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.
I’m sorry I disappeared for so long. Unfortunately I am going to be gone even longer. Due to some pretty serious rl health issues, I have to take an extended leave of absence from MRO. It’s too long of a story to put here, so I’ve sent out a PM to the Mods instead. Feel free to ask them for an explanation.
Try and behave while I’m gone, all right? No breaking the Cbox, unless its for a good cause.
(OOC: Feel free to fill in the time between Werecat's last post, and this arrival.)
Neena's sunglasses kept most of the wind out of her eyes, but she was not enjoying the trip. She did not like cold, and after twenty minutes of it, without an explanation of the necessity, she really wanted to just curl up by a fire.
Of course, when they finally landed, and she got a chance to look around, she began to rethink that desire. The first thing she saw, actually before they landed, was what looked like a music stage doing a wonderful impression of a bonfire. Too much heat even for the African-borne woman.
Next thing was the man inside the flames. Neena blinked. Yep, that was right. Inside the flames. Hmm....
“what you doing here kitty?” she heard Sam gasp out.
Kitty?
Neena turned to look around, and spotted two familiar figures, one of them sporting a fur coat. She snorted.
"Talk about deja vu...." she murmured to herself.
Okay, first things first. Pyromancing mutant plus big crowd of people equals 'very bad'. Subtract big crowd, and you're left with Pyromancing mutant, and a bit less 'bad'. Since the crowd was doing a fairly decent job of subtracting itself, so that just left Pyro-Happy. Best way to put out fire? She glanced at Sam, still spent from the trip over. Next option? Well, water and flour work well at home.
(OOC: Most of you already know, but just reminding that my posting speed will be snail's paced this week. Feel free to skip me if needed, and minor godmod permission given as well.
Neena grumbled to herself as she exited the Danger Room. Her arm and leg were still sore as it was from her little nighttime rollick with Roland. An energetic targeting class did nothing to improve things, especially since she was still avoiding the DocProf. At least the holes had closed up. Blood would have drawn too much attention....
She nearly bumped into Silver Streak as she made her way into the hall. All she managed was a half-hearted, "Hi," before someone came barreling down the hallway from the opposite direction. She opened her mouth again, this time intending to chastise the reckless runner.
“Streak, Neena there’s trouble, Times Square, some ones got to stop him."
"Saywhatawho?" Neena turned as Sam grabbed Streak's arm and tugged. "Who's 'him'?"' she asked. She followed the pair, a bit slower and obviously confused, but still tagging along. She wasn't looking down, and nearly lost her balance on the ice circle, having to throw her hands out to steady herself.
The nocturnal predators were in full prowl by the time Nehanda awoke. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. With the lance of pain from her swollen eye came a flood of memories from the day's events. Foremost among them, the facial expressions of both her grandmother and the festival man, Dwayne.
Though angry for two vastly different reasons, the sight of her eyes had provoked both looks, a look of.... well.... Nehanda didn't understand the visage, but she knew that she'd seen it on Afiya's face when the woman came across a blood-sucking lake worm. And Kwasi used to make a similar grimace when assigned to spread the cattle manure across the crops. She'd also seen it on the face of a woman at the festival, upon finding a dead fly in her food. She did not understand the origin of the 'Look', but she did understand that it was not good.
A hyena cackled in the distance. Nehanda sighed in frustration. She did not want to returned to the enkang. But while the wild dogs could not reach her perch, some of the big cats could. With prey becoming increasingly sparse, she could not even put it past the lions to try. And though she was too large to be a snake's meal, maybe, a fatal bite would not be withheld if she did not watch her limbs.
She crept down the tree, taking the time to watch and inspect every hand- and foot-hold. She made her way back to the tribe with equal caution, even altering her path to give a feeding lioness and her cubs a wide berth. Papa Lion could not be too far, after all. The actual distance to the village wall was short, but the journey took well over an hour to complete safely.
Once she reached the outer wall, she skulked along until she found a viable place to clime over. Like many Masaai, her bare feet were quite calloused, but the climb scraped her elbows and shins painfully. She held in her cries, however. Her grandfather would likely have more than harsh words to share with her in the morning; she did not want to deal with the beating until morning, if she could help it.
Nehanda would have made the owl proud with her silence, as she made her way around the darkened huts. However, the firelight glimmering in her grandmother's hut caught her attention. Usually the old had was the first one to sleep, and first to rise. What could possibly have her up this late at night? Ever curious, the ten-year-old made her silent way to the doorway, careful to avoid the firelight.
".... does not belong here any longer. You know this! Engai Nanyokie has demanded it from the beginning!"
Nehanda frowned at the mention of the vengeful personality of the Masaai's diety. It was thought that this 'Red God' was responsible for the dry seasons, when the clouds rang and sparkled with thunder and lightening, but brought no relief in rain to the earth. To cursed by the Red God was surely a death sentence.
"You overreact, Wahida." Nehanda's frown deepened upon hearing her grandfather's voice.
"Do I? You saw when she was born. The fever nearly took her, as it should have. Engai Nanyokie brought the dryness at the moment her fever broke. You heard the thunder! She was meant to die, and Engai was furious that she did not!"
"She was not the only one to be struck with sickness that year."
"Perhaps not, but look at her! She is an abomination! Those white eyes of her eat the soul!"
The breath caught in Nehanda's throat.
"Wahida, be reasonable-"
"I am. I have not turned a blind eye to the obvious. From birth the girl has been cursed. Engai has tried to take her numerous times, and each time someone has pulled her from his grasp! That is why he took Dalji and Kwasi. They defied his curse, and paid with their lives. If you do not send her away, Engai will eventually kill us all."
Nehanda didn't stay to hear her grandfather's reply. She ran to her hut, tears blocking her vision as she stumbled into bed. For a long time she shook with sorrow. The tremors slowed just before she heard footsteps shuffle into the hut. Though covered by the blanket, she could see him clearly. He didn't look at her, nor even turn in her direction. Instead he turned to the corner of the hut, and opened a small pouch he kept hidden behind the water jars, pulling out a necklace. Nehanda had seen the item in her dreams, worn by a woman she knew to be her mother. Her grandfather only pulled the jewelry out when he was careworn and depressed.
<"If my mother were here, he would not be depressed,"> Nehanda thought dully. <"She would be here.... if not for me....">
~~~~
Nehanda waited until her grandfather fell fast asleep, before slipping from under her blanket. She slipped her mock marriage necklace, her Festival prize, from around her neck, and gently laid it beside her grandfather's hand.
"I am sorry, Babu," she whispered, "for all of the trouble I've caused. Please forgive me."
She bent down to give him a light kiss, then crept toward the door. She had few possessions anyway, and none of them meant anything to her any longer. They were links to a life she was not meant to live.
Taking only her blanket for warmth, she stole out of the hut, back and over the spot in the wall, and disappeared into the darkness of the savanna.
"No, no," Cailyn replied quickly. "I've been so busy that i didn't have time for something like that."
Neena simply nodded; she remembered when she'd felt the same way. It was amazing how quickly some things happened, and your mind could change....
"Ya. We can swing by there."
"I would like that."
Shawn led the way to an empty room. They let the teacher-prospect enter first and examine the area. The adult rooms were a bit larger than the students' rooms, with a small sitting area in addition to the beds, desk and nightstands. There were two closets instead of one, but the bathroom was the same size.
"Would you be opposed to having a roommate if you do stay?" she asked the woman. "Lately the students have been doubling up, and some even having three in a room. Some of the teachers have paired up as well, to make room for others."
Lately Neena had taken to sleeping on the roof, though she'd have to move inside again soon, with winter coming.
That grin and mrawk! was entirely too smug of a response, even for a feline. Now Neena had absolutely no doubt that Calley was not a mutant teenage boy with animal-shifting abilities. He was a mutant cat, with teenage boy shifting abilities. That was the only logical explanation.
She continued to rub his ears, listening to the rumbling purr. He'd been half asleep when she first entered, and since then seemed to have drained most of his wrath. The half-lidded kitten eyes soon progressed to three-fourths lidded, then completely closed.
What had started out as a heated exchange had faded into a calm tranquility. She wasn't sure if Calley realized it -- or maybe he did -- but she had not come with intentions on kicking him out of the School. She couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth about his deathmatch with his father, or even if what he'd told her about his hidden family was true. But really, putting the boy out would do no one any good, especially not Calley. It was obvious he was a cat at heart, which could account for his reluctance to stay in one place too long. No one could fault him for that, and trying to change him likely would meet a brick wall.
She still had to speak with Tricity about his position on the team; his connections with the Sanctuary might pose an issue, especially with other teammembers. But honestly, she really couldn't see the Headmistress dismissing him completely. Perhaps a probation of sorts, but not full dismissal. After all, it was in the past.
The low rumble began to fade. Looking down, Neena realized that Calley had fallen asleep in her lap. She withheld a soft laugh. Very gently, she slid her arm around the black-and-white kit, supporting his light weight as she stood. His front paws twitched, and one kicked out a bit; she wondered what critter he was chasing in his dreams.
There were no pillows on the bed, oddly enough, so she bunched one of his blankets up instead. Very carefully she slipped the kitten into the hollow of the mound.
"For what it's worth," she murmured quietly, "I'm glad you came back, Little Brother."
She gave his ears one last scritch, then quietly slipped out the door.
(OOC: Sorry its a bit short. My mind suddenly went blank. ><)
With permission granted, Neena began scrritching the gracious feline's chin, and behind his ears.
"So, two years in this form, was it? I can believe that. I'm surprised you went two-legged again."
The kitten's rumbling purr reminded the Masaai woman of the rainstorms moving over her home savannah. In the back of her mind, 'Tigger' was replaced with 'Ngurumo', the swahili word for thunder.
"And you're telling me that this little black-and-white bundle of attitude...." She paused, then corrected herself by adding, ".... in various other forms, has been wandering around the city, causing havoc for certain individuals?"
Maybe 'Watundu', or perhaps 'Anansi', would be more appropriate, as Calley seemed to have a knack for mischief-making.
(OOC: Going to jump back a bit to give Neena's intro, before jumping ahead to the Danger Room. Tricity, let me know if I make this too complicated.
Neena waited until most everyone had introduced themselves and explained their mutation. Mentally she took note of those who were a bit more open with their pasts, and those who preferred to stick with the bare basics. Matching personalities with each other for future mission would be a high-wire-esque balancing act.
Finally there was another slight lull. She took that opportunity to introduce herself.
"For those who don't know me, my name is Neena. For those who do know me, I'm sure you've come up with a few more creative names." She grinned. "You can usually find me haunting either the Danger Room during the day, or the roof at night, or other high places at random times of the day.
"Powerwise, I have two mutations. Or, actually, it might be one mutation and a mental condition, depending on who you talk to." She shrugged, grinned and kept talking.
"I have enhanced sight. I can see in almost every spectrum of light available. It might be every spectrum. I haven't tried 'em all, actually. But I'll let ya know when I have.
"Mutation Number Two, or Mental Condition Number One, is lack of fear. Or more specifically, lack of adrenaline. You can't scare me. Eh, and please don't take that as a challenge." She cocked her eyebrow at the less mature members present. "If any of you ever need a moving target for practice sessions, I'd be glad to help." She winked at Seizure and Silver Streak, who knew from experience that she was perfectly serious.
"Weakness?" She tapped her glasses. "These are not just a fashion statement. Bright lights and I tend to have issues. Sorry Sunny," she smiled at Ethan. "Also.... well...." She scratched her head, her demeanor turning serious. "If I can help it, I won't ever put anyone else in danger, especially none of you. So if I tell you that I'm going to handle a situation, and tell you to back off from it, please do it. I have my reasons."
She smiled to lift the heavy air.
Tricity took the helm again, moving forward in the meeting.
"Thank you for your introductions. I think the possibilities of this team are endless. In fact, I'd like to see how we work together and focus on the actual uses of your mutations in the Danger Room. Nothing too crazy for now... Just simple tests that can help us better understand one another and what we are capable of. Some of you may want to change into something a little less restricting. Shall we?"
She turned to the sunglass-wearing teacher. "Neena, just start the program on a simple stage in the main room. We'll get warmed up and comfortable before pressing into something more difficult. I'm going to pass Sevion to one of the girls to babysit. I'll meet you all there."
Neena gave her a thumb's up. "Will do, Tricity." Popping up, she took the lead out of the room, and down to the Danger Room. She raised her voice for those lagging behind to hear.
"There's locker rooms for those of you who want to change to do so." She pointed the appropriate directions. "For the rest of us, go ahead on inside."
She moved to the mini console on the side of the room. A few memorized keystrokes later the room lit up, revealing the smooth, and high, silvery walls of the giant area.
"Okay," she began once everyone had regathered, "if everyone could kind of separate yourselves by mutations, that'll give us visual of who's who. Let's do basics. Um.... Let's do.... General elementals, like Cold Steel and Raina. Physical manifestations, like Silver Streak and Nika. Aaaand.... Enhanced senses or sense manipulators, like Seizure and Luke. Go with your main ability for the moment, 'kay?"
She stood back, pinkie nail clamped firmly between her teeth as she took a head count of the gathered crew.
" Hard not to be confident when I have you, Nehanda. I have been accused of worse things."
She shook her head at him. Smug and arrogant. And annoyingly addicting.....
" Looking at you, I'll tell you that it is important to me that we keep things as simple as possible. There's a fine chance that in dealing with people, more of your students might end up meeting me under false pretenses. Therefore, we should think of a way to explain the aliases, so we don't have to stack lies upon lies. Perhaps calling me an agent of some sort would be best. Say I am a foreign spy or something similar. What do you think?"
Neena quirked at eyebrow a him. "Erm.... okay. We could try that." There was no way the kids were going to buy such an excuse, let alone her coworkers. Though, come to think of it, given her track record of 'entertainment', they just might. "I can tell you for sure though, no matter what we tell them, rumors will blow it way of proportion. Expect to be accused of being a serial killer, or something of the like. Just warning you."
His mood seemed to suddenly change as he looked down. She cocked her head curiously. When he look back up, she held his gaze steadily.
" Also, I believe it's apparent that I am not going to kill you nor are you going to turn me in."
No. She wasn't. She wasn't quite sure when she'd come to that decision. But it was made, nonetheless.
"There are secrets and then there are secrets. I can't aim to build something here between us without a sign of good faith."
His hands felt smooth under the hot water, his grip as determined as his eyes.
" It's Pruitt. Roland Pruitt."
Well.... so much for simple things. Things from here on out were probably just going to get more and more complicated, and complex. At times like these, the truly simple thing was to go with the flow.
The water sloshed and gurgled around as she used his grip to pull herself closer to him.
"It's a pleasure to know you, Roland Pruitt." An easy smile played on her lips. "You know, you're one of the few people I let call me Nehanda." She let go of one of his hands, and pointed a dripping finger at him in mock warning. "But don't let it give you any ideas, Mr. Pruitt."
" Have to be prepared for everything, I suppose. Or do my best. Of course, I can't say I was prepared to fall for you, but am glad it seems to be working out."
Neena paused, and glanced over at Roland, holding his eyes for a brief moment before looking away again.
"That makes two of us." Her rational mind still fought with her less rational body over the wisdom of letting this relationship unfold. What would have caused unease and concern in the normal person, manifested in her as confusion and curiosity.
"Who or what is the DocProf? Sounds more like a medical robot than a man."
A short laugh left Neena's throat, bringing her out of her thoughts. "I suppose he could be. He hardly ever sleeps, that I know of." Kind of like her, actually. "He's our medic. His mutation allows very fast healing of injuries. Kind of a necessity for us. He, eh, can see the cause of the injury as he's healing it." She figured that would suffices as an explanation of why she'd rather keep out of his way for awhile.
"Mind if I join you?"
A completely out-of-character, mischievous smirk flashed onto her face before she could hide it.
"Do you have any idea how smug you just sounded?" she accused as he slid into the water her. She leaned her head on her uninjured arm and stared at him. "I still don't know how I'm going to explain you to Tricity and the others. I think I may have mentioned Jordon Hornbuckle once already....."
Neena listened to Calley wander off momentarily, into his own world. All anger and frustration aside, he really seemed like a different person. Yes, he was proud of his accomplishments, and rightfully so if she understood him correctly. But it seemed to be the sheer possibilities and revelations that really had him captivated.
"Err, it's pretty much awesome." He trailed off, and she could see his face flush a bit, even in the dark.
"But that's what I can't do now; I haven't been able to do it again since the fight. For awhile, I couldn't even do the basic shifts, either--but those are back online now. I, uh, don't know if Luke happened to mention it, but I shifted to tiger in front of him earlier in the night. That's, ah, how he knew I was a mutant."
"He did," she replied simply, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Luke hadn't been specific, but she could only imagine his reaction to a tiger burglar. Or, sick dog liberator.... A cat rescuing a dog, while squaring off against a blind man? Now there was irony......
"So, umm, for the cat form: here goes."
Neena pulled back to watch quietly. The 'shift' occurred without fanfare, with Calley's head disappearing from sight within the clothing. The small feline emerged from his encumbrance with the grace of a butterfly leaving its cocoon. However the superior feline attitude remained perfectly intact as it began to repair the damage done by the offensive clothing.
She had, barely, enough warning to cup her hands before the little creature landed in her lap, low thunder coming from his chest. He exuded confidence and pride that she couldn't really equate with the Calley she knew. Briefly she wondered if the cosmos had mixed up its genes at some point, and put Calley in the wrong body at birth.
"Well now," she began. "This explains the purring Tigger quite eloquently. You make a very handsome young Tom."
She held her hand out, palm up, near his nose. Because everyone knows that you cannot simply began petting a cat. Any cat, mutant or not. Oh no. You must first ask permission, and let the feline decide how gracious he was feeling.
Neena looked down in time to see the large first aid kit to appear out of thin air. Lifting the lid, she found many more supplies than the average person would need.
" There's the kit I used last night while you slept."
"I see you're used to doing this," she remarked, and began rummagaing through the items.
"You need any help with those wounds?"
"That would be lovely." She twisted to check her arm. Both bullets had gone through one side and out the other, leaving two small holes behind in each injury. The one on her arm especially was in an awkward position, so she started with her leg, propping her foot up to start unwinding the bandage.
Roland entered behind her, his entrance followed closely by the sound of running water. She glanced up to see him sitting on the edge of the tub.
" Perhaps you could allow yourself to be pampered. Just a little tiny bit. I won't tell anyone."
She shot him an amused glance. She wouldn't argue with a simple bath. That didn't count as pampering in her mind. Even if the basin was much larger than necessary.
"Besides, you should clean these wounds properly and you shouldn't return to the Mansion with the "I got it on last night" hair, right?"
She straightened up, then leaned backwards to actually look in the mirror. Her black hair was sticking up in all directions, as if she'd stuck her finger in an electrical socket, except for a flattened spot above her ear.. She grimaced.
"I guess that does need some attention, doesn't it?"
With both bandages off, she set the robe aside and padded quietly over to the tub. Since they'd explored each other quite thoroughly already, she saw no reason to be concerned about further exposure. She sat next to him, and slipped her feet and legs in. She hissed sharply as the hot water stung.
"I'll never get used to that...." she grumbled. Then she sighed.
"The only one at the Mansion who would notice anything amiss would be the DocProf. And I think I'll avoid him for a week or so."
Indeed, of the few at the Mansion that actually knew what she did on her 'Nights Out', the healer was the only one that really worried. And that was because, unlike the others, he could see how each of the injuries happened as he healed them, almost as if he'd experience them himself. Neena decided she'd rather keep the nights activities to herself this time.
A number of thoughts floated about in Neena's head, like fluffy dandelion seeds on a breezy day. Perched in the open window sill, she lazily watched them pass, with little effort to catch any of them. A couple of them did drift close enough for brief examination.
She still felt warm, despite the slightly cool morning breeze wafting through the window. Warm, and serene. It was good to realize that she could still respond to someone's touch, and that there was someone she wanted to be intimate with. A satisfying, and revitalizing, revelation to be sure.
Guilt still weighed heavily on her, though there was little to be done about it now. She would have to find out what had happened after leaving the manor; that would determine a future course of action. It was what she had expected from one of her students in a similar situation, and she wouldn't allow herself to do anything less.
She sensed, more than heard, Roland stir and approach from behind.
" Good morning, dear."
She was pleased to feel the fire inside stir again when his lips touched her neck. Maybe living without adrenaline needn't be so dull, after all.
"Morning," she replied softly, leaning into the caress. The pair of them stared out into the sunrise quietly for a moment.
" So, I suppose I should ask you something that you asked me last night. What now? The ball is still in your court, but now it is our game to play."
Neena chuckled, and shot him a sideways glance.
"That promises to be a dangerous game."
She pulled herself out of the window, flinching as she moved. The nights exertions had reopened the wounds on her arm and thigh. She made her way to the bathroom, limping a bit, to find replacement bandaging.
"Though, in the future, I'd rather take a rain check on the matches that include firefights."
Neena blinked as Roland pulled her eyes away from the vaulted roof.
"How will you know unless you give it a proper try?"
She didn't pull away as the gap between them closed, that logical part of her mind still analyzing the progressing proceedings. No jitters passed through her body, no 'sparks' of emotion or anything of that nature.
She could taste the sweet wine on his lips, though. And there was a delightful warmth beginning to carve its way through her nether regions, one that could hardly be attributed to the fire raging nearby.
She winced slightly as he pulled away, the bandaging on her arm tugging uncomfortably.
"Considering your wounds, I don't believe that this love seat is going to work for us any longer. Perhaps the king bed in my master suite would do better?"
The logical part of her seriously considered resisting as his arms slid beneath and lifted her. Logic reminded her that, hours earlier, she'd been fighting with this man, and heard him execute someone to remained anonymous. Her Team likely would not approve, nor would the rest of her Mansion family. Logic reminded her that he was a thief and a murderer, arrogant and willful, and much too brash to be risking herself with. They'd reached an agreement, and Logic stated that she should gather her things, limp her way home, and let the DocProf fuss at her while he healed her wounds.
Their path angled upward, toward the second floor. She watched the door to the room she'd awakened in come into view. And pass out of view.
"Besides, I think we'll be plenty warm enough without the fire."
Hmm. Logic be damned.
"The warmer, the better." The suite doors closed on the muffled, and uncharacteristically throaty, reply.
"Just figuring out which hallway to choose," Neena replied easily, and turned left. "Right hall is the gals, middle is adults, and this way, the guys."
Was that the third or fourth time that look of pain crossed his face?
She paused at an empty room, just beyond the center of the corridor, and unlocked the door. She let him enter first, to take in the room's simple furnishings; bed, nightstand, desk, bathroom, etcetera.
"You can decorate however you like, within reason of course. I'll go see what I can do about getting you something 'undissolveable'. " She held the key out for him to take, then paused.
"Not that its any of my business," she told him kindly, "but a lot of us here have had difficult and troubled pasts. You know. If you feel the need to talk."
She smiled, bowed slightly, and left the room on a hunt for a synthetic blanket, or for a resident who might be able to create something.
