the back to you left, fourth shelf down.”
The hessian had deliberately not chosen a classroom or office for this meeting. If one were to work on the assumption that the boy was being a brat then it was unlikely he held positive connotations with either setting. The library however, while perhaps not the most exciting venue, was meant to be more of a neutral ground and would hopefully set a less confrontations of antagonistic tone.
When the boy shuffled past said shelves and was able to see the back of Simon’s head over one of the leather reading chairs the elemental made an idle gesture to the other empty places. “Feel free take a seat, or stand if you prefer, but I’m guess you’d rather be comfortable.”
When Jude has made his choice and made no immediate move to converse Simon set aside his tablet and asked a simple question. “So, how do you want this to go?”
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."
After having cleared out the library on the entirely false premise that it had been reserved for interviews Zephyr found himself reflecting that the mansion was not one of his preferred locales. Indeed, when compared to the multitude of attractions and distractions of NYC less than an hour away, a school full of hormone fueled adolescent mutants didn’t even make it to the top twenty.
Still, family tended to make for exceptions every rule. His sisters visits to the institute were not as frequent as they once were but she had a habit of extending an invitation to him when she did and, on occasion, the hessian even accepted. Much as he might dislike the place, keeping tabs on a school full of adolescent mutants was generally a good idea.
The fact that Maya tended to bake biscuits whenever he acquiesced might have also played a part in his sporadic sojourns.
On this occasion however the purpose of his visit was unfortunately somewhat more formal than he would have liked. Granted he’d owed Maya a favour but he hadn’t thought she’d call it in for something like this.
She’d made it sound simple enough, asking him to stop by and ‘just talk’ with her adoptive son. A perfectly reasonable request if you were the kind to take things at face value, much like a lemming with a cliff. Parents did not ask others to ‘just talk’ to their children unless there were problems, lord knows his own father had tried it often enough.
He didn’t begrudge Maya for making the request though, given Judes age the boy was likely being a little punk as most teenagers tended to be. Unlike most teenagers though Jude had a power set he could switch out almost at will, something that would make it difficult to establish any kind of authority.
‘And yet I’m going try.’ He thought with a weary sigh as he browsed his tablet and waited for Judes appearance. ‘The things I do for family.’
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."
With a light smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as Isabel went to sulk on his other shoulder Zephyr fought down a chuckle and healed his finger as he listened to Forte. The fact that the man had any connections in the school was a welcome surprise; Sanctuary and the Mansion tended to cater to very different audiences and it was rare for the two mix.
He really needed to start keeping better tabs on the networking the Order had; he’d have to have Lisa do a search of each members approved visitors for anything interesting. It wasn’t the best approach by any means but it would serve as a good starting point.
Those were thoughts for another day however; right now they needed to stock of their resources and in order to do that they needed accurate information, which meant that he needed Forte to give more than just names.
“I’m familiar with Johnson yes” He replied in a detached tone, deliberately ignoring the X leaders ‘Cold Steel’ soubriquet and using his real name. “His combat experience could be useful and I can’t imagine him turning down the good publicity if his team was involved in taking down terrorists.”.
A dull sting in his ear made him frown for a moment but it was over almost as it started. Shooting Isabel a disapproving glance and shifting his shoulder slightly in retaliation he soon continued.
“Still while Johnson is capable in a fight he cannot help us find our targets.” He shifted his gaze out the kitchen window where a few relaxed souls were enjoying the midday sun on the lawn. “We need people with more subtle skills, ones who track or discern, essentially the mutant equivalent of Sherlock Holmes, otherwise we’re left waiting until our attackers make their next move.”
“In that regard I’m afraid I can’t offer much more help. I know a few of the residents but I wouldn’t be comfortable putting any of them in a potential combat situation.” And that was as far as he would take the matter, illusions or no Katrina had no business being anywhere near the unhinged killers they were dealing with. And as for Maya, it was difficult enough for her to hold it together as things were, he had no intention of-
He blinked and before he could stop himself his eyes darted to the far wall three feet to the left of the open window as a far too familiar presence suddenly flared against his senses like a beacon. Barely even pausing to consider his actions the elemental pushed off from the kitchen counter in what he hoped was an idle manner. Taking swift but unhurried steps he pretended to be lost in thought as he assumed a new position out sight of the window just as a white haired figure strolled past.
Why couldn’t family reunions ever be convenient?
After another second passed and his sister failed to reappear at the window the hessian eventually continued. “Honestly for now I think our best approach Johnson or his superior and do our best to lay the facts in our favour. We were assaulted by a mutant terrorist who put an untold number of civilian lives at stake. It would therefore be in the public’s best interest, and thus their own, to assist in tracking the culprits down.
Struck by a sudden thought Zephyr’s glance returned to Isabel and he gave his shoulder another slight shake to gain her attention. “You haven’t gotten into trouble lately have you? No maiming or deaths to your name in the past few months? One meow for yes, two for no. Tell me honestly now.”
Hopefully she’d been a good girl, if not things were going to become… difficult.
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."
Staring down at the jittery ball of fur currently clamped onto his finger Zephyr wagged the captured digit sightly until a baleful pair kitten eyes met his own amused gaze as he cocked an eyebrow at her.
"My my Duskmoor what sharp teeth you have." he muttered with a chuckle.
One of the many overlooked benefits of prescription painkillers is that they make the needle like fangs of kittens about as agonizing a tight glove. Which was rather fortunate because Isabel abruptly decided at that moment that she rather liked the taste of his blood.
'Really though Isabel," he continued, slowly turning his hand 180°, "If you wanted to eat me you should have said something."
Utter stillness, that was the effect his words had as the soubrette became a veritable statue; if kittens were capable of blushing she would have. As it was the ingenue remained motionless just long enough for the elementals remaining fingers to reach under her chin and resume scratching.
Still, while this was entertaining he knew he could only push the girl so far, and so he swallowed his second comment about her kitty... form, and contented himself with merely keeping her physically off balance as her returned his attention to Forte.
"I agree we need a plan, but we're going to need more than ourselves if we want to accomplish anything of significance. A body can only do so much after all.
"Tell me, what do you know of the Mansion residents?"
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."
Leaning against the kitchen counter and doing his best to remain still as Isabel worked to find her balance, the elemental let his eyes trail to one of the discarded pages of newspaper that had so recently been abandoned by another feline.
The article in question was a day or two old and so of course contained nothing about the rash of mutants fights which took place just last night yet something about the title see to draw his attent-
Flick-flick-flick
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes the elemental let out a faint sigh; Duskmoor really did seem intent on making a nuisance of herself wasn’t she? Reaching back with one hand the elemental used his palm to trap the soubrettes rather agitated tail against her side but otherwise did nothing even as the girl gave out a startled mewl at the contact.
He’d give her the benefit of the doubt for now and blame the tail whipping on her new feline form besides, if she was doing it deliberately a scolding would only serve to encourage the gamine.
In any case Isabel seemed to get the hint after a moment or two and her tail fell still, letting Zephyr lower his hand just in time for Forte to snag an unexpected photo which he quickly claimed was for purely practical purposes.
“I’m sure.” The skeptical drawl in the hessians voice was evident as he fixed the fighter with an amused look. “Still, the fewer people who see that the better. Our friendly neighborhood shifter can hardly stay under the radar if you go about publicizing their talents hmm?”
Privately though the hessian wasn’t overly concerned, if Duskmoors raised hackles were any indication the soubrette was likely already intending to take steps to ensure that photo never saw the light of day.
As the conversation turned back to the ore immediate problem of their attempted murders though Zephyr worked to clear his mind even as he kept half an ear on what Forte was saying; the man may have been a brawler but that didn’t mean he was unintelligent, merely more predictable than some.
Still, something was nagging at-
Flick-flick-flick
Frowning Zephyr turned his head slightly and gave the kitten on his shoulder an unamused glance, only to be rewarded with even more lashes as her tail whipped against the back of his neck with increasing fervor.
Fine. If she craved his attention that badly she could have it. Reaching across to his shoulder the elemental again moved to capture the girl’s tail. This time though instead of pausing at the soubrettes flank his hand continued upward, fingers gliding through the fine fur and exerting just enough pressure to keep her feline form pinned until he reached the top of her head.
Then he began to scratch.
He’d owned a kitten once; a tiny golden ball of fur given to him when he’d been about eight or so. It had been an ill-advised yet well-meaning gift from an early tutor, intended to teach a young boy a thing or two about responsibility and patience. It hadn’t lasted of course; boarding school had been on the horizon and during his semester long absence the kitten had been quietly… removed.
Still during the brief time he’s had the little fuzball the elemental had become acquainted with the basics of kitten caretaking, including how to pet the little monsters so they wouldn’t go running off into more mischief.
That being said, Isabel was not an ordinary kitten and she had definite qualms about being touched. Already he could feel her tense as she tried to dig her minute claws into his skin. He ignored the near nonexistent pricks as he continued to edge his fingers around her head and the base of ears, pausing whenever her tail stopped beating against his neck; the message would be rather clear once she bothered to pick up on it.
‘You toy with me and I toy with you.’
Admittedly it was a somewhat puerile punishment but that didn’t make it any less effective or fitting. There were three possible outcomes as Zephyr saw. Either Duskmoor would take the hint and start behaving herself, in which case he won. Alternatively she’d lose what little patience and restraint she had and try to bite him or otherwise escape his efforts; that would be problematic but not irreparable, he could always stuff the girl in one of her socks if it came down to it. The third, well… it wasn’t even really worth considering and in any case he just couldn’t imagine Isabel purring.
While the soubrette was making up her mind the hessian directed his attention to Forte, letting the man lay out his thoughts before replying with a nod and giving voice to his own concerns. “I agree, everything was slanted too much in the oppositions favour for us to be dealing with some two bit gang. This was planned and planned well, the real question is why they targeted us and why we were left alive.”
Taking a slow breath Zephyr raised his gaze to the ceiling as he tried to make some sense out of the chaos. “I can understand Isabel being chosen, even with her inactivity these past few months her reputation hasn’t dimmed. Taking her down would be a feather in any one’s cap.”
Turning his gaze back to Forte he gestured between the two of them with a poorly veiled expression of puzzlement. “The two of us though? We’ve nothing close to Duskmoor’s infamy, in fact I’ve tried to stay under the radar whenever I can but we were targeted regardless. That suggests they know what we’re capable of and deem us a threat, assuming we weren’t just selected at random.
In all honestly either option was worrying because it suggested that Sanctuary had been under surveillance for far too long. In either case that didn’t answer why the three of them hadn’t been given summary executions, a grenade, some poison gas, hell an RPG if they wanted to make sure, but they hadn’t…
“It’s a message.” The thought left the elemental as soon as it entered his mind. “Whoever’s behind this is making a statement, intentionally or otherwise, that they can take down some of the best the Order has to offer and they want everyone to know they can do it without breaking a sweat.”
“They’ll be expecting a reflexive counter attack, The Order’s known for its viciousness if nothing else. We can’t afford to play into their hands, but at the same time if we do nothing people will start to question us and we’ll risk losing territory and influence.”
“We need to find these bastards and hang them with their own hubris.”
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."
