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.
She didn't want to hurt him? But that meant... if she wouldn't... it could only be... she cared about him? She actually cared whether he drew his next breath and whether or not he got a chance to face the world again tomorrow? Obviously she would care about the slug of a man that just so happened to be her father but if she cared about Jacen that meant something entirely different.
"Look at me." Jacen ordered softly as he reached over and cupped his hand around her cheek while gently lifting her face up so that they could look into each others eyes, "You may be a brilliant woman in a lot of areas but sometimes you're just plain dumb." He said quietly as a ghost of a smile touched his lips, "But since I'm the same way I guess that makes us even."
Dropping his hand down to grip one of her hand, Jacen just look at her for a moment as he tried to decide how to handle this. Even if he was willing to just sweep this under the rug and pretend that nothing happened there was no way his partner would go along with it. But maybe he could offer him something else. Jagger was always looking to make a name for himself so what if he brought in a girl that had been missing for some time and that same girl was able to provide more information about a certain mutant that had the ability to make himself into a giant? Maybe, just maybe that would buy his silence.
"Look, if you come down to the station and admit you're not missing while also providing information about a certain large friend of ours, I may be able to convince my partner to say this was all a mistake and that we didn't find any problems on this call." He said after a moments contemplatoin, "There's just two other things."
Falling silent for yet another moment, Jacen's deep brown eyes stared directly into her piercing blue ones as though he was trying to look directly into her heart. What was she feeling? Did she really care? There was only one way to find out.
"First." Jacen said before leaning forward and gently kissing her on the lips. More of a searching kiss than a passionate one, it was if he were asking her to trust him by the lip contact. If she could just allow herself to give him some of her trust, he would never betray it. Never.
"Second." Jacen said huskily after finally pulling away from the kiss, "What's your real name?"
"Empire State Building it is then." Jacen said with a quick grin at his dining companion. Even though he'd been forced to memorize the building's floor plans as part of basic NYPD training Jacen had actually only gone to the building once. The view was even more amazing than people described and he was already beginning to look forward to just how Kealey would reaction once they got to the top. What would be she feeling right at that moment as she dealt with only her own emotions? More than likely the expression on her face would be priceless and Jacen knew that he would enjoy seeing it.
Smiling slightly at that pleasant though he turned his attention back to his burger. He was hungry and because of that he was eating pretty fast but as he set his burger down yet against with about four bites taken out of it he saw that apparently someone else was just as hungry if not more so.
"Good?" Jacen asked with a grin after Kealey made a comment about things being holy. Not being a church going person he really couldn't identify what was holy but if she thought this burger was holy then he would most heartily agree. Taking a sip of his coke, Jacen's grin actually broadened when the young woman finally slowed down long enough to say something.
”I have no idea what just happened…but it was great…and I want more of it.”
Jacen was a good guy and for the most part he kept his mind out of the gutter. Sure there were certain people in his life that gave him moments when he could enjoy the gutter but for the most part Jacen was just a good guy. However, no matter how good he was he was still very much a guy and Kealey's comment did strange things to his mind. Obviously Kealey had been sheltered with a high set of moral standards but when she made comments like that... well...
"If a burger gave her that kind of response what in the world will happen the first time she gets laid?"
It was the sort of question that brought on emotions that would make Kealey blush and rush away. It was the sort of thought that made Jacen struggle to not let things progress into his wondering what kind of undergarments she wore or what she might look like sans clothes. Those were not good questions to be thinking about with such an innocent girl like Kealey but Jacen was still very much and man and she was most deffinately all woman!
Sitting up, Jacen just looked at her as she spoke those few words. The expression on her face combined with those words made him want to... made him want to... Damn her! She made him want to wrap his arm around her and say that everything would be OK. Say that she wasn't a bad person just complicated or some such nonsense. What in the world was he thinking? This was the woman that had lied to him about everything!
"Why?" Jacen asked quietly as he leaned back slightly from the weight of her head on his chest. Using his left arm to support their weight he brought his right hand up to gently stroke her hair in an intimate and comforting gesture. That one word covered a broad spectrum of territory and even though Jacen wanted an equally broad answer he wasn't sure she would be ready for anything like that. What would she answer? Would she give him any explanation? "Why kiss me?' It was probably the least important of all the question but it was the one that was popping to the forefront of his mind. "You could have stopped me most any way you wanted so... why?"
This was stupid... he should be leaping to his feet and trying to chase down the man that had assulted his partner as well as himself. That was a man that needed and deserved to go to jail but instead Jacen was letting her personal life interupt his professional life. Why? Why was this more important than that? "Because I'm a mutant and if the truth got out, she's the only friend I'd have." He finally admitted to himself, "Because... because I've started to care and that scares me more than anything."
If the fight was just between Jacen and Lily, no, the blond's dad then it would have been wrapped up in short order. After throwing the dude into the back of the squad car Jacen would have put his partner in the passenger seat and then driven both of them back to the station. After booking the one man and getting medical attention for the other he would have hosed down the passenger seat that had come in contact with Jagger's wet pant. But no, things just couldn't be that easy.
SHE had to get involved. The girl that he'd been sleeping with but didn't even know her real name. The girl that he had actually begun to care about, not love, but deffinately care. This was his job but there was still no way he could fight his hardest when there was the chance that he might hurt her. He fought sure, but he held back because he couldn't stand the idea of being the one that gave her another black eye or bruised rib.
Suddenly he was flat on his back on the hard pavement with her on top of him. Her hand was cushioning his head from hitting the pavement to hard while her knees rested on his shoulder. If she'd been wearing a skirt this would have been a great 'flasher' moment but instead this was going to be a great moment of another kind. As her head dropped toward him Jacen found himself wondering if it was even possible. Could she really bend over that far? And then their lips were touching.
It was kind of a strange kiss for Jacen and... whoever she was to share. After so much passion going on between them in previous encounter this was different. There was a desperation in each kiss as she asked, no begged him to let the man escape. He really was her father Jacen realized with a slightly sinking feeling, which meant that she was the missing daughter that wasn't really missing.
"Fine... he's gone." Jacen finally murmured a few moments later when the sound of feet running away began to dissipate and the kisses from above began to slow. A part of him couldn't believe he hadn't even tried to fight the woman off but another part admitted that in his shocked condition it was perfectly understandable. She hadn't even give him her real name after their intimate times together.
Finally Jacen strained against the woman's weight as he tried to sit up. If she fell back his arm were ready to catch her so that she didn't hit the pavement but if she simply chose to get off of him that was acceptable to. Then would come the real question. Did he just leave with his partner or did he try to sort out what in the world was going on? At least part of that decision would reside with Lil... whoever she was.
"Well, since most of the movies that have come out in the past few years have been trash we can probably throw out that idea." Jacen said before popping a couple of french fries in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. There were so many options in New York City but the real question is where would Kealey be comfortable? Since he was nearby they didn't necessarily need to steer clear of large crowds but that didn't give them carte blanche to do anything they wanted either. There were plenty of clubs that opened up even during the afternoon but most of them would probably damage Kealey's convent sensibilities.
"Well, we could always go see some of the sights." Jacen finally decided before picking up his burger in a firm double handed grip, "Have you ever been to the Empire State Building?" As Jacen let Kealey finally get in an answer he leaned his head forward and took a large bite out of his burger. The flavors of greasy but flavorful meat, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, ketchup, mustard, tomato, and lettuce combined to create a symphony for the pallete. There were restaurant critics that turned up their nose at the very idea of a diner hamburger but any normal person in America would agree this was a staple of American culture. The hamburger was something that only America had ever truly perfected for the lay person and it was something that everyone should get a chance to enjoy.
Setting his burger back down Jacen claimed his soda and took a swig, washing down the savory flavors of burger with the sweet flavor of his soda. Other than the tomato and lettuce that was absolutely NOTHING healthy about this meal but he really didn't care. It wasn't often he splurged to eat like this so he was going to enjoy it while he could!
As soon as it penetrated through Jacen's brain that this woman was Lily he froze. Was it possible? Could this beautiful creature really be the daughter of a scum bag like that one sitting on the ground near his squad car? As she threw her hip upward, Jacen reacted completely on automatic. Rocking slightly with the movement he quickly lifted his knee out of her chest and then settled it on the other side of her petite figure so that he was now straddling the young woman. Reaching he he grabbed for her arm, managing to only catch and pin one as she continued to wiggle and struggle for her freedom.
"Lor?" Jacen asked in shock as what her father had said finally penetrated through his brain, "It's not Lily... your name isn't even Lily, is it?" The words were out before he could even think but it was obvious that he wasn't accusing her of anything as if she were a criminal. No... it was more like there was just a touch of hurt that she couldn't even trust him with her real name.
***
"AUGH!" Jagger screamed in pain as his knee twisted and he fell to the ground. Thankfully the creepy father hadn't managed to break anything but there was no way that the poor cop was going to be winning any foot races for the next few weeks, even if he somhow managed to lose his beer belly.
With a cry of triumph Lori's father struggled to his feet and began to shakily make his way down the street. Still somewhat unsteady he failed to notice Officer Jagger pulling his stun gun out of his holster and aiming it in his general direction. Unfortunately, Jagger's qualification to use the stun gun was far over due. As he pulled the trigger his leg gave a slight twitch meaning that the barbs inetending for Lori's father imbedded in his own leg.
"AUUUUUGH!" Jagger screamed as the electricity coursed through his body until a spasm forced him to release his hold on the charge button. As he began to move toward unconsciousness the poor cop realized that due to the electricity he had done something even more embarassing and had wet his pants.
***
Jacen's head popped up as his partner screamed the second time and he saw Lori's father getting away. "Damn it!" He swore before suddenly leaping off of the young woman and taking off after her father at a dead run. Closing the distance quickly Jacen lunged forward in a flying tackle that planted his shoulder in Lori's fathers back and set him face first into the pavement.
"This time stay down!" Jacen growled as he rolled the man over, ignoring the bleeding scraped that now adorned the man's shoulders and cheek, "Now I have to charge you with fleeing the scene of a crime!"
"If you had waited until I turned my back you could have clocked him without any report being filed." Jacen muttered somewhat regretfully as he crouched over the handcuffed man. Grabbing the handcruffs, he stood and lifted the somewhat stunned suspect to his feet as well. "Find anything Jagger?" Jacen called as he started to turn toward the police cruiser.
Suddenly out of nowhere a weight descending onto Jacen's back, forcing him to pitch forward slightly and accidently knock the handcuffed man down to the ground. As arms wrapped around his throat in a vice like hold he had to acknowledge that he was under attack. From the weight he had to guess that it was either a kid or a woman. "Girlfriend? Maybe his missing daughter?" A part of Jacen's mind wondered as he recognized the feeling of boobs pressing against his back. Moving quickly his hands reached up to grab the arms around his throat and with a firm pull he overcame the strength of his attacker. Suddenly bending at the waist he launched the woman up and over his back so that she landed with an audible thumb on the ground. Moving quickly Jacen slipped around the woman and dropped into a crouch, one knee pressed into the crevice between her breasts in order to hold her immobilized.
"And who the heck are you?" Jacen asked, slightly winded from the short time without air. With her face turned to the side and her hat pulled down there was really no way to tell so obviously that left the police officer only one option. Reaching down he grabbed the hat and yanked it off her head, allowing the blonde hair that had been concealed within to tumble out and pool around her face. At the same moment she turned her face around so that they were looking directly at each other.
"Lily?"
***
This was his chance to escape and there was no way that Lori's father was going to pass it up. He had friends that could help him get out of these cuffs and then set him up with a new trailer to live in, he just had to get to them. Scrambling back up to his feet as best he could he broke into a shambling run that just happened to take him right by the police car that he was assuming must be empty. Unfortunately for him at the same moment he was passing by, Officer Jagger opened the car door in order to climb back out of the vehicle. It was almost like something out of a three stooges movie as Lori's father ran face first into the car door and bounced off just to fall back on his rear.
"You're not getting off that easy bub." Jagger said, doing his best to cover up his surprise and act like things had gone exactly as planned, "You're gonna spend a night in the clink!"
"Lily?" His partner's voice rang out over the yard and immediately both Jagger and Lori's father looked over.
"Who the hell is Lily and what the f*** are you doing trying to grope my f****** daughter?!"
It was understandable, really it was. It made perfect sense that someone would want to beat up on Jagger and really he couldn't blame this guy for attacking his partner. The sad thing was that, even though Jacen completely agreed with the man's actions it was his job to protect his partner. Kind of sad to interupt but if he was anything he was a man of duty!
"Get off him!" Jacen ordered as he grabbed the man's shoulders and threw him away from his partner. "Look, I understand that he deserved to be hit but you can't just go around punching police officers!"
For a minute, Mr. Potty Mouth seemed to be eyeing Jacen, trying to decide whether he could take this stronger and tougher police officer. Apparently the decision was that it was deffinately possible because without warning the man rushed him, swinging powerful hamhock fists wildly as he tried to take down the slightly taller officer.
Bringing up his arms to fend off the blows Jacen took one step back. He probably could have gotten away without even getting hurt if that idiot hadn't gotten lucky and tagged his injured arm with one of the wayard punches. With a grunt of pain Jacen's guard suddenly dropped and immediately a one two combination hit the side of his neck and then his jaw.
Stumbling backward, Jacen's eyes narrowed as he saw the other man's expression become that of the victorious warrior. He actually thought he had just won the fight... pathetic. Obviously he hadn't fought nearly enough real combatants or he would have realized that the gloves were now coming off.
Righting himself quickly, Jacen suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between the two men with surprising speed. Lifting his left arm to block a punch coming from the intoxicated man, Jacen swung his right arm around in a powerful cross that connected with the man's jaw. As soon as his first connected Jacen felt even more pain lancing through the muscles in his arm that were still trying to repair themselves. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain Jacen pressed the advantage with a quick one two combination of his own. A quick right jab to the man's nose, seeting up his face perfectly so that a power left uppercut could slam into his jaw.
As the man fell to the ground it was quite clear that he wasn't unconscious. The t-shirt clad man was tougher than that but he was stunned and that was really all that Jacen needed. Moving quickly Jacen flipped him onto his stomach and then pulled his arms behind his back and handcuffing them together.
"My nose... did you look at my nose?" Jagger groaned from where he was now sitting, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his large honker.
"Forget your nose and get on the computer." Jacen snapped as he fished a wallet out of the man's pocket with obvious distaste on his face. Immediately he tossed the wallet over to Jagger who missed the catch and instead picked the wallet up out of the dirt. "Run the name and see if this guy's been involved in anything else. I'd be willing to bet we've had some sort of assault complaint filed against him before."
It was all Jacen could do to not grab his ears and try to plug them with his fingers or with whatever piece of cloth was close at hand. He didn't want to know what Jagger imagined his doctor wearing under her uniform and he'd rather pluck out his own eyeballs than have to look at the photos that had been taken during the colonoscopy.
Right as he was beginning to seriously consider pulling his gun and either shooting himself or his 'partner' the call came in over the radio. Reports of a man and woman screaming in their yard and disturbing the peace. Possibly a domestic dispute and possibly just two neighbors getting into it. Jacen didn't know, and he didn't care. Before Jager could say anything Jacen had already snatched up the mic and reported that they would be heading to the location.
"Bu, bu, but it's time for our coffee break!" Jagger complained, obviously annoyed that his partner had taken the liberty to respond to a call.
"To late for that. We've already got the call. Let's go." Jacen replied, quite obviously satisfied.
"You know what King, I'm gonna ask for someone else tomorrow!" He grumbled.
"I can only wish." Jacen muttered under his breath as the siren and lights flipped on.
***
The location for the call was only a short distance away but it still took Jacen right by the 7-11 that had played such an important roll in a previous nights activities. As they approached the gas station Jacen felt like a bystander at a horrible accident. He wanted to look away at anything except the gas station but something riveted his attention to that one spot.
There it was. What had once been one of the most beautiful and sought after cars in the world was now nothing but a metal frame that sat up on concrete blocks. The vehicle had been stripped of everything of value and even a couple pieces of the frame had been cut away leaving horrible gaps in what otherwise would have been a perfect skeleton.
"Looks like the local hoodlums finished another piece of artwork." Jagger observed as they raced past the convenience store.
"Yeah." Jacen replied as he was finally able to tear his gaze away from the horrifying sight, "Looks like it." Suddenly he was looking back over his shoulder as his mind processed something that he hadn't really noticed right away. There was a woman walking along the street that looked an awful lot like Lily. The problem was she was wearing a cap so he couldn't see if she had blond hair.
"Couldn't be." Jacen finally decided as he looked back out at the street in front of them, "Lily wouldn't come back here after we dumped a car like that."
***
Pulling onto the correct street there was no question about what house they had been called to. Standing out in front was a rather messy looking man that was cursing up a storm as he walked back and forth across his lawn. The string of profanity was so long that Jacen had absolutely no clue who or what it was all directed toward.
"Sir, please calm down. We're just here to talk." Jagger said even though his expression was extremely nervous, "No need to be upset."
"Who the hell do you think you are, all fancy in your uniforms?!" The irate man screamed as he turned his attention on Jacen's partner, "I'll f****** get angry if I want to! In fact I'll f****** throw an f****** fit if I want to!"
"Uh..."
"Great come back Jagger." Jacen muttered as he walked past his partner and towards the angry man. It was rare that Jacen wore his actual uniform but since he was out on patrol, this was one of those days. Well shined black shoes, black socks, pressed black pants, and a pressed short sleeve black shirt. Strapped around his waist was the normal belt with various pouches and holsters for his gear and pinned to his chest was his police badge. "Sir! Quiet down or we'll have to take you downtown to cool off!" Jacen spoke up, his voice loud enough to be heard over the screaming.
"Who the f*** do you think you are? This isn't the army! You can go sh** yourself!"
Inwardly Jacen sighed. This was going to be some day... he could just tell.
Rebeccah J. Noonan reported her bag was stolen off of the subway and another bag was left in its place. There was nothing of any value in the bag left at the scene so instead of bringing it down to the station she left it on the subway thinking it must be another person's bag. When officers checked the subway car the bag in question was gone so there is no evidence to report.
The missing items are as follows: 1 Black Tennis Equipment Bag 1 Ladies Tennis Racket (Pink Frame w' Green & White Netting) 1 Ladies Tennis Outfit (Long Sleeve, Orange Body, White Sleeves, White Trimming) 1 Knobby Brown Wallet (Contained Aprox. $38 In Cash, 3-4 Credit Cards, Driver's License, & Various Other Cards)
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The report kept running through Jacen's mind as he tried to connect the information from that theft with what he already knew about Lily but he knew there were still pieces missing. Really, he didn't know much about her but he did know she was attractive, sexy as hell, and great in bed. Add to that knowledge a few things he had observed and he began to get a shadow picture. She was a fighter and apparently a thief as well but she obviously wasn't a cleptomaniac because she wasn't steeling all the time. In fact, other than their breakout from the hospital, he'd never actually observed her doing anything that even bordered breaking the law.
"What in the world are you thinking about?" A voice suddenly broke through his thoughts, "You haven't heard a word I've said in like the last ten minutes!"
Oh yes, Jacen was back to experiencing the joys of patrol life. After his injuries from the other night, he had temporarily been removed from S.W.A.T. while he recovered but he wasn't bad enough to get desk duty. Instead he was assigned to a partnerless idiot of a cop that needed someone to tag along with him. Officer Jagger was the kind of police officer that formed the butt of every police joke on the planet. About 39 or 40 with thining hair and an obvious bald spot, Jagger had a paunchy belly and was rather clumsy. Thankfully most of the NYPD could prove the various jokes wrong but Jagger was not one of them.
"Nothing. Just staring out the window." Jacen replied dryly. He had actually heard most of what the other man was saying but listening to someone talk about the experience of a colonoscopy and the results they had received the week before was not his idea of a good time. "We need a call. Something, anything to get this man to stop talking!"
"So where was I then... oh yeah, then the doctor called and said some of the test results weren't clear so they want me to come in for another. Personally I think she just likes staring at my a** 'cause she's not getting any."
Jacen quietly followed Lily to the door, not saying anything. This was his opportunity if he wanted to go for broke and try to change what was going on between them but with no encouragement from the blond woman he carefully pushed those thoughts to the side.
"You know the number." Jacen observed quietly, "So take care of yourself."
This was stupid. Not it was crazy. What guy in their right mind let a beautiful woman like this just walk away from their apartment without getting either her last name or her phone number? "What kind of idiot am I?" Jacen wondered as he leaned up against the doorway, taking a moment or two to watch Lily walking down the hallway that led to the stairs and elevators. "The kind of idiot that doesn't want to get hurt." He finally decided rather grimly as he forced himself to turn away and slowly close the door.
His day with Lily was over but that didn't mean he was just going to forget about the woman. First he had to go to the station and file a police report but after that he was going to take the time to investigate the information in that wallet he'd stowed in the bathroom.
"So now, who are you Rebeccah J. Noonan." He asked quietly as he pulled out the wallet and looked at the ID inside, "And when did you meet Lily?"
As the offending man walked away, Jacen had to chuckle at Kealey's obvious consternation and distaste. Obviously she had an advantage of most women because she knew exactly what men were feeling while they looked at her. Sure some women were smart enough to subconsciously know what a guy was thinking without any special powers, but Kealey deffinately had the advantage. Except for the situation with Jacen, she would never walk into anything blindly.
"That pick up line has probably worked on other women in the past." Jacen observed with a slight chuckle, "But he just happened to bump into the one woman in the world that knew his ulterior motive."
Turning his head slightly as though simply taking in the restaurant, Jacen watched the man and his friends out of the corner of his eye. As they paid for their food they continued to throw a few lustful or angry glances toward Kealey and Jacen. Since Kealey was obviously the focus of one of the expressions that meant that he must be the focus of the other one.
"But, forgot about them." Jacen said with a smile as he turned his attention back over to the young woman, "What do you think you'd be interested in doing today? Are there any of the New York sites you haven't taken in yet or should we just see what's playing at the movie?"
"Anything more diverting that an attractive blond that seemed to be interested in most anything I want to talk about?" Jacen mused to himself, a teasing glint in his eye as he pretending to weigh his options. If he was quite honest then the options entailed spending time with Kealey, staring at the phone while thinking about calling Lori, or watching TV while sipping at an expensive glass of brandy or scotch. "I'd say that you're the best option around."
"Can I buy you a drink little lady?" A male voice asked from just over Jacen's shoulder. Distracted as he had been by his own internal dialogue he'd missed the sounds of someone approaching but that wasn't a big deal. This was a public restaurant, not a bar, so it wasn't likely that any trouble would get started here.
"I think she's satisfied with her water, but I'd love to have someone pay for my soda if you'd like." Jacen said as he glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow curiously, "You boys finish eating already?"
"We were about to go someplace where they offer more in the way of liquid refreshment." The man had his eyes locked on Kealey and was apparently ignoring Jacen, "We'd be absolutely thrilled if you said you'd come with us."
Jacen was not going to start a fight right here. In fact he refused to start a fight in a place he liked to frequent. But he also wasn't going to let any bully or frighten Kealey. Surrepticiously moving his legs under the table, Jacen gently bumped his food against Kealey's as he turned his gaze back toward her. As long as she knew that he wasn't going anywhere he figured she'd have plenty of courage to handle the situation. After all, if she had enough courage to face the world's emotions every day, she was a very brave lady.
"If you think it'll happen often enough to warrant the investment, I won't turn down the help." Jacen replied somewhat lazily as he continued to lay there with his eyes closed. He was not going to read anything into her statement. He refused to let himself read anything into her comments. The fact she was willing to invest in their time together meant nothing! At least that was what he kept trying to tell himself.
***
Jacen wasn't sure exactly how much time passed and to be honest he didn't care. Whether Lily had enjoyed their 'bonding' experience or not he knew that he had. Most guys were really snugglers but any man that was honest would say that there was something special about just laying in bed with a woman that you had recently been intimate with. Whether feelings were involved or not, the pleasure of skin on skin contact was something that most enjoyed. But eventually the time had to come to an end.
He wasn't sure who stirred first but almost as if by silent agreement Lily and Jacen finally sat up and began to move away from the bed. Every fiber screamed for Jacen to watch the blond woman get dressed but he had to wonder whether that would be considered to intimate a gesture. Instead, as Lily went to look through her bags of clothing he focused on getting himself dressed. After all, when she left he had to head over to the station to file the police report he had talked about doing last night.
The bandage on Jacen's arm was stained with dried blood that had begun to flow again amid their activities from earlier but he didn't worry about it. It was dry and no longer flowing so there was no reason to be bothered by it. After pulling on a pair of black boxers, Jacen grabbed out a pair of loose fitting khaki pants followed soon after by a long sleeve burgundy and white striped dress shirt. Leaving the shirt untucked, Jacen took the time to roll the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows before turning back around to look at his um-friend.
"I'd ask you to lunch but I'm due at the police station. I told them I wasn't coming in to work but that I'd show up to file an assault report about last night. Can I assume you'd rather be left out of the official paperwork?" Jacen asked casually, doing his best to make sure that not even a sliver of anything deeper than a basic friendship might would show on his face. "Since I don't know your last name that should actually be pretty easy."
His chest rose and fell slowly in deep even breaths as he lay in a tangle of sheets with a certain blonde haired woman's head resting comfortably on his shoulder. The previous... however long had been like nothing he had ever experienced before. Even though Jacen had for the most part remained in control through the entire exercise, a small part of him had simply let go. Never before he had danced the line between pleasure and pain and never could he have imagined a partner that could tango as well. It had felt good but even as the two of them lay there Jacen had to admit that at least a part of him hurt. The fact that Lily had absolutely no interest in seeing if what they had could go further was like a small ache down deep but he would do his best to ignore it and not let that fact color his actions. This was an arrangement that most men would kill for and he was not going to screw it up just because a touch of the heart got involved.
Tearing his mind away from thought of anything more than pure, unbridled lust, Jacen focused on his breathing and the fact that there was a beautiful naked woman laying right beside him. Idly his left arm trailed finger along her bare skin, following the curve of the spine from shoulder level down to where the spine change into a small crevice that was barely concealed by the covers that were twined around them. Back up the curve and back down, he played over the smooth supple skin. A part of him wanted to tell Lily he had never done something that intense with a person before. A part of him wanted to let her know that no matter what happened, she was special, even if nothing developed between them. But even as those parts tried to fight for control, an older wiser part kept them silent. He wouldn't make the first move in that direction. He couldn't. She had made it quite clear what she wanted and there was no way Jacen would ever force his affections upon a woman that didn't want them.
"I think we drained the hot water heater." Jacen said, picking a safe topic that really held no interest but at least provided a way to break the comfortable silence that had been lasted for however long, "If this continues I might need to invest in a larger one. Don't want anything getting interupted by the shock of cold water."
