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 fact that Kealey said she wanted things as much as Jacen did was nice but even more than that the honesty between both of them was refreshing. Lori had been sexy and exciting because she was dangerous and unpredictable. She had been good in the shower and wherever else they went but they had never had anything more than physical intimacy. With Kealey it had been the exact opposite. The two of them had shared an emotional intimacy before anything physical ever began.
"It's normal to be scared and nervous, especially when experiencing something new." Jacen observed quietly while he tried to think of how to phrase his next question. "Especially for you. You're so used to feeling everyone else's emotions that I'm sure it must be overwhelming to be feeling anything like, like this."
There was no need to explain what he meant by 'this'. Even a girl as innocent as Kealey would be able to figure that out but that meant it was time to move on to the next question which he somehow knew would be a little more of a touchy subject.
"I was in the military Kealey." He finally said, deciding to get to his question in something of a round about way. "I took two bullets in my left arm and a grenade explosion put shrapnel in my back. I know what a scar feels like and I know that's what I felt when I was caressing your back. How'd you get the scars that you try to hide all the time?"
Now that Jacen's mind was a little more clear certain things were beginning to make sense. Like the fact that a woman as beautiful and stylish as Kealey never wore anything that exposed her stomach and lower back. For most any woman her age that would have been a standard part of her wardrobe but either she didn't like those kinds of clothes or she was avoiding them because of what she was hiding on her back.
Focusing on various menial tasks was helping to clear Jacen's brain though he wasn't sure that he really wanted to. No... what he wanted was to throw the pizza down, sweep Kealey into his arms and off to the bedroom where they could find out how far this was really meant to go. Sighing inwardly Jacen shoved that thought to the back of his mind as he poured to glasses of ice water and then pulled out paper plates to put the pizza slices on.
"I, uh, I'm sorry if that was to forward or bad timing." Jacen said as he gave Kealey her plate and glass and then turned back around to retrieve his own, "You're a beautiful woman and person Kealey and I don't want to take advantage of you."
It was stupid to be apologizing when Kealey had seemed just as eager to see where things would go but Jacen still felt like it needed to be said. If she thought there was no problem then great but at least she'd know he was thinking about the possible repercussions.
"Can I ask you a couple of questions?" Jacen spoke again once they were seated back on the couch with their glasses or plates set on the coffee table as needed, "First... what changed between us? Last time we kissed you seemed to be holding back but you weren't this time."
Looking at Kealey, Jacen took a bite of pizza and just left the question inferred instead of actually spoken. Had she only been doing it because of the shock of what had happened to her in the past week or was did she really want something to happen between them? Once that question was answered he'd have more but for now he'd chew on pizza and wait for her to answer the first one.
He never would have guessed or predicted just how eagerly Kealey would return the kiss but Jacen wasn't about to complain. Now that his hand was free it was automatic for it to slip around her waist and pull her closer while surreptitiously slipping under her shirt to caress the skin on her back where he had been stopped moments before. The smoothness and suppleness was breathtaking but even as Jacen continued to deepen the kiss, a part of his brain suddenly threw up a red flag. The skin of her back was suddenly feeling different on his fingertips. No longer was it the smooth supple skin of a beautiful woman but instead the taught and tight scars of the walking wounded. Ignoring them for the moment, Jacen moved forward, tilting Kealey back until she was stretched out on the couch with him kneeling over her. The hand that had been on her cheek now supported his weight on the couch while the one on his back trailed around under her shirt to play across her smooth stomach. The room was getting hotter, at least on the couch, as Jacen pulled his mouth away and trailed a string of kisses over Kealey's cheek and down her neck. Mentally he knew where this was heading but he didn't care. This was what both he and Kealey wanted, or so he believed, and there was nothing that could stop them!
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door followed by what sounded like a teenager's voice calling out, "Pizza's here!"
Interrupted, Jacen pulled back and looked down at Kealey even as he inwardly swore in frustration. He knew that he was breathing hard and that his skin must be at least a little flushed but somehow he still managed to give the young woman below him some sort of smile. "Food's here..." His voice trailed off as he inwardly acknowledge that he had suddenly lost all interest in food.
"HEY! Anyone home?! Pizza's here?!" The voice called out again as yet more impatient knocking sounded on the door.
Inwardly swearing yet again, Jacen moved to his feet and walked over to the door. Grabbing some cash out of the drawer in the table right by the front door, Jacen paid the kid as quickly as he could and then closed the door. Turning back around with pizzas in hand he looked at Kealey and gave her apologetic smile. There was no question that the mood has been interrupted so there was no other choice beside just going ahead and eating.
"Uh... you want Extra-cheese or the loaded pizza? And uh, water or soda?" He asked as he made his way to the kitchen, trying to take up some sort of normalcy after what had just happened.
He was maintaining at least some self control. Sure he had allowed himself to slip and caress Kealey's smooth skin but he hadn't taken it any farther. It was a struggle but Jacen knew he was doing the right thing by keeping their relationship at least borderline "friends" without pushing for anything more intimate. Maybe the boundary had been blurred slightly but overall things were still the same as they had been... sometime.
It was right at the point when Jacen may have actually begun to regain full control when Kealey had to speak up and say that it was OK with her. Suddenly all thoughts of holding back disappeared while Jacen just looked into Kealey's eyes. They were such a brilliant blue and seemed to be drawing him closer, hypnotizing him and forcing him to do things he wouldn't normally do. At least that was how he tried to justify his actions.
Slowly moving closer, Jacen's free hand came up to gently caress Kealey's cheek while his lips descended to claim her own slightly parted mouth. It was a taste like no other. At times during the afternoon and evening he had noticed similarities between Kealey and Lori but when they kissed all comparisons were tossed out the window. Kealey's touch and flavor were completely her own. She was a fully individual woman that could only stand on her own. To even try and make a comparison would be idiotic.
He tried to move his other hand while the kiss progressed but immediately remember that Kealey was still holding on to his wrist. Pity... there was so much more that he would have enjoyed exploring.
The moment Jacen's hand touched Kealey's bare skin he was immediately elated and horrified all at the same time. He kept telling himself to maintain control and not let anything happen that they might regret or rethink later. Before he could react and pull away his hand Kealey's own hand suddenly moved back to grip his wrist. Lifting his gaze up from the young woman's back and to her eyes, Jacen did his best to keep his own eyes innocent though he couldn't help that little touch of smoldering desire and yearning for showing through. He was trying to restrain himself but with all the emotion of the past several weeks and then the high stress of what had occurred at Kealey's apartment there was a definite issue with maintaining composure and control.
"I don't remember saying we had to save it." Jacen replied quietly, trying to push some humor into his voice and failing miserably. His hand had been caught moving into the cookie jar and though he had enjoyed the feeling of being able to touch such sweetness it had only made him want to partake of the treat that much more.
"Was it an accident?"
The war in Jacen's mind continued to be waged as he looked at Kealey. Once side wanted him to lie... to somehow get out of the situation he was in while the other wanted to be bold and admit the truth. There were possible consequences with each choice and Jacen wasn't sure he wanted to face either of them at the moment.
"How in the world am I going to maintain only a 'friendly' relationship if she's actually living here? I'll probably even find out what she sleeps in... shoot!"
"Only partially." Jacen finally made his decision, admitting the truth as he stared into Kealey's blue eyes and let his free hand drop to his lap. There was no chagrin or shame in his voice only a quiet acceptance that he had been caught. "Some of it was from the massage but some of it was deliberate. I like your skin."
There... it was out there. Well, at least partially. Jacen hadn't gone as far as to say he wanted to see all of Kealey's skin but he had at least started down that road. Of course, that statement might have scared her away and made her rethink her decision but, consequences be damned. He had been honest. What more could she ask?
It was true what Kealey said about people not giving up enough control to be intimate but at the same time that wasn't one hundred percent true. Obviously there were people that appreciated the beauty of just a persons skin as well as the intimacy of skin on skin contact, otherwise there would be no nude resorts or nudist colonies. Jacen was about to make that exact comment but then decided against it. The whole idea of nude resorts might be a little to much for this innocent girl to handle.
"Well if you think it's so silly I'll make sure to request the next massage be more skin and less fabric." Jacen said with a soft chuckle, "I think you might be amazed at the difference if you just give it a chance."
Half accident and half intention, Jacen's ministrations on the small of Kealey's back were beginning to slowly pull up her shirt. It was resulting in a slight area of bunching forming in the area of her shoulder blades, between where his hands were working, but maybe it wasn't obvious.
"I'm glad I'm broadening your horizons but hopefully I won't be all firsts. Maybe I'll get a chance for a few seconds in there. Like second massage and..." Jacen voice trailed off slightly as he lost his nerve. He enjoyed flirting with Kealey but as much as he would have liked to try and push things he still had to admit this wasn't the best time. Maybe eventually he'd get a second chance with Kealey and he'd have the opportunity to show her what romance and seduction really were but he couldn't lead it that way now.
"Not now..." Jacen thought to himself idly before suddenly gulping as his felt the pinkie finger on his hand trail over bare skin. Refocusing on the task at hand he realized that the shirt had finally ridden up far enough that he could see and feel just a hint of skin above the hem of her low rider shorts. "Ah hell."
Kealey was definitely enjoying the massage. In fact she was even asking him how he could order pizza without stopping what he was doing. That had to mean he was doing something right.
"I think I can handle ordering pizza and not stopping." Jacen replied with a grin as he glanced over at where the phone sat mockingly a few feet away. It would take some thought but surely there was a way he could handle her request.
"Crime again nature?" Jacen asked with a laugh as he turned his attention back to Kealey, "I can think of few things more natural than a massage. Skin on skin contact is extremely natural though most people shy away from it because they're afraid of how it feels."
There was an innuendo in that statement that Jacen had not originally intended but now had no intention of correcting either. Combining that with her offer of doing something for him in return and, well, Jacen's mind could go to the gutter just as fast as anyone else.
"Deal." Jacen agree before removing just one hand from Kealey shoulders and stretching over to grab the phone. His arms were just long enough and in a moment he was successfully holding the communication device while his other hand continued to work on Kealey's supple skin. After dialing the number for a local pizza place, Jacen held the phone between his shoulder and ear while that second hand came back into place on Kealey's body. However, instead of going for the shoulders, Jacen's hand dropped to begin working on the small of her back through the fabric of her shirt. Somehow he knew that pushing the fabric up to work on bare skin was a little to forward at the moment but, who knew. Maybe he'd get a chance for that later.
"Yes, what specials are you running right now?" Jacen asked out of habit as soon as a voice came over the phone. "That'd be perfect. This is Jacen King, my address should be in your computer. Correct. Yeah, I'd like to get your special for two large pizzas. I'd like one with just extra cheese and I'd like the other one to have peppers, onions, ham, sausage, bacon, and pepperoni. No mushrooms or olives. Perfect. Twenty minutes will be great. Thank you."
Lifting his head, Jacen carelessly let the phone drop down on the couch cushion. Glancing at the phone he was happy to see it had automatically disconnected once the pizza parlor had hung up the phone.
"They said it'll be about twenty minutes 'til they get here so we've got some time to kill. Looks like you get your wish with the massage... at least for a little while." Jacen teased quietly with a smile on his face. He still wanted to be touching more skin but a part of his brain continued to warn him that this was not a good time to move in that direction. They had both suffered a shock and as such could not be trusted to make rational decisions.
The sigh was all of the indication that Jacen needed to know that he was doing what would help Kealey relax. He could feel the knots and tightness disappearing from her muscles but he just continued working. The feel of her soft skin against his thumb was tempting and he found himself wanting to move a little closer. Giving in to temptation a slid farther along the couch so that his thigh was just barely touching Kealey's leg.
"Pizza sounds good... do you like peppers and onions or should I just do cheese or meat?" Jacen asked quietly as he continued working. Without realizing it he had been gently nudging the collar a little lower so that he could begin to see just the hint of a shoulder blade peaking right at the edge.
Even with both of them being clothed it was one of the most tempting situations Jacen had ever been in. The innocence of Kealey combined with her innate sensuality and suddenly Jacen was biting his lip, inflicting pain on himself in order to bring him mind back to safer ground. "So... how about we order the pizza and then see about getting some sleep. We've got a busy day tomorrow and you don't need to worry about my schedule. I've have plenty of time for whatever we want to get done."
Falling silent again, Jacen continued massaging before a slight smile began to play on his face. The relaxation and pleasure in Kealey's expression was exactly what she needed in order to end her day. "If you like the massage, I can guarantee you more if you go ahead and stay here until you get another apartment. I'll admit that it's really rare for me to get a chance to give a lovely lady like yourself a massage."
"I'll see about getting some food ordered." Jacen said with a smile as he opened a small drawer in the table where the phone was sitting and pulled out a bunch of delivery menus, "I'm afraid I'm pretty awful when it comes to cooking. What sounds good... pizza, Chinese, BBQ, or something else?" He asked as he took a seat at the other end of the couch from Kealey.
At her question about going through what was left of her apartment Jacen paused. Nodding slowly he looked back over at Kealey, giving her a comforting smile, "I'm a police officer Kealey. Once the Fire Marshall clears it as safe I can get you in to look around. You'll probably be surprised by how much saved."
They were starting to get back into more personal and emotional areas. Jacen needed to get them out of this situation but he couldn't think of anything. He could easily compliment her looks or beauty but somehow he didn't think now was the time for that. He could make a comment about how good she looked in his clothes but that obviously didn't fit either.
"We'll get things taken care of Kealey. It'll all work out somehow." Jacen finally said as he scooted a little closer to her and then reached over and began gently massaging at her shoulder. Unintentionally one of his thumbs slipped under the to large collar and brushed over bare skin as he worked at the knots that had developed in her muscles.
"I'll check with the officials and get us in there as early as we can. Throw that in with your official papers and some clothes shopping and you should be all set." Jacen said quietly, his focus as much on the massage and the skin he could see and touch as it was on the conversation.
Kealey didn't hesitate in the slightest and after a brief statement, whisked into the bathroom firmly closing the door behind her. Jacen stood there, staring at the closed door for a few moments. As he heard the water begin to run he felt himself flush as he realized that he was trying to imagine what the blond woman must look like in the shower.
"Cool your jets." Jacen muttered as he pivoted and strode out into the living room. Walking over to his personal bar he poured yet another shot of brandy and tossed it back. Firmly placing the stopper back in the bottle, he set it down and then walked over to the sink to wash the glass he had just been using. Two glasses was the maximum he allowed himself anymore. Ever since the drunken fiasco with Lori, Jacen had been very hard on himself. He would never allow himself to be completely drunk ever again!
Once the simple chore was done Jacen wandered aimlessly through the living room before finally making his way back into the bedroom. After kicking off his shoes and socks he collected the bloody clothes on the floor and carried them off to the tiny laundry room that was off of his guest hallway. Finally he heard the shower shut off and so he walked back into the bedroom and then leaned up against the wall outside of the bathroom door.
"I didn't say where it is." Jacen responded with a smile as he took the clothing from her hands and turned to head into the hall, "Have a seat in the living room or feel free to fix yourself a drink. There's water, milk, a few sodas, and maybe even some bottled tea in the fridge."
Heading into the hallway Jacen took the clothing and dropped it into the washer piece by piece. "Turquoise boyshorts... who woulda thought." Crossed through his mind before he could stop it. He had fantasized about what sort of undergarments Kealey might be hiding under her clothing. He had always envision some extremely risque, downplayed by more slightly more upstanding exterior but obviously that had been a mistake.
"Are you hungry at all?" Jacen asked as he walked back out in the living room from the hallway, "I could order some take out or something."
"Well I sure can't be classified as smart for making a bad choice over a good one." Jacen replied humorlessly as he focused on taking care of Kealey's feet, "And yes I know what I'm doing. The military likes to make sure that everyone can at least do basic first aid."
Grabbing a cotton swab, Jacen doused it in Hydrogen Peroxide and then carefully brushed over all of the small cuts and nicks in the bottom of Kealey's feet. The bubbling of the Peroxide helped to push any trapped debris to the surface in order to help prevent infection. After wiping off the leftover peroxide with a cotton ball, Jacen doused another cotton ball with alcohol and cleaned her wounds just a little bit more. The obvious problem that now presented itself was exactly how to bandage up her feet. Kealey was about to get into the shower and a basic first aid kit didn't carry water proof bandages.
"That should take care of you for showering... once you're out we'll dry off your feet and see about putting some bandages on with some antibiotic cream." Jacen said with a nod and a quick smile flashed in Kealey direction. Since he was now off of the subject of his choice between Lori and Kealey, it was a much easier to be at least a little bit cheerful.
"If you want to step in the bathroom, I'll wait outside and you can just hand the clothing out... or we can wait to wash it until after you're out of the shower and dressed." Jacen offered as he stood back to his feet and motioned toward the bathroom. He hadn't missed her longing glance toward the shower and as such he couldn't deny her the pleasure anymore. Apparently that was yet one more thing that Kealey and Lori had in common. A love for the shower.
"I've got plenty of time tomorrow so we can do whatever you need to get done." He added as the young woman headed for the bathroom, "You make the schedule and I'll be the chauffeur."
At least Kealey hadn't gone ahead and used the 'I told you so', even though Jacen knew she had to want to. As angry as she had been the night he had stopped things as they became more physical it made sense that she still had at least some desire to gloat. Obviously she was to nice to do it but Jacen wouldn't have been at all surprised if Kealey had been thinking those exact words, just without uttering them.
"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer sometime but for now I think I'll just revel in my own stupidity." Jacen replied dryly as he walked over to his dresser and once again began to dig through the clothing. In a matter of moments he was able to pull out a pair of gray, black, and red patterned basketball shorts with a drawstring. For a moment he toyed with whether to give Kealey a white or black t-shirt, finally picking the black one. Even though it was slightest larger than his white undershirts, it wouldn't come off as slightly transparent should Kealey still be slightly damp when she pulled it on.
As he turned back around with the clothes in hand, the young woman's comment immediately made his gaze drop to her feet. They were a mess and immediately Jacen regretted not focusing on her more. He had let her take care of his shoulder without even noticing that her feet were a disaster area.
"Let me take care of those." Jacen said quietly as he moved over to sit on the bed and then reached over to gently grip Kealey's legs and swing her around so that her feet rested in his lap. Obviously he couldn't tend to them with her socks still on so after a brief, "This might hurt." of warning, Jacen carefully pulled the now ruined fabric off. Quite a bit of the glass had was safely embedded in the socks and he immediately disposed of them in a small trash can beside his bed but now he had to tend to the feet themselves. "And you don't have to go do everything by yourself tomorrow." Jacen addressed as he began to scan through the kit while turning the subject back to an earlier comment Kealey had made, "I'll be glad to go with you. Whether you want to admit it or not, you need a friend nearby right now."
Kealey's giggling and question about his dealing with weepy females actually managed to put a small smile on Jacen's face as she pulled away from the hug. Allowing his hands to drop to his sides he shrugged helpless as he looked at her. "Am I really that obvious?" At least she didn't seem mad about the fact that he wasn't good at it. In fact it seemed to have lifted her spirits a little.
"I think I can set you up with a towel and everything with a shower. And yes, I have a washing machine so we can get your clothes washed. My clothes will be a little baggy for you but I'm sure we can find something for you." Jacen answered as he watched Kealey's demeanor change slightly. She was beginning to get serious again and obviously was thinking about the situation. Probably over thinking but then again Jacen couldn't really blame her. In the course of a couple of days her world had been turned upside down. Anyone would be entitled to a little bit of introspection after dealing with a situation like that. It looked like she was even a little bit flushed... probably from all the stress and excitement she had dealt with over the past few hours.
"I know you offered me the spare room and all…but won’t your…your…whatever…have a problem with me staying here?"
And finally the subject that Jacen had been avoiding yet at the same time wanting to talk about had been broached. The awkwardness in the air was immediately apparent and Jacen tried to think of some way to get out of the subject without bad mouthing Lori to bad. He wasn't out to demean her character even if she was something of a... well he really didn't even need to think about it.
"You're welcome to say I told you so... can't blame you really." Jacen said slowly, rising to his feet and walking over to open a drawer and pull out a new, plain gray t-shirt/undershirt. Quickly pulling it on over his head he walked into the bathroom to lay out a new towel, wash cloth, and some of the sample bottles of body wash, shampoo, and condition that he collected from hotels. "I caught her in a rather intimate and compromising position with another man a week or so ago. Haven't seen or talked to her since."
He was doing his best to just speak about the subject matter-of-factly without allowing any hurt or feeling to come out on the surface. If Lori wanted to toy with his emotions like she had then that was her business but it was his choice whether he let that hurt him or not. His choice. It was a mental decision. Mental focus could keep him from feeling anything. Or at least that was what he kept telling himself.
"I uh... I've got sweat pants with draw strings and some shorts with draw strings. I think the shorts might be better for you since the sweats would be really long." Jacen fumbled slightly as he tried to change the subject back to more of a safe territory. "Is there um, anything else you need for your shower?"
Kealey was obviously looking at Jacen as some sort of hero but he just wasn't buying it. Surely there was something more he could have done about the whole situation. Obviously if he'd been equipped with the kind of gear he carried while in the military or on a SWAT mission then he could have dealt with things. He would have had his own weapon with scope to counter the sniper but unfortunately he had been attacked while in a civilian situation. Heck, he didn't even carry that kind of firepower in his truck. Maybe he needed to contemplate stowing some weapons somewhere safe in his vehicle...
Suddenly Jacen gritted his teeth and hissed slightly as Kealey swabbed over the puncture wounds with the antiseptic. With all of the medical advances you would have though someone would have figured out how to make antiseptic that didn't sting on contact but it hadn't been done yet! Suddenly he felt what seemed to be a cool, no warm breeze in his back. Was Kealey blowing on his skin? The very idea was enough to make the tired man suddenly feel goosebumps up and down his back.
Finally he felt Kealey's hands leave his now bandaged shoulder. Slowly turning, Jacen looked at the blond woman as she seemed to just be staring down at her hands and her torn and bloody clothes. Shock had built up a shell around her and provided her with a way to ignore the emotions and feelings that tried to push themselves upon her but as she continued talking and began to play with her hair it was obvious that the shell was cracking. Tears were beginning to drip from her eyes and just like that Jacen found himself feeling even more helpless than he had back at Kealey's apartment.
For a moment he was frozen in place, and then he moved a touch closer and slipped his arms around the young woman, pulling her toward him and into a hug. "We're gonna get through this Kealey." He murmured quietly once her head was safely nestled against his shoulder, "Stuff can be replaced. Friends can't be."
On the one hand, Jacen knew this had to be what Kealey needed but on the other hand he felt silly doing this. He was a man used to action and combat. Comforting a distraught woman was definitely not something he had ever trained for. What else could he do to help her relax? What was it women always wanted on those TV shows he watched? Hot tea? He didn't keep any of that in the house though he'd probably need to start stocking some tea bags. Chocolate? Yet again an item he'd probably need to start keeping around. A hot bath? Now there was something he could provide!
"How about we get you cleaned up? I can fill the tub with hot water and you can relax for a bit while I try to find some clothes for you to wear. Once you're feeling better maybe we can go... shopping?" He asked, almost choking on the last word though somehow managing to get it out. Kealey had warned him about shopping with her before and he really wasn't in the mood for it now but she definitely needed to go get some more clothes and things. Maybe he'd even buy her something as a gift. "Though definitely not lingerei... last time I bought a woman that it wasn't receive very well."
Jacen was doing his best not to get overly frustrated as he tried to look at his wounds but he couldn't help it. The way the splinters were positioned it felt like he was straining the wounds every time he tried to twist his head around to see them. He was about ready to reach back and just blindly rip them out when Kealey stepped forward and pulled the first aid kit from his hands.
"Thanks." Jacen said after a moment, his shoulder slumping slightly as he just let himself relax. He still couldn't believe what the two of them had just gone through. Jacen couldn't remember the last time he had felt that helpless but he knew that Kealey had to be feeling worse. She had just lost everything other than the clothes on her back. Did she have renters insurance? How much had been lost that she could never replace? Had their been photos of families and friends that were now lost forever?
"Yes, you should have called me." Jacen replied quietly, his eyes closing for a moment as he allowed himself to give in to the stress related weariness that was now descending, "I'm sorry... I should have been able to do more. I should have protected you better."
He knew it was stupid, but he felt like he was at least partially responsible. The man had specifically said he wanted to speak to Mr. King. He had said he had no real interest in Kealey but instead wanted to deal with the police officer that had special abilities. How in the world had he put a friend into a situation like this? Maybe if Kealey hadn't known him then the attacker wouldn't have done so much to her home. Maybe he would have left her alone if she didn't know Jacen.
"Oh right... the shirt."
Moving slowly, Jacen stood to his feet and slipped the bloody over shirt off, allowing it to drop to the floor. Moving carefully he did his best to pull off his t-shirt without jarring the large pieces of wood but a slight hiss of pain as he pulled the clothing off showed that he wasn't entirely successful.
"You can stay here until you get back on your feet." Jacen offered quietly as he sat back down on the bed and allowed Kealey to better examine his wounds. He could feel a slow drip on his shoulders and back as the blood ran down but since it wasn't gushing he wasn't particularly concerned. "I've got the spare bedroom and... well... maybe it'd be good for you to have a room mate for a little while."
The moment Kealey's hands touched his bare skin, Jacen suddenly realized the situation they were in. Both of them were tired and stressed from the events of the day and now here he was sitting in front of her with nothing covering his upper body. After the way things had ended between them several weeks before he really should have felt more awkward but he didn't. Maybe the tiredness was overcoming the awkwardness but whatever the issue, Jacen didn't give a damn about how the situation looked.
